The value of a dedicated UX researcher can easily be overlooked. This happens not only when a culture perceives research as too time-consuming or expensive, but also when team members don’t know how to collaborate with UX researchers or effectively leverage their expertise. This brings us to a crucial question: how can we improve the impact and recognition of UX research within tech teams? Fundamentally, the goal is to ensure that it becomes an integral and well-understood part of the team’s culture.
Let’s be honest, if just over half of the bosses and product managers recognize the value of UX design, it’s like they’re missing out on a party. It’s like they’re sitting on a cold pancake, unaware of how UX research can heat up the atmosphere. We need to ensure that UX research becomes as normal and valued as your daily cup of coffee — an indispensable part of the company culture that everyone can enjoy.
At its core, UX maturity assesses an organization's willingness and capacity to effectively implement designs that prioritize the user experience. As explained in the Nielsen Norman Group’s analysis, this concept involves evaluating the robustness and regularity of research and design methodologies. It also includes the availability of resources, tools, and operational efficiency. Furthermore, it reflects on how an organization’s leadership, team dynamics, and cultural values influence the ongoing support and enhancement of UX practices.
Recognizing this maturity context lays the groundwork for a deeper exploration of how team members perceive UX research and the researcher. Teams are gradually shifting their focus towards integrating user insights into their product development processes. Yet, there remains a knowledge gap when it comes to understanding its value and the role and integration of the UX researcher.
Let’s be honest, it’s like evaluating an organization’s maturity, but for UX — with user experience at the core. It’s like assessing the strength and frequency of UX research, and it goes beyond just having cool tools. It’s like looking into the soul of the organization and seeing how its leaders, teams, and culture influence the continuous love and improvement of UX practices. And let’s not forget, teams are like gardeners who slowly but surely plant user insights into their product development beds. But hey, there’s still some work to be done to fully understand the value of UX research and the role of the researcher.
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Moreover, the understanding of what a UX researcher does can differ between various roles. For example, developers tend to focus more on the technical aspects of product development. As a result, they may not fully grasp how a researcher can impact the user interface and functionality. On the other hand, product managers and executives, who are responsible for overseeing project completion and business objectives, often view the researcher differently. They may see them only as a tool for measuring customer satisfaction, without clearly understanding how they influence design decisions.
This can lead to some common perceptions among team members, such as:
- They believe they already know what kind of issues users might face, leading to a feature-focused approach.
- UX research is seen as a time-consuming process that delays product and development timelines, especially when deadlines are tight.
In addition, there are some misconceptions:
- UX research is a one-time activity, meaning the research provides a single result and is something to be completed. Team members often don’t realize that UX research is an ongoing process.
- UX research is a task for one person, implying that it is solely the researcher’s responsibility.
With these perceptions and misconceptions, a mix of cultural and structural barriers begins to manifest, negatively impacting the acceptance and integration of the UX researcher into the project. As a result, this has practical implications, such as resource allocation. This mindset can lead to the UX researcher being sidelined in favor of more immediate development tasks, which seem to deliver faster and more tangible results. UX researchers often find themselves in a position where they must advocate for their role, allocate efforts to prove their value, and step into the product development lifecycle, making tasks more challenging and time-consuming.
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Strategies for Maximizing the Impact of UX Research in Your Team
Clarifying the Role of UX Research to Maximize Impact
- Understand the team norm: The first tip is to understand the team norms and know how things progress throughout the product development lifecycle. Investigate if there are any gaps.
- Define the role of the UX researcher: Next, we can begin by defining the roles and responsibilities of a UX researcher. While this may seem obvious to us, there may be blind spots or differences in understanding among other team members. Defining this area and ensuring the document is accessible to all team members can create a clearer foundation.
- Explore the expectations: Discuss or even document (if necessary) the types of research methodologies the team can expect. Explaining their purpose, how/when these methodologies are applied, and how they contribute to different stages of product development can provide a useful guide.
With these perceptions and misconceptions, a mix of cultural and structural barriers begins to manifest, negatively impacting the acceptance and integration of the UX researcher in the project. As a result, this has practical implications, such as the allocation of resources. This mindset can lead to the UX researcher being sidelined in favor of more immediate development tasks, which appear to deliver faster and more tangible results. UX researchers often find themselves in a position where they must advocate for their role, allocate efforts to prove their value, and step into the product development lifecycle—making tasks more challenging and time-consuming.
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Introduction of UX research Frameworks:
To increase UX maturity within technical teams, it is important to provide all team members with a level of understanding about key UX frameworks. Additionally, mapping out where the UX Researcher fits within the overall development process can be helpful. Choosing the right framework may depend on the specific needs of the project. However, communicating these needs and offering the best use cases can help in selecting the most effective scenario for the project and team.
Creating a UX Research Repository:
In a dynamic business environment, the research work being done may go unnoticed by a broader audience or get lost over time. Creating a centralized UX Research repository where all research resources and results are stored can serve as a single source of truth. This allows everyone to refer back to the data.
This not only makes research more visible across different teams but also encourages frequent usage by making it accessible to everyone. This increases the chances that research findings are integrated into daily decision-making processes.
Setting Up a User Feedback Channel:
One of the ways teams can benefit is by having a dedicated user feedback channel. If this applies to your project, you can integrate a Slack channel with your app’s Play Store/App Store, where you can get real-time user feedback. If you are collecting feedback via a third-party tool, you can just as easily integrate a Slack channel for that.
Having this channel also facilitates the democratization of user insights. So instead of the UX researcher being the gatekeeper for user feedback and insights, team members can have more autonomy in interpreting what users are saying. This exposure can lead to a deeper understanding and empathy for users within the team and encourage a more user-centered mindset. Therefore, it’s important to create more space for the UX researcher within the product lifecycle.
Make UX Research Studies Accessible with Hands-On Experience:
One of the most effective ways to increase understanding of UX Research within a tech team is by involving team members as observers in research sessions. This hands-on experience and exposure to users can help bridge the gap between the team and the research findings. It can lead to a more empathetic perspective and a deeper understanding of user needs.
What Happens Next?
Well, all the points shared here are small but proactive steps towards an important goal. Fostering a team culture and environment that adopts and embraces UXR takes time and consistency. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
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Frank Thijssen = The Frankly UXDesigner
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