Video: What UX research can learn from other research practices [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]

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What UX research can learn from other research practices [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]

Thursday, September 14, 2023 • Advancing Research Community

Nicole Aleong

Senior Design Researcher, TPXimpact

Michaela Mora

Founder, Relevant Insights

Prayag Narula

CEO & Co-Founder of Marvin

Brianna Sylver

President, Sylver Consulting

Summary

Three of your research colleagues discussed and defended their respective positions (below) on what UX research can learn from other research practices. Participants engaged with them in a discussion and Q&A, facilitated by Brianna Sylver.   "UX research is inherently future-oriented. An anthropology of the future can offer more distinguished and nuanced ways to explore the meaning of users' expectations, anticipations, hopes, and speculations." – Nicole Aleong "UX research should learn more from market research, a larger and more mature field in which it has roots. Market research is a multidisciplinary field with an extensive collection of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies that have been used to support product development decisions to deliver business outcomes for decades—no need to reinvent the wheel." – Michaela Mora "UX research is often viewed as cute, charming and 'nice to have.' For that perception to change in the market, we need to learn from those charging millions of dollars for their strategic research skills: management consultants." – Prayag Narula

Key Insights

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The upcoming Advancing Research conference is in-person, marking a return to face-to-face interactions after years of virtual meetings.
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Workshops serve to identify and engage potential speakers for the conference, promoting community involvement.
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Pag highlights the discrepancy between the perceived market value of management consulting versus UX research, raising critical questions about industry valuation.
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Micella discusses the misconceptions surrounding market research within the UX community and advocates for a holistic understanding of user experiences.
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Nicole emphasizes future anthropology's role in understanding user expectations, anticipations, hopes, and speculations.
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Researchers are encouraged to engage with emotional responses during discussions to identify personal growth and developmental paths.
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The conversation underscores the importance of presenting UX research findings that resonate with the C-suite, which often seek solutions to strategic business problems.
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There is an ongoing movement towards integrating various research disciplines within organizations to provide a more comprehensive understanding of user experiences and inform decision-making processes.
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The conversations indicate that UX researchers must leverage their unique position of understanding customer needs to enhance their strategic roles within companies.
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Collaboration among different research disciplines is crucial for enhancing the impact and relevance of research efforts within organizations.

Notable Quotes

"We are using these workshops to learn about who has something to say. We're planning to build most of the speaker roster from the provocateurs in this series."

"The current market contraction in the tech sector suggests that UX isn’t seen as critical to business survival in its current form."

"Market research is a hundred-year-old multidisciplinary field that can teach UX researchers how to support product development decisions."

"User experience is a state of mind developed not only on product interactions but also customer experiences with brands across multiple channels."

"When we talk about futures anthropology, we emphasize how futures may affect our present, and vice versa."

"Integration is coming; all research disciplines will be forced to work together, not be subordinated to any one group."

"We as researchers sometimes risk presenting fragmented views that may not connect to broader business needs."

"Management consultants excel in providing solutions to problems, often overshadowing internal research efforts that may feel too focused on data gathering."

"We need to be mindful of how digital interactions are mediating the user experience without losing sight of other factors driving purchase decisions."

"We have a lot to teach to various disciplines, as UX remains uniquely positioned to understand the user like no one else."

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