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.

Redefining the research toolkit: Expanding methodologies for a changing world
Gold
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Share the love for this talk
Redefining the research toolkit: Expanding methodologies for a changing world
Speakers: Jemma Ahmed , Megan Blocker and Eduardo Ortiz
Link:

Summary

Environmental shifts, both in the world around us and in the attitudes within our field, have reshaped how we view truth, expertise, and the power dynamics between researchers and communities. Researchers must recognize that generating and curating knowledge today requires an expanded set of methodologies—embracing integrative thinking and non-extractive approaches. This session will explore the catalysts for change, and introduce a broadened user research toolkit that enables ethical knowledge creation and challenges traditional power imbalances, helping us thrive in this new landscape.

Key Insights

  • Research is shifting from hierarchical to pluralistic and relational approaches, requiring new methodologies.

  • Knowledge is co-created within networks, changing researchers’ positionality and credibility demands.

  • Researchers must embrace integrative methods from adjacent fields to act as connectors within organizations.

  • Participants increasingly demand ownership of their narratives and research processes, pushing for participatory, non-extractive, trauma-informed methods.

  • Traditional research methods are insufficient for strategic questions driving transformation rather than just identifying user needs.

  • Continuous and deep education in research science and art is essential to maintain rigor and adapt methods flexibly.

  • Data is now widely accessible; researchers add value through critical thought, reflection, and framing insights rather than data volume.

  • Cross-team collaboration is crucial to avoid duplicative work and maximize organizational insight fluency and influence.

  • The current decline in research participant engagement is a crisis driven by poor research experiences and extractive methods.

  • There is an urgent need for community-driven frameworks like the proposed methodology factbook to democratize and update research practices for the current era.

Notable Quotes

"Research is at a critical moment as relational dynamics between participants, organizations, and researchers shift from linear to plural and relational."

"We can no longer rely on interviews, surveys, and usability tests to answer the strategic, complex questions organizations face today."

"The moat that once protected researchers—their exclusive data access—is disappearing; now our value is enabling others to use insight."

"Participants want to take ownership of their stories and demand participatory, non-extractive, trauma-informed research methods."

"Without ongoing, deep investment in our education, we risk losing credibility with increasingly methodologically fluent stakeholders."

"The current decline in response and participant engagement rates is a genuine crisis that threatens research data quality."

"We add value not by providing more data but by introducing critical thought, friction, and reflection into organizational insight-making."

"We need to stop centering ourselves in research and start fighting to pay participants, ensure representation, and use real data."

"Duplicative research will become less acceptable; researchers must act as natural connectors to reduce it and enhance organizational knowledge sharing."

"This transformation is a win-win: we demonstrate solid business value and serve people and stories in more ethical and impactful ways."

Robin Beers
Panel: Excellence in Communicating Insights
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Bria Alexander
Theme Two Intro
2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023
Gold
Christian Bason
Expand—Rethinking Design for Public Challenges
2022 • Civic Design Community
Prerna Makanawala
Achieving Balanced Design Consistency
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Bruce Gillespie
Learning from journalism: Balancing impactful communication with compassionate storytelling
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Janaki Kumar
Innovate with Purpose
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Harry Max
Prioritization for Leaders (2nd of 3 seminars)
2024 • Rosenfeld Community
Shawna Hein
Create a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
Welcome / Housekeeping
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Tim Parmee
Changing Our Design Pressure Points
2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023
Gold
Taylor Jennings
Repository Retrospective: Learnings from Introducing a Central Place for UX Research
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Scott Jensen
Short Take #2: UX/Product Lessons from Your Industry Peers
2022 • Design in Product 2022
Gold
Sheryl Cababa
Expanding Your Design Lens with Systems Thinking
2023 • Enterprise Community
Uday Gajendar
Leading through the long tail of trauma
2022 • Advancing Research Community
Changying (Z) Zheng
Navigating Innovation with Integrity
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Carol Massa
Designing Health: Integrating Service Design, Technology, and Strategy to Transform Patient and Clinician Experiences
2024 • Advancing Service Design 2024
Gold

More Videos

Jules Monza

"It’s the same thing with spreadsheets or work back plans; if you’re spending all your time on process and not the work, that’s too much overhead."

Jules Monza

Use These Words and Count These Things

September 25, 2024

Sarah Barrett

"Never build or buy an everything chat bot again; start with less ambiguous, targeted AI experiences."

Sarah Barrett

AI in Real Life: Using LLMs to Turbocharge Microsoft Learn

February 13, 2025

Edward Cupps

"A principal has built a boat on their own and rode it around the world—demonstrating autonomy and expertise."

Edward Cupps

The Principal Path: Journeying from Management to Individual Contributor

June 11, 2021

Savina Hawkins

"The best researchers are multi-method and they have five tools, with prompt engineering as the fifth emerging one."

Savina Hawkins

Harnessing AI in UXR: Practical Strategies for Positive Impact

March 26, 2024

Alnie Figueroa

"Start tinkering, playing around, and pushing AI’s limits because the industry shift is going to get faster."

Alnie Figueroa

The Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft

September 10, 2025

Joshua Noble

"Correlation doesn’t imply causation, but sometimes two things happening together do imply a causal mechanism."

Joshua Noble

Casual Inference

October 6, 2023

Dave Malouf

"Make a proof of concept before investing a lot more time and energy into a design system."

Dave Malouf Amy Thibodeau

Panel: Design Systems and Documentation

November 7, 2017

Husani Oakley

"We made a system that wouldn’t work if any part of the code or any team disappeared or refused to cooperate."

Husani Oakley

Bias Towards Action: Building Teams that Build Work

June 14, 2018

Abby Covert

"There are too many things all over the place. I would like to use my magic wand for making them one system."

Abby Covert Tomer Sharon

Panel: Collaboration Tools

November 6, 2017