Move Beyond Prompting. Harness the Full Power of Agentic AI for Research.
You've heard about AI agents. Synthetic users. Deep thinking models that can work autonomously for hours. They sound powerful – but what do you actually do with them?
These new capabilities – agentic AI that runs complex multi-step processes, synthetic users that scale research impossibly fast, systems that think deeply while you're offline – unlock something fundamentally different. Not faster prompting. True research partners that follow your direction, think through problems, and execute sophisticated workflows without you at the keyboard.
This course teaches you to harness these frontier capabilities. You'll create agentic workflows that execute multi-step research processes independently. You'll deploy synthetic users informed by real research data and learn when they're valid versus when human participants are essential. You'll build systems that think for considerable time, following the exact research patterns and rigor you define.
Using accessible tools like n8n and Claude Code, you'll move from prompting to orchestrating. No coding background required – but you will learn to work with an IDE, terminal, and automation platforms that unlock AI's full research potential.
What you’ll learn
Learn to build AI agents and workflows—developing judgment for what works, what doesn't, and how to adapt as capabilities evolve.
Build specialized agents for recruitment, interviewing, analysis, and synthesis—understanding their limits.
Learn when to trust autonomous execution versus when human oversight is essential.
Understand agent fundamentals to harness new agentic features as they emerge.
Build synthetic users incorporating patterns and behaviors from actual research data—not generic personas.
Learn when synthetic users deliver trustworthy insights versus when human participants are essential.
Create guardrails so stakeholders understand appropriate use cases and limitations.
Design custom agents with specific research specialties - interviewer, analysis, synthesis.
Experiment with multi-agent collaboration, learning when it adds value versus complexity.
Create custom skills encoding your methods and develop judgment for what to automate.
Get comfortable with IDE and terminal through onboarding designed for non-technical researchers.
Unlock agentic AI capabilities using Claude Code or Codex for extended reasoning and autonomy.
Automate without coding using n8n's visual workflow builder to create research systems.
Map your research process to identify where workflows save time versus add complexity.
Develop judgment for when to use SaaS tools versus custom agents.
Learn which questions benefit from automation versus traditional methods.
Show stakeholders how autonomous workflows scale research capacity without proportional budget increases.
Teach your team how to move from prompting to orchestrating AI agents.
Join a community deploying cutting-edge techniques with early access to emerging capabilities.
Who this course is for
Alumni from "AI for Customer Research" ready to build autonomous agents, synthetic users, and workflows that work independently.
Experienced researchers wanting to explore frontier capabilities—building agents, deploying synthetic users, and pushing beyond limits.
Product managers and designers ready to harness agentic AI for research—no coding background required, just curiosity to learn.
Prerequisites
Recommended: Completion of "AI for Customer Research"
While not strictly required, Course 1 provides a strong foundation. You should be experienced with prompting AI and evaluating AI outputs.
Required: Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus subscription
Some agentic capabilities need Claude Code or Codex ($20/month). We'll guide you through setup.
Willingness to learn new technical interfaces
You'll work with an IDE, terminal, and automation platforms. We provide onboarding for non-technical researchers. New to me too! --John
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from John Whalen in a real-time, interactive format.
Live Interactive Sessions
Real-time sessions where you'll build agents, create workflows, test multi-agent systems, and get questions answered.
All Session Recordings
Can't make a live session? Access recordings to learn at your own pace and revisit content whenever needed.
Hands-On Projects Building Real Systems
Build agentic workflows, create synthetic users from your research data, and develop multi-agent systems you can adapt for work.
Step-by-Step Setup Guides & Templates
Guides for setting up Claude Code/Codex, n8n workflows, custom agents, and skills—plus common automation patterns.
1:1 Session with John (30 Minutes)
Get guidance on troubleshooting workflows, deciding when to build vs. buy, applying techniques to your context, or career strategy.
Guest Session with Synthetic User Expert
Learn from a platform founder about what's possible with synthetic users, validation frameworks, and emerging best practices.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Community of Advanced Practitioners
Connect with researchers, designers, and PMs pushing AI research boundaries—sharing what works and exploring frontier capabilities.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
5 live sessions • 26 lessons • 4 projects
Week 1
Session 1. Foundations & Tool-Based Agents
Feb
3
Agentic AI for Research - Class 1
Week 2
Session 2. Agents & Synthetic Users
Feb
10
Agentic AI for Research - Class 2
Free lesson
Rapid Product Discovery with AI-Powered Interviews
Setup AI-Powered Interviews Fast
See how AI can create an interview plan starting just from your questions.
Gain Insights in Hours
Use AI interviews to test assumptions and gather insights in hours, not days.
Live Demo - Watch and Learn!
Watch a live AI interview and see how insights are instantly analyzed.
Schedule
Live sessions
2 hrs / week
Weekly 2-hour interactive sessions where you'll build AI agents live, set up automation workflows, troubleshoot with peers, and get expert feedback. Designed for hands-on building, not passive lectures.
Tue, Feb 3
6:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Tue, Feb 10
6:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Tue, Feb 17
6:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)
Projects
1-2 hrs / week
Build actual agentic systems each week. You'll create custom AI agents, set up n8n workflows, develop synthetic users informed by your research data, and experiment with multi-agent systems. These aren't demos—you'll build systems you can adapt for your work, with setup guides, troubleshooting support, and peer feedback as you tinker and refine.
Async content
1 hr / week
Access step-by-step setup guides for Claude Code/Codex, n8n workflows, and custom agents between sessions. Watch build demonstrations, review automation patterns, and explore examples from real research applications. All resources are yours to keep—use them during the course and reference them as you continue building and adapting systems.
Success stories
From AI for Customer Research: This course is a perfect blend of expert knowledge and experience, community sharing and insights, and hands-on learning. I loved the balance between optimistic exploration and cautious analysis, as well as having the space to create unique perspectives through experimentation.
Gabriela Oliveira
Product Researcher at RechargeFrom AI for Customer Research: John is thoughtful about the pros, cons, benefits & limitations of AI. You'll learn about the potential of AI across the research cycle without being forced to drink the kool-aid. The course is wonderfully paced and worth every penny.
Julie Francis
CX/UX Researcher & Strategist at BellaVia ResearchFrom AI for Customer Research: John's course was invaluable to learn cutting edge UX research skills that I was able to immediately apply in my day-to-day at work. Not only that, I was able to gain hands-on experience with the latest tools that help augment the work we do.
Ross Lordon
Senior Azure Cloud Native UX Researcher at Microsoft
Frequently asked questions
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$999
USD