Combining Expertise with widespread participation represents the actual Dilemma of the UX research field: beyond buzzwords, can we maintain quality in a broader Research landscape and build a culture of Research Maturity if UX Researchers Become Obsolete? Some thoughts navigating the Future of the Profession.
Image generated via Leonardo.AI… struggling to grasp what researchers are doing 😀
The democratization of UX research has been a topic of debate for several months, both at conferences and in podcasts. Some stakeholders argue that anyone can practice it, while other professionals emphasize the importance of rigorous expertise and methodology carried out by professionals in the field. This aspiration is part of a context where collaboration is increasingly valued within organizations, and where a broader movement of inclusion is emerging. On a second reading, the need to evangelize and make research more easily known (accepted?).
Behind the term ‘democratization’, some even mention including non-researchers in the research process. The latest occurrence on this subject was the conference, “A Genuine Conversation about the Future of UX Research” (Rosenfeld media).
I am always enthusiastic about having a developer in a workshop, a Tech Lead immersed in the process, and to show and demonstrate what is happening, to create a connection within the team between the users and those who work for them. And this allows us to show and make known what we do, how we do it, and to help understand our contribution. It even allows us to raise awareness among decision-makers about the reality on the ground, for example. This democratization of UX research aims to include more people in research, for more results more quickly. Some experts argue that the goal is to give everyone the ability to conduct research actions independently [Democratize User Research in 5 Steps]. For others, it is only a matter of raising awareness and involving them in the process, without going any further. More inclusive, more participatory research, more disseminated within the organization, to capture all the signals, which leaves its comfort zone to confront the rest of the organization [Democratizing Research: What Is It and How to Implement It?].
Should evangelization and communication about our professions lead to the distribution of research throughout the organization?
The arguments put forward are understandable, on paper. Supporters of the most advanced democratization advocate for a greater understanding of research by the entire organization [What Is Democratizing Research and How To Make It Work For You]. In the background, we are therefore also talking about better collaboration and communication between research and the rest of the organization. And therefore a greater diversity of perspectives and ideas, an optimal operational model in which the research process is accelerated and ultimately fed by the entire organization.
This leads to some significant challenges. In one case, research risks being diluted in the organization between people who are qualified to do it and others who are not. What about quality then? In view of the baggage needed to do research, and to obtain qualified, unbiased, contextualized, relevant data… How to guarantee operational methodological rigor? What result and what impact if it is carried out by non-experts? Would Researchers embody a kind of quality assurance? And ownership? who would be responsible for the methods and results?
This vision leads to dependencies. This introduces a need for training and support. And as no system is a perfect system where friction is absent, it will be necessary to overcome the reluctance and resistance to these changes and to mobilize to adopt these new practices [The Problem With Research Democratization That People Aren’t Talking About].
It is important to question this approach. From an OPs perspective, and with additional initiatives and efforts, governance, quality standards, culture, tools, processes, training, coaching… could this not be considered?
These efforts make it possible to achieve a fairly high level of maturity in design and research. At a high stage of maturity, why involve non-researchers? We can imagine that the question of the democratization-dilution of research into the responsibilities of everyone is no longer an issue.
Especially since to arrive at a system in which I am able to widely democratize research, the level of maturity on the subject must be really substantial.
Mature practices allow teams to conduct quality research, interpret results with precision and accuracy, and integrate it into decision-making processes. Developing research maturity involves skills, processes, culture. Changes. Implementing change requires alignment efforts, resistance management, and the adoption of a culture of continuous improvement. Communication, training, and support are essential elements of change. More efforts therefore [UX Research Democratization in 2023]. If I pull the thread further, I transfer all or part of the experts’ mission to non-experts, … and I mandate these experts to guarantee the result… and I agree to efforts that I would not have had to do or that I would have done to a lesser extent.
If the organization reaches a high level of maturity, do I question the foundations of research, namely that quality research is a competent researcher, placed in the best possible conditions and with the best possible tools to operate? It is this device that allows me to hope for an optimal result… Can delegating to someone unqualified allow me to aim for an optimal result?
Should the opportunity to work together make us take the risk of shaping a future in which the research profession would have disappeared to become an ancillary skill, a kind of trendy soft skill, a cross-functional skill?
A profession which, by seeking to make itself known, risks being diluted within the organization and disappearing?
On the same topic:
The Future of UX Research: Addressing Challenges to Scalable Research Maturity in a Product First World by Jon FukudaA Genuine Conversation about the Future of UX Research featuring:
Dr. Jamika D. Burge, Head of Research & Insights Strategy for Design at Capital One,
Robert Fabricant, Co-Founder & Partner at Dalberg Design,
Noam Segal, Founder at The Disruptive Coach
Teresa Torres, Author, Speaker, and Coach.
Discussions moderated by Peter Merholz, Co-author of ‘Org Design for Design Orgs’.Democratization by Researcher, Not of Research, with Zoë Glas, Senior UX Researcher at Google, by Jack Wolstenholm.
Is the democratization of UX research a threat or an opportunity? was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
