Our next Experimentation Hero in our interview series is Timo Stegeman. Since February, Timo has been working at Heineken as a freelance specialist in Product Discovery and Research. He deliberately takes on one assignment at a time, positioning himself close to product teams. “I work with one foot in Experimentation, but my main focus is research that directly feeds into what product teams do,” he explains. In large corporate environments, that means joining early in the process, prioritising themes, and defining together which “levers” can be pulled within a theme – for example, loyalty.
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Superpower: positioning yourself as a resource
Timo’s strength is not about running A/B tests faster, but about how he positions himself within the product apparatus. Instead of requesting scarce dev capacity, he acts as the right hand of the Product Owner. “I don’t come to take something from the PO; I come to give. I position research & experimentation asa resource in product teams,” he says.
Concretely, this can mean co-creating a quarterly narrative: one clear theme, core problems within it, and only then potential solutions and experiments. He sharpens problems through research, works with UX to design solutions, and validates them through the right method, whether that’s an A/B test, a prototype, or a user test. “Experiments are part of a wider story, not isolated occurrences that happen in a separate stream ”
The biggest enemy: the Feature Factory
The recurring counterforce Timo encounters in many organisations is the “Feature Factory”: delivery-driven teams where output trumps outcome. “Features get built because they’re on the backlog, not because they add proven value,” he explains. Symptoms some Experimentation teams struggle with like fights over dev resources or experiments not making the roadmap often come back to this root cause: teams working towards different goals with little shared context.
Timo’s answer is to structure around themes and shared goals to bridge that gap. His own reading list reflects this philosophy: Outcomes over Output (Josh Seiden), Escaping the Build Trap (Melissa Perri), and Continuous Discovery Habits (Teresa Torres) .
Gamechangers in his journey
Two shifts have been pivotal in Timo’s hero’s journey:
- From CRO discipline to way of working.
Timo started out at a specialised CRO agency but realised experimentation is not an island. “Sustainable impact requires embedding it in product and IT,” he says. Since then, he has deliberately chosen roles where experimentation is part of product work, not a separate service. - Opportunity Solution Trees (OSTs) as backbone.
OSTs make a clear distinction between goals, problems, and solutions, and connect them visually. “It prevents solutioneering and makes thematic work concrete,” Timo explains. He always delivers his Product Owners an OST, making choices for features and experiments fall into place logically.
AI in practice: coach and grunt-work eliminator
AI has brought both inspiration and a minor “existential crisis” for Timo. “It’s a great sparring partner. Writing prompts is like rubber-ducking; halfway through, your own thoughts become clearer,” he says. He uses AI to cluster survey answers, draft outlines, or provide first text versions. “For genuine idea generation or sharp selection, the quality isn’t always consistent yet. And while agents and flow automation are promising, in my current practice they don’t create the biggest impact yet.”
The place of experimentation in organisations: Part of Product
Timo observes major differences between clients: sometimes experimentation is placed next to product, sometimes it’s fully integrated. “In complex organisations, this often still leads to separate backlogs and priorities,” he notes. The ideal, according to him, is tight integration with product. “But structures, mandates, and management layers take time to change, especially if there isn’t a ‘burning platform’ creating urgency”.
Tip for future Experimentation Heroes
Timo’s advice is clear: position yourself as a resource for the Product Owner. “Throw away your own agenda, help the PO build the roadmap and backlog, work in themes, and deliver via an Opportunity Solution Tree. If trust grows, you’ll shift from contributing to co-defining and you’ll avoid the trap of random tests and resource fights. You can’t build a roadmap out of a few isolated and / or random A/B tests; you build it from goals, problems, and solutions, with experiments as a natural part of that journey.”