# Fish.Dog Case Study Library for Claude Code

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LLM summary: Reference library of 14+ real Fish.Dog studies with exact questions, key findings, share links, and the techniques that made each study successful.

Primary claim: Complete library of 14+ real Fish.Dog research studies run by Claude Code agents. Each study includes the exact questions asked, key findings, share links, group configuration, and techniques used. Covers startup due diligence, CPG consumer research, voter sentiment, and cultural studies.

**For Claude Code agents and AI coding assistants.** This library documents 14+ real Fish.Dog research studies run in production. Each study includes the exact questions asked, key findings, share links for viewing full results, and the techniques that made them successful.

**How to use this library:** Browse the [study index](#index) to find studies similar to what you need to run. Click into any study for the full details. Use the questions, group configurations, and insight patterns as templates for your own research.

## Contents

1. [Complete Study Index](#index)
2. [CareQuarter: 3-Phase Startup Validation (4 Hours)](#carequarter)
3. [ESPN DTC: Pricing Elasticity for Hedge Fund (30 Minutes)](#espn)
4. [Loblaw / No Frills: M&A Due Diligence (16 Minutes)](#loblaw)
5. [Michigan Secretary of State: Voter Sentiment (24 Minutes)](#michigan-sos)
6. [MotorMinds: Auto Parts Sourcing Pain](#motorminds)
7. [VetVivo: Pet Healthcare Investment Decisions](#vetvivo)
8. [Feel Good Games: Parental Screen Time Guilt](#feelgoodgames)
9. [PatientCompanion: Elder Care Communication](#patientcompanion)
10. [TimeSmart: Physician Administrative Burden](#timesmart)
11. [Flomaru: International Gift-Giving Trust](#flomaru)
12. [Sidian: AI Trust in Regulated Engineering](#sidian)
13. [Mandel Diagnostics: Medical Device Adoption](#mandel)
14. [NexRisx: Security Tool Sprawl](#nexrisx)
15. [Airfairness: Privacy vs Convenience](#airfairness)
16. [Das Heilige Brot: German Bread Culture](#das-heilige-brot)
17. [Cross-Study Patterns](#patterns)

## 1. Complete Study Index

| # | Study | Industry | Personas | Questions | Key Technique | Share Link |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CareQuarter](#carequarter) | Elder care startup | 32 (3 phases) | 21 | Multi-phase iterative research | [Phase 1](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/UlXcv4cjValQu0qJFJrSfL5eKB1zHfc5e2cFZiLYjrA) |
| 2 | [ESPN DTC](#espn) | Media / streaming | 64 | 4 | Large panel pricing study | [Case study](https://fish.dog/case-studies/espn-dtc-hedge-fund) |
| 3 | [Loblaw / No Frills](#loblaw) | Grocery retail | 20 | 4 | M&A voice-of-customer | [Case study](https://fish.dog/case-studies/pe-ib-diligence-loblaw) |
| 4 | [Michigan SoS](#michigan-sos) | Government / political | 10 | 4 | State-filtered voter research | [Case study](https://fish.dog/case-studies/secretary-of-state-priorities) |
| 5 | [MotorMinds](#motorminds) | Auto repair software | 10 | 7 | Industry proxy filter + full framework | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/Ix3EQmEPXxaQQDle8haY1TVO8EyGUyyc_holg-oD8Fs) |
| 6 | [VetVivo](#vetvivo) | Veterinary | 20 | 7 | General population + Q1 screen | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/7MXhvxf93EnCBz_eAWqZiVa08czuZLYais0SmxAXrr0) |
| 7 | [Feel Good Games](#feelgoodgames) | Children's education | 20 | 7 | `is_parent` filter | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/GSn7lE24U0AYJClTAFG5uAGwCU2wiC0CvjCIFhpOZ2I) |
| 8 | [PatientCompanion](#patientcompanion) | Elder care tech | 20 | 7 | Healthcare industry filter + role screen | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/pS1CG_-JF7WjjuRu69-TCLzFGmA0JNLChKdoL2s_LJM) |
| 9 | [TimeSmart](#timesmart) | Healthcare admin | 20 | 7 | Healthcare filter for admin roles | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/7v87RjgB3jiYaZojgPgG5IseUoCRsmGadKRcBioBLOw) |
| 10 | [Flomaru](#flomaru) | E-commerce / gifting | 20 | 7 | Broad filter + emotional research | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/fk1XG2I0evZDQUxl_brquZuX0hij3iUNtUxidGAJ3lE) |
| 11 | [Sidian](#sidian) | Civil engineering AI | 10 | 7 | Regulated industry AI trust | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/lVjh0vrza4EhDqQaMXNdURrJOLrdU27QoPl6PFQs-to) |
| 12 | [Mandel Diagnostics](#mandel) | Medical devices | 15 | 7 | Healthcare + ROI-focused questions | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/eoLe2KHDU2-zzW6y_txv-i_V52DyKTqcwXgg_3y03iw) |
| 13 | [NexRisx](#nexrisx) | Cybersecurity | 8 | 7 | Exact industry filter (Cybersecurity) | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/90aGWtwa3b3EcsXVELlv2HA8Sn5nmTuD12MoWfbiOpU) |
| 14 | [Airfairness](#airfairness) | Travel / AI | 20 | 7 | Privacy boundary discovery | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/1Ab-ycOXYrYsFZeLj1q7V7sxUk2G7eDEb4mcZT7kZf8) |
| 15 | [Das Heilige Brot](#das-heilige-brot) | Cultural / food | 6 | 7 | Country-specific cultural research | [View](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/n9aazRLHPzw4nTIhxwIGocEUUjETY5HRXu70AMvNm0w) |

