Summary
Chris begins by sharing his personal connection to New York and acknowledging the widespread trauma caused by the pandemic and mass layoffs in the research field. He stresses the importance of naming this trauma to move forward and sets the conference’s purpose: advancing research as a strategic function rather than just a craft. Chris explains that this year’s conference is split into two themes, starting with achieving excellence in strategic influence and following with craft excellence. He introduces a lineup of speakers including Neil Berry, who advocates connecting research to cultural trends for breakthrough innovation; Andy War, who recommends unifying research functions to amplify impact; Nini Kajaro, who shares her experience removing research from under UX to increase organizational influence; Robin Beers, who pushes researchers to examine company culture deeply; Fatima Richmond, who envisions research operations as engines of strategic power; Peter Levin, who challenges traditional research dichotomies by focusing on immediate organizational problems; and Trisha Wang, who calls for researchers to become shapers, not just users, of AI technologies. Chris highlights the intensive collaborative speaker process, rethinks standard community calls as panel discussions, and underscores the effort to make the conference inclusive—including quiet rooms and support for sobriety. He closes by reiterating a sense of community and homecoming for attendees.
Key Insights
-
•
Collective trauma from the pandemic and layoffs deeply impacts the research community and must be named to heal.
-
•
Advancing research means increasing its strategic influence inside organizations, not just focusing on craft.
-
•
Neil Berry highlights that product and brand are inseparable and cultural trend awareness leads to breakthrough innovation.
-
•
Andy War argues research functions gain strength when unified rather than scattered.
-
•
Nini Kajaro’s experience shows that positioning research separate from UX can enhance its organizational influence.
-
•
Robin Beers encourages expanding research focus from product insights to analyzing company culture to drive broader change.
-
•
Fatima Richmond sees research operations as potential engines of strategic influence in organizations.
-
•
Peter Levin challenges the micro/macro and tactical/strategic research divide by focusing on solving immediate, visible problems.
-
•
Trisha Wang calls for researchers to redefine their role with AI by shaping technology proactively rather than passively using it.
-
•
The conference adopted a collaborative, iterative speaker preparation process and replaced monthly talks with panel discussions on field challenges.
Notable Quotes
"We need to name the trauma in order to move forward."
"Advancing research isn’t just a name, it’s actually a statement of purpose."
"Product and brand are two sides of the same coin."
"Unifying research functions under one umbrella gives us more influence."
"Removing research from underneath UX boosted our ability to influence the organization."
"We need to turn our skills on the companies we’re in, not just the product."
"Research operations can be an engine of strategic influence."
"The best way to expose organizational possibilities is by solving the problems right in front of us."
"We must become shapers of AI technology, not just users of it."
"We want you to feel welcome here because we are together and we’re home."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Knowledge is power; empowering communities leads to better conservation outcomes."
Alex Hurworth Bonnie John Fahd Arshad Antoine MarinDesigning a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access
October 23, 2020
"We started to ask ourselves, does every new Design Ops practitioner need 10 years of experience like Lisa and I? What opportunities are we missing by not having more junior roles?"
Laine Riley Prokay Lisa GordonCarving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners
September 9, 2022
"TripAdvisor is really nine major business units each thinking like sub companies instead of one end-to-end user experience."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"If your budgets don’t connect to strategy goals, maybe those budget items shouldn’t exist."
Nathan ShedroffDouble Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically
March 31, 2020
"Mobile live captions can caption any sounds around the user in real time, making it a powerful accessibility tool."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
November 17, 2022
"Documentation and making findings visible even without a dedicated research librarian helps maintain program momentum."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program (Videoconference)
May 18, 2023
"Triple win cultural roles speak to what a company commits to, what users need, and wider cultural tensions."
Neil BarrieWidening the Aperture: The Case for Taking a Broader Lens to the Dialogue between Products and Culture
March 25, 2024
"Leadership roles have to evolve depending on whether you’re building awareness, influence, capacity, or measuring impact."
John DevanneyThe Design Management Office
November 6, 2017
"You need to understand stakeholders’ fears, motivations, and incentives to change hearts and minds."
Katy MogalBut Do Your Insights Scale?
March 12, 2021