When we decided to redesign Swiggy Instamart's core experience, I had two weeks to complete foundational research before design kicked off. That meant 40 interviews, synthesis, and a full report. Here's how I did it without losing my mind.

**The setup that makes fast research possible**

Everything starts with a screener. I spend 2 hours writing a precise recruitment screener on Maze. Vague screeners = wrong participants = wasted interviews = bad insights. This is the most important 2 hours of any research project.

**Batching interviews in threes**

I run interviews in batches of 3, back-to-back-to-back, with a 30-minute buffer after each batch for notes. This sounds brutal, but it actually works — you spot patterns faster when conversations are fresh in your mind.

**The note-taking system**

I have a Notion template with three columns: Quote, Observation, and Question. During the interview, I only capture raw data in the Quote and Observation columns. Analysis happens later. This keeps me present in the conversation.

**Synthesis sprints, not synthesis marathons**

Instead of one massive synthesis session at the end, I do mini-syntheses after each batch of 3. By interview 15, I already know the core themes. The remaining 25 are confirming or challenging them.

**Managing energy**

Interviews are emotionally taxing. I block lunch and a 6 PM cutoff every day, no exceptions. I do a quick walk after every third interview. Fatigue produces worse insights than fewer, high-quality sessions.

The result? 40 interviews, synthesis, and a 40-page report in 12 days. Quality was higher than slower research I've done in 6 weeks.