Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
UX Research Trends
Summary
The world of UX Research has evolved and changed rapidly. As businesses wake up to the power of understanding customers as human beings and using those learnings to make smarter decisions, the demand for these valuable insights has grown exponentially. So, how does the practice of UX Research adapt to this demand? How can we accommodate our stakeholders and teams while maintaining the integrity of research?
Key Insights
-
•
UX research roles were nearly non-existent when Janelle started, often merged with design or other roles.
-
•
Rapid evolution in the last 4-5 years has led to UX research teams growing from solo practitioners to hundreds.
-
•
Centralized UX research teams benefit from shared knowledge but risk being 'request takers' disconnected from business context.
-
•
Embedded researchers have more direct business impact but sometimes must compromise research rigor due to time constraints.
-
•
Democratizing research requires careful guardrails, thoughtful training, and clear boundaries to prevent bad data and rogue work.
-
•
Effective democratization often focuses on evaluative, lower-risk research phases with designers, while strategic early-phase research remains researcher-led.
-
•
There is a trend toward centers of excellence using 'change agents' embedded in teams to spread research practice in large organizations.
-
•
Inclusive and diverse research is crucial to avoid designing only for a narrow audience; UX researchers must champion this.
-
•
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated organizations' focus on real-time customer insights to navigate rapid behavior changes, exemplified by Skyscanner.
-
•
Successful UX research programs embrace flexibility in methods and organizational structures rather than rigid, one-size-fits-all approaches.
Notable Quotes
"When I first started, I felt like I had this little superpower that nobody else really knew about."
"If you build something that's easy to use but not what people want, it doesn't matter."
"The UX team is never the keeper of all knowledge of the customer; the whole company owns the experience."
"Don't just flip the switch and say go talk to customers; you have to set guardrails and train people."
"Being open and flexible to what's most helpful for the team at that moment is key."
"The hardest skill to recruit for is someone who can consult and ask the right questions to uncover what the request really is."
"Centralized teams can become 'no machines' when overwhelmed with requests, needing to prioritize carefully."
"Inclusive research means building for diverse people, not just for ourselves or a narrow segment."
"Companies had to relearn their customers during COVID because behavior had fundamentally changed."
"Don't be precious but don't be reckless either when opening research access to others."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Partnering with market researchers allowed us to ask specific product questions within their long-running exit survey."
Joanna Vodopivec Prabhas PokharelOne Research Team for All - Influence Without Authority
March 9, 2022
"Public sector work is about broadening your reach and delivering outcomes to everyone, not winning market share."
Louis Rosenfeld Lashanda Hodge Senongo Akpem Chris HodowanecBecoming a Civic Designer: Making the Move from Private to Public Sector
November 17, 2022
"Lauren Cantor is our house librarian and has made an outstanding contribution to the conference."
Bria AlexanderDay 3 Welcome
September 25, 2024
"Manuel Herrera is a visual thinker and illustrator whose energy always blows me away."
Uday Gajendar Louis RosenfeldDay 2 Welcome
June 5, 2024
"Timely interactions that log users out without saving progress cause abandonment, especially for people with disabilities."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
June 7, 2023
"Onboarding isn’t a single event or process, it’s an ecosystem with many touchpoints impacting the new employee experience."
Russ UngerOnboarding: The Ecosystem, not the Afterthought
November 7, 2017
"Every person on your team matters. Find actionable ways to include and share findings with anyone who will listen."
Catherine DubutBridging Physical and Digital Spaces: Approaches to Retail Service Design
March 18, 2021
"Characters live at the extreme of radically adaptive AI—they react in the moment and follow the user’s lead."
Josh Clark Veronika KindredSentient Design: New Postures for AI-Mediated Experiences (2nd of 3 seminars)
January 29, 2025
"I approached design not from the context of user experience first, but from what job we’re trying to satisfy for our customers."
Dantley DavisLeadership & Diversity—A Fireside Chat with Dantley Davis
September 17, 2020
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What are practical steps for introducing joyful design within efficiency-driven teams?
How can teams create lightweight visibility systems that improve workload transparency without reducing productivity?
What role should AI play in user research tools, and how do you manage associated risks and accountability?