Muir Wood & Co: How did we get here?

Where it began

Back in the 2000s, when the business world realised that listening to customers can help drive success, they started coaxing researchers out of universities into the bright lights of product development. But, while user research has become more mainstream, many companies are still asking the wrong questions – over-indexing on feedback after launch, rather than discovery before building.

When Andrew founded Muir Wood & Co in 2017, he wanted to help clients ask the right questions, at the right time, as fast as humanly possible. He was joined by Maia (making things even quicker) in 2019. Our Flipping Fast Findings™ approach balances speed with rigour and produces insights that are actionable for your team, rather than just another glossy slide deck (although we do still love a deck).

Skilling up

As cousins, we grew up in an eccentric family of engineers and scientists, so it was perhaps inevitable we’d end up searching for answers for a living too. Andrew’s early career saw him honing his qualitative detective skills during his PhD, creating product strategies for giant consumer tech firms, then getting hands-on in the product team of a mid-size start-up. Meanwhile, Maia was crafting her sensitive approach to researching vulnerable groups and an exceptional attention to operational detail, first in a global charity, then at an ethical design agency.

This unique combination of backgrounds means we have a knack for uncovering the subtleties of human needs and behaviours, while making sure clients can translate our findings into the nitty gritty of product and service development.

Where we are now

Muir Wood & Co specialises in discovery research projects that shape the products and services that businesses, creative agencies and nonprofits are building. We thrive on the challenge of moving between diverse topics and audiences: from anxious students to sleep-deprived New York mums to fast-talking urologists, to name a few! We also help teams grow their own research capabilities, and a growing number of organisations can attribute their success (or survival) to our workshops and guidance. 

Every interaction with Muir Wood & Co is high energy, productive and fun – we aren’t afraid to challenge clients to ask difficult existential questions and we make sure to leave teams with a lasting, infectious curiosity about their customers.

Want to see how we can help you? Give us a shout on the email below.