I’ve written a number of articles on the topic of Research (read them here um, deux, drei, quatro, five), and its impact on the Design Process. However one of the aspects that I’ve been reading about in various blogs, including dScout’s “People Nerds” and Qualtrics’, pertains to the adoption and leveraging of Research outputs into palpable actions. These articles focus on tactics/strategies, that reinforce the value of Research, and reassure that User Researchers also communicate the value of what they produce. Here’s my impression on the topic, based of course in all the professional experiences I’ve had in the last 18 years.

Persistence and Repetition — If there’s something that I’ve learned throughout the years, is that evangelizing or educating teams on the value of Design, and of Research in particular, isn’t circumspect to a project that is successful and produces results. More on the “successful” part will come later. For Designers, and unlike their counterparts on the process, the challenge is always steeper, since for most organizations who are not Design Driven, or have a fair amount of Design maturity, this is a discipline that falls below all others when it comes to value delivered. And Research is right there with it. Part of the problem lies with the fact that stakeholders don’t realize to this day that Design and Consumer/Customer/User understanding walk hand in hand. Many organizations and their business leaders still operate under the guise that engineering can build anything, and that Marketing can wrap a nice bow around it, and sell the solution as the best thing ever (and certain adoption will soon follow). Doesn’t even register with this perspective if that solution is at all usable, addresses the problem(s), or the users can actually perform the tasks they need when interacting with it. For some organizations who have started to embrace Design as a key discipline, the results have been obvious, and that of course is tied with Research, how understanding clients/users behaviors evolves, therefore shaping expectations and even the solutions themselves. But those organizations are NOT the majority of the ones who exist in the market. For every AirBNB, Apple, Duolingo, there’s a batch of others that basically say: “Wait, we know better, and we tell users how to behave and how to enjoy what we deliver.” For Design teams in organizations such as these, this is where persistence and repetition are essential. Much like learning a new language or getting into a workout regimen, adopting Design and Research findings is something that requires repetition, exposure, and a cadence that produces an habitual behavior. And not just for successful endeavors. When something does go wrong, or a project needs to make a detour, those situations are just as important, as they reinforce where the gaps existed, and where Design and Research can further explore (therefore cementing their value). Creating weekly showcases, research forums presentations, speaking engagements on certain topics tied with product initiatives, are just a few endeavors that can further cement how Research and its findings can impact a Design process and the teams that are part of it.

Integrate Research Findings with Ongoing Problem Solving Initiatives — A big challenge that invariably is highlighted on Research driven articles, is the applicability of the research findings to solve actual problems. I’ve noticed in some organizations that independently of the research method that is applied, be it qualitative or quantitative, many team members who are close to the problem at hand, tend to dismiss the findings, since they believe they know the problems even better than the users themselves. It’s a dangerous, myopic and presumptuous attitude to display, and one that Designers and Researchers have to fight against when showcasing results from their Research. For organizations who have a certain degree of Design maturity, their teams have come to realize that in order for their solutions to evolve, and resonate in the market, they have to truly listen to what their clients are saying. Not just hear/read/observe the statements, but actually listen and understand them. This is where Designers and Researchers need to reinforce not just key findings but also how these can be tied with ideation/solutioning endeavors, which will in turn enable the creation of pertinent solutions. Again, and for the people in the back: avoid teams dismissing the output of Research endeavors as information they already know. If they already know these problem statements, why do they remain a problem, and why aren’t these problems being addressed. If these issues keep being surfaced, how much longer can you keep dismissing them until your clients/users simply go elsewhere? Reinforce the fact that the output of Research is pertinent, how it strategically marries a solutioning endeavor, and how avoiding addressing these issues can have repercussions, which extend to business volume, reputation, and even internally, with teams flocking from a brand that refuses to evolve.

Share on a Recurring Basis — One important aspect tied to persistence and repetition (point 1), is creating an expected behavior from the teams Design and Research operate and work with. One thing to keep in mind is that Research Outputs are not a holy grail of data that only a few should be made privy of. Quite the opposite. Research outputs should be shared, with context obviously, but made available nonetheless so all team members can understand the value that these findings bare, but also the impact they can have on the process and the business itself. Good research isn’t a gratuitous or vacuous exercise in self-congratulatory data. When properly done, this is an exercise that brings focus on what users and clients are truly stating about an experience, or possible experience that stems or is in the arena that your organization operates on. Meaning: it’s valuable data that empowers sound decision making, and enables for the creation of solutions that pierce through the actual problem statement that exists. Therefore this aspect of sharing outputs on a recurring basis becomes of the utmost importance. It introduces a cadence, an expected behavior, and permeates across how people think and strategize their tasks (and hopefully their problem solving skills).

It’s not Easy — All the prior points offer suggestions that I’ve acted upon and continue to do so to this day. However, I will attest that demonstrating how Research findings can create more powerful solutions isn’t an easy task, particularly in organizations with Absent/Limited/Emergent design maturity. In these organizations teams typically adopt an attitude of “I know my client, I have calls with the client all the time” or “I interact with clients all the time”, that they sometimes refuse to acknowledge what the data is saying. They can’t reconcile the fact that the relationship they carved out with a client representative, may not be representative of how the users of the solution actually perceive it and use it. One client representative doesn’t necessarily speak for all its users. And that’s something that teams need to be reminded of, even when they don’t want to hear it. Research and its findings is powerful precisely because it covers a larger canvas, and documents a pulse, observations, perceptions, reactions, users have towards something (a solution, a concept, whatever the case may be). Again, and this should be repeated. It’s not an easy process, but one where Design and Research professionals need to keep exercising the muscle, because only then will the value of what they deliver will truly permeate across the organization. Oh and hopefully senior leadership will understand its intention, comprehend it, and accept it (please check Holland-Yale’s model of communication).

I love reading the articles from Design Blogs and “People Nerds” and “Qualtrics” on everything pertaining Research and its role in the Design Process, and solutioning endeavors. However at times, and case studies aside, I can’t help but feel that some of the recommendations, while spot on and pertinent, don’t necessarily address facts such as, we don’t all work in Organizations with similar resources, Design maturity, or even environment. Being pragmatic and demystifying some of these issues can go a long way for Designers and Researchers.

Walter Isaacson has written:

“…never let a passion for the perfect take precedence over pragmatism.”

Brief Considerations on Design Topics: 23. Making Research Outputs Actionable was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.