Tracks: Research Foundations

Research: the goal, the role, and having an impact.

We're riding the wave of User Experience, and design is moving towards a steadier state, while for many of us, the research component is new and uncharted.

To advance this work, we need an actionable picture of what it really means to do UX research. This includes how ought to fit into the organization, and what it means to work and grow as a successful researcher... In this talk, Dave will:

1. model out the role of a research function in a product/service delivery organization,
2. evaluate how researchers' work fits with functional counterparts in product, design, engineering, and
3. build on the previous two, and discuss the levels of an individual researcher's career growth, illuminating the path forward.

Dave Hora.

Principal, Dave's Research Company

Dave is a researcher fascinated by how teams work together—and what it is that makes research work. As a five time ""first researcher,"" he established the formal research program at one consultancy and four startups in Silicon Valley. At PlanGrid, Dave developed the research function as a strategic partner to Design and Product, growing the team from one to three researchers.

Recently, Dave moved to Denver Colorado, and is consulting as the Employee of the Month at Dave’s Research Company, Ltd. That practice includes strategic research projects; coaching individual researchers; and flipping the research lens toward the inside, helping organizations uncover, model, and redesign their product delivery processes.