Understanding the On-Ramp to Google Ads
A six-week mixed-methods study examining small business owners’ workflows, pain points, and experiences with digital advertising to inform AI-driven solutions that give them more time to focus on what they love.
Method & Rationale
This six-week study used a mixed-methods approach to understand the daily realities of small business owners. The research was conducted in three phases:
Individual Interviews
In-depth conversations (60 minutes each, 20 participants) explored daily rhythms, tools, workflows, and perceptions of digital advertising. These interviews established a qualitative foundation and surfaced initial themes.
Diary Study
A subset of participants completed a two-week diary study, documenting their work environments, device usage, and challenges with photos and notes. This method provided real-time, contextual insights into their workflows.
Co-Creation Workshop
In collaborative sessions, participants mapped their workflows, identified pain points, and brainstormed solutions. These sessions validated earlier findings and generated ideas for how AI could support their processes.
Rationale:
This sequence was chosen to move from individual perspectives to daily life behaviors and then to collective ideation. The combination of qualitative and participatory methods allowed us to capture both the nuance of personal experience and patterns across businesses.
Participants & Constraints
We recruited two key personas: Sam, who actively uses digital ads, and Mary, who does not. From there we interviewed 20 small-to-medium business owners, ranging from solo entrepreneurs to companies with up to 500 employees. Of these, 10 participated in a diary study, and 8 were later invited to a co-creation session.
Research Questions
What does a typical day look like for a small business owner?
What devices and tools do they use, and how?
When and where do they get work done?
Which tasks spark joy or frustrate small business owners?
What would an ideal workflow look like for small business owners, and how could AI tools better support them?
Data Collection & Synthesis
We began with in-depth interviews to understand how and when small business owners work, the tools they rely on, and the challenges they face. Early themes emerged around reactive workflows, fragmented tool use, and skepticism toward digital advertising. Stakeholders observed sessions live, giving the team direct exposure to participants’ daily realities.
Interview responses were captured in a datasheet and synthesized into insights through thematic analysis and coding. These insights directly informed the design of a follow-up diary study.
Next, we selected a diverse group of participants from the IDIs spanning business sizes, industries, and personas for a 10-day diary study. Participants documented their workdays through photos, videos, and screenshots of their tools, devices, and work environments. Daily moderator probes guided their reflections, while all responses were collected in Recollective and later analyzed using thematic coding.
Finally, we moderated co-creation sessions with eight participants, divided into two groups of four. Conducted via Zoom and Miro, these sessions invited participants to anonymously share responses, discuss them collaboratively, and co-ideate solutions. This process validated earlier findings and surfaced opportunities for AI to support, but not replace, their workflows.
In Conclusion
Through this research, we uncovered that many small business owners are not seeking growth at all costs, but instead prioritize efficiency, time, and sustainability in their work. We also found that digital advertising often feels inaccessible, with unclear value and limited trust in its return.
These insights shifted the conversation: rather than pushing all small business owners toward digital ads, we emphasized the importance of AI-driven tools that fit seamlessly into their workflows and align with their real priorities.
Key Insights
Marketing & Growth
Most small business owners rely on word-of-mouth, finding digital advertising costly, hard to measure, and offering unclear ROI. Growth is not always their primary goal; efficiency, time, and sustainability take precedence.
Workflows
Owners work around the clock, often switching devices and reacting to immediate needs, making proactive planning, like marketing, secondary.
Human Connection vs. Automation
Small business owners value creativity, ideation, and personal connections. They see AI as most valuable for routine, non-relationship-driven tasks, not as a replacement for human interaction.
Recommendations
Rethink AI’s Role
Position AI as a supportive tool that streamlines repetitive tasks (e.g., filtering inquiries, follow-ups) while preserving human touchpoints that drive customer trust.
Adapt to Real Workflows
Design tools that are mobile-friendly, device-agnostic, and fit into reactive, on-the-go work patterns.
Build Trust in Ads
Increase transparency and clarity in digital advertising outcomes, making ROI more tangible and accessible.
Reflections
This project reinforced the principle of centering research on people’s lives and needs, not just evaluating tools in isolation, but uncovering how to design tools that fit naturally into existing workflows rather than forcing people to adapt to them.
This was one of the largest projects I’ve worked on and it taught me a lot about time management, documentation, and the value of writing down observations as the work unfolds. Because the study had three phases, it would have been beneficial to keep more detailed notes along the way to simplify the process of pulling together the final deliverable.