Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
The Future of Research: Bridging the Gaps
Summary
During this call, Advancing Research 2021 conference curators invite a special panel of researchers to discuss the future of research. In particular, panelists share their perspectives about the research practice and how they expect the discipline to evolve. To provide additional grounding for our conversation, we discuss, broadly, results from the survey we recently launched, which is designed to learn more about the topics and themes that you, the community, believe will be important to advancing the research and insight industry over the next year. Our esteemed panel of cross-disciplinary researchers, includes: Steve Portigal (Principal Researcher & Rosenfeld Media Author), Dr. Gloria Osardu (Senior Researcher at Amazon), Alba Villamil (Principal Researcher and HmntyCntrd Facilitator) and Sam Ladner (Principal Researcher at Workday). Dr. Jamika Burge (Entrepreneur and Head of Experience Products & Platforms Research at Capital One), one of our AR curators, will be moderating the discussion. Join us!
Key Insights
-
•
Remote research practices evolved rapidly due to the pandemic but lack collective processing of what has been gained or lost.
-
•
Research must move from reactive, evaluative roles to strategic partners influencing long-term roadmaps.
-
•
Building relationships with internal change agents can amplify research impact within organizations.
-
•
A sociological and equity-centered approach is essential to make research inclusive and address systemic biases.
-
•
Organizational cultures often exclude or harm researchers of color, impacting diversity and inclusion.
-
•
Large companies like Amazon align research closely with yearly business planning to anticipate future needs.
-
•
Bridging insights across multiple disciplines (data, marketing, research) creates more influential narratives.
-
•
Claims of research as sole 'human experience' experts risk arrogance; humility and collaboration are key.
-
•
The field is experiencing a tension between professionalization with standards and the need for inclusivity and diversity.
-
•
Training and supporting the next generation of researchers is critical to avoid repeating past mistakes and to sustain the field's growth.
Notable Quotes
"We have to figure out the strategic, unique value to our clients, stakeholders, and customers."
"There’s this inflection point about how research work is done and what the system wants from knowledge workers."
"The pandemic is a message from the universe to pause and rethink who we hire and how we train."
"Our standard research frameworks and tools are often inadequate for addressing complex social problems."
"Strategic positioning means research is a decision-making tool, not just a service to requests."
"I’ve started giving up on product management and focusing more on product strategy and senior executives."
"We see value-based research strategies emerging that center equity and ethics at the highest levels."
"Research tells stories data alone cannot, helping stakeholders understand customer feelings."
"Organizations are racialized and systematically exclude qualified researchers of color."
"If we believe we're the only champions of human experience, then we’re not doing the right job."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Reddit recently fixed their upvote button so it announces toggle states, something many sites neglect."
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021
"If you want to avoid time zone confusion, you can switch the conference schedule to your local time on the program page."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 17, 2022
"Keep your LinkedIn profile updated and compelling so you’re findable for passive job opportunities."
Corey Nelson Amy SanteeLayoffs
November 15, 2022
"Shared language lets different roles venture out of their comfort zones and collaborate on changing the enterprise system."
Milan GuentherA Shared Language for Co-Creating Ambitious Endeavours
June 6, 2023
"Being involved early in product planning lets us bring the art and science of research to where it can be most helpful."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"No one uses the screen reader with out-of-the-box settings; users customize it to fit their needs."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
June 6, 2023
"In this context, sometimes slower is actually faster because it allows going deeper and unlocking more meaningful insights."
Mujtaba HameedThe new horizon of ethnography: using AI to unlock the full potential of in-person research
March 11, 2026
"Technology generates as many new problems as new solutions."
Ilana LipsettAnticipating Risk, Regulating Tech: A Playbook for Ethical Technology Governance
December 10, 2021
"You own the design system, which gives you the unique ability to integrate that accessibility thinking into all of your components."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How can research repositories adapt to handle dated content and decide when to retire old insights?
How does systems thinking help identify leverage points for improving rural maternal health?
How do enterprises balance qualitative and quantitative tools while integrating AI into UX research workflows?