Marcus Brandford

About

I'm an interdisciplinary researcher charting the path forward for disruptive tech products. I lead end-to-end studies around product, marketing, and business questions to guide critical decisions and drive company strategy.

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Projects
2025

Figma Make

How can Figma Make stand out in a quickly-shifting landscape of prompt-to-prototype AI tools? I ran a global study shortly after launch to map awareness, adoption, and perceptions across the competitive set, then built the positioning framework for Product and Marketing to resonate with new users and inflect growth.

Figma Sites

How should we think about Figma Sites' growth beyond experienced designers? I led market analysis and concept testing with new audiences to surface gaps and differentiators versus key competitors, then mapped a long-term framework for competing and standing apart in the category.

2024

Figma brand tracker

What does Figma's target audience think about our brand? I lead Figma's ongoing brand tracker to measure perceptions across priority roles. The narratives serve as a company-wide signal of Figma's place in the hearts and minds of product builders and guide where we invest next.

Figma Slides

Where does Figma's Slides tool fit in a market with juggernaut incumbents and innovative upstarts? I led product strategy and positioning for the launch of Figma Slides, building on research into audience needs and the competitive landscape across the full development arc, from early concept to enterprise-grade product.

FigJam

How should FigJam serve users after the COVID-era expansion of whiteboard tools? I steered strategy and investment decisions by leading research with enterprise teams and buyers on the whiteboard landscape and purchasing patterns. This work identified differentiation opportunities, strengthened Sales enablement, and informed product focus areas that resonate with target customers.

2023

Dev Mode

How should we pitch and position our first developer-oriented product? I spearheaded Dev Mode positioning and Sales strategy ahead of launch by running concept tests with designer and developer audiences and iterating on messaging to increase clarity, credibility, and relevance for new users.

2022

Figma.com

How can we evolve our marketing site to better resonate with leads and convert prospects into users? I supported the Figma.com rebuild by running research sessions with target audiences to shape information hierarchy, language, and page flows, improving how the site communicates core value and drives conversion.

2021

Nike.com search

What additional value can we deliver to shoppers through search? I led a cross-functional team across Engineering, Design, and Data Science to roadmap and ship improved results for the most common search intents.

2020

Waze

What should Waze consider as it prepares to launch its carpool service internationally? I drove foundational audience and market understanding by developing global segmentation and a GTM strategy. I conducted interviews across three countries and ran a 12k-person survey to quantify needs and opportunity.

2019

Google Assistant

How can Google grow and differentiate its AI assistant against first-movers Alexa and Siri? I identified the value propositions and use cases that resonated most for Google Assistant relative to competitors, and ran 30+ creative focus groups across the US.

2018

Google Cloud

How can Google Cloud compete against Microsoft Azure and AWS? I created international sales enablement strategy and competitive positioning for Google Cloud. I conducted ~80 customer interviews, then translated findings into a field narrative adopted by Sales teams across North America and EMEA.