Thread by @RohanIrvine

We have Julie Watson from Trade Me in NZ.
#designresearch

Julie is talking about how design research can inform strategy.
#designresearch

Instead of building a solid business case for design research to implement strategy they just decided to give it a crack and see what happens.
#designresearch

As a UX team we try and make Trade Me more user centred. We thought just do it would work in the Trade Me culture. It's about relationships and trust and there was a lot of trust in the research team.
#designresearch

Julie is a recovering academic. She loves being in that grey area of finding out what a problem is.
#designresearch

Trade Me has over 50 delivery teams and UX is across all of them.

There's no point making things go faster if you're headed in the wrong direction.

#designresearch

They split their UX team across 4 teams.

#designresearch

1. How best to use the space?

There was a range between 'we don't know what to do with your UXers should do' to 'here do this'

#designresearch

It was the UX teams role to communicate why evaluative research wasn't going to help the design team influence strategy.

#designresearch

2. Research is a team sport

Trade Me is extremely collaborative. They used one of the company values 'there's no I in Trade me'

They didn't always agree but by having customers at the centre it facilitates the conversation.

#designresearch

3. Strategic does not mean immediately useful.

The outputs of our work in evaluative research is visible and actionable, but this wasn't necessarily the case with the strategic research.

#designresearch

After delivery the research a week later they found out it was slotted into the strategic direction at the company.

#designresearch

4. Conversant are a-changin'

When Julie started people were very apprehensive about doing research, she had to go out and convince people to do even the smallest amount of researches value.

#designresearch

People are now coming to them asking questions about research, and when they hear about projects kicking off they want to be involved.

#designresearch

5. Logistics, logistics

#designresearch

Don't do everything all at once

Include people in the project as possible—more time now—saves time later with evangelists of your work

Your BAU work doesn't stop, but keeping a backlog is really helpful

The demand increases, so enable other people for tactical
#designresearch

Your strategic research will create more strategic research.

#designresearch

Design research can and has driven strategy at Trade Me. You can have more of an impact in the business.
#designresearch

Thanks Julie!!!!!!!

#designresearch