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The B-side of the Research Impact

Gold
Friday, March 12, 2021 • Advancing Research 2021
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The B-side of the Research Impact
Speakers: Verónica Urzúa and Jorge Montiel
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Summary

In large companies, we are seduced by OKRs, and, in general, growth. And it seems that to be "on the business side" researchers need to speak the same language, have the mindset that, to be strategic, you need to shoot for sales or growth. Although we agree that companies should have profits, for us this is a result, not a purpose. And, speaking of purpose, there is another kind of impact: research provides context and must be able to question the organization and its limits. This is the B-side of research impact.

Key Insights

  • Many Latin American UX researchers default to applying methods created in Silicon Valley without proper contextual adaptation.

  • The so-called Silicon Valley dream promotes unrealistic expectations like fast, monetary-driven results that don't fit Latin contexts.

  • Emotions and user sentiments are culturally constructed and cannot be universally measured with the same scales.

  • Latin populations often respond to surveys with politeness-driven biases due to cultural norms of sympathy and desire to please.

  • Traditional usability testing methods based on self-expression cultures can feel unnatural for conversation-oriented Latin users.

  • Creating new, culturally grounded UX techniques is crucial for effective research in Latin America.

  • Resisting the mainstream UX norms requires embracing discomfort and providing constructive disharmony within organizations.

  • The power to influence research norms lies with minorities who inject dishonesty or dissonance into dominant paradigms.

  • Context matters not only in understanding people but also in selecting and adapting research tools and methodologies.

  • There are multiple valid definitions of what it means to be a good UX researcher, and Latin America should develop its own standards.

Notable Quotes

"We were educated to minimize the value of our own practice and just reproduce what was done elsewhere."

"The Silicon Valley dream is a problematic ideology that normalizes what the correct research looks like and excludes others."

"Happiness means different things across cultures: in the US it’s excitement, in Hong Kong it’s calmness, in Mexico it’s a process."

"Metrics are only the tip of the iceberg; cultural ethos like sympathy make Latin users more polite and less direct in responses."

"We need to break the dream and move from spectators to actors who create knowledge grounded in our reality."

"Applying techniques without questioning them does not guarantee good research outcomes."

"In Latin cultures, people find it uncomfortable to do think-aloud protocols that worked in English-speaking contexts."

"Sometimes turning off the camera in interviews helps participants feel more comfortable and open."

"Our commitment as researchers is to adapt existing techniques and create new ones rooted in Latin America’s context."

"Being those who create constructive discomfort in the industry is necessary to bring our Latin researcher identity forward."

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