What are common missteps in leading a user research team?

1 Lack of clear goals

One of the first missteps in leading a user research team is not having clear and realistic goals for your research projects. Without clear goals, you and your team may waste time and resources on irrelevant or redundant research activities, lose focus and direction, and fail to deliver actionable insights. To avoid this misstep, you should define your research goals based on the needs and expectations of your stakeholders, the scope and timeline of your project, and the available resources and methods. You should also communicate your goals to your team and align them with your overall product strategy and vision.

4 Lack of collaboration

A fourth common misstep in leading a user research team is lack of collaboration, both within your team and with other teams. Lack of collaboration can isolate your team from the rest of the product development process, reduce your team's efficiency and effectiveness, and create silos and gaps in your research outputs. To avoid this misstep, you should foster a collaborative culture and environment for your team, where they can share ideas, feedback, and best practices, and learn from each other. You should also collaborate with other teams, such as product, design, development, and marketing, and involve them in your research activities, such as planning, conducting, analyzing, and presenting your research.

5 Lack of evaluation

A fifth common misstep in leading a user research team is lack of evaluation, both of your research methods and of your team's performance. Lack of evaluation can prevent you from improving your research quality and impact, and from identifying and addressing your team's strengths and weaknesses. To avoid this misstep, you should evaluate your research methods regularly and systematically, and use data and feedback to measure their effectiveness, validity, and reliability. You should also evaluate your team's performance periodically and constructively, and use metrics and feedback to assess their productivity, satisfaction, and development.

6 Lack of ethics

A sixth common misstep in leading a user research team is lack of ethics, both in your research conduct and in your team management. Lack of ethics can damage your team's reputation and credibility, and expose you and your stakeholders to legal and ethical risks. To avoid this misstep, you should adhere to the ethical principles and standards of user research, such as informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, and transparency. You should also treat your team members fairly and respectfully, and provide them with the necessary support, recognition, and opportunities.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?