Unleashing Creativity: Impact through Durable Research Artifacts
Research Craft
Research impact can be defined in multiple ways (I will write another post on this later), and one such way researchers and research leaders can gauge the impact of their work is to listen to how stakeholders engage in discussions and make decisions in their day-to-day conversations.
Are stakeholders referencing insights surfaced by the team or other insights functions (Market Research, Data Science, Product Marketing, etc.)?
Do stakeholders discuss customer problems grounded in real people's problems uncovered through research (primary or secondary)?
Do stakeholders discuss customer needs and motivations as a rationale for decision-making?
Researchers must carve out the time to triangulate data, crafting durable insights in ways that scale. Below are some creative strategies I’ve implemented or guided researchers to leverage to amplify durable insights and grow their impact beyond a research readout or PowerPoint deck that can go stale in a research repository.
Tangible Artifacts
Create physical artifacts to be distributed for easy reference.
Global Passport
With a Global Passport, you can share deeper insights into global trends, enhancing your understanding of customers worldwide. For example, let’s say you do research in the commerce space. Highlight key insights about the cultural difference in how your shoppers react and behave towards your product offerings in key markets you serve and in growth markets. Provide these to stakeholders to keep on their desks and reference as needed.
Infographics
Utilize easily digestible visual infographics, such as Nikki Anderson’s template on Canva, to share information via email newsletters within your organization and to post in key working spaces. Infographics make insights memorable and easy to reference when making decisions.
Walk-the-Wall
Incorporate walk-the-wall artifacts into your workshops to facilitate engagement and learning.
Archetypes
Collaborate across research functions (Product Marketing, User Experience Research, Data Science, and Market Research) to synthesize customer insights into clear mindsets and motivations, guiding actionable steps for the company.
Customer Journey Mapping
Utilize tools like Miro's templates to standardize customer journey mapping within your organization.
Make Quantitative Data Digestible
Present quantitative data in a scannable and easily understandable format.
Prioritization Matrix
Use a prioritization matrix to identify and rank customer pain points, ensuring alignment with product goals. Consider different lenses, such as MaxDiff analysis or revenue impact assessment.
Visualizations
Collaborate with the data science team to generate visualizations that facilitate a deeper understanding of behavioral data. For example, a radial histogram (pictured above ) can help you visualize core audience usage patterns of product features. See DataVisProject for more examples.
What are other creative and unique ways you’ve shared insights that go beyond a research repository or PowerPoint deck to influence stakeholder decision-making?
Please subscribe, comment, and share. I would love to hear your feedback on what you want to read about. - Anosha