Expert networks vs user interviews: When to use each for product research

Product teams face a constant dilemma: should you talk to end users or industry experts? The answer is not either or it is knowing when each method delivers the insights you need.

User interviews help you understand what your customers want. Expert networks help you understand how to deliver it successfully. But mix them up, and you will waste time, money, and end up with the wrong insights.

This guide breaks down exactly when to use expert networks versus user interviews, so you can make smarter research decisions and build better products.

Quick primer: what is the difference?

Before we dive deep, let's establish the basics.

User interviews

Who you talk to: Your target end-users and customers the people who will actually use your product daily.

What you learn: User needs, behaviors, pain points, workflows, and how they interact with your product.

Example: If you are building project management software, you would interview project managers about their daily workflows, what frustrates them about current tools, and how they organize their tasks.

Expert networks

Who you talk to: Domain experts, industry veterans, former executives, and specialists who have deep knowledge about your market, industry, or technical domain.

What you learn: Industry insights, market trends, competitive intelligence, technical feasibility, and strategic perspectives.

Example: For that same project management software, you would interview former VPs of Engineering at tech companies to understand how enterprises evaluate and buy project management tools, what the procurement process looks like, and what compliance requirements matter.

The key distinction? Users tell you what they need. Experts tell you how to succeed in the market.

When to use user interviews

User interviews are your go-to research method when you need to understand the people who will actually use your product. Here is when they are most valuable:

1. Understanding user problems and needs

Use user interviews when you need to answer:

• What pain points do users face in their daily work?
• What workflows are they trying to accomplish?
• What frustrates them about current solutions?
• What job are they trying to get done?

Real example: When Notion was just starting, they spent months interviewing knowledge workers about how they organized information. They discovered that people were duct-taping together multiple tools Evernote for notes, Trello for tasks, Google Docs for collaboration and desperately wanted one unified workspace.

These interviews did not come from "productivity experts." They came from real users struggling with real problems. That insight led to Notion's everything-in-one-place positioning.

2. Validating product ideas with your target audience

Before you build, you need to know if your solution actually solves the problem.

Use user interviews to test:

• Does this feature address their pain point?
• How do users react to your prototype?
• Would they switch from their current solution?
• What is missing that would make them say "yes"?

The key is asking about past behavior, not hypothetical futures. Don't ask "Would you use this?" Ask "Tell me about the last time you tried to solve this problem. What did you do?"

3. Usability testing and product refinement

Once you have built something, user interviews (combined with observation) reveal where your product fails.

Use user interviews to discover:

• Can users accomplish their intended tasks?
• Where do they get confused or stuck?
• What is intuitive versus what requires explanation?
• What delights them or frustrates them?

Watch them use your product. Their struggles speak louder than their words.

4. Building deep user empathy across your team

Numbers tell you what is happening. User interviews tell you why and more importantly, they make your team feel the user's pain.

When your engineering team hears a customer describe spending 3 hours on a task that should take 10 minutes, it hits differently than a metric on a dashboard. User interviews build organizational empathy that drives better decision-making.

5. Early product discovery (problem space exploration)

When you are in the earliest stages before you know what to build user interviews help you explore the problem space without preconceived solutions.

This is discovery research: You are not validating a specific idea. You are trying to understand the landscape of user problems, unmet needs, and opportunity areas.

When user interviews work best

User interviews are most effective for:

• B2C products where users equal buyers
• Self-service products with short sales cycles
• Understanding behavior and emotional reactions
• Validating specific hypotheses about user needs
• Identifying usability issues in your product

When to use expert networks

Expert networks give you access to people who have the strategic, technical, or market knowledge that most users do not possess. Here is when to tap into expert networks:

1. Industry landscape and market research

When you are entering a new market or need to understand industry dynamics, experts provide the shortcut to knowledge.

Use expert networks to answer:

• How big is this market opportunity really?
• What are the key trends shaping this industry?
• Who are the dominant players and why?
• What are the regulatory or compliance considerations?
• What is the competitive landscape?

Real example: Before building a healthcare product, you might interview former hospital administrators, healthcare IT directors, and medical practice managers through an expert network. They will tell you about HIPAA requirements, the typical 18-month sales cycle for hospital software, and why 90% of healthcare startups fail to navigate procurement.

That is knowledge you cannot get from interviewing nurses or doctors who are end users.

2. Technical feasibility and validation

Sometimes you need to validate whether your technical approach is sound before investing heavily.

Use expert networks to validate:

• Is this technical architecture viable at scale?
• What are the hidden implementation challenges?
• Have others tried this approach? What happened?
• What is the state-of-the-art in this technical domain?

