Panel: Excellence in Impact
Summary
What is “impact” in the context of research? Should we strive for influencing product decisions or shifting organizational thinking? Is it measurable or qualitative? And what does it take to achieve it? Join our expert panel as they share their unique perspectives on defining and achieving research impact, offering illuminating examples from their own experiences. Don't miss this lively, thoughtful discussion that transcends traditional metrics and explores the profound ways in which research can make a lasting difference.
Key Insights
-
•
Building relationships and trust within the organization is as vital as executing good research to gain influence.
-
•
Research advocacy and storytelling are inseparable from the research process itself.
-
•
A skilled researcher can have zero impact, while less-skilled researchers might achieve great influence through networks and culture.
-
•
Early stakeholder engagement and co-creation improve buy-in and help research outputs be adopted.
-
•
Organizational learning and influence often happen gradually over years, not instantly.
-
•
Impact should be measured in changed perspectives and conversations, not just concrete product changes.
-
•
Soft skills like persuasion, visual storytelling, and coalition building are critical for researchers' influence.
-
•
In some sectors, especially public, aligning research with the social mission is necessary for true impact.
-
•
Researchers have unique opportunities to influence by helping organizations diagnose real problems deeply and clearly.
-
•
Trusted advisor relationships built on credibility, reliability, and intimacy empower lasting researcher impact.
Notable Quotes
"I think you can't be good at research unless you're also good at getting that research across."
"You can be an amazing researcher and have zero impact, or a bad researcher and have amazing impact."
"Building those relationships, building trust, it will always pay off."
"It's not a match-winning pass if no one catches it."
"Sometimes it's just not even related to the research skills, sometimes relationships really matter."
"We don’t just stop the research project when we collect data; analyzing, extracting insights, and shaping the narrative is part of it."
"Impact can be about changing the way people talk about the problem and see the customer."
"Fall in love with the problem, not the solution."
"Good research can be the best thing for the diagnosis of the problem in a strategy."
"The greatest impact is when people call me directly or give a brief to me directly; it's about relationships."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We want to reduce resources required to deliver the experience and create a better experience that also serves diverse needs and challenges."
Chris HammondEmbedding sustainability into enterprise design and development: A journey towards "sustainability consciousness"
April 2, 2025
"There’s no need to take notes; we’ve got session notes, sketch notes, and a resource list all provided."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
September 29, 2021
"The real juujitsu is how to get people to internalize insights, not just store them in decks or docs."
Jen Cardello Dr. Shadi Janansefat Alex WrightCurating insight: Strategies for integrating knowledge across research functions
March 11, 2025
"I love that clients don’t actually care what I call myself as long as I’m helping them achieve great outcomes."
Rebecca BuckMission: Keep Talent in Research Roles!
March 10, 2021
"The hardest thing is knowing when to stop talking about something and start building it."
Abby Covert Tomer SharonPanel: Collaboration Tools
November 6, 2017
"Prompting is a specialized skill, just like statistics or in-depth interviewing; the wrong wording can bias your results."
Llewyn PaineCoexisting with AI: A practical guide for researchers to navigate tools, ethics, and integration
March 11, 2025
"We want to ensure that there is continuity of a conversation that engages the themes and various perspectives."
Uday GajendarTheme One Intro
June 6, 2023
"All negative outcomes in legacy modernization can be traced back to not bringing product thinking to the table."
Meaghan Waters Fotina KoutropoulousLack of Product Thinking will Doom Your Legacy Modernization
June 9, 2021
"People miss the water cooler moments in remote teams, so you have to create deliberate opportunities to connect."
Alastair SimpsonDebunking the Myths of Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
October 24, 2019
