Advancing Research 2025

Advancing Research 2025

March 11-13, 2025 • Live online conference

About

Advancing Research 2025 is the sixth edition of the annual Advancing Research conference. Researchers from all around the globe came together to collaboratively reassess the state of the practice, consider the increasingly complex demands being placed upon research teams and leaders, and work together to define clear roles, set goals, and establish scalable solutions for achieving them.

Videos

March 11, 2025

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Designing for Disability, Innovating for Everyone

Samuel Proulx • Accessibility Evangelist, Fable

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Research at an inflection point: Adapting to a new era of collaboration, equity, and innovation

Jemma Ahmed • Advancing Research Curator

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Shifting dynamics: The evolving relationship between researchers, participants, and organizational systems

Robert Fabricant • Co-Founder & Partner, Dalberg Design

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Redefining truth and inclusivity: Navigating data ownership and ethical research in the age of disinformation

Noah Bond • UX Research Lead, Hinge

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Redefining Toolkits: Unbundling to Create a Perfect Match

Benjamin Wiedmaier • Senior Content Marketing Manager, User Interviews
Annie Mayfield • Account Executive, User Interviews

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Curating insight: Strategies for integrating knowledge across research functions

Jen Cardello • Senior VP, UX Research and Insights, Fidelity Investments
Dr. Shadi Janansefat • Senior Data Scientist, Meta
Alex Wright • UX Leader, Google

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Coexisting with AI: A practical guide for researchers to navigate tools, ethics, and integration

Llewyn Paine • Strategy Consultant

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Coexisting with non-researchers: Practical strategies for a democratized research future

Sean McKay • Founder, Product Strategy & Design Consultant, Whole Product Thinking

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Strategic Shifts and Innovations in User Research: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities

Jane Davis • Principal Researcher, Great Question

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Jemma Ahmed • Advancing Research Curator
Robert Fabricant • Co-Founder & Partner, Dalberg Design
Sean McKay • Founder, Product Strategy & Design Consultant, Whole Product Thinking
Llewyn Paine • Strategy Consultant
Kate Towsey • Author of Research That Scales
Noah Bond • UX Research Lead, Hinge

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Embracing change: Navigating shifting landscapes with compassion and agency

Jamika Burge • AI Design Insights Lead, Capital One

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Shaping the Next Era of UX Research: Collaborative Forum

Taylor Klassman • Director of Research, Dscout

March 12, 2025

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Research Strategy: Connecting Insights to Outcomes

Dr. Nikki Smith • Experience Research Manager, Enterprise Mobility

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Redefining the research toolkit: Expanding methodologies for a changing world

Jemma Ahmed • Advancing Research Curator
Megan Blocker • Director of User Research, DigitalOcean
Eduardo Ortiz • CEO and Founding Owner, Coforma

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Global insights: Embracing international and intercultural research for innovation

Chui Chui Tan • Cross-Cultural Strategist, Beyo Global

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Finding the unknown in the known: Harnessing meta-analysis and literature review

Katie Hansen • Senior UX Research Manager, Thumbtack

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Inclusive Research: Debunking Myths and Getting Started

Samuel Proulx • Accessibility Evangelist, Fable
Laur Baek • UX Researcher, Fable

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Harnessing behavioral science to uncover deeper truths

Amy Bucher • Author of Engaged

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Experimental research: techniques for deep, psychology-driven insights

Katie Hansen • Senior UX Research Manager, Thumbtack

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Designing with culture: Unlocking impactful insights for Product and UX

Deanna Mitchell • Research Consultant, Stripe Partners

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Embracing participation to unlock deeper truths in commercial research

Nidhi Singh Rathore • Assistant Professor of Design, Corcoran School of Arts & Design at George Washington University
Amber Davis • UX Research Director, Audible

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Back to basics, or start from scratch?

Julie Norvaisas • VP of Research, dscout
Pert Eilers • Group Program Manager of Research Operations, Adobe
Mina Jonsson • Director of User Experience Research, ADP

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Amplifying voices and enhancing user research through group interviews

Taiye Akin-Akinyosoye • Senior Consultant, Truth Consulting

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Unlocking the power of advanced quantitative methods

Ricardo Martins • Professor and Service designer

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Day 2 Theme Panel

Megan Blocker • Director of User Research, DigitalOcean
Amy Bucher • Author of Engaged
Katie Hansen • Senior UX Research Manager, Thumbtack
Ricardo Martins • Professor and Service designer
Nidhi Singh Rathore • Assistant Professor of Design, Corcoran School of Arts & Design at George Washington University

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Megan Blocker • Director of User Research, DigitalOcean

March 13, 2025

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Navigating organizational systems: Rethinking researcher’s role in driving change

