What happens when product designers start listening a little bit deeper to their markets, both current and prospective?
That was the central question of DODO’s just-concluded webinar: “Strategies That Drive Results – Understanding User Research in Nigerian Fintech,” held on August 15, 2025.
What unfolded wasn’t just another panel discussion; it was a mini-masterclass on how to take research a little bit deeper till you hit gold, i.e. impact-producing insights, how to go in-depth with empathy as the goal, and how all of that can transform a product from “just another app” to solutions that truly answers to users’ painpoints.
And if you missed it? Don’t worry. Here’s the story, the highlights, and yes, you can still catch the replay here.
Setting the Stage
The session began with Susan Onigbinde, Founder of DODO, setting the foundation for everything that followed.
Susan painted a vivid picture of Nigeria’s fintech landscape: one of the fastest-growing sectors in Africa, fueled by digital adoption, foreign investment, and a young, underserved population. But she also asked the question most product teams avoid:
“If users are the driving force for this market, how do we truly meet their needs in a space that is this fast-growing and competitive?”
Her answer is to treat user research as a goldmine. She noted that all data isn’t created equal, breaking it down even further into 3 categories;
- Data is the raw observation (e.g., “There’s traffic on Third Mainland Bridge at rush hour”).
- Findings are patterns we extract from data (e.g., “15% of commuters pass the time by listening to audiobooks”).
- Insights are the gold – deeper truths that explain the “why” (e.g., “People who listen to audiobooks are seeking growth and are dissatisfied with their current status”).
Most companies stop at data, but the winners do not. They dig deeper for the gold, a.k.a insights.
As she put it:
“You need to uncover as much as possible about the people you are trying to serve in order to better meet their needs and have that competitive edge.”
That insight became the guiding light for the entire session.
The Case for Research: Stories That Prove the Point
Susan also shared global and local case studies that brought research to life:
- Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” Program: Born from ethnographic research, where families were observed rounding up transactions in their checkbooks. That simple observation led to a feature that helped millions save money and attracted over 2 million new accounts in one year.
- Lloyds Banking Group’s Diary Studies: By asking 20 participants to record daily financial habits in diaries (photos, videos, notes), they uncovered hidden behaviors around gambling, budgeting, and stress; things people would never confess in an interview. This allowed Lloyds to design human-centered financial solutions, like tools for budgeting, debt support, and stress-related money management.
Most importantly, it gave the bank confidence to shape long-term strategies around user well-being and trust, instead of only focusing on transactions. - Union Bank Nigeria: DODO’s ethnographic research into high-net-worth individuals revealed two powerful truths: their need for authentic relationships and their deep prioritization of family. Those insights helped to shape the solutions that were built into the product for HNI.
The message was clear: when you listen differently, you design differently.
The Panelists Step In
After Susan’s grounding, two panelists took the conversation deeper into practice.
- Iwalola Sobowale – The Researcher as “Parent”
Iwalola Sobowale, Head of Customer Research at Moniepoint, reframed the role of research with a metaphor that stuck:
“While architects and interior designers are crucial for structure and aesthetics, the researcher acts as the ‘parent,’ understanding the family’s unique needs and ensuring the home meets those specific requirements to truly become a ‘home.”
For her, research isn’t decoration, it’s stewardship. It ensures products fit the people they are meant for, not just the vision of the team that built them.
She spoke about how insights drive retention, adoption, and validation, reminding us that in fintech, success isn’t just about launch, it’s about longevity. Notice the word “insights” re-emphasised.
- Adewunmi Aladenusi – Getting Uncomfortably Close
Adewunmi Aladenusi, Senior Product Designer at Flutterwave, emphasized embedding research into product teams and processes.
“Be uncomfortably close to merchants and users, actively seeking feedback through direct messages, observing usage in real-world settings, and listening in on customer support calls to understand pain points directly.”
It was a call to ditch the “ivory tower” approach and get into the messy, unfiltered reality of user behavior. That’s where true product-market fit is found.
The Takeaway: What Research Really Looks Like
By the end of the session, one thing was clear: user research in Nigerian fintech is not about surveys and dashboards alone.
It’s about:
- Leaving your office and stepping into the lives of users.
- Defining problems with authenticity, not assumptions.
- Generating many ideas before settling on one.
- Building quick, scrappy prototypes to test hypotheses.
- Iterating until the solution feels real, human, and valuable.
In summary, research is not a phase; it’s a culture.
If You Missed It…
You can still catch all the energy and strategies.
Beyond the Webinar
For us at DODO, this wasn’t just an event. It was a reminder of why we exist: to help teams uncover the truths that drive better design solutions.
If you’re a founder, product manager, or researcher building in this space and you want to go beyond “data” to true insight, we would love to walk that journey with you.
Reach us at hello@dododesign.africa
