Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Inconvenient Insights: The Researcher's Role is to Stay Curious

Gold
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Share the love for this talk
Inconvenient Insights: The Researcher's Role is to Stay Curious
Speakers: Jill Fruchter
Link:

Summary

There is no shortage of data in our organizations, including that which comes from research studies, in today’s “data-driven” organizations. Due to sheer volume, attention is often focused on the myriad tools and methods that exist to gather and manage data, not on the importance of establishing context and coherence across data sets. This talk will explore how researchers are uniquely qualified to use a mixed-methods mindset to transform fragmented data collection into meaningful insights, examine the barriers that challenge this outcome, and learn from real world examples about how to get stakeholders to demand the same.

Key Insights

  • More data does not automatically mean better research or better insights.

  • The Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom pyramid highlights that data is raw, while knowledge requires human context and interpretation.

  • Knowledge is constructed through human intervention and cannot be generated by algorithms alone.

  • Researchers should evolve from executors of discrete studies to omnipresent collaborators and sense makers.

  • Viewing cancellations as a nuanced signal rather than a purely negative metric can reveal opportunities for customer retention.

  • Managing research calendars holistically across teams improves transparency, collaboration, and shared learning.

  • Turning data points and metrics into stories via journey mapping enables teams to better prioritize and understand root causes.

  • Insights become more actionable and impactful when co-owned by those responsible for implementing changes.

  • Incorporating recurring, consistent questions in research helps track strategic themes over time.

  • Nurturing an insights-driven culture requires researchers to be change agents who break down silos and align around customer value.

Notable Quotes

"We are drowning in an endless sea of data yet we are stuck in an insight desert."

"Just using that language is a reframe: is cancellation and skipping the problem, or is retention the opportunity?"

"It’s those value propositions that need to be decoded at the human level and then coded back into the data, not vice versa."

"Researchers are uniquely positioned to be sense makers for the business; we connect the dots between data, knowledge, and wisdom."

"The pyramid feels inverted when data is more convenient, available, and fragmented than ever."

"There’s no good or bad data, there’s how you use it and how you come together to create shared understanding."

"Averages are an enemy; segmenting reveals the true nature of customer intent and sentiment."

"We need to think of research not just as discrete studies but as a continuous engagement with learning agendas."

"Metrics become lagging indicators, consequences of what’s happening upstream in the customer experience."

"Deserts bloom; insights can emerge even in data-saturated environments if we nurture the right culture."

Ask the Rosenbot
Sam Proulx
Online Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
2023 • Design in Product 2023
Gold
Shazia Ali
Communication: Innovative techniques for making your voice heard [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
2024 • Advancing Research Community
Samuel Martin
Co-Design vs Faux-Design: Navigating the Complexities of Sharing Power in Co-Design
2026 • Rosenfeld Community
Ariel Kennan
Theme 2 Intro
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Lada Gorlenko
Theme 2 Intro
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Roberta Dombrowski
Making Research a Team Sport
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Megan Kierstead
You Are a Badass at UX: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Dan Hill
Strategic design, slowdown, and the infrastructures of everyday life
2022 • Enterprise Community
Jeff Sussna
What DesignOps Can Learn From DevOps
2017 • DesignOps Summit 2017
Gold
Harry Max
Priority Zero: Some Things are More Equal than Others
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Bria Alexander
Day 1 Panel: Up to the Minute: The latest in AI’s impact on UX
2025 • Designing with AI 2025
Gold
Simon Wardley
Maps and Topographical Intelligence
2019 • Enterprise Community
Nick Cochran
Growing in Enterprise Design through Making Connections
2019 • Enterprise Experience 2019
Gold
Natalie Dunbar
DesignOps and Content Strategy: Envisioning the Future Together
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Bud Caddell
Theme 2 Intro
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Wyatt Hayman
Global Research Panels
2020 • DesignOps Community

More Videos

Yunyan Li

"Rapid low-fidelity prototypes let us get quick feedback without stakeholders focusing on minor visual details."

Yunyan Li Anna Le Jen Kim

UX Best Practices

June 11, 2021

Allan Lowson

"We went from stitching wireframes to actually designing in code—no more simulacra."

Allan Lowson

Rehashing the Double Diamond: Collaborating across functions with AI-assisted prototyping

June 9, 2026

Denise Jacobs

"If you’re not doing the work of addressing your own pain, you won’t be effective in helping others."

Denise Jacobs Nancy Douyon Renee Reid Lisa Welchman

Interactive Keynote: Social Change by Design

January 8, 2024

Renee Bouwens

"Product managers are often prioritization focused, so they can bias themselves in research decisions."

Renee Bouwens

Landing Product Impact: Aligning Research as a Foundational Driver for Delivering the World’s Best Products

December 15, 2023

Jemma Ahmed

"It’s not about power, it’s about guidance—helping people collect and use good data, even in qualitative settings."

Jemma Ahmed Steve Carrod Chris Geison Dr. Shadi Janansefat Christopher Nash

Democratization: Working with it, not against it [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]

July 24, 2024

Sam Ladner

"Some of the most mundane objects can signal change."

Sam Ladner

How Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight

March 9, 2022

Yoel Sumitro

"Researchers were obsessed with scientific rigor while designers used balance, feelings, or intuition as their rigor."

Yoel Sumitro

Actions and Reflections: Bridging the Skills Gap among Researchers

March 9, 2022

Dave Hora

"Working with complexity requires maintaining ambiguity as long as possible before converging on action."

Dave Hora

Research in the Face of Complexity: New Sensibility for New Situations

August 27, 2025

Daniel J. Rosenberg

"You don’t want to game anybody here. This is persuasion by evidence, not by trickery."

Daniel J. Rosenberg

Designing with and for Artificial Intelligence

August 11, 2022