🤔 User Research is not optional + 🧠 AI progress is speeding up

This week, User Research is not optional: arguing like Socrates will help you prove it, How to Write a Good User Research Report, How Covid Changed Service Design & AI progress is about to speed up. Plus, check out our People of Research member interview from 🇬🇧 the UK, our video pick on The Power of Atomic UX Research, and our latest job opportunities in research!

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People of Research
March 04, 2025

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🔬 People of Research Member Interview

People of Research Interview with Shyama

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📰 Article Picks

This week’s article picks:

🔗 User Research is not optional: arguing like Socrates will help you prove it: Joe Smiley challenges outdated beliefs from Henry Ford and Steve Jobs that dismiss user research. Using the Socratic Method, he demonstrates how research mitigates risks, enhances usability, and ensures informed product decisions. He compares research to hiring a realtor when buying a house—essential for reducing costly mistakes.

🔗 AI progress is about to speed up: Ege Erdil from Epoch AI explains that recent gains in AI are driven by smarter algorithms and enhanced data quality, not just massive compute. With next-gen models like Grok 3 promising dramatic performance leaps, researchers can expect these advancements to reshape digital experiences.

🔗 How to Write a Good User Research Report: Ben Weedon outlines how to make research reports actionable by prioritizing key findings, structuring insights clearly, and making recommendations specific and feasible. He emphasizes tailoring reports to different research methods, avoiding jargon, and ensuring every insight answers the “So what?” question.

🔗 How Covid Changed Service Design: Louise Mushet reflects on the lasting impact of remote work on service design, user research, and collaboration. She discusses the loss of in-person cues, the shift toward transactional digital research, and the challenges of facilitating workshops online. Using real-world examples, she questions whether the shift has diminished the quality of research

📹 Video Pick

This week, learn about Atomic Research - a process for deeper insights and easy knowledge sharing in large organizations. Daniel Pidcock explains its origins, and tools, and answers Q&A.

💼 Job Picks

Are you a hiring manager looking to share research opportunities with a global network of over 2,000 researchers in more than 60 countries? We'd love to hear from you! Just drop us an email ✉️.

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