Making an impact with user research

For a user research professional, one of the hardest things to measure is how much stakeholders and clients have bought into user research. There is no clear, quantifiable answer to this question. Nevertheless, there are several signs that indicate stakeholder engagement, uptake, and buy-in. Let us identify some of these signs.

Think about the reasons people and organizations decide to conduct research with users. Why are they doing it? Why are they making the effort? The number one reason organizations do user research is because they want to learn about what their customers want and make the changes necessary to satisfy their customers’ needs. When stakeholders act on the findings of research, you can clearly point to the positive effect that the research is having on the organization, its products, and its customers. All you need to do is pay attention and be aware.

The number one reason organizations do user research is because they want to learn about what their customers want and make the changes necessary to satisfy their customers’ needs.

Research gets consumed

A great indication of the uptake of research is that stakeholders follow your research recommendations — especially the most important ones.