Five Creative Ways to Share Research So It Won’t Be Ignored

Here’s the truth: No one wants more research. They want better outcomes. Research only matters when it drives profitable business decisions. But before you can influence that, you need something else — stakeholder attention. And nothing loses it faster than another long, forgettable slide deck.

Your delivery has to spark interest. It should draw people in, ignite curiosity, and make the next step obvious.

At Marvin, we set out to find ways to share insights people can’t ignore.

Here are five approaches that get teams leaning in, not zoning out.

Host a watch party

Executives spend a lot of time in meetings. They’re tired of seeing the same type of presentation again and again. If you want to make your research memorable, present it in a way that’s fresh and exciting. Put together clips of users experiencing the same pain point. For instance, maybe it’s a voice assistant misunderstanding commands. Layer in music that adds comedy to the scene, such as “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones. Then, end with actionable ways the issue could be resolved and the financial benefit of addressing it. Bonus points if you serve food and drinks that tie into the theme.

Turn it into a friendly competition

‍Have you ever watched Jeopardy and answered the questions aloud, as though you were a contestant? People like being quizzed on their knowledge, especially if prizes are involved. Share research results in a similar gameshow format. For large groups, break into teams by department. If the group is small, each person can play individually. Prepare questions like, “What was the no. 1 reason users gave for unsubscribing last year?”. Give each team or contestant a turn to guess before sharing the correct answer. Offer prizes for first, second, and third place. But no one should leave empty-handed. Invite everyone to give clear recommendations of what you think should happen next, based on your findings.  

Integrate it into a workflow

‍Research insights are often ignored because they’re delivered separately from where the actions themselves take place. A designer isn’t going to pull up a PDF or a PowerPoint emailed out months ago when making a design update. But they will address a comment inserted directly into their Figma, Adobe XD, or InVision design file. The same is true for a project manager working in Slack. Consider delivering your high-level findings to team leads first. Then, ask how they can be incorporated into the team’s real-life workflow.  

Make the struggle real

‍Unlike UX researchers, executives are really removed from the user journey. The best way to help them understand a problem is by letting them experience it. What does that look like? If it’s a physical product, bring it into the room and invite a volunteer to complete a task you know users find difficult. For digital experiences, have everyone bring their laptop into the meeting. Ask them to complete the same steps that led users to abandon cars. Once they feel the same frustration as their users, they’ll be more likely to act on the issue.

Turn it into a workshop

‍Make the meeting interactive. Instead of presenting to your audience, pull them into the process. This format works especially well when the attendees are department heads or folks regularly involved in product development. Prior to the presentation, send an email with the top insights for discussion. Ask everyone to come ready to brainstorm next steps. Then, get in the room (or Zoom) and work the problem together. Different teams will bring different angles, which sparks faster ideas and better alignment. The best part? You leave the meeting with real momentum instead of a follow-up calendar invite.

You work hard to uncover research insights. Don’t let them catch dust in a slide deck. When you make research memorable, you make it actionable. Whether it’s a watch party, a game, or a hands-on workshop, the goal is the same: bring people into the user’s world so they feel the urgency to improve it. Choose the format that fits your audience, and watch your findings turn into real-life results.

For even more ways to make sure your leaders see your research, download a copy of our guide, “Make customer insights impossible to ignore.”