Summary
We need more people with research skills in positions of influence and leadership in tech companies, but it can be difficult to feel like we’re succeeding in our roles, let alone growing into leadership. There is a lot to contend with—from the inevitable chaos of quickly growing organizations, or struggling to find “fit” when working with product teams, to ethical dilemmas about the unintended consequences of the technologies we help create. Rebecca Buck will discuss the most prevalent areas of conflict she has seen lead to researchers leaving teams, companies, or distancing themselves from the title “researcher”. Through stories and examples she will cover common patterns of frustration and offer tips and frameworks for navigating issues of defining the role of research, championing quality, and increasing influence with stakeholders.
Key Insights
-
•
Researcher career paths are non-linear, more like snakes and ladders than ladders.
-
•
Three main UX research backgrounds each bring distinct strengths and blind spots: academic rigor, business storytelling, and bravery from career switchers.
-
•
Fit in UX research should be reframed as 'product market fit' to depersonalize hiring and role alignment.
-
•
UX research roles vary by proximity to product development: track builders (close), lookouts (managers), scouts (mid-future planning), and explorers (long-term vision).
-
•
Researchers often feel underutilized or frustrated due to poor management and unclear role expectations.
-
•
Quality definitions in research differ across contexts; sometimes relationship-building is more valuable than perfect data.
-
•
Negotiating research trade-offs and setting clear expectations is key to effective leadership and collaboration.
-
•
Burnout is pervasive in tech and often goes unrecognized; coaching and self-reflection can help mitigate it.
-
•
Embedding researchers flexibly in organizations—embedded vs. external advisors—depends on trust and team needs.
-
•
Effective UX researchers wear many hats: translators, storytellers, facilitators, and bridge builders across disciplines.
Notable Quotes
"I want researchers in the room in positions of power and influence to help executives see the broader social implications of technology."
"With all this influx into UX research, many still struggle to find their footing and feel underutilized."
"My career has looked more like a game of snakes and ladders than a straight ladder."
"Fit is an important question; it just needs to be reframed thoughtfully to avoid discriminatory connotations."
"I love that clients don’t actually care what I call myself as long as I’m helping them achieve great outcomes."
"Sometimes, right, you feel like you’re about to be run over by the delivery train, and that pressure shapes how research is received."
"When definitions of quality differ, it’s all about trade-offs and meeting people where they are."
"If your recreational reading is about prison camp survivorship or hostage negotiations, you might have burnout."
"Researchers are translators, storytellers, facilitators, and bridge builders. I love that bridge-building dimension."
"There’s so many ways to change team dynamics by getting closer or further from that train."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The future of urban living depends on our commitment to environmental justice."
Lena ShenkarenkoCollaborative Wireframing for Creating Team Alignment and Shipping Better Products
October 21, 2020
"Recruit fees from panels can escalate from $100 per participant to $600 due to international and professional targeting."
Roberta Dombrowski Lianna Aduana5 Reasons to Bring your Recruiting in House
September 30, 2021
"Super senior individual contributors can focus on strategic and creative work that design directors and VPs often don’t have time for."
Peter MerholzDesign at Scale is People!
June 11, 2021
"It's time for us to shift our focus away from justifying our existence to leveraging our skills to drive strategy and measure impact."
Sarah Alvarado Nalini P. Kotamraju Anne Mamaghani Peter MerholzHow to make UX research leadership more effective [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
October 26, 2023
"Users were initially excited but six months later expressed frustration and uncertainty about the tool’s usefulness."
Jennifer KongJourneying toward AI-assisted documentation in healthcare
June 5, 2024
"We all want to design for scale, but empathy alone is sometimes a shortcoming when thinking about scale."
Nancy DouyonWe'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex
June 15, 2018
"Who is missing from our efforts to make our paths more frictionless?"
Dave MaloufTheme 3: Introduction and Provocation
January 8, 2024
"The chief of staff can be a natural next step from a design program manager or design ops leader of one."
Isaac HeyveldExpand DesignOps Leadership as a Chief of Staff
September 8, 2022
"If you don’t measure design’s impact, it’s like a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
