Solve a Problem Here, Transform a Strategy There: Research as an Occasion for Expanding Organizational Possibility

Key Insights

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  User researchers often work as individual contributors without direct organizational power to enact large change.

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  Strategic research creates new fields of future possibility by challenging core organizational beliefs.

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  Intel’s 1998 cell phone ethnography foresaw mobile’s importance but was ignored due to organizational culture focused on profit margins and existing product categories.

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  Airtable's 2021 usability study by Andy War questioned the company’s simplicity assumptions, leading to prioritized fixes and a push toward product simplicity.

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  Robust action, inspired by chess grandmasters, involves making moves that preserve flexibility and open multiple future options rather than rigid forecasting.

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  Solving immediate 'right here' problems can be aligned with longer-term transformational goals to mobilize robust action.

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  Small, tractable research projects can spawn green shoots for organizational innovation, as seen in Intel’s 'silicon on demand' and Autodesk’s AutoCAD Trace.

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  Cross-functional collaboration with people outside research is crucial for making research visible and actionable within an organization.

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  Understanding your organization’s culture, priorities, and leadership concerns helps in selecting impactful research questions.

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  Intuition plays a key role in discerning whether solving a ‘right here’ problem can lead to larger strategic change.

Notable Quotes