One of the biggest struggles I see in UX Research today isn’t with finding the right methodology or analyzing the data, it’s our ability to take research findings and turn them into actionable insights. Much of a researcher’s job is helping stakeholder partners interpret the data to make customer-informed decisions. I’ve found that it’s difficult, nay impossible, to turn research findings into actionable insights if stakeholders aren’t engaged with the research.
But how do you get stakeholders to make time to listen to customers when everyone is in back-to-back meetings and has an inbox full of emails that need answering? One way I’ve found is to inject a bit of fun into the research process! Here are four ways to think about switching up your research:
Get to know your stakeholders
While you should celebrate the positive feedback when it comes, a lot of times you will be sharing a long list of improvements and unmet customer needs. It’s much easier to hear hard truths from someone you know cares about you on a personal level, so take the time to get to know your stakeholders and build rapport. During field studies, I would make time before the trip to plan out dinner locations, taking into account dietary restrictions and food preferences of my team. After a long day of interviews, nothing is better than knowing that important decision has already been taken care of.
Break the rules of what research “should” look like
Who said your research insights need to be a 5-page document or PowerPoint presentation? While these deliverables are important for archiving research findings, they aren’t the best ways to get stakeholders to engage with the research. The best turn-out I ever had for a readout was for an 11-minute video where the cut scenes between the insights were a parody of Sports Center. Stakeholders were even messaging other colleagues to encourage them to watch the video. Just like sneaking zucchini into chocolate cake, there were some really great research insights in this video that got implemented in the next release.
Embrace your inner dad jokes
One of the easiest ways to add fun to your research is by simply sprinkling a little humor into your presentations and newsletters. Some examples that I’ve used include, adding my favorite research memes to a “Research 101” deck or silly puns to my weekly research newsletter. These bits of levity can go a long way in making the research process feel more approachable and inclusive, even for stakeholders who are familiar with research.
Celebrate every win
Another way to build trust and engagement is by celebrating even the small wins. From sharing a positive customer quote to high-fives after making it through your first day of a field study, celebrating wins large and small builds trust and respect with your stakeholder partners. One of my favorite ways to celebrate stakeholders is by highlighting the work they are doing to improve the customer experience. Along with opportunities and recommendations in my report, I would include actions the team had already taken based on early top-line findings. I also created a digital “award” for partners who participated in research, or ran their own study and called them out in my weekly newsletter.
In conclusion…
Adding a bit of fun into your research doesn’t just make your day to day job more enjoyable, research shows that it also leads to more engagement and creativity. Fun allows your personality to shine through and build “brand recognition”. There’s humanity and vulnerability in humor. Oftentimes, the trust you earn with stakeholders will transfer across teams, and sometimes even companies.
But don’t go overboard! Putting time into creativity shouldn’t let you lose sight of the most important thing: making sure to deliver the best insights to your stakeholders as you can. Just be yourself and don’t be afraid to have a little fun while doing it.
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