Research for founders ready to scale
Stop scaling
the wrong thing
Most startups don't have a growth problem, they have a clarity problem. Pattern & Proof helps you understand your users before you bet big on the next stage.
Research That Has Shaped
Rebuilt after user research revealed the wrong features were being built
Product Priorities
Funnel Fixes
Identified in a single sprint for a platform with 1M+ users
Identified in a single sprint for a platform with 1M+ users
Scaling Decisions
You've built something real.
Now what?
THE PROBLEM WE SOLVE
The moment between product-market fit and scaling is the most
expensive place to get it wrong.
01
Scaling on Instinct
You've been making decisions on feel since day one and it's worked. But at this stage, gut decisions get expensive fast. What worked for 100 users doesn't always work for 10,000.
02
The Funnel Mystery
You can see where users drop off in your analytics. What you can't see is why. Without that, you're guessing at fixes and often solving the wrong problem entirely.
03
Misaligned Messaging
Your copy made sense to you when you wrote it. But your users are arriving with a different vocabulary, different expectations, and different questions. Research closes that gap.
04
Building the Wrong Thing Next
Before you commit the next three months of development to a new feature, it's worth knowing whether users actually want it and whether it solves their real problem.
WHAT WE OFFER
Three Ways To Work Together
Structured engagements designed around the decisions you're actually facing, not open-ended retainers that drift.
Research Sprint
A focused, time-boxed study built around one specific question. Fast and immediately actionable.
Problem definition workshop
User interviews or surveys
Synthesis and insight report
Recommendations session
From £1,500 / project
Validation Package
Deeper mixed-methods research for founders facing a significant decision, new market, major feature, pricing change.
Mixed quantitative & qualitative methods
Persona development
Funnel or UX analysis
Strategic recommendations deck
From £4,500 / project
Continuous research support for scaling teams who need insight built into their decision-making rhythm, not bolted on after the fact.
Monthly research cadence
Priority turnaround
Ongoing user panel
Quarterly strategy review
Research Retainer
From £1,500 / month
HOW WE WORK
The Adaptive Insight Cycle
Research that adapts to what you find, not a rigid process that ignores it.
WHAT WE OFFER
Research that shaped real decisions
Anonymised where required, but the outcomes are real.
Full validation programme for a gamified entrepreneurship app
Startup - Mixed Methods
A pre-launch startup assumed their users were held back by lack of knowledge. The research told a different story: financial independence was both the primary motivation and the biggest barrier, the same thing driving people toward the product was also stopping them from believing it could work for them. That single insight reshaped their entire product and messaging strategy.
1200+
Survey Participants
150k+
Campaign Reach
4
Validated Personas
eCommerce - Thematic Analysis
User experience research for a platform with > one million users
A platform with over a million users had detailed analytics but no explanation for why satisfaction was dipping. Their data showed what users were doing, it couldn't show why. Thematic analysis across user feedback surfaced three recurring friction patterns the numbers had buried, giving the product team a clear prioritisation framework for the next cycle.
>1 Million
Platform Users
3
Immediate Actions
eCommerce - Funnel Analysis
Conversion funnel audit revealing where and why users dropped off
An e-commerce brand was losing conversions at the same stage of their funnel for months. When we combined behavioural data with user interviews, we discovered the real issue wasn’t the page design; it was upstream. Their email campaigns weren’t reinforcing the true decision drivers behind why customers buy. They were echoing surface-level desires instead of highlighting the underlying value. A strategic shift in copy aligned with actual purchase psychology fixed what a redesign couldn’t.
1
Sprint
3
Friction points identified
UX Copy - Terminology Testing
Copy and terminology research to align product language with user mental models
A product team was puzzled by low engagement on a feature they knew users needed. The feature wasn't the problem the words around it actually were. Users were scanning the UI looking for terms they recognised and not finding them. We mapped the vocabulary users actually used against the product copy, and the language guide that came out of it informed both the interface and every marketing channel.
UX Copy
Specialism
Language Guide
Deliverable
Who you are working with
Annabel Lovegrove
Co-founder and Lead Researcher
When you work with us, you're working with a researcher who has led studies for platforms with over a million users, built full mixed-methods validation programmes from the ground up, and understands what it actually takes to translate research into decisions people act on.
I started Pattern & Proof because I kept seeing founders at pivotal moments making expensive decisions without clear validation, not because they didn’t value research, but because they didn’t have access to it in a way that was rigorous and commercially grounded.
I also work with founders to integrate AI into their research and decision-making processes, without outsourcing judgment.
That’s the gap I’m here to close.
Contact
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