When Josh Morales joined Miro, he inherited plenty of research tools — not enough processes.
“I’ve always been very passionate about research ops. When I started at Miro, there was a lack of research structure, so I took on our research ops initiatives, creating a playbook and whatnot."
His new research toolstack included a legacy platform and various point solutions to fill in its functionality gaps. This worked at first. But over time, Josh — now a UX Research Manager — and the growing team at Miro found themselves in need of a more centralized solution.
When it came time to renew their legacy platform, here’s why they decided to switch to Great Question instead (and haven’t looked back since).
While their previous research platform offers a broad range of features, Miro’s expectations for the tool never met reality.
“It had all the ‘good enough’ functionalities for what one can expect to run research, but we never felt like the toolset was complete. So we saw ourselves complementing it with other tools."
At Miro, finding users to participants in research wasn’t the issue.
“We are very lucky to have a community that is very active and keen to always help us build, innovate, and improve Miro as a product.”
The issue was efficiency. Despite Miro’s eager user base, its participant recruitment workflow was fragmented. Researchers relied on lifecycle marketing to build internal solutions for participant recruitment, since their current solution couldn’t meet their needs.For synthesis, the team rotated between various synthesis tools to organize and analyze data collected in their main platform.
“We were also trying out different options for unmoderated testing. So even in the core functionalities of a research tool, it was not delivering up to the standard of quality that we were expecting."
The platform’s video capabilities, from transcription to clipping highlights, were cumbersome, detracting from the team’s ability to focus on delivering actionable insights. As Miro’s stack continued to sprawl, more issues arose in their efforts to democratize research.
“At Miro, it’s not just researchers who run research. We put a lot of effort into enabling others to run their own studies. Today we are even running a continuous research program for non-researchers (FeedForward) both remotely and in-hub.”
Their previous platform’s limitations made this difficult. It wasn’t user-friendly enough for non-researchers like designers to validate Figma prototypes without extensive support from the core research team.
Perhaps most concerning: It had stagnated in terms of innovation, failing to keep pace with newer tools offering advanced features like AI-powered synthesis. As renewal approached, one thing was clear — it was time for a change.
Switching to Great Question has significantly slashed tooling costs for Miro and helped transform its research function. Unlike its predecessor, Great Question’s integrated platform streamlines workflows and eliminates the need for extra tools. It delivers on its all-in-one promise.
“Great Question got our attention because it’s built for the new generation of researchers. I always say they’re the new kids on the block because they’re doing what other tools have traditionally tried — which is build an end-to-end workflow for UX research — but they’re actually doing it in a way that’s sensible to researchers. You can see by the amount of detailed features that, as a researcher, you have to smile because they really get it.”
One of the most immediate benefits was the consolidation of Miro’s toolstack. With users already lining up to participate in studies, participant recruitment became more efficient as researchers could easily manage invites in Great Question while relying less on other tools or support from lifecycle marketing.
“In a couple of minutes, you set your audience, you can send your emails, and that’s it. The calendar is there as well, so just wait and see."
Synthesis has also been an upgrade. Features like highlight creation, and Ask AI save the team time during their analysis and allow researchers to focus on delivering actionable insights without getting bogged down by manual tasks.
Great Question has been built to support teams who want to democratize research — as much or little as they want — since day one. Given Miro’s commitment to democratization, the fit was natural.
The platform has enabled designers and product managers to run their own studies independently through initiatives at Miro like FeedForward, which was designed to validate ideas or explore new topics using Great Question.
This autonomy has expanded access to user feedback while maintaining the quality standards set by the core research team.
While better functionality was a must and the savings a plus, the team behind the tool has also raised the bar. Josh has been impressed by Great Question’s Customer Success and Support teams for their transparency and responsiveness.
“One thing I really value is the team’s transparency. I’ve sat down with the team to discuss the roadmap and how it aligns with our needs. It’s refreshing to see a research tool that genuinely listens to customers and works to align future development with what users actually need.”
Regular discussions about the product roadmap ensure alignment between Miro’s needs and upcoming features. This collaborative relationship has fostered confidence in the tool’s ability to evolve with Miro as a trusted partner.
“Once you meet Sarah, you might wonder what you thought CSMs were doing before. She’s incredibly proactive and always there to help.”
Switching to Great Question has helped transform research at Miro. The platform’s user-friendly features, cost-effectiveness, and commitment to continuous improvement empower both dedicated researchers and non-researchers alike.
“There are all these small features you wouldn’t expect to find that really resonate with you as a researcher. You can really tell Great Question is building a tool for researchers and they understand our role.”
For teams exploring alternatives to legacy tools, Miro’s experience shows the importance of finding a tool that aligns with both your needs, now and in the future.
With thoughtful planning and stakeholder engagement, transitioning to a modern research platform like Great Question can unlock new levels of efficiency and collaboration — making it easier than ever to put the user first.
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