How do you explain the impact of user research to senior management?

For instance, imagine a business that offers an online shopping platform. Senior management's goal might be to increase sales and customer satisfaction. Now, how does user research fit into this picture? User research can pinpoint what customers truly need, where they encounter difficulties, and where opportunities lie. This information, drawn from real users, is invaluable. By linking these findings to key performance indicators (KPIs), like conversion rates and customer retention, you can show how research directly impacts the bottom line.

Your senior stakholders might not care (in some very sad instances) about what a bunch of isers think, afterall, who knows the business best, the boss or some random user? The question is. How much investment both time and money and humans into the new marketing or product dev? What would happen if it goes wrong? (And trust me it can go really wrong and cost millions and lead to people losing their jobs). If we speak with say 40 customers. It’ll take a few weeks to do and share back their insights. Then the boss can make their call. They’ll seriously derisk that call and more likely to see an uplift in all sorts of metrics like NPS / ROI etc.

When it comes to engaging senior executives, let's face it: raw data alone often doesn't hit the mark. To truly connect with senior management, we need to add a personal touch. Begin with a scenario that any of us could find ourselves in—an everyday experience that instantly makes you nod in agreement. Then, dive into the challenges faced by our users, the moments of frustration, and the opportunities that lie within. It should be like sitting down with a friend over coffee and hearing them share their real-life struggles and triumphs. That's when the impact of user research becomes not just data, but a compelling, relatable story that senior executives can't help but connect with on a personal level.

Data points are very abstract until they are woven into a narrative that resonates with people’s lives. I have come to understand the importance of putting a name and a face to a story. This could translate to weaving the impact around the persona that embodies the user's needs, goals, and observed behavior patterns. By humanizing the user data, the abstract is made tangible, allowing stakeholders to see their users as real people with real challenges and aspirations.

When explaining the impact of user research to senior management, it's crucial to follow the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) method and focus on actionable recommendations that address business goals. Imagine yourself in the CEO's seat and consider how the insights can drive profit and scale the business. Highlight Key Insights Connect to Business Goals Showcase Quantifiable Impact and Emphasize Continuous Improvement User research is not a check box item that you do it once and you're good. Inform and demonstrate how doing continuous user research derisks business decisions at the top, middle, and bottom of the sales funnel.

Measuring impact from UXR is important, but not easy. I like to think about impact at 4 levels, from foundational to strategic. 1. Stakeholders understand your insights (this is table stakes but is the foundation for all other impact. You could measure this through attendance at research sessions or results sharing sessions) 2. Optimising current products (e.g. UX flows or copy updated) 3. Influencing product roadmaps (e.g. that the organisation is prioritising differently due to UXR) 4. Influencing strategy (the org is making different strategic decisions due to UXR findings)