#150 - The Future of UX Research with Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner

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Jun 11, 2024

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Three UX research experts, Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner, discuss the industry's evolution, adapting methods for team dynamics, balancing business and user focus, fostering shared understanding, planning strategically, and the promise of AI. They share insights on future-proofing research practice, creating business value, and building cross-functional partnerships.

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INSIGHT

Research Career Paths Need Rescaffolding

Entry paths into research are changing as basic tasks become accessible to product teams.
The field needs new scaffolding to bring people into research roles with different skills.

INSIGHT

Democratization Removes The Research Moat

Democratized tools lowered the moat around basic research tasks like recruiting and usability testing.
Researchers must shift to higher-value roles like facilitation, frameworks, and translating insights into decisions.

ADVICE

Blend Projects With Continuous Work

Move beyond project-only thinking and design research to support ongoing product initiatives.
Decide when to use cadence discovery versus targeted projects based on team needs and product tempo.

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It's our 150th episode! To celebrate, we brought together three thought leaders for a discussion about UX research's future. Erin and Carol are joined by Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner, who bring over 40 years of combined experience in UX research, both as practitioners and leaders.

This wide-ranging conversation combines our guests' reflections on the trends that brought UX to its current moment with an analysis of what the future holds—and how we can prepare ourselves (and our teams) for it. From strategies on creating more business value for our work to tips for creating stronger cross-functional partnerships, this conversation will equip you with practical steps to future-proof your research practice.

Episode Highlights

09:28 - The evolution of the UX research industry
15:48 - Adapting UX methods for team dynamics
21:56 - Balancing our focus between the business and the user
30:45 - The role of UX research in fostering shared understanding
41:18 - Planning strategically and anticipating team needs
47:27 - The promise of AI for user experience professionals

About Our Guests
Judd Antin is an executive coach, consultant, advisor, writer, and teacher, leveraging his 15 years of experience as a research, design, and product executive at top companies (Meta, Airbnb) and his PhD in Social Psychology & Information Systems from UC Berkeley to help individuals and organizations achieve their goals and overcome their challenges.

Dave Hora is the founder of Dave's Research Co. where he helps product teams drive critical initiatives with the right mix of data, insight, and common sense. He began professional research work in 2011, eventually starting the practice as the first research hire at six companies, including PlanGrid and Instacart.

Christiana Lackner is a UX research leader and dot connector. She's building research maturity within organizations so that teams involve the right people, ask the right questions, and act on the answers.

More Resources on the Future of UX Research

The role AI will play in the future of UXR
Connecting UX research to business revenue
The 2023 State of User Research Report