Is what you’re expecting realistic? When and how to involve your team in UX research

Setting non-researchers up for success in the research process.

Letting non-researchers conduct their own UX research can be a risky proposition. Without knowledge of the craft, or prior experience delivering actionable insights, fledgling researchers run the risk of producing learnings that are too general, or are misaligned with the context and goals of the environment in which they are being ingested — I call these non-insights.

Non-insights are dangerous.

They are learnings that are not understood or valued by stakeholders, and are often met with responses like “we already knew that” or “this doesn’t feel relevant to us”.

When others fail to see the value in our insights, we risk delegitimizing the credibility and value of research in our organization.

Value = recognition, connection, & application.

How do we know when our research insights are producing positive impact within our organization? Generally speaking, value can be measured by three signals — recognition, connection, and application.

• Recognition — Others within your organization have recognized the value of research insights and understand their value in the product development process.
• Connection — Others within your organization have internalized an understanding of the relevance of research insights by connecting the dots between specific insights & their work.
• Application — Others within your organization have internalized an understanding of research insights and are actively applying them within their product decision making and evaluation processes.