Summary
We've all heard about the trends around democratizing research, but less about how to do it in a sustainable way that fits our unique business models and environments. This session will cover critical considerations and strategies based on experience and case studies around how and when it is is appropriate to consider enabling and empowering non-researchers to gather insights and best practices on how to create process, training, and tools that drive success.
Key Insights
-
•
Successful democratization requires an honest assessment of organizational readiness and a cultural groundswell supporting research value.
-
•
Research and insights gathering are distinct activities needing different roles and boundaries.
-
•
Non-researchers can contribute meaningfully to empathic, ad hoc insights but typically cannot replace deep, strategic research.
-
•
Research operations managers play a crucial role in managing democratization programs, ensuring governance, prioritization, and training.
-
•
Defining a menu of methodologies clarifies which research activities non-researchers can perform versus those reserved for professional researchers.
-
•
Integrating research checkpoints as gates within product development ensures timely user feedback influences key decisions.
-
•
Training and coaching must be ongoing; democratization is not a one-time enablement but a continuous learning process.
-
•
Templates and pattern-based coaching help non-researchers move beyond basic testing to more thoughtful insights generation.
-
•
A combination of push, pull, and interactive communication strategies effectively disseminates research insights organization-wide.
-
•
Accessible research repositories, even simple password-protected sites, are vital for long-term insight sharing and reuse.
Notable Quotes
"You have to be honest with yourself about whether or not your organization is ready to democratize research."
"Research and insights gathering are two different activities requiring different roles and empowerment."
"Non-researchers can make a significant contribution starting from the empathic standpoint."
"Researchers own the lane of enforcing best practices around research quality."
"Research operations managers are critically important to managing democratization from a programming perspective."
"Democratization helps free up more researcher time by offloading ad hoc insights gathering to others."
"You can create coaches who are not researchers to help support ongoing partnership and mentorship."
"It's important to ensure people aren't just doing research to do research."
"Microsoft’s research hits network is a great example of simple, accessible repositories that everyone can tap into."
"Reports are not always required; sometimes findings are embedded directly into design documentation or the experience."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"We scaled panels down to about 60 countries in 11 languages focusing on markets important to Airbnb teams."
Wyatt HaymanGlobal Research Panels (Videoconference)
August 8, 2020
"We use a design checklist to show the health of each component, leaving items unchecked if they don't meet standards."
PJ Buddhari Nate BaldwinMeet Spectrum, Adobe’s Design System
June 9, 2021
"Evan spent less than 15 minutes on his essay because he used AI to write it for him."
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"Playing politics in UX leadership is about maximizing relationships ethically to advance your agenda, not about being underhanded."
Peter MerholzThe Trials and Tribulations of Directors of UX (Videoconference)
July 13, 2023
"If we continue to peak participants from homogenized groups, we risk perpetuating women’s everyday exclusions."
Dr. Jamika D. Burge Mansi GuptaAdvancing the Inclusion of Womxn in Research Practices (Videoconference)
September 15, 2022
"The person in the company most concerned about ethical stuff can often be the lawyer."
Amy MarquezINVEST: Discussion
June 15, 2018
"You cannot measure feelings meaningfully in a single interview; feelings are emergent and must be measured at scale."
Dane DeSutter Natalie Gedeon Deborah Hendersen Cheryl PlatzBeyond the Console: The rise of the Gamer Experience and how gaming will impact UX Research across industries (Videoconference)
May 17, 2024
"If you are silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it."
Zariah CameronReDesigning Wellbeing for Equitable Care in the Workplace
September 23, 2024
"Breaking tasks down into manageable chunks creates dopamine hits and makes work less overwhelming."
Jessica NorrisADHD: A DesignOps Superpower
September 9, 2022
