Key Insights

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  UX research was not a distinct profession when Janelle started; practitioners often wore multiple hats like design, prototyping, and some research.

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  The last 4-5 years have seen rapid growth in UX research teams, with sizes ranging from single researchers to hundreds.

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  Centralized UX research teams benefit from shared knowledge and camaraderie but risk becoming 'order takers' disconnected from business impact.

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  Embedded researchers have more direct impact and insight into product decisions but often face time and resource constraints affecting research rigor.

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  Successful democratization of research requires clear training, guardrails, and leadership buy-in to enable non-researchers effectively.

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  Automating or templatizing research can improve efficiency but risks losing the nuance needed for situational research questions.

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  Hybrid team models—with a central center of excellence and empowered agents embedded in product teams—can help spread research culture efficiently.

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  Democratization efforts typically focus on the evaluative phase of product development, where lower-risk, iterative research fits well for non-specialists.

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  The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated companies’ recognition of the need for continuous customer insight to navigate changing behaviors.

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  Future UX research must emphasize inclusivity and diversity, ensuring designs serve broad and varied customer populations beyond the default user.

Notable Quotes