Summary
How do we advance our professional practice, and decide where we invest in ourselves and our team? We start with a clear look at how our work is situated in the organization, and what it takes to build real impact through research. In this talk, Dave will walk through the core skill areas that researchers and research teams need to succeed in modern organizations, as developed from workshops involving almost 500 research practitioners. We will see how those skills evolve and support each other over time, and gain a new tool to 'map' a systems-view of professional growth, for individuals and for teams.
Key Insights
-
•
Research models need to reflect the nuanced growth of researchers beyond simplistic frameworks.
-
•
A distinction between craft skills (technical abilities) and human skills (interpersonal competencies) is vital for effective research.
-
•
Engaging with product analytics is increasingly necessary, yet many researchers lack the training to integrate quantitative analysis with qualitative work.
-
•
Research evangelization—promoting research's value within organizations—is crucial as researchers advance in their careers.
-
•
Structured models help researchers frame their work and ensure projects align with organizational goals.
-
•
Skills progression is non-linear, building foundational competencies frees researchers to tackle more complex challenges.
-
•
The growth of research ops stems from the need to standardize basic research processes to focus on more strategic activities.
-
•
A collaborative community approach can foster a living language of research practices that is adaptable to various settings.
-
•
Employing value chains in skill development can help identify gaps in research capabilities within teams.
-
•
The research skills framework is an open-source resource that invites contributions to create a richer community practice.
Notable Quotes
"I didn't know that you could be hired to do research."
"As junior researchers we really just work on the execution."
"The human skills are not just the mushy stuff, they're an equal partner to the craft work."
"We need to understand how other people can use our research and help them see its value."
"The framework is open-source and available for you."
"Every single skill is rooted in data from the workshops that we ran throughout the world."
"There's no real clear path for what's next for researchers many years into their careers."
"This approach comes from looking at the real texture of activities that we are doing as researchers."
"Workshops allow us to create a common core of the most important practices for our team."
"This could be a real way for us to describe our practice and a living language of practice."
More Videos
"Empathy should be considered the baseline, not the end goal."
Sahibzada MayedThe Politics of Radical Research: A Manifesto
March 27, 2023
"Even when teams want research, they may not realize that they have to change how they operate to make use of your work."
Dave HoraAdvice for Establishing Research
December 8, 2022
"A playbook is not a one-hit wonder; it needs ongoing maintenance and updates."
Gabrielle VerderberDocumentation Your Team Will Actually Use
October 3, 2023
"The first step is to identify where and how we might be exclusionary."
Raven VealDark Metrics: Illuminating the Negative Impact of Digital Health Design
March 12, 2021
"User experience is not just in the product; it's about the experience others have with your team."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"The best outcomes come when we work together and remove ego from the equation."
Craig Brookes Andreas Huebner Morgan Quinn"Just Make it Look Good" and Other Ways We're Misunderstood
June 11, 2021
"Establishing a presence across digital and physical platforms was key to our success."
Sarah AuslanderIncremental Steps to Drive Radical Innovation in Policy Design
November 18, 2022
"If you think of sprints as a playbook, then that playbook needs improvement."
Joe Meersman Pooria SohiUse AI to Drive Outcomes that Go Beyond the Design Sprint
September 25, 2024
"Nothing about us without us is a mantra we need to embrace."
Saara Kamppari-MillerInclusive Design is DesignOps
September 29, 2021