Interview engineers, CTOs, or architects who have built similar systems. They will save you from expensive technical dead-ends.

3. Go-to-market strategy and sales intelligence

Expert networks excel at answering "how do we sell this?" questions.

Use expert networks to learn:

• How do enterprises evaluate vendors in this category?
• What is the typical procurement process?
• Who are the decision-makers and influencers?
• What pricing models work in this market?
• What are the distribution channels?

Example: You are building a security tool for financial services companies. Interview former CISOs at banks through an expert network. They will explain the 6-month vendor evaluation process, the security questionnaires you will need to complete, and why you need SOC 2 Type II certification before they will even take a meeting.

4. Competitive intelligence and product deep-dives

Want to understand what your competitors are really doing? Talk to people who worked there.

Expert networks connect you with former employees, consultants who have worked with competitors, and industry analysts who track the space. They provide insights you cannot get from public information or user interviews.

What you can learn:

• How does Competitor X's product actually work?
• What is their roadmap direction?
• Why did they make specific product decisions?
• What are their weaknesses?

(Legal note: Stay within ethical and legal bounds. Don't ask for trade secrets or confidential information.)

5. Strategic decision-making and market entry

When leadership is making big bets entering new markets, pivoting products, M&A decisions expert networks provide the strategic perspective.

Use expert networks for:

• Should we build vs. buy vs. partner?
• Is this market attractive enough to enter?
• What is the realistic path to market leadership?
• What are the risks we are not seeing?

When expert networks work best

Expert networks are most effective for:

• B2B/Enterprise products with complex sales cycles
• New market entry where you lack domain knowledge
• Strategic decisions requiring industry perspective
• Technical validation of complex approaches
• Competitive intelligence and market positioning
• Regulated industries with compliance requirements

Side-by-side comparison

Here is a quick reference table to help you choose:

Comparison of User Interviews and Expert Networks

• Who you talk to: User interviews involve engaging with end users and customers who will actually use your product daily. Expert networks connect you with industry experts, former executives, and specialists with deep knowledge of your market or technical domain.
• Primary goal: User interviews aim to understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points, providing ground truth from lived experiences. Expert networks provide market intelligence and strategic insights, offering a high-level industry perspective.
• Perspective: User interviews offer insights based on real user experiences, while expert networks deliver strategic, high-level views of the industry.
• Best suited for: User interviews are ideal for product decisions about what to build, whereas expert networks are best for business decisions on how to succeed.
• Access: User interviews draw from your existing user base, community, or advertising channels. Expert networks operate through structured platforms like GLG, AlphaSights, Tegus, or Third Bridge.
• Cost: User interviews generally cost less, around $50 to $150 per interview. Expert networks are more expensive, often charging $200 to $500 or more per hour.
• Typical sample size: User interviews typically involve 5 to 15 participants to recognize patterns, while expert networks usually engage 3 to 8 experts to gain directional insights.
• When to use: User interviews are valuable throughout product development stages, while expert networks are best utilized during strategic moments and market entry phases.
• Time to insight: Recruiting and conducting user interviews usually takes 2 to 3 weeks, whereas expert networks can provide insights faster, typically within 1 to 2 weeks.
• Data type: User interviews generate qualitative data with deep behavioral insights. Expert networks provide a mix of qualitative and quantitative data, including market trends.

The hybrid approach: using both strategically

The most successful product teams do not choose between user interviews and expert networks. They use both strategically at different stages.

Why you need both

Think of it this way:

• User interviews tell you what users need
• Expert networks tell you how to deliver it successfully in the market

You need both perspectives to build products that users love and that achieve business success.

Real-world workflow example

Let's say you are building a B2B SaaS tool for HR teams at mid-market companies who occasionally need to make informed decisions by consulting industry specialists. You might benefit from learning about what expert networks are, their benefits, and how they work.

Phase 1: Market understanding (expert networks)

• Interview 3-4 former HR leaders at mid-market companies
• Interview 1-2 consultants who specialize in HR technology
• Learn: Market size, competitive landscape, typical pain points, buying process, budget ranges

Phase 2: Problem validation (user interviews)

• Interview 8-10 HR managers at target companies
• Learn: Specific workflows, daily pain points, current tool usage, unmet needs

Phase 3: Solution validation (user interviews)

• Show prototypes to 6-8 target users
• Learn: Does this solve their problem? What is missing? Usability issues?

