Want to invest in research? First, ensure your company is insights-ready
If you’re contemplating an investment in a research practice, you’ve bought into the following message: You need research insights in order to deeply understand your users or customers. There is no magic bullet to sustained business success, but research-generated insights will dramatically increase confidence in your decision-making and give you a competitive advantage.
Let’s say the moment finally comes. It’s time to professionalize a UX research function. You take the plunge. Perhaps you begin by hiring a couple contract researchers to work on projects you find exceptionally important. Or, you decide to bring on a mid-level researcher to get things started. Let them prove the value of research to your organization, you think. Once that person is on board, research insights will filter through the organization, and you’ll start to see the magic.
Wrong.
The first thing you need to ask yourself: Is your company insights-ready? I’ve built research teams in B2B and B2C organizations just starting out with UX research. I’ve seen first-hand how these teams struggled to integrate. There are a few reasons why they will also struggle in your company:
One: Your company lacks a shared understanding of who your users or customers are. For example:
