Summary
Our team has studied research democratization efforts of many shapes and sizes. This session focuses on what we've learned by approaching democratization from the perspective of the designers, product managers, marketers, and other non-researchers involved.
Key Insights
-
•
Democratization programs vary widely in training intensity, approval processes, and methodology restrictions depending on organizational needs.
-
•
Non-researchers often resist democratization programs because they perceive them as additional work on top of busy schedules.
-
•
Only a small subset of highly motivated power users, like Tony, actively engage deeply with democratization initiatives initially.
-
•
Balancing safeguards with inspiration—such as celebrating imperfect attempts—helps non-researchers learn without fear of mistakes.
-
•
Motivation is as critical as ability and opportunity in driving behavior change to adopt research practices among non-researchers.
-
•
The most successful democratization efforts align training with the non-researcher's immediate research needs, leveraging their peak motivation.
-
•
Customer empathy programs succeed better when interactions are highly relevant to non-researchers’ current work challenges.
-
•
Initial engagement in democratization initiatives tends to be low, with most users having minimal touchpoints early on.
-
•
Measuring success should go beyond activity counts to connecting research efforts to concrete business impact and ROI over time.
-
•
Building a democratization program requires substantial upfront effort including executive buy-in, training facilitation, and promotion.
Notable Quotes
"Democratization is becoming more of an umbrella term with different customers using it to mean very different things."
"Non-researchers work 12 hours a day and they don’t want to work 12 and a half hours a day."
"Resistance to adding to their workload is a huge factor why engagement is often low when these programs roll out."
"Give non-researchers some applause when they run a test even if it's not perfect, then help them do it differently next time."
"Aim for a healthy balance of safeguards and inspiration to protect customers but keep non-researchers motivated."
"We can over-index on capability and opportunity, but motivation is critical for non-researchers to engage in research activities."
"The most successful programs meet stakeholders at their highest point of motivation to participate in research."
"Non-researchers found traction when conversations were hyper relevant to what they were working on."
"Not everyone is necessarily asking to be empowered or ready to be empowered when launching these programs."
"Over the long term, democratization programs can even out workloads and reduce pressure on research teams."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Trauma-informed design tries to prevent harm and the harm is retraumatizing or creating new trauma."
Carol Scott Melissa EgglestonAvoid Harming Your Team and Users: Promoting Care and Brand Reputation with Trauma-Informed UX Practices
February 5, 2025
"The era of 100-page reports is ending because we simply can’t produce them fast enough at scale."
Lija Hogan Milan Mijatovic Sam Proulx Louis RosenfeldThree Years Out: Perspectives on the Near-Term Future of User Research
March 15, 2024
"If you want an accessible app on iOS and Android, using the standard native APIs and controls will get you there."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility and You
June 9, 2022
"We do not have online indicators in our communication software, so people know they shouldn’t wait for an immediate response."
Ana FerreiraDesigning Distributed: Leading Doist’s Fully Remote Design Team in Six Countries
January 8, 2024
"I see these AI tools as augmenting human work, letting us focus on what matters most, not replacing humans."
Jorge ArangoScale Smart: AI-Powered Content Organization Strategies
September 24, 2024
"No doctor wants to use an EHR; we’re often the least bad option in a field full of poor usability."
Chris MosesStretching the Definition of DesignOps with Product Development
November 7, 2018
"It becomes the designer’s responsibility to figure out what aspects of the instructions to the LLM should be configurable and what should be fixed."
Trisha Causley[Demo] Complexity in disguise: Crafting experiences for generative AI features
June 5, 2024
"AI should be a partner to UX professionals, not a replacement for UX expertise."
Clara Kliman-SilverUX Futures: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Design
June 7, 2023
"An org chart is about formal reporting; a relationship map is about networking and collaboration across silos."
Michael PolivkaScaling Design through Relationship Maps
November 7, 2017
