It’s Not About the Insight
On the surface, I’m a highly successful UX researcher. I started out helping drive billions in new revenue at Google, scaled research at a Series C unicorn, and now I’m Head of Research at another late-stage Tech startup.
In truth, whatever impact I’ve had has been an accident. I’ve been dragged along kicking and screaming by more savvy managers and colleagues. My internal monologue usually goes something like this:
“We agreed this was a priority so I went out and did it. What you need to drive the next phase of business value is all right here on the paper. All these extra hoops you’re making me jump through won’t matter. Just take good insights when they’re literally handed to you.”
See, I’m usually right about the user. I’d better be after a decade of PhD and industry experience. In my idealized world, that’s enough. The best ideas speak for themselves, get tested, win out, and create a happy flywheel that drives company growth.
But, that just isn’t the reality. Other people at the company don’t know the insight is good. The decision might be so high-stakes that it makes sense to double check. You may not know about other constraints that influence business decisions… Whatever it is, decision makers will not just spontaneously adopt your insights (unless you get lucky).
What you think is effective stakeholder management will probably only get you a short way up the research totem pole. A typical project might involve gathering a group of interested stakeholders, wowing them with a research plan they don’t fully understand, sharing weekly updates to make sure everyone is aligned, and eventually reading out the final insights. Now, this works just great for narrow, already-committed work in applied contexts (like scrum). But meanwhile, company decision makers remain unmoved, and unwilling to act on the wider potential of your work.
These decision makers are typically busy, resource-strapped, and skeptical about acting on mushy user insights. At the outset, you have to deeply understand their needs (a familiar skill for us UX researchers). Then, condense your ideas enough to make them sell, but not so much you bastardize them. Once the decision maker buys in, go out of your way to make them feel like a co-creator in the process (even when they’re not engaging). And, constantly show that their goals are your priority. Throughout, they’re checking that you have both the project management skills and gumption to see it through. Oh, and the final output should be punchy, actionable, and preferably not common knowledge. In the best case scenario, decision makers are highly satisfied and feel like the project was as much theirs as yours. The next steps are already in motion.
Or so my mentors tell me. For most of my career, I’ve resented those colleagues who “play politics”. I’ve looked on with annoyance as they trade on our ideas and insights over yet another useless coffee chat. The reality is, they’re performing an essential and skilled function that’s key to realizing true UX research impact. It’s not an easy job, but I guess that’s why it’s in such high demand. Much as I might scorn these softer skills, those who practice them well are usually the ones who “get it”.
Please feel free to connect!
