Shaping the Next Era of UX Research: Collaborative Forum
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
UX research currently lives in tension between AI optimism and skepticism, reflecting deep uncertainty about automation's role.
-
•
Perceived value of research fluctuates; some feel devalued while others, like Robert, emphasize relational power to amplify impact.
-
•
Job market insecurity contrasts with investments in research operations maturation, creating complex career dynamics.
-
•
Scientific rigor often clashes with corporate decision-making realities, calling for adaptive research processes, as discussed by Julie and Kristen.
-
•
Remote environments challenge traditional methods of stakeholder engagement and relationship-building, reducing immersive experiences.
-
•
Visualizing research impact as an evolving story rather than static metrics (like CSAT) can better communicate progress over time.
-
•
The UX field is expanding and blending with other disciplines, causing identity tensions and pushback on role boundaries.
-
•
Democratizing research as a business skill can be beneficial but requires experts to maintain rigor and questionable findings.
-
•
Long game tactics, such as Trojan horse research, help practitioners create meaningful impact within organizational constraints.
-
•
Technology and design choices reflect embedded worldviews; UX professionals hold power to influence these decisions toward inclusivity.
Notable Quotes
"We have these four pillars—purpose, people, process, and progress—that ground our thinking about UX research's future."
"AI-driven results are often 30 to 50 percent hallucinogenic—meaning not real—so we need to be cautious about overreliance."
"Our truth is no longer singular; transparency and comprehensive storytelling are more important than ever in research."
"In a remote environment, building authentic, deep relationships with stakeholders is a key skill for researchers."
"Sometimes we have to do a bait and switch—meet organizational demands but turn that into opportunities to learn."
"Democratizing research is okay as long as we remain experts in rigorous methods and question questionable research kindly."
"We often adapt within imperfect systems rather than fight them outright, aiming for longer-term change."
"Impact of research is not always immediate or linear; it can be a long-term, complex process to measure."
"The UX field's expansion leads to pushback—people ask why researchers talk about areas owned by others like OCM."
"Technology is a series of choices designers and technologists make, often small but impactful; we must demand better choices that work for all of us."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"AI can accelerate prioritization tasks, but the final judgment must come from humans who understand context."
Mark Interrante Harry MaxAI for Prioritization (3rd of 3 seminars)
July 11, 2024
"The accessibility expert was simply lost into shouting, we must be accessible without creating a strategy."
Patrizia BertiniThe (r)evolution of designOps: It’s Time to Think (really) BIG
September 11, 2025
"The phrase card sort may not require translation itself, but the activity it represents certainly does."
Shan ShenTranslating UX Terms into Business Contexts
November 29, 2023
"Stop, pivot, or invest early—these are the survival metric decisions that save companies."
Adam ThomasSurvival Metrics – Making Change in a Fast, Data-Informed, and Politically Safe Way
December 6, 2022
"The Business Roundtable radically redefined the purpose of a corporation — it’s to promote an economy that serves all Americans, not just shareholders."
Robin BeersResearch as a Catalyst for Organizational Transformation
March 12, 2021
"Keeping something cloud-based accessible is the most complicated because of hundreds of releases per day in continuous integration."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"People were sweating their pixels, but doing so inside of solos and personal barriers until we started critiquing transparently together."
Joseph MeersmanSweating the Pixel: Scaling Quality through Critique
June 10, 2021
"Make a business case for yourself by bragging about your capabilities and making them applicable."
Deanna Washington Bria Alexander Jon Fukuda Saara Kamppari-Miller Farid SabitovConnecting the Ops: Plenary Panel and Closing Circle
September 9, 2022
"We built an equity learning community with 25 virtual sessions, 4 interagency roundtables, and one-on-one consultations with 37 agencies."
Aaron Stienstra Lashanda HodgeLeveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government
December 8, 2021
