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What does successful collaboration between researchers and designers look like during the product development process? Devin Harold, former Design and Research Lead at Capital One, has some thoughts. AND a go-to framework for reference. All of which he's going to share during our next webinar at the end of March. Learn more about it and RSVP 👉 https://bit.ly/3Frgezv

The customer is king, BUT... For researchers and designers, they're also just one important piece of a much larger puzzle. One that includes: • Product roadmaps and priorities • Engineering timelines and capacity • Business impact and profitability Tala's Malia Nagle speaks to the tension between these priorities, and a new approach to aligning customer outcomes with business goals.

If you need a reason to love our platform, we'll give you five. See for yourself why Research and Design teams alike trust us for their insights needs—take a 5-minute self-guided tour 👉 https://bit.ly/42fAsoT

A customer journey map can be a great way to visualize how users interact with your product. Just avoid these 3 mistakes when trying to make one ⤵️ ❌ Making the map more than it needs to be It's easy to try and smash everything into a customer journey map—making it a weird hybrid of a journey, experience, persona, blueprint map. Less is more understandable. And you can always build on the foundation later. ❌ Not realizing people don't know how to use them Just because a customer journey map makes sense to you, doesn't mean it makes sense to others. Make sure to present the map, explain how to use it, and follow-up with a best practices discussion so it doesn't end up gathering digital dust in a folder. ❌ Not realizing journeys are never linear You can show repeated behavior on a map with loops and arrows but it's impossible to replicate the *actual* behavior of all users on a map. Reflecting all of the different twists and turns a user might take on their journey is too difficult. Keep this in mind when setting expectations, using, and referencing the map across departments.

When you have untold amounts of data to sift through and synthesize, GenAI can be a massive help. As long as you don't expect a quality analysis product to happen overnight. Our Head of AI Kevin Johnson, PhD walks through the steps of training an AI model and how to evaluate GenAI-backed products.

Instead of responding to questions that research can't answer with: “Nope, we can’t answer those.” Encourage a shift in thinking by reframing the question or provide alternative solutions. I.e. Become a "No, but…” researcher. Save these common examples for easy future reference. 🔖 ⤵️

had an absolute blast at SXSW and last night’s Dscout dinner! it was awesome to see the passion for UX and design alive and well in ATX huge thanks to Katie Hickey and our amazing marketing team for making this happen 🥹

If research requests always feel reactive, it’s because teams don’t see knowledge gaps until a decision is looming. By then, it’s often too late for meaningful insights. But what if you could surface those gaps before they become urgent? Spoiler alert: You can—by running a research question-gathering workshop. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Get the right people in the room. Product managers, designers, engineers, marketing—anyone who makes decisions based on user insights. 2️⃣ Ask three key questions: • What user assumptions are we making? • What upcoming decisions could research inform? • What do we wish we knew six months ago? 3️⃣ Map out research priorities. Categorize questions as immediate, upcoming, or long-term needs, and identify which ones are already answered (or don’t require research). 4️⃣ Turn it into a research roadmap. Assign methods to top-priority questions and set expectations on timing (not everything is “ASAP”). Then share your roadmap widely so research becomes part of the planning process—not an afterthought. For a more in-depth look at how to run one of these workshops at your org, reference this guide 👉 https://bit.ly/422kUog

Writing quality research questions is harder than it looks. But our Question Banks template makes it easier. With 500+ ready-to-go questions designed to support the most common studies, simply download the spreadsheet and modify it to your unique research goals. Say bye-bye to crafting questions from scratch—and hello to more reliable data, streamlined processes, and results that drive action. Check it out 👉 https://bit.ly/3Dv09bu

Advancing Research 2025 starts next week 😱 and we're inviting YOU to attend our sponsor sessions (schedule below). And get this: You don't need to be a ticket-holder to participate. Why spend time hearing from a sponsor, you ask? Because these sessions are of incredibly high quality—people regularly ask to access the recordings. Join us for insightful sessions such as... Monday, March 10 🔸Meet and Greet with Miro 🔸The State of UX Research in 2025: A Community Discussion Tuesday, March 11 🔸 Designing for Disability, Innovating for Everyone 🔸 Redefining Toolkits: Unbundling to Create a Perfect Match 🔸 Strategic Shifts and Innovations in User Research: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities 🔸 Shaping the Next Era of UX Research: Collaborative Forum Wednesday, March 12 🔸 Research Strategy: Connecting Insights to Outcomes 🔸 Inclusive Research: Debunking Myths and Getting Started 🔸 Back to basics, or start from scratch? Register now for these exciting sessions—and bring a friend, too! A huge thank you to our sponsors—Dscout, Fable, User Interviews, Maze, and Miro! Without them, #AR2025 wouldn't be possible. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eWnRbeEG