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Guides
The Crisis in Consumer Insights Research: How Bots, Fraud, and Failing Methodologies Are Poisoning Your Data
AI bots evade survey detection 99.8% of the time. Here's what this means for consumer research.
Design Systems: Researching Tokens, Not Just Opinions
How design token decisions impact user experience—and why research should drive these choices instead of team preferences.
Design tokens sit at the foundation of every modern design system. They define spacing, typography, color, and interaction patterns across entire product experiences. Yet most organizations treat token decisions as internal debates rather than research questions. Teams argue about 8px versus 4px grid systems, discuss whether to use 16 or 18 point body text, and debate color contrast ratios—all without asking the people who actually use their products.
This approach carries hidden costs. When design tokens don't align with user expectations or needs, the effects cascade through every component, every screen, and every interaction. A poorly chosen spacing system creates visual hierarchy problems. Typography choices that ignore reading patterns reduce comprehension. Color systems that prioritize aesthetic preferences over functional clarity create accessibility barriers.
The stakes extend beyond usability. Research from the Nielsen Norman Group indicates that users form opinions about website credibility within 50 milliseconds of exposure—a judgment heavily influenced by visual design consistency. Design tokens directly control this consistency. When tokens work well, users barely notice them. When they fail, the entire experience feels off, even if users can't articulate why.
Why Design Token Decisions Need Research
Design tokens operate at a level most users never consciously perceive. A user won't say
