Summary
Shifting dynamics among researchers, participants, and organizational systems are creating a profound transformation in research methods, impact, and function. At its heart this shift encompasses five core tenets, which emphasize collaboration, equity, and networked knowledge creation and curation. This talk will provide an overview of these changes, which will be explored in depth during the conference, and how our field can prepare.
Key Insights
-
•
Research is at an innovate-or-die moment due to sweeping industry changes like layoffs and declining engagement.
-
•
Researchers serve as a crucial check and balance, holding power accountable through objective knowledge.
-
•
Telling the stories of people with compassion is a fundamental and increasing research responsibility.
-
•
Societal shifts have transformed knowledge dynamics from hierarchical/linear to relational and plural.
-
•
This shift demands researchers build and curate knowledge collaboratively within networks.
-
•
Ignoring the bigger picture of these changes will risk the extinction of research in its current form.
-
•
The metaphor of a mink taking on a swan illustrates the courage researchers need despite overwhelming challenges.
-
•
New research roles are emerging, like unicorn generalists, research ops, and more inclusive participant engagement.
-
•
Disinformation culture and intersectionality are key external factors that deeply affect research practices.
-
•
Embracing and owning authentic researcher identity is vital for thriving amid change.
Notable Quotes
"Where quite long your life? Bit glossy and a bit punchy. Kiss, kiss."
"That mink showed up and it took on a fight that felt more enormous than it was."
"Research is too important to fail."
"Researchers hold objective knowledge which holds power to account."
"People deserve to have their stories heard and held compassionately for no other reason than by virtue of the fact that they exist."
"The relational dynamics of knowledge are shifting from hierarchical and linear to relational and plural."
"We adapt, we innovate, or we no longer exist."
"If we don’t find our courage and take on the fight, our field dies."
"We have two choices: find our teeth and our courage and take on the fight or our field dies."
"Our best selves hold and hear stories and hold power to account."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If 71% of people self-identify as gamers, why aren’t you learning from the video game industry?"
Cheryl PlatzEmbrace Your Fun Factor: Game Development Best Practices for Product Design
January 9, 2026
"Rural health clinics are very creative because of their resource constraints and patient needs."
World Usability Day Panel Discussion
November 10, 2022
"Design ops people are mutants coming at this profession from different directions."
Holly ColePanel Discussion: Growing People and Teams
November 8, 2018
"We designed many activities to hook into mandatory processes, like billing and reporting, to ensure consistent documentation."
Sean Baker Sara RomanoskiWeaving Knowledge Management into the Fabric of Our Design Practice
September 11, 2025
"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
"There’s a lot of steps behind the scenes to make conversations useful and safe."
Peter Van DijckBuilding the Rosenbot
June 4, 2024
"Behavior change doesn’t happen after two days of training; it takes ongoing support, coaching, and modeling."
Julie Gitlin Esther RaiceDesign as an Agent of Digital Transformation at JPMC
June 9, 2021
"The goal is not to take notes; the goal is to think effectively, as Andy Matus says."
Jorge ArangoThe Best of Both Worlds: How to Integrate Paper and Digital Notes (1st of 3 seminars)
April 5, 2024
"Personas tend to not give you those deep insights that you would get from user research and user testing."
Kate KalcevichDesigning inclusively with AI
June 5, 2024