Summary
User research is more than answering questions—it’s about driving real business impact. But how do we ensure that our work doesn’t just inform but truly influences decision-making? Too often, research teams focus on the “research ask” without fully aligning with the deeper business need. In this session, Dr Nikki Smith, Experience Research Manager at Enterprise Mobility, will explore how experience researchers can act as the connective tissue between insights and action, ensuring that research isn’t just a function—but a strategic driver of business decisions. She’ll discuss how to build business thinking into research practice, collaborate across teams, and communicate impact in ways that resonate with stakeholders. Drawing on real-world experiences from Enterprise, she’ll cover how research teams can shift their role from reactive support to proactive leadership, ensuring their insights don’t just land but lead.
Key Insights
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Researchers frequently feel misunderstood, mishandled, and misused due to a disconnect between research language and business expectations.
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Defining outcomes solely by KPIs can limit researchers because they rarely own all metrics relevant to stakeholders.
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A strong research narrative clarifying what questions research answers helps align expectations within organizations.
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Senior leaders often categorize research work into discovery (what is the problem) and evaluation (did we solve it).
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Showing connective tissue and partnership across cross-functional teams enhances the strategic influence of research.
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Researchers should position themselves as consistent strategic partners who contribute evidence-based decision making.
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Making research rigor relatable requires simplifying complex findings into clear, customer-centered stories relevant to business priorities.
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Visual storytelling and clear snapshots of problems and expected outcomes make insights more accessible to non-researchers.
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Authentic company objectives can be discerned by observing organizational conversations and collaboration across teams.
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Asking the right questions—understanding objectives, assumptions, and expected use of insights—is crucial for effective research impact.
Notable Quotes
"Researchers feel misunderstood, mishandled, and misused—no one really knows when to come to us or what questions we can answer."
"We’re never gonna know all the metrics important to all stakeholders unless we only work on one product, but we deliver outcomes in a different way."
"Senior leaders think about research in two buckets: discovery, telling me what the problem is, and evaluation, telling me how to solve it."
"The best partnerships depend on a mere common goal but a shared path of equality, desire, and no small amount of passion."
"You cannot start and you cannot end this without the talent that research teams bring to the table."
"Sometimes our research can feel intangible and inaccessible—not because answers aren’t there, but their impact isn’t clear."
"Just tell me what you’re telling me—executives want clear and simple narratives, not complexity and jargon."
"When you know yourself, you are empowered, you accept yourself, and you are invincible."
"I can tell when something is real when multiple teams are talking about it and planning together."
"The only thing harder than figuring out what you’re gonna do is figuring out why you’re doing it."
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