Experience strategists conduct a number of research activities during the first phase of their experience design project. The purpose of the research is two-fold:

• It helps designers understand the company's vision and objectives for the product; that is, understand what is at stake. Based on this context, they work with stakeholders to align product objectives, obstacles, and success criteria for the project.
• Once an organizational alignment is achieved, research insights can help develop a product experience strategy that is aligned with agreed upon company objectives.

Research activities include:

• Stakeholder and subject-matter expert (SME) interviews
• Documents review
• Competitive research
• Expert product reviews