By Tangenix · Published 2026-10-23 · Free template

Customer Research Contradiction Log

Preserve evidence that challenges your audience or message hypothesis, then investigate the conditions that explain different customer experiences.

When to use this template

Use this when a team has a favored positioning idea and new accounts do not fit the emerging story.

Choose another approach when: You want to discredit participants, count every difference as a contradiction, or cherry-pick exceptions to dismiss an otherwise supported pattern.

Gather these inputs

• A clear hypothesis and the evidence currently supporting it.
• A relevant account or observation that appears inconsistent.
• Enough task context to compare like situations without exposing identities.

Copy and adapt the template

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Worked example

Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.

A fictional founder believes client handoff questions mainly result from missing instructions. One designer’s client had clear instructions but lacked permission to edit the website. That case challenges a broad “better instructions solve handoffs” message.
The log records access permissions as a possible separate condition. It does not dismiss the designer as outside the audience merely to protect the hypothesis. The resulting copy can describe instruction organization honestly while avoiding a claim to solve every handoff failure.

How to use it

1. Write the hypothesis precisely enough that a conflict can be identified.
2. Preserve the inconsistent account and compare its context with supporting stories.
3. Revise the claim or investigate the difference before publishing a broad conclusion.

Check before using it

• Disagreement is not attributed to participant error without evidence.
• Supporting and conflicting accounts remain accessible to the reviewer.
• A revised boundary reflects context rather than convenient exclusion.

What to measure

Track how contradictory evidence changes claim scope and research questions. A contradiction log improves reasoning discipline; it does not make a qualitative sample statistically representative.

Research and sources

Specific customer context and accurate claims inform this original contradiction log. The hypothetical case is editorial illustration, not a reported research finding.

• Teresa Torres: Customer Interviews — checked 2026-10-23. Story-based interviews about goals, needs and context; separate discovery from selling.
• Google: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — checked 2026-10-23. Original value, useful answers, transparent sourcing and a clear audience.

This original template and worked example were prepared with AI assistance. Source documentation supports the principles stated above; it does not endorse Crany or guarantee this template’s performance.

About Crany

Crany is an AI marketing co-founder in development for software founders and vibe coders, designed to strategize, execute approved marketing and improve based on results. This free resource is usable independently of the product. Join the public waitlist.