As UX researchers, we’re driven to understand users deeply. But how do we ensure our hard-earned insights don’t get buried in reports no one ever reads?
Market Research Leader Lauren Nitta recently joined us to share actionable lessons for UX researchers who want to elevate their impact.
Read on for five key takeaways that can help you bridge the gap between research and strategic influence.
Or watch the full conversation for Lauren’s tips on actively sharing business strategy and driving product innovation using research.
1. Embrace the Overlap: Discovery, Product, and Market Research Are Deeply Connected
Think your discovery research is worlds apart from product requirements or monetization strategy? Think again. Lauren emphasizes a significant “75% overlap” between discovery research and product requirements research. At their core, both dive into understanding user pain points, critical use cases, how users perceive value, and the trade-offs they’re willing to make.
This powerful overlap means your foundational research skills are highly transferable. They can fuel not only product innovation but also robust monetization strategies. Sailpoint leveraged this by creating a centralized research function. This move, as Lauren described, “created these one plus one equals three scenarios and completely upleveled the way that we did research within the org.”
The result? Multiple successful product launches and a solid three-year vision strategy.
Practical Example: Sailpoint’s research team, while investigating one issue, uncovered a “machine account problem” that was “10 times bigger” than their initial focus. By truly listening to customer feedback (even when it deviated from expectations), the product team pivoted, built a compelling business case, and launched what became the fastest-growing product in the company’s history. This demonstrates the immense value of foundational research in uncovering strategic business opportunities.
2. Value Perception and Trade-Offs: The Heart of Monetization and Product Strategy
“Monetization is value. Value equals trade-offs,” Lauren said.
This is a crucial mindset shift. To truly influence product and monetization, we must deeply understand what customers are willing to exchange — be it money, time, or effort — for the solutions we offer. This understanding is vital for prioritizing features and making a compelling case to leadership.
Monetization isn’t just about slapping a price tag on a feature. It’s about grasping the ROI customers expect, the investment they’re making (beyond just cash), and the alternatives they’re weighing.
For instance, a customer’s willingness to pay might manifest as a commitment to “stop using this tool and shift my processes to your tool,” or a decision to “expand it to more teams in the organization.”
Quantifying Value: Consider using frameworks like the Simon-Kucher matrix. This can help map customer value perception against adoption and usage. Features that score high on both usage and perceived value are your “leader features”. In other words, these are what customers are most willing to pay for and should be central to your go-to-market strategies.
3. AI Is a Game Changer — But Researchers Must Guide Its Use
Artificial Intelligence offers incredible potential for UX research, but you need to harness its power thoughtfully.
- AI for Communication and Prep: Tools like Claude and ChatGPT (and Marvin!) have become invaluable. Lauren’s team used AI to craft executive summaries, create visual schedules, and even produce engaging content like a year-in-review video GIF. This creative approach helped them capture stakeholder attention and elevate the research team as internal leaders who truly understand the customers.
- Prompt Engineering is Key: Even if it doesn’t seem like it, “Prompt engineering is such a good skill,” Lauren noted. Researchers can’t just passively accept AI outputs. We must meticulously craft prompts, critically evaluate AI-generated content, and always gut-check for accuracy to avoid hallucinations.
- AI for Simulation and Synthesis: The power of AI extends to simulating personas, analyzing vast research repositories of interview data, and triangulating insights from diverse data sources like Intercom, Salesforce, and Gong. It enables researchers to connect the dots across previously siloed information, finding needles in a haystack that can drive major strategic decisions.
Practical Application: Sailpoint’s AI-powered research repository became a primary resource for product managers writing Product Requirements Documents. This fundamentally changed how the product organization operated, embedding research insights directly into the development lifecycle.
4. Visibility and Storytelling: Market Your Insights Internally
Generating brilliant insights isn’t enough; they need to be seen, understood, and acted upon. “You have to think like a marketer,” Lauren said.
Researchers must proactively market their findings throughout the organization. Here are some ideas:
- Org-Wide Engagement: Sailpoint’s research team didn’t just share findings within product teams. They held bimonthly 90-minute forums and posted insights on org-wide Slack channels. This broad visibility positioned research as a strategic partner across the entire business.
- The Power of a Proof of Concept: If you’re struggling for buy-in, find one project to showcase the tangible value of research to leadership. Once leaders witness your impact, the door unlocks for more strategic involvement and deeper collaboration.
- Speak the Language of Business: Move beyond lengthy academic reports. Use compelling visuals, concise executive summaries, and business-oriented language to grab attention and inspire action.
5. Cross-Functional Collaboration and Strategic Relationships Are Essential
Research can sometimes feel like an island, and the same can be true for functions like pricing (one of Lauren’s specialties).
However, success hinges on building robust cross-functional relationships. Lauren’s experience in pricing underscored the importance of working closely with finance, sales, marketing, product, and engineering.
- Strategic Alignment: Implement quarterly strategic meetings with leaders from various functions. These sessions are crucial for aligning on priorities, anticipating upcoming projects, and ensuring that research efforts are always relevant to the evolving needs of the business.
- Leverage Your Unique Position: As researchers, you often have “foremost access” to customer insights—arguably the most trusted source of feedback within any organization. Use this privileged position and the authority it carries to influence product decisions, go-to-market strategies, and leadership perspectives.
The Sailpoint case study mentioned earlier provides a striking example. By acting on customer feedback, the team shifted to tackle a more critical, high-stakes problem. This wasn’t a fluke. It highlights the transformative impact of researchers embedded themselves in core strategic dialogues.
And it proves that robust, cross-team communication is the bedrock for turning vital insights into action.
Bonus: Practical Tips and Resources
Lauren also shared some valuable quick wins:
- Recruitment on a Budget: Don’t be afraid to get scrappy. Utilize platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn communities, and tap into passive data sources (such as sales calls and customer support tickets) when budgets are constrained.
- Her Favorite AI Tools:
- Perplexity: For research and exploration.
- ChatGPT: For formatting, communication, and content generation.
- Marvin: For powerful research repository management and synthesis.
- Recommended Reading: “Monetizing Innovation” by Madhavan Ramanujam and Georg Tacke of Simon-Kucher is a must-read for understanding value perception in modern product strategy.
Elevate Your Research Game
By embracing these lessons, UX researchers can significantly amplify their influence:
- Recognize and leverage the deep connections between discovery, product, and monetization research.
- Place value perception and trade-offs at the center of your strategic thinking.
- Thoughtfully integrate AI to enhance both your analytical capabilities and your communication impact.
- Become a proactive marketer of your insights across the entire organization.
- Cultivate strong cross-functional relationships to ensure your work drives strategic outcomes.
Adopting these practices won’t just make you a better researcher. It will position you as an indispensable partner in driving innovation, growth, and a truly customer-centric strategy within your organization.
Speaking of partners, we’re here for you when you’re ready to launch your own AI-powered repository! Sign up for free or book a demo with our experts today.
