UXR maturity models show increasing levels of user experience research adoption within organizations from "unrecognized" to "embedded". Tracking impact and engagement is important for UXR. Key ways to track impact include documenting how research influenced products/services, discovered issues, and led to changes in thinking, priorities or strategic direction. Tracking engagement can include measuring whether research is consumed, budgets increase, findings have lasting influence, trust is built with stakeholders, and requests are made for more research training.

1. STOP!
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Part 1: UXR Impact
UXPA 2017 TORONTO

2. UXR Impact1. UX maturity
2. Strategic research
3. Track impact

3. UX Maturity
1

4. “ Better products improve the lives
of the people who use them
in a way that also improves
the company that produces them.
Laura Klein
Author of Build Better Products & UX for Lean Startups

5. UX Maturity Model
Sabine Juninger, PhD, 2009
Separate Peripheral Central Integrated

6. %
%
%
%
%
%
UX Maturity Model - 2007
Bruce Temkin, 2007
6
Embedded
UX is in the fabric of the org;
Not discussed separately
5
Engaged
UX is one of the core tenets
of the org strategy
4
Committed
UX is critical and executives
are actively involved
3
Invested
UX is very important and formalised
programs emerge
2
Interested
UX is important but
receives little funding
1 Unrecognized
UX is “not important”
37
19
22
11
8
4
Forrester Research Inc: 287 CX decision-makers from US firms with annual revenues of $500 million or more

7. UX Maturity Model - 2014
Johan Berndtsson, 2014
6
Embedded
UX is in the fabric of the org;
Not discussed separately
5
Engaged
UX is one of the core tenets
of the org strategy
4
Committed
UX is critical and executives
are actively involved
3
Invested
UX is very important and formalised
programs emerge
2
Interested
UX is important but
receives little funding
1 Unrecognized
UX is “not important”
2
40
28
12
10
8 %
%
%
%
%
%
251 people surveyed in March 2014 by UXSWE in Sweden

8. UX Maturity Model - 2014
Johan Berndtsson, 2014
6
Embedded
UX is in the fabric of the org;
Not discussed separately
5
Engaged
UX is one of the core tenets
of the org strategy
4
Committed
UX is critical and executives
are actively involved
3
Invested
UX is very important and formalised
programs emerge
2
Interested
UX is important but
receives little funding
1 Unrecognized
UX is “not important”
2
40
28
12
10
8 %
%
%
%
%
%
251 people surveyed in March 2014 by UXSWE in Sweden
Aspirational goal

9. Strategic
research2

10. 4
Validate
Solutions
Product Design Cycle
Creating Successful Products & Services
2
Understand
the User
1
Define the
Business Goal
3
Create
Solutions
5
Measure

11. “ There is surely nothing quite so useless
as doing with great efficiency
what should not be done at all
Peter Drucker
Management consultant

12. Influence strategy and
company roadmap
4
Validate
Solutions
Product Design Cycle
Creating Successful Products & Services
1
Define the
Business Goal
3
Create
Solutions
5
Measure
2
Understand
the User

13. 4
Validate
Solutions
Product Design Cycle
Creating Successful Products & Services
2
Understand
the User
1
Define the
Business Goal
3
Create
Solutions
5
Measure
5
Measure
User needs
mapping
UXR
Bricks
Design
sprints

14. Create Engaging
UXR Experiences
Prepare stakeholders
1. Organise regular UXR planning
meetings
2. Ensure you have a seat at the table
Fieldwork Involvement
3. Involve stakeholders in all aspects of a
study (brief, data collection, debriefs)
Collaborate on deliverables
4. Identify + prioritise conclusions with
stakeholders
5. Present findings WITH stakeholders
Avoid being a black box

15. Create Engaging
Deliverables
Get the medium right
1. Are reports necessary? Lightweight notes? Posters? Websites? Expos?
2. When presenting findings use videos, pictures and artifacts
3. Tell compelling stories
4. Make the format digestible
No surprises
5. Share the research findings with key stakeholders for feedback before sharing further
6. Provide an opportunity for key stakeholders to respond to key findings and their
response/actions to them before distributing to wider audience
7. Present to your biggest critic privately - let them poke holes in it upfront and prepare

16. Track
impact3 ▪ Measure success of engagement
▪ Track UXR impact on changes to products/services

17. Impact Tracking
Make sure you keep
track of your impact,
don’t rely on your
memory, or expect
others to do it for you.
Examples
▪ Your research impacted the
design of the product.
▪ Your research discovered a
bug/tech problem.
▪ Your research led to a change
in thinking.
▪ Your research led to a
re-prioritisation.
▪ Your research resulted in a
longer-term change in the
products direction.

18. Impact Tracking
Doing the research isn’t
the impact ….
Poor Example
▪ “I have just done a massive
piece of fieldwork, involving
lots of users and exploring
different cultures & attitudes
towards purchasing on
mobile”
Better Example
▪ “Led fieldwork in 5 countries,
generating 12 unique insights,
4 informing 2017 strategy.”

19. Track Research Engagement
9 measures of success*
1. Research is consumed
2. Budget is allocated for more research
3. Findings are long and lasting
4. Trust is established
5. Skeptical stakeholders become believers
6. Business is challenged
7. Staffing is changed
8. Repeated requests are made for UX research training
9. Researchers are recognised
*By Tomer Sharon author of Validating Product Ideas + It’s our research

20. End of part
Contact: bryn.williams@me.com
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