Summary
“Research democratization” has become a rallying cry in many organizations — but also a source of tension. Should everyone be able to run studies, or should research stay tightly centralized? The truth is, both extremes create waste, confusion, and risk. In this talk, I’ll share a practical framework for when to democratize and when to centralize research. You’ll learn how to weigh risk, reversibility, and audience impact; how to put guardrails around democratized research; and how AI can enable broader participation without chaos. You’ll leave with a decision matrix and a “democratization charter” you can adapt to your org, so the right people are on the right horses for the right courses.
Upcoming events
Ask me anything – Authors of Service Design: From Insight to Implementation
Right horses for the right courses – how and when to democratize research
More Videos
"Facilitating a shared understanding among everyone on product takes a lot of time."
Scott Jensen Sarah Delaney Carmen LiuShort Take #2: UX/Product Lessons from Your Industry Peers
December 6, 2022
"Accessible experiences are better experiences for everyone whether you are a person with a disability or not."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
March 28, 2023
"Engaging influencers early helped them appreciate being included sooner than later, which improved the project."
Frank DuranPartnership Playbook: Lessons Learned in Effective Partnership
January 8, 2024
"The highest impact levers for long-term transformation exist in technical infrastructure and operations."
Stefanie OwensOptimizing for Outcomes: Transformation Design in Systems at Scale
December 4, 2024
"We support Angular first because many early customers use it, but React and Blazor are on our roadmap."
George Abraham Stefan IvanovDesign Systems To-Go: Indigo.Design Overview and Exploring the Developer Workflow (Part 3)
October 1, 2021
"We can no longer rely on interviews, surveys, and usability tests to answer the strategic, complex questions organizations face today."
Jemma Ahmed Megan Blocker Eduardo OrtizRedefining the research toolkit: Expanding methodologies for a changing world
March 12, 2025
"Building influence has been such a challenging part of growing in my own career. It takes a lot of communication and understanding others’ goals."
Catt Small Micah Bennett Brian Carr Jessica HarlleeWhat's Next for ICs: Exploring Staff and Principal Designer Roles
February 22, 2024
"The independent variable is what you manipulate, dependent variable is what you measure to see if there’s an effect."
Katie HansenExperimental research: techniques for deep, psychology-driven insights
March 12, 2025
"Practical ops is about getting stuff done because it’s our job to scale the organizational ability to design and amplify the work of designers."
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
October 3, 2023