Summary
While many researchers see the value of a central research repository, how to introduce one in an organization is still a big question. Today we have the chance to learn from two researchers who have done it. Taylor Jennings, Senior UX Researcher at Chili Piper, and Joe Nelson, User Experience Researcher at MasterControl, will share their process and experience gained from implementing their research repository. We’ll cover how they realized the need for a repository, how they convinced stakeholders, evaluated solutions, and what they’d do differently in hindsight. Join us live as we leave plenty of opportunities for the audience to ask questions.
Key Insights
-
•
Research repositories not only store data but also speed up analysis by reducing manual manual back-and-forth processes.
-
•
Both raw data and synthesized insights should be stored in a repository to support different user needs.
-
•
Video and audio clips in repositories increase stakeholder empathy more than text alone.
-
•
Convincing leadership to invest in repositories can be accelerated by detailed evaluation matrices and demonstrating value to product teams.
-
•
Tagging structures should balance flexible, project-specific tags with controlled global tags to maintain usability and relevance.
-
•
Stakeholders use repositories differently, from deep transcript review to simply reading summary findings.
-
•
Implementation ease, such as seamless import of old data and SSO integration, is critical in repository tool selection.
-
•
Researchers often need to encourage stakeholders repeatedly to use repositories to reduce one-off requests.
-
•
Collaborative features like integrated affinity diagramming sessions within the repository tool save considerable time.
-
•
Repositories evolve over time, requiring ongoing adjustments to tagging and user engagement strategies.
Notable Quotes
"If we wanted to scale and continue to grow, we were going to need something to help us."
"The biggest thing for us was speed to insight—cutting down on how long it takes to analyze videos and transcripts."
"Having video and audio in a conclusion, so we can share a URL, cuts down a lot of work for researchers."
"Sometimes stakeholders ask one-off questions and you have to retrain yourself to send them back to the repository."
"It helps a lot if we give stakeholders a framework of tags and then let them play in there to get comfortable."
"Security and participant management were tipping points in choosing our repository tool."
"Seeing the aha moment of product managers when they realize the tool really helps was a great moment."
"We found it critical to over-communicate with stakeholders about the repository—almost annoy them with reminders."
"The taxonomy or tag structure is a balancing act between usefulness and not letting things get out of control."
"Short-term learnings often roll into long-term insights by continuously tagging and iterating over time."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Doctors hate using EHRs because it turns them into clerks, interacting more with machines than patients."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"The only people who can effectively map a space are those who work and understand that space intimately."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"Cisgender binary options in onboarding flows exclude non-binary and gender-expansive identities."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"It takes at least one team member to choose to set healthy standards for collaboration."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Providing more holistic recommendations helped us gain more trust and buy-in from stakeholders, increasing UX maturity."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"Craft cultivates customer satisfaction, loyalty, and even forgiveness when functional issues arise."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"Service blueprints would have helped business units understand backend impacts and responsibilities."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"Everyone wanted to know what was the official pattern and who was accountable for it."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"At Qubits, you can customize or copy standard design processes like Lean UX and add or remove activities easily."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
