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.

The B-side of the Research Impact
Gold
Friday, March 12, 2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Share the love for this talk
The B-side of the Research Impact
Speakers: Verónica Urzúa and Jorge Montiel
Link:

Summary

In large companies, we are seduced by OKRs, and, in general, growth. And it seems that to be "on the business side" researchers need to speak the same language, have the mindset that, to be strategic, you need to shoot for sales or growth. Although we agree that companies should have profits, for us this is a result, not a purpose. And, speaking of purpose, there is another kind of impact: research provides context and must be able to question the organization and its limits. This is the B-side of research impact.

Key Insights

  • Many Latin American UX researchers default to applying methods created in Silicon Valley without proper contextual adaptation.

  • The so-called Silicon Valley dream promotes unrealistic expectations like fast, monetary-driven results that don't fit Latin contexts.

  • Emotions and user sentiments are culturally constructed and cannot be universally measured with the same scales.

  • Latin populations often respond to surveys with politeness-driven biases due to cultural norms of sympathy and desire to please.

  • Traditional usability testing methods based on self-expression cultures can feel unnatural for conversation-oriented Latin users.

  • Creating new, culturally grounded UX techniques is crucial for effective research in Latin America.

  • Resisting the mainstream UX norms requires embracing discomfort and providing constructive disharmony within organizations.

  • The power to influence research norms lies with minorities who inject dishonesty or dissonance into dominant paradigms.

  • Context matters not only in understanding people but also in selecting and adapting research tools and methodologies.

  • There are multiple valid definitions of what it means to be a good UX researcher, and Latin America should develop its own standards.

Notable Quotes

"We were educated to minimize the value of our own practice and just reproduce what was done elsewhere."

"The Silicon Valley dream is a problematic ideology that normalizes what the correct research looks like and excludes others."

"Happiness means different things across cultures: in the US it’s excitement, in Hong Kong it’s calmness, in Mexico it’s a process."

"Metrics are only the tip of the iceberg; cultural ethos like sympathy make Latin users more polite and less direct in responses."

"We need to break the dream and move from spectators to actors who create knowledge grounded in our reality."

"Applying techniques without questioning them does not guarantee good research outcomes."

"In Latin cultures, people find it uncomfortable to do think-aloud protocols that worked in English-speaking contexts."

"Sometimes turning off the camera in interviews helps participants feel more comfortable and open."

"Our commitment as researchers is to adapt existing techniques and create new ones rooted in Latin America’s context."

"Being those who create constructive discomfort in the industry is necessary to bring our Latin researcher identity forward."

Ask the Rosenbot
Chris Hammond
Embedding sustainability into enterprise design and development: A journey towards "sustainability consciousness"
2025 • Climate UX Interest Group
Bria Alexander
Opening Remarks
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Llewyn Paine
[Demo] Deploying AI doppelgangers to de-identify user research recordings
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Michelle Morrison
Culture Design
2020 • DesignOps Community
Yasmine Khan
Checking Bias and Listening to Financially Vulnerable Americans
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Bria Alexander
Day 3 Welcome
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Sarah Brooks
Theme 3 Intro
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
John Calhoun
Two Sides of the DesignOps Coin: Teams Ops and Product Ops
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Vanessa Varin
Feedback: The Other F-Word
2025 • DesignOps Summit 2025
Gold
Bria Alexander
Opening Remarks Day 2
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Erin Hauber
Design is Not the Frosting on the Scaled Agile Layer Cake
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Adam Cutler
People + Places + Practices = Outcomes
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Billy Carlson
Tips to Utilize Wireframes to Tell an Effective Product Story
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Silke Bochat
5 Antifragile Strategies for a DesignOps 2.0
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Jules Monza
Use These Words and Count These Things
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Rima Campbell
Increase Productivity and Drive Business Impact
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold

More Videos

Jess Greco

"Your partners need to trust that you are going to make their goals your goals."

Jess Greco

Claiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice

March 13, 2025

Mariesa Lenz

"Every bee understands the same purpose — the survival of the hive for winter."

Mariesa Lenz

What Beekeeping Taught me about Product Teams

October 29, 2025

Samuel Proulx

"Not every task has to be completed; if a participant can’t find a way, that means the experience can be improved."

Samuel Proulx Laur Baek

Inclusive Research: Debunking Myths and Getting Started

March 12, 2025

Deanna Washington

"Evangelism means crossing departments to show how design thinking can improve many parts of the organization."

Deanna Washington Tim Allen Jeff Courcelle John Maeda Matt Raw Erica Tjader

Scaling Success: Paving the Path from DesignOps to VP

October 4, 2023

Anna Avrekh

"Democratizing research is about teaching people to fish, but research remains a specialized craft."

Anna Avrekh

User Research, Design, and Product - A Love Story

March 11, 2021

Dharani Perera

"Often we’re seen just as people who create personas or blueprints, but that’s not even what’s needed."

Dharani Perera

The mandala of service design: unlocking alignment and action through service design

November 20, 2025

Joseph Meersman

"Design shares are more about presenting finished work and practice defending it, not about peer-to-peer feedback."

Joseph Meersman

Sweating the Pixel: Scaling Quality through Critique

June 10, 2021

Bas Raijmakers, PhD (RCA)

"Contextualizing sound bites or clips is crucial; otherwise, they risk losing meaning when separated from their original story."

Bas Raijmakers, PhD (RCA) Charley Scull Prabhas Pokharel

What Design Research can Learn from Documentary Filmmaking

March 11, 2022

Laura Weiss

"Change doesn’t always need to throw us back on our heels. We can take a proactive approach."

Laura Weiss

There is No Playbook: Leader as Coach During Challenging Times

April 26, 2024