## 2. CareQuarter: 3-Phase Startup Validation (4 Hours)

**What it demonstrates:** Multi-phase iterative research. Two AI systems (Claude Code + Fish.Dog) founded a startup from scratch. Three research phases, 32 total personas, complete business validation in 4 hours.

### Phase 1: Pain Discovery

- **Group:** 12 US adults aged 45-65 managing aging parents
- **Questions:** 7 open-ended about caregiving challenges
- **Key finding:** "I'm responsible without real authority in a system that's chopped into pieces."
- **Share link:** [View Phase 1](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/UlXcv4cjValQu0qJFJrSfL5eKB1zHfc5e2cFZiLYjrA)

### Phase 2: Solution Validation

- **Group:** 10 additional personas with same demographics
- **Questions:** 7 questions informed by Phase 1 findings
- **Key findings:** Start with HIPAA only (no POA), named person not call center, phone and paper first, clear guardrails
- **Share link:** [View Phase 2](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/x52Mu1QOwow6fbhornqjY51ug4QI-jY7daoj37ndfAw)

### Phase 3: Concept Test

- **Group:** 10 more personas
- **Questions:** Positioning, pricing, trigger moments, deal breakers
- **Key findings:** Winning positioning: "Stop being the unpaid case manager." Pricing: $175-325/month acceptable. Trigger moment: Friday 4pm hospital discharge.
- **Share link:** [View Phase 3](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/IQiBzKN_q2M3-vSISd_1C7zr2XB66tV6QvVlfy8DkMo)

**Result:** Complete startup concept with landing page at [app.carequarter.pro](https://app.carequarter.pro)

### Technique: Multi-Phase Iterative Research

Phase 1 findings directly informed Phase 2 questions. The discovery that "authority without power" was the core pain led to Phase 2 questions about what "authority" means and what tools would restore it. Phase 2's finding that HIPAA-only (no POA) was the right starting point informed Phase 3's pricing validation. Each phase builds on the last.

## 3. ESPN DTC: Pricing Elasticity for Hedge Fund (30 Minutes)

**What it demonstrates:** Large panel pricing research for financial decisions. Real-money implications.

- **Group:** 64 US personas from Fish.Dog's "100 Americans" representative panel
- **Questions:** 4 pricing questions testing multiple price points
- **Key finding:** At $9.99, 65.7% would subscribe. At $29.99, only 6.3%. Sharp pricing elasticity cliff.
- **Trade implication:** At $29.99, adoption expectations may be overestimated, suggesting downside hedges on Disney stock.
- **Time:** 30 minutes
- **Case study:** [Full write-up](https://fish.dog/case-studies/espn-dtc-hedge-fund)

### Technique: Large Panel Pricing Study

64 personas (vs the standard 10) provided higher confidence on price sensitivity. The "100 Americans" pre-built panel ensured national representativeness. Multiple price points were tested in sequence to map the elasticity curve.

