Teams often claim they lack time for user research. This perspective is flawed. Investing a small amount of time upfront — even a 15-minute guerrilla research sprint — can save weeks or months of development effort on a misdirected solution. Identify your riskiest assumptions. Design a quick activity to test them with real users. The clarity gained from even minimal user feedback prevents costly rework and ensures your team builds what truly matters. Prioritize this essential step.