Phase 4: Go-to-market validation (expert networks)

• Interview 2-3 former sales leaders who sold to HR buyers
• Interview 1-2 HR leaders about procurement process
• Learn: How to position, price, sell, and implement successfully

Phase 5: Ongoing product refinement (user interviews)

• Continuous user research throughout development
• Learn: Product feedback, feature prioritization, usability optimization

Phase 6: Market expansion (expert networks + user interviews)

• As you consider new markets or segments, repeat the cycle

Strategic sequencing

The order matters:

For NEW market entry: Start with expert networks to build foundational knowledge quickly, then move to user interviews for product validation.

For existing markets: Lead with user interviews to understand needs, then use expert networks when you hit strategic questions (pricing, distribution, competitive positioning).

For strategic pivots: Return to expert networks to validate the market opportunity, then user interviews to validate the product approach.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Mistake #1: Using expert networks when you need user validation

What it looks like: You interview 5 industry consultants who all say "Yes, this is a great idea!" so you build it. Then you show it to actual users who say "This does not solve my problem."

Why it happens: Experts have opinions about what the market needs. Users tell you what they actually need. These are not always the same.

The fix: Use experts for market validation, users for product validation. Do not skip the user step.

Mistake #2: Only using user interviews for B2B products

What it looks like: You interview 15 individual contributors who love your product, but you cannot figure out why enterprise sales are not closing.

Why it happens: In B2B, users do not equal buyers. The person using your product is not the person who signs the contract.

The fix: Interview experts who understand the buying process procurement leaders, former executives, sales leaders. They will tell you what you are missing.

Mistake #3: Treating expert opinions as user needs

What it looks like: An expert tells you "The market needs X," so you build X without validating with actual users.

Why it happens: Experts are persuasive and knowledgeable. It is easy to take their word as gospel.

The fix: Experts inform strategy; users validate product. Always confirm expert hypotheses with user research.

Mistake #4: Not using expert networks for new market entry

What it looks like: You spend 6 months building a product for healthcare, only to discover there is a compliance requirement that makes your approach unviable.

Why it happens: You relied on user interviews without understanding the broader market and regulatory landscape.

The fix: When entering new markets or industries, start with expert networks to understand the playing field before you build.

Mistake #5: Using them interchangeably

What it looks like: Asking experts about daily user workflows, or asking users about market size and competitive dynamics.

Why it happens: Lack of clarity about what each method is good for.

The fix: Use the decision framework below.

Decision framework: which should you use?

Use this simple framework to decide:

Use user interviews when you need to answer:

1. "What problems do our users face day-to-day?"
2. "How do users currently solve this problem?"
3. "Can users accomplish [task] with our product?"
4. "What do users think of [feature/design]?"
5. "Why do users behave this way?"
6. "What is the user workflow or journey?"

Use expert networks when you need to answer:

1. "How big is this market opportunity?"
2. "What is the competitive landscape and key players?"
3. "How do enterprise companies evaluate [product category]?"
4. "What are the regulatory or compliance requirements?"
5. "Is this technical approach viable at scale?"
6. "What are the key market trends?"
7. "What is the typical go-to-market motion?"

Use BOTH when you need to answer:

1. "Should we enter this new market?" (Experts for market validation + Users for problem validation)
2. "How should we price our product?" (Experts for market benchmarks + Users for willingness to pay)
3. "What is our competitive positioning?" (Experts for competitive intelligence + Users for differentiation insights)

Getting started: practical steps

Starting with user interviews

1. Define your research questions - What do you need to learn?
2. Recruit from your user base - Email lists, in-app prompts, community
3. Start with 5-8 interviews - Enough to identify patterns
4. Budget $500-1,500 - For participant incentives ($50-150/interview)
5. Timeline: 2-3 weeks - Recruitment, interviews, analysis

Resources:

• How to Conduct User Interviews guide
• User Interview Questions template

Starting with expert networks

1. Define your knowledge gaps - What strategic questions do you need answered?
2. Choose a platform - GLG, AlphaSights, Tegus, Third Bridge
3. Define expert criteria - What backgrounds/experience do you need?
4. Start with 3-5 expert calls - Enough for directional insights
5. Budget $1,000-3,000 - Expert networks charge $200-500+/hour
6. Timeline: 1-2 weeks - Faster than user recruitment

Resources:

• How to Choose the Right Expert Network
• Traditional vs. digital expert networks: the changing landscape of professional insights

Conclusion: different tools for different questions

User interviews and expert networks are not competing methods they are complementary tools in your research toolkit.

The bottom line:

• Use user interviews to understand what to build
• Use expert networks to understand how to succeed
• Use both to build products that users love and businesses that win

The most successful product teams master both approaches and know exactly when to deploy each one. Do not choose between them. Choose strategically.

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