## 4. Loblaw / No Frills: M&A Due Diligence (16 Minutes)

**What it demonstrates:** Rapid voice-of-customer research for M&A evaluation.

- **Group:** 20 Canada-based personas (ages 17-63), 80 total responses
- **Key finding:** Sentiment decline reflected trust and consistency concerns, not price. "This was a credibility problem, not a cost problem."
- **Diligence impact:** Changed recommendation from price-focused to trust-focused recovery strategy.
- **Time:** 16 minutes
- **Case study:** [Full write-up](https://fish.dog/case-studies/pe-ib-diligence-loblaw)

### Technique: Rapid M&A Voice-of-Customer

The M&A team had 30 days for diligence. Traditional consumer research would take weeks. Fish.Dog provided directional consumer sentiment in 16 minutes, allowing the team to redirect their analysis from price to trust.

## 5. Michigan Secretary of State: Voter Sentiment (24 Minutes)

**What it demonstrates:** State-filtered political research with real constituent insights.

- **Group:** 10 Michigan personas (ages 32-73), state-filtered with `"state": "MI"`
- **Topics:** Digital ID acceptance, election integrity, data privacy, dark money
- **Key finding:** Digital ID accepted only as "optional backup with offline verification." Privacy requires enforceable mechanisms, not promises.
- **Time:** 24 minutes
- **Case study:** [Full write-up](https://fish.dog/case-studies/secretary-of-state-priorities)

### Technique: State-Filtered Voter Research

The `"state": "MI"` filter (2-letter code) ensured all 10 personas were Michigan residents. This geographic specificity is the core value proposition for political research - generic "American voter" data has limited value for state-level campaigns.

## 6. MotorMinds: Auto Parts Sourcing Pain

**What it demonstrates:** Industry proxy filtering, 7-question non-leading framework, "ghost inventory" discovery.

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 10 personas, `industry: ["Automotive Manufacturing"]`, age 28-58 |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 439 |
| **Questions:** | 7 (full non-leading framework) |
| **Total responses:** | 70 |

### Questions Asked

1. "In your current or past work, how often do you need to find, source, or order parts for vehicles or equipment? Walk me through what that process typically looks like."
2. "What's the most frustrating part of getting the parts you need? Tell me about a time when sourcing a part was particularly painful."
3. "Roughly how much time per week do you or your team spend hunting for parts, calling suppliers, comparing prices, or waiting on quotes? What's the cost of that time to your business?"
4. "What tools, websites, or methods do you currently use to find and order parts? What works well about them? What doesn't?"
5. "Have you ever tried a new tool or system specifically to make parts sourcing easier? What happened? Why did you stick with it or abandon it?"
6. "If you could wave a magic wand and fix ONE thing about how you source parts, what would it be?"
7. "What would make you hesitant to switch to a new parts ordering system, even if it promised to save you time and money?"

### Key Findings

- **"Ghost inventory" is the #1 dealbreaker.** Every participant described systems showing parts as in-stock when they are not. This was universal.
- **10-20+ hours/week spent on sourcing.** One participant estimated "$400-$800/week in lost profit."
- **Users have tried and ABANDONED other tools.** Reasons: fake inventory, VIN split errors, clunky UX, apps that crash.
- **Magic wand consensus:** "Truthful inventory with guaranteed ETAs" - not faster search, not better prices, just HONEST information.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/Ix3EQmEPXxaQQDle8haY1TVO8EyGUyyc_holg-oD8Fs)

## 7. VetVivo: Pet Healthcare Investment Decisions

**What it demonstrates:** General population filter + Q1 screening for niche audience (pet owners).

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, age 30-60, USA (no industry filter - general population) |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 440 |
| **Recruitment strategy:** | Broad demographic filter. Q1 screens for pet ownership. |

### Key Findings

- **Pets are family, not property.** Near-universal emotional framing as "children" and "best friends."
- **Financial limits are real but elastic.** Typical ceiling $3k-$5k, but negotiable for younger pets with good prognosis.
- **Age of pet matters enormously.** A 2-year-old dog gets different consideration than a 12-year-old.
- **Quality of life trumps quantity.** Participants rejected keeping pets alive "for their own sake."
- **Financing unlocks spending.** CareCredit or payment plans are the difference between yes and no.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/7MXhvxf93EnCBz_eAWqZiVa08czuZLYais0SmxAXrr0)

## 8. Feel Good Games: Parental Screen Time Guilt

**What it demonstrates:** `is_parent` filter for targeting parents. Emotional research.

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, age 25-40, `is_parent: true` |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 441 |

