Turning Research Ripples into Waves

Key Insights

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  Scaling UX research is a form of social and systems change requiring new patterns of interaction within complex organizational systems.

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  Small, iterative interventions targeted at key moments, like early product development, yield outsized impact on systemic change.

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  Firsthand engagement of product owners with UX research—conducting or moderating interviews—triggers a positive shift in valuing research.

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  Theory of Change combined with system mapping and service design helps identify effective intervention points and align stakeholders.

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  Non-researchers can be empowered to conduct UX research through safe, low-risk practice spaces, increasing scale and speed of research use.

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  Rituals, as repeated group activities embodying organizational values, serve as leverage points to embed new behaviors sustainably.

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  Grassroots change needs empathy that validates existing values while introducing new behaviors to achieve better outcomes.

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  Top-down alignment, especially with engineering leadership and C-level, is crucial for resources and scaling impact in large enterprises.

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  Community building through newsletters, Slack workspaces, and Ask Me Anything sessions increases visibility, engagement, and ownership of UX research.

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  Persistence amid setbacks and adaptive shifts in strategy enable systemic change to progress from initial ripples to sustained wave swells of impact.

Notable Quotes