Robin Beers • Founder, Ubuntu Culture Company

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

The power to heal and harm

Rachael Dietkus, LCSW • Digital Services Expert in Design & Social Work, United States Digital Service

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Learning from journalism: Balancing impactful communication with compassionate storytelling

Bruce Gillespie • Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Claiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice

Jess Greco • Director, Product Experience Design, Mastercard

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Positioning insight: Structuring teams, roles and careers for a changing research landscape

Megan Blocker • Director of User Research, DigitalOcean
Marieke McCloskey • Director of UX Research, LinkedIn
Renee Reid • Staff UX Design Researcher, LinkedIn

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Beyond insights: Rethinking the role of researchers as stewards of organizational wisdom

Sarah Fathallah • Social Designer and Researcher
Alba Villamil • User Experience Researcher

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Day 3 Theme Panel

Eduardo Ortiz • CEO and Founding Owner, Coforma
Robin Beers • Founder, Ubuntu Culture Company
Rachael Dietkus, LCSW • Digital Services Expert in Design & Social Work, United States Digital Service
Bruce Gillespie • Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University
Jess Greco • Director, Product Experience Design, Mastercard
Marieke McCloskey • Director of UX Research, LinkedIn
Renee Reid • Staff UX Design Researcher, LinkedIn

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Empowering change: Reigniting purpose, passion and impact in research

Maria Giudice • Co-author of Changemakers

Thursday, March 13, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025

Eduardo Ortiz • CEO and Founding Owner, Coforma

Speakers

Reconceiving the Purpose of Research

Explore the transformation in UX research, emphasizing collaboration, equity, and networked knowledge creation.

Redefining the Research Toolkit

Discover the expansion of research methodologies in response to industry shifts, and how we can drive innovation.

Reclaiming our Value as Researchers

Dive into the implications of shifting dynamics between researchers, participants, and organizations.

Quotes

"If you think about the baby boomer generation, they are getting older, but their reliance on technology is not decreasing."

"That mink showed up and it took on a fight that felt more enormous than it was."

"We are people who are chosen — our craft is to interact with other people, and that’s not what we’re seeing in the world around us."

"Researchers must respect participants' ownership of their own narratives and foster intersectional inclusivity."

"When you get a best in class tool, you are able to execute more rigorous research and show clearer ROI."

"The real juujitsu is how to get people to internalize insights, not just store them in decks or docs."

"The choices we make about AI are about much more than speed versus quality — they define how we value research and our relationships."

"Research isn't about collecting insights, it’s about shaping how teams think."

"Research is no longer just a box to check; it is becoming a strategic pillar."

"Skin folk aren’t necessarily kinfolk — diversity doesn’t magically prevent inequitable research."

"There’s an African proverb that says if you wanna go fast, you go alone. But if you wanna go far, go together."

"AI-driven results are often 30 to 50 percent hallucinogenic—meaning not real—so we need to be cautious about overreliance."

"We’re never gonna know all the metrics important to all stakeholders unless we only work on one product, but we deliver outcomes in a different way."

"We can no longer rely on interviews, surveys, and usability tests to answer the strategic, complex questions organizations face today."

"Understanding local culture and context is often the make or break for success in global expansions."

"Meta-analysis is like looking at the average Rotten Tomatoes score to get an overall sentiment from many individual reviews."

"When I pressed enter it said product added to cart, but I had to check if it was actually the right product."

"We’re often stuck on a hamster wheel of short-term metrics like daily or monthly active users that don’t capture long-term success."

"The independent variable is what you manipulate, dependent variable is what you measure to see if there’s an effect."

"Everybody plays games whether they self-identify as a gamer or not."

"Too often research is something we do to people, but participatory research invites participants as co-creators of knowledge."

"The purpose of research stays the same: connecting the people creating software to the humans using it."

"Some of my favorite moments in research happen when participants build off each other’s ideas and reach unexpected conclusions."

"When people answer in a similar way, they find clusters that can be used to group users."

"We say yes when teammates are curious to try new methods and run pilots to see what works and what could improve."

"If the answer is no, your current toolkit is not enough."

"The only thing any of us can control is how quickly we learn and then act based on that learning."

"In design, it's the BYOE model—bring your own ethics."

"The inverted pyramid shares details in descending order of importance so key information comes first."

"If I had waited for someone else to give me permission, I'd still be waiting. We'd all be waiting."

"Insights are the fire that inspires, challenges, and drives teams and stakeholders into action."

"Many organizations treat researchers like glorified assembly line workers churning out disposable insights."

"Keep legal as a proactive partner, not just someone you call when there’s a problem; build those relationships early over coffee or casual chats."

"The best future leaders will embody the qualities, skills and traits of a DEO, a Design Executive Officer."

"How do we empower others to perform research by becoming coaches?"