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Making Research a Team Sport

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Friday, March 11, 2022 • Advancing Research 2022
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Making Research a Team Sport
Speakers: Roberta Dombrowski and Sam Duong Woloszynski
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Summary

Research is for everyone. User research is about connecting with customers, and learning from them to make better decisions for them, and for your business. Everyone in an organization can and should benefit from that. But that doesn't mean everyone is a researcher. In this session we'll cover: How to identify the right stakeholders for your research How to get different kinds of collaborators involved in your research How to make sure your research is being used and making an impact

Key Insights

  • Research is more effective and generates higher-quality insights when conducted collaboratively rather than in isolation.

  • Involving diverse stakeholders from product, engineering, data, marketing, sales, and customer success early in research increases buy-in and relevance.

  • Starting research projects with the end in mind—defining the intended decision and impact—makes insights actionable.

  • Writing hypotheses and decision trees before research helps clarify expected outcomes and guides analysis.

  • Sharing incremental and even unpolished updates throughout research fosters stakeholder engagement and appreciation.

  • Setting clear agreements and roles for stakeholder participation creates trust and manages expectations.

  • Storytelling with a narrative arc (beginning, middle, end) is a powerful way to communicate research findings and compel action.

  • Using collaborative virtual tools like Mural enables effective remote stakeholder brainstorming and involvement.

  • Stakeholder objections often arise from unclear context, lack of relevance, or vague asks; framing requests clearly and appreciating expertise encourages participation.

  • Even in nonprofits or quantitative surveys, framing research with clear decisions and incorporating story elements can enhance impact.

Notable Quotes

"Research typically is actually a group endeavor and is most effective when done collaboratively."

"Collaboration helps you look at problems from different angles, which makes your work more robust and nuanced."

"Begin every research project with the end in mind by framing what impact you hope to drive."

"If we learn X, we will make decision Y, but if we learn Z, we’ll make the opposite decision."

"Getting stakeholders involved from the very beginning helps build buy-in and excitement around the research."

"Sharing small, incremental updates about research progress provides visibility and makes people appreciate the craft behind the work."

"A story has a beginning that sets the scene, a middle with rising action, and an end with resolution—this structure applies well to sharing insights."

"Stakeholders might say no to research involvement if the context and relevance aren’t clear, or the ask seems overwhelming."

"People generally respond well to genuine appreciation of their expertise and perspective."

"Storytelling isn’t just for qualitative research; it’s also powerful for framing quantitative data to drive decisions."

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