Your team is divided on UX research methodologies. How will you bring everyone together?

?? Before jumping to conclusions, take a moment to understand the context! ?? ?? Dive deep into the unique needs of each research requirement and consider the outcomes. ?? Make sure you have a strong rationale for the research methods you choose. Your insights will shine through! #ResearchTips #CriticalThinking #StayInformed

When facing a divided team on UX research methodologies, I anchor the conversation in our mission: driving meaningful change through empathy and collaboration. Diverse perspectives are strengths that, when combined, offer richer insights for tackling complex challenges. By aligning our methods with the transformative impact we aim to create, we can find common ground. I advocate for iterative, collaborative approaches, allowing us to experiment, learn together, and refine our methods. Involving everyone in decision-making fosters co-creation and shared ownership, uniting us toward our shared goal: creating positive, lasting impact through thoughtful and holistic design.

It's very important to use the right method for a project - and not the method you know best. There are cognitive biases that lead us to exactly that behaviour: we come back to what we know best. That's true for all kinds of things: amongst others research methods

There is a need to understand the goal of an upcoming project. Surely, we know the business goals and pain points so far because we have already had a collective meeting with our stakeholders. Having the UX team on board each of us has a different biggest strength. Some UXers go for Hotjar and Google Analytics to clarify the situation with user’s behavior. The other ones prepare an interactive prototype to test a new feature whether it can be completed in Figma, Whimsical, and Framer, to name a few. By dividing our responsibilities we shorten the time for deliverables. This can help the team to meet the project’s deadline and deliver a MVP.

organize um workshop de alinhamento para discutir diferentes abordagens e mapear objetivos comuns. Em conjunto, defina critérios objetivos para a escolha das metodologias mais adequadas ao projeto e considere a cria??o de um processo híbrido que combine o melhor de cada abordagem. Desenvolva um guia de pesquisa que documente as práticas acordadas e promova um ambiente de aprendizado contínuo, onde conflitos sejam resolvidos de forma construtiva, mantendo o foco no impacto para o usuário final.

There is no need to be rigid; UX research is itself a field that emerged from mix-and-match methods. So why stop here? There is room to incorporate what most people are saying without going off track. but it is critical here that only insightful, and well-discussed approaches be valued.

First and foremost, fostering an environment of open communication is crucial. I will begin by facilitating a series of discussions where each team member can express their viewpoints, experiences, and concerns regarding various UX research methodologies. This helps in uncovering the underlying reasons behind their preferences and can reveal valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each approach from the team’s collective experience. These discussions should be approached with an open mind and a focus on understanding rather than debating, ensuring everyone feels heard and respected. Based on individual responses, the research goal and constraints, we would see a clear cut pattern to the approach to adopt, and do so as a team

If you don't feel safe sharing your ideas with your team, I would suggest you run. UX research is not about you. It's about the greater good so to speak. You have to challenge your assumptions, prejudices, and preconceptions. That's the job. Secondly, UX research is about empathy. Putting yourself in other people's shoes. Looking at issues from a wide range of perspectives. As a researcher, you have to practice active listening. Otherwise, what are you doing? How are you going to improve user experiences if you are not paying attention? That applies to your team. You need to be empathetic and actively listen to your team. You must reach a consensus. UX research is a collaborative profession were you need to set aside your ego.

What I see more often is not a problem of different methodologies but how you apply them, for example, there is a thousand ways to makes questions in the correct way, if 2 people don't agree, get more people to give their insights, alignment is the key and finding critical issues fast in design is actually good, be proud to say that the result got way better when you applied someone else's suggestion, give credits, it will help you next time, trust me.

Holistic mixed methods can be a great way to conduct more comprehensive research. However, it's important to watch out for scope creep. Some methods may be excessive when facing tight deadlines.

Explorar Sinergias: Procure maneiras de combinar metodologias ou adaptar técnicas para aproveitar os pontos fortes de cada abordagem. Por exemplo, se alguns preferem entrevistas em profundidade e outros preferem testes de usabilidade, pode-se combinar as duas abordagens em diferentes fases da pesquisa.

First and foremost, fostering an environment of open communication is crucial. I will begin by facilitating a series of discussions where each team member can express their viewpoints, experiences, and concerns regarding various UX research methodologies. This helps in uncovering the underlying reasons behind their preferences and can reveal valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each approach from the team’s collective experience. These discussions should be approached with an open mind and a focus on understanding rather than debating, ensuring everyone feels heard and respected. Based on individual responses, the research goal and constraints, we would see a clear cut pattern to the approach to adopt, and do so as a team

This is one of the key challenges for every Design Leaders, in my experience the follow key area I use to apply and optimize on iterativly This is one of the key challenges for every Design Leaders, in my experience the follow key area I use to apply and optimize on iterativly Here is my action point 3. Create a Methodology Matrix Action: Develop a matrix that maps project goals to appropriate research methodologies. Details: Collaborate with the team to create a visual tool that connects each specific goal with the best-suited research methods. Include criteria like time, budget, and resources required. Outcome: A clear, objective guide for selecting research methods based on project requirements.

