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
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Collective trauma from the pandemic and layoffs deeply impacts the research community and must be named to heal.
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Advancing research means increasing its strategic influence inside organizations, not just focusing on craft.
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Neil Berry highlights that product and brand are inseparable and cultural trend awareness leads to breakthrough innovation.
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Andy War argues research functions gain strength when unified rather than scattered.
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Nini Kajaro’s experience shows that positioning research separate from UX can enhance its organizational influence.
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Robin Beers encourages expanding research focus from product insights to analyzing company culture to drive broader change.
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Fatima Richmond sees research operations as potential engines of strategic influence in organizations.
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Peter Levin challenges the micro/macro and tactical/strategic research divide by focusing on solving immediate, visible problems.
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Trisha Wang calls for researchers to redefine their role with AI by shaping technology proactively rather than passively using it.
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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."
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