Stop hiding behind your desk and get out there

08 Jul 2025

It’s easy to sit behind your desk, stare at the data and write out personas. 

If you want to understand who your audience is, go out in the world. This doesn’t have to cost loads. Ask people on the street. Observe. Then go deep into the comment sections. 

Follow your gut, your nose and your intuition and experience of humans. Our lives are messy, complicated and unpredictable. Take out your headphones. Listen and see.  

When I started working with a food delivery app, I decided to become a rider for them. I went through the whole recruitment process and did 2 weeks' worth of shifts on my bike around the streets of London. 

I got an instant pulse check.. I got an idea of what people bought, how riders felt and the nuts and bolts of the business. 

It’s where you find those hidden anecdotes and hunches that the most interesting work comes from.