To bring my team together on UX research methodologies, I will set clear guidelines that emphasize collaboration and inclusivity. First, I'll organize a meeting to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology, encouraging everyone to share their perspectives openly. I'll then propose a hybrid approach that integrates the best aspects of each methodology, ensuring that it aligns with our project goals. Establishing these guidelines will help us stay focused, make informed decisions, and foster a culture of respect and unity.

One thing I have found helpful when setting guidelines amongst my team members is allowing room for flexibility within the guidelines to accommodate emerging needs or insights. This helps the team remain agile and responsive to new information or changes in the project scope.

To ensure smooth progress, it's important to set clear guidelines. Create a framework that defines when and how to use different research methods, while providing enough structure to guide the project. For example, in a UX project, establish that user interviews are used during initial research and usability testing follows during the prototyping phase, adapting as needed based on project requirements.

También sería interesante documentar las experiencias con herramientas de forma de tener un banco de información que le permita al equipo ir tomando las mejores decisiones a partir de sus desafíos, esto es importante considerando las rotaciones que cualquier equipo o rol puede sufrir. De forma de mantener documentación ágil acorde el equipo de research

Establishing clear guidelines for research methods is a crucial step towards fostering a cohesive and efficient team dynamic. A well-structured framework serves as a common ground, providing clear direction while allowing the flexibility needed to adapt to the unique demands of each project. This balance is key to ensuring that methodological decisions are made collaboratively and with minimal conflict. By setting these agreed-upon guidelines, teams can streamline their processes, improve communication, and enhance overall productivity.

This is one of the key challenges for every Design Leaders, in my experience the follow key area I use to apply and optimize on iterativly Here is my action point 5. Pilot and Reflect Action: Implement a small-scale pilot study using a mixed-methods approach. Details: Choose a manageable segment of the project and apply different research methodologies. After the pilot, gather the team to review outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned. Outcome: Real-world evidence of the effectiveness of different methodologies, fostering greater acceptance and trust in varied approaches.

Pilot pilot pilot. Methodology is great, but a pragmatic, iterative and practical approach will make sure the theory works in practice in your own organisation.

Pilot runs help teams to test and refine products, processes and systems on a smaller scale before full implementation. This helps to identify potential issues, gather valuable feedbacks and make necessary adjustments thereby reducing the chances of risks. Pilot runs also provide insights into user interactions and preferences ensuring the final version is more effective and well-received.

A pilot project is a powerful tool for showcasing the benefits of combining multiple research methodologies. By testing a new approach on a smaller scale, teams can assess its effectiveness and identify potential challenges. Success in a pilot can serve as compelling evidence to advocate for broader adoption of the integrated research approach.

Test multiple approaches by conducting a small-scale pilot using different methodologies to compare results and determine the most effective one. Collect preliminary data to assess if the chosen methodologies are aligned with project goals. Engage the whole team in the pilot to ensure they gain firsthand experience with each method. Identify challenges, such as participant engagement, data quality, or time constraints, and review the resources used during the pilot to evaluate if the methodologies are sustainable for the full project.

Learning is a key aspect to not only research but many other fields and aspects of life. It allows us to look back and optimize our methods, have a retrospective look on what went well, what went wrong and what we could improve upon in future initiatives. Through this a team grows and becomes stronger together. Documenting these initiatives and outcomes is a great way for not only your team to learn but also future team members and many more.

A collaborative UX research process isn't complete without a thorough post-project analysis. By examining the outcomes and identifying both successes and areas for improvement, teams can optimize their approach for future projects. This reflective process strengthens team dynamics, fosters a culture of learning, and ultimately delivers better results for users.

Analyzing outcomes to spot successes and areas for improvement helps refine future approaches. Lets take an example, after a user testing phase, discussing what worked and what didn't can lead to better strategies next time..

As someone who has worked as a web developer, I think this is an underrated aspect of the development/design process. It requires more effort to keep track of the decisions and actions that designers have taken during this process, but that should be seen as an investment in the future of the design process and the designers themselves. Establishing agreed-upon methodologies and processes is important, but following through on them is what will make or break the future success of a team. It can be frustrating to admit something didn't work, but it is better to acknowledge this and then avoid it in the future than to dig your heels in and stick with a process you know doesn't work.

A collaborative UX research process isn't complete without a thorough post-project analysis. By examining the outcomes and identifying both successes and areas for improvement, teams can optimize their approach for future projects. This reflective process strengthens team dynamics, fosters a culture of learning, and ultimately delivers better results for users.