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Glossary

Hypothesis-first brief

A research starting point that names the decision, who makes it and the baseline before anyone touches data.

A traditional brief describes a study. Objectives, sample, method, timeline. A hypothesis-first brief describes a decision. It says what the business believes, which specific choice it has to make, who will make it, and what number the result will be measured against.

Insights engineers start with a hypothesis instead of a brief. It is the difference between asking what people think and asking which of two things to do.

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Part of the insights engineer definition hub.