Top market research thought leaders to follow in 2026

Lenny Murphy: The research technology pioneer

As the founder of GreenBook and a leading voice in research technology, Lenny Murphy operates at the intersection of qualitative research and technological innovation. His insights on AI customer insights are particularly relevant as organizations balance automation with human understanding.

Murphy argues that the future isn't about replacing human researchers with AI, it's about augmentation. "The best research platforms enable researchers to spend less time on data processing and more time on interpretation," he notes. For UX research platform selection, this means prioritizing tools that enhance human judgment.

Key insight: When evaluating a customer experience platform, ask: "Does this technology free my team to do more strategic thinking?" This is critical for teams conducting usability testing at scale.

Greg Kihlstrom: The agile research advocate

Ranked as a top global thought leader for 2025 by Thinkers360, Greg Kihlstrom has built his reputation around "The Agile Brand" concept—the idea that customer research must be integrated into rapid business cycles rather than treated as a separate, slow-moving function. Kihlstrom argues that market research leaders must embrace agility without sacrificing rigor. "The companies winning today are building systems that deliver speed and insight quality" he explains.

His approach to customer feedback emphasizes building research into iterative workflows. Rather than waiting months for comprehensive studies, Kihlstrom advocates for continuous user feedback loops that inform decisions in real-time. This is particularly valuable for teams managing digital experience testing across multiple channels while maintaining focus on customer retention and cx insights.

Key insight: Integrate customer research into your existing workflow cadence. Kihlstrom recommends aligning research sprints with product development cycles, ensuring insights are available when decisions are being made, not after they've already been implemented.

Annette Franz: The customer experience architect

As a Certified Customer Experience Professional and founder of CX Journey Inc., Annette Franz brings a holistic perspective bridging research, strategy, and organizational culture. Her work on customer journey analysis has helped organizations move from data collection to meaningful action.

Franz challenges the misconception that customer experience is primarily about touchpoint optimization. "You can't A/B test your way to breakthrough experience," she notes. "You need a deep understanding of customer context, pain points, and goals."

Her approach to digital experience testing emphasizes journey mapping before metrics. Franz advocates for qualitative research that identifies critical moments, then building quantitative frameworks around them. This helps organizations focus user experience optimization efforts where they'll have the greatest impact.

Key insight: Before launching usability testing, map the complete customer journey to identify which experiences truly drive loyalty. Start with customer interviews to understand jobs, expectations, and emotions at each stage.

Ray Poynter: The research innovation catalyst

As founder of NewMR, Ray Poynter has documented and driven the evolution of market research methodology for decades. His perspectives on audience testing and research quality are essential for anyone managing research programs.

Poynter's focus on AI customer insights reflects both optimism and caution. He sees enormous potential in AI for pattern recognition but warns against over-relying on algorithmic outputs. "AI can tell you what happened," Poynter explains, "but understanding why still requires human insight."

His perspective on research quality emphasizes that faster research isn't always better, as the key is matching methodology to the decision. For routine optimization like A/B testing, rapid feedback works well. For strategic decisions, deeper qualitative research remains essential.

Key insight: Create a research methodology matrix matching approach to decision type. Categorize decisions by importance and reversibility, then allocate research resources accordingly.

Isabelle Zdatny: The human-centered CX advocate

At Qualtrics, Isabelle Zdatny advocates for humanizing customer experience and building emotional loyalty. Her perspectives challenge the over-quantification of CX, reminding organizations that behind every data point is a human with needs and emotions.

Zdatny's work on emotional loyalty explains why some customers become advocates while others remain merely satisfied. She argues that customer feedback mechanisms often miss emotional dimensions that drive loyalty. "You can have a perfectly functional experience that creates no emotional connection," she notes. "Those customers will leave when competitors offer something marginally better."

Her approach to improving user experience starts with understanding emotional needs alongside functional ones. Zdatny advocates for research methods that capture what customers do, and how they feel throughout the experience.

Key insight: Add emotional measurement to your customer experience platform. Incorporate open-ended questions about feelings in your user feedback collection, then use text analytics to identify emotional patterns.

The common thread: Integration over isolation

While each of these market research leaders brings distinct perspectives, a common theme emerges: the future belongs to organizations that integrate cx insights across touchpoints, methodologies, and data types. The most sophisticated research programs orchestrate both qualitative and quantitative methods in service of deeper understanding.