Why great research often fails to influence the business

Many UX teams struggle with UX research impact not because their findings are wrong, but because they’re misaligned with what the business needs at that moment.

Early in her career, Emmanuelle fell into the same trap many researchers do: producing deep, detailed reports in an effort to demonstrate rigor and value.

“I was presenting long reports because I wanted to show the value,” she says. “But showing the value of the research is not the quantity. It’s really taking what is important for the business.”

This is a common pattern. Researchers often treat stakeholders as an audience rather than participants. But leaders reverse that relationship. They study the business itself—its pressures, priorities, risks, and constraints—so insights land with relevance and urgency.

Emmanuelle describes this shift as treating stakeholders like research participants: understanding what keeps them awake at night and tailoring insight to answer those questions directly.

That alignment is what transforms strategic UX research from a support function into a decision-making tool.

Leadership without headcount: influence as a solo researcher

A powerful idea from the conversation is that leadership doesn’t require managing people.

“You could be a leader even if you’re a team of one,” Emmanuelle explains. “You don’t need to manage people to influence the organization.”

For solo researchers, leadership shows up in how they:

• Prioritize research based on business needs
• Frame findings around decisions, not just insights
• Manage expectations with senior stakeholders
• Identify opportunities to extend the value of existing studies

This approach builds UX research influence over time, even in environments where research budgets or headcount are limited. Instead of waiting for permission, leaders use what they already have—access to users, sessions, and insight—to answer bigger questions.

Moving beyond box-ticking usability work

Usability testing is essential—but it can also become a ceiling.

Emmanuelle is clear that usability work is often treated as a “bread and butter” activity: valuable, but rarely strategic on its own. When research becomes a delivery checkbox, it loses its ability to shape direction.

“That’s a box-ticking exercise for a delivery process rather than actually adding true value,” she says.

Leadership-oriented researchers look for ways to elevate this work. For example, during a usability session, a researcher might:

• Add behavioral questions
• Explore attitudes toward emerging features like AI
• Probe trust, frustration, or confidence
• Identify patterns that point to strategic risks or opportunities

Because researchers already “own” the session, they can expand its scope without adding cost or time. This approach helps shift teams from usability-only outputs to UX research decision-making that informs roadmap and strategy.

Understanding the business is a research skill

One of the most consistent themes in the episode is the importance of business literacy.

Researchers often pride themselves on methodological expertise, but leadership requires a broader skill set—one that includes understanding how organizations operate, make decisions, and measure success.

Once researchers understand the business context, they can adapt findings to be more actionable. This is where UX research and business alignment becomes a core competency, not a nice-to-have.

“It’s really to understand the business,” Emmanuelle says. “Once you understand the business, you can adapt your findings accordingly to their needs.”

This doesn’t mean compromising rigor. It means translating insight into the language of risk, opportunity, and trade-offs—the currency of leadership conversations.

AI as a catalyst for research leadership

AI surfaced repeatedly throughout the conversation—