### Key Findings

- **Parental guilt is the #1 emotion.** Screen time equals shame for most parents.
- **"Educational" is table stakes but not trusted.** Every app claims to be educational. Parents are skeptical.
- **Passive consumption is the enemy.** YouTube rabbit holes are feared. Interactive apps get a pass.
- **Ad-free is non-negotiable for kids.** Will pay to avoid ads. In-app purchases to children are especially despised.
- **Social features are feared.** Chat and multiplayer with strangers trigger safety concerns.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/GSn7lE24U0AYJClTAFG5uAGwCU2wiC0CvjCIFhpOZ2I)

### Technique: Emotional Question Design

Question 4 ("When does screen time make you feel guilty, and when does it feel like good parenting?") was the breakthrough question. By explicitly naming the emotion (guilt), it gave participants permission to be honest about something they normally hide. This reframed the entire value proposition from "better games" to "guilt-free screen time."

## 9. PatientCompanion: Elder Care Communication

**What it demonstrates:** Healthcare industry filter for specialised roles.

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, Healthcare industry filter |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 442 |

### Key Findings

- **Current call buttons are broken.** Binary "help" button with no context. Staff arrive blind.
- **Cognitive decline is the core challenge.** Many patients cannot articulate needs.
- **Family communication is a time sink.** Repetitive updates drain staff.
- **Staffing shortages make everything worse.** Any solution must save time, not add tasks.
- **Magic wand:** "Context before arrival" - know what patients need BEFORE walking in.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/pS1CG_-JF7WjjuRu69-TCLzFGmA0JNLChKdoL2s_LJM)

## 10. TimeSmart: Physician Administrative Burden

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, Healthcare industry |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 443 |

### Key Findings

- **Admin burden is crushing.** 2+ hours daily on non-clinical tasks.
- **Systems do not talk to each other.** EHR, payroll, scheduling, timekeeping are separate.
- **Contract compliance is guesswork.** Physicians do not know where they stand until paycheck arrives.
- **Mobile is essential.** Desktop-only solutions rejected. Must work on phone between patients.
- **IT approval is the gatekeeper.** Even willing physicians face long hospital IT approval cycles.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/7v87RjgB3jiYaZojgPgG5IseUoCRsmGadKRcBioBLOw)

## 11. Flomaru: International Gift-Giving Trust

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, broad demographics |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 444 |

### Key Findings

- **Trust is the #1 barrier.** "Will it actually arrive?" and "Will it look like the photo?" dominate.
- **Emotional stakes are HIGH.** Mother's Day, funerals, apologies - high-pressure moments.
- **Price opacity kills conversions.** Hidden fees and currency surprises are dealbreakers.
- **Tracking is expected.** Amazon has trained everyone to expect real-time delivery tracking.
- **Magic wand:** "Photo proof on delivery." This came up repeatedly as the trust-builder.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/fk1XG2I0evZDQUxl_brquZuX0hij3iUNtUxidGAJ3lE)

## 12. Sidian: AI Trust in Regulated Engineering

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 10 personas, `industry: ["Civil Engineering"]` |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 445 |

### Key Findings

- **Takeoffs are the universal time sink.** Every engineer mentioned quantity takeoffs as tedious and error-prone.
- **AI trust is LOW for stamped work.** Engineers are personally liable. AI "suggestions" fine; AI "decisions" terrifying.
- **ChatGPT is already in use (secretly).** Several admitted using it but would not tell clients.
- **Integration with AutoCAD/Revit is non-negotiable.**
- **Generational divide:** Senior engineers skeptical; junior engineers are eager adopters.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/lVjh0vrza4EhDqQaMXNdURrJOLrdU27QoPl6PFQs-to)

### Technique: AI Trust Boundary Discovery

This study revealed a critical pattern for any AI product in a regulated industry: the boundary between "AI assistance" (accepted) and "AI autonomy" (rejected) is the professional liability line. Engineers will use AI for suggestions but will not trust it for any decision that carries their professional stamp.

## 13. Mandel Diagnostics: Medical Device Adoption

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 15 personas, Healthcare industry, eye care focus |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 446 |

### Key Findings

- **Referral to specialists is the default.** Most optometrists detect AMD but refer out.
- **Equipment ROI must be crystal clear.** "How many patients per month to break even?" is the first question.
- **CPT codes are make-or-break.** If insurance does not pay for the test, patients will not get it.
- **Space constraints are real.** Small practices have no room for large equipment.
- **Clinical evidence is table stakes.** Peer-reviewed studies required for credibility.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/eoLe2KHDU2-zzW6y_txv-i_V52DyKTqcwXgg_3y03iw)

## 14. NexRisx: Security Tool Sprawl

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 8 personas, `industry: ["Cybersecurity"]` |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 447 |

### Key Findings

- **Tool sprawl is universal.** Every team juggles 5-15+ tools that do not talk to each other.
- **CVSS is necessary but insufficient.** Everyone uses it, nobody trusts it alone.
- **Knowledge loss is a crisis.** When senior analysts leave, tribal knowledge goes with them.
- **AI skepticism is high.** Security pros have seen "AI-powered" tools that are just keyword matching.
- **"Chat with your security stack" resonated.** Plain English queries valued over writing code.
- **Integration is non-negotiable.** Must work with existing infrastructure.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/90aGWtwa3b3EcsXVELlv2HA8Sn5nmTuD12MoWfbiOpU)

## 15. Airfairness: Privacy vs Convenience

**What it demonstrates:** Privacy boundary discovery. How to find the line between acceptable and unacceptable data access.

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 20 personas, age 25-55, USA, `employment: "employed"` |
| --- | --- |
| **Study ID:** | 448 |
| **Recruitment strategy:** | Working professionals (frequent flyers). No "Travel" industry exists - broad filter + Q1 screen. |

### Key Findings

- **"Full inbox access" is a near-universal dealbreaker.** "My inbox has everything - work, personal, financial."
- **Acceptable workarounds exist:** "folder-only access," "read-only OAuth," "one-time scan," "let me forward specific emails."
- **Most have NEVER filed a compensation claim.** The hassle-to-payoff math does not work.
- **30% fee is acceptable** if it is real money with zero effort. But trust must be earned first.
- **Trust signals needed:** Kill switch, data deletion, "you will not train AI on my emails," per-claim approval.

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/1Ab-ycOXYrYsFZeLj1q7V7sxUk2G7eDEb4mcZT7kZf8)

### Technique: Privacy Boundary Discovery

Question 6 ("Let's talk about the privacy tradeoff...") was direct about the tension. By naming the tradeoff explicitly, it produced honest responses about where the line is. The magic wand follow-up then revealed acceptable alternatives. This two-step approach (identify the boundary, then find what is on the other side) is replicable for any product with privacy implications.

## 16. Das Heilige Brot: German Bread Culture

**What it demonstrates:** Country-specific cultural research with small, focused group.

### Configuration

| **Group:** | 6 German adults aged 30-65, `country: "Germany"` |
| --- | --- |

### Key Findings

- Hotel toast was called "the carb mattress"
- Brötchen described in near-spiritual terms
- Bread is not a commodity in Germany - it is a cultural identity marker
- Industrial bread is viewed as an insult to tradition

**Share link:** [View full study](https://cat.fish.dog/organization/studies/shared/n9aazRLHPzw4nTIhxwIGocEUUjETY5HRXu70AMvNm0w)

### Technique: Cultural Research with Small Groups

6 personas (smaller than the standard 10) produced deep cultural insights. For cultural research, smaller groups with tight demographic focus produce richer, more detailed responses than large diverse panels. The depth of individual responses matters more than statistical coverage.

## 17. Cross-Study Patterns

Patterns that emerged consistently across multiple studies. See the [Cross-Study Patterns and Lessons Learned](https://fish.dog/claude-code-guide/cross-study-patterns) page for the full analysis.

| Pattern | Studies Where Observed | Implication |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Trust is earned, not assumed** | All 14+ | Every study revealed deep skepticism about new tools and AI claims. |
| **Integration trumps features** | MotorMinds, Sidian, NexRisx, TimeSmart | "Works with what I have" beats any feature list. |
| **Magic wand diverges from builder's pitch** | 7 of 10 diligence studies | What customers want is often different from what is being built. |
| **Privacy is a growing concern** | Airfairness, NexRisx, PatientCompanion | Data access boundaries must be explicit and narrow. |
| **Price is rarely the real objection** | Loblaw, MotorMinds, VetVivo | Trust, integration, and reliability matter more than cost. |

---

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*Last updated: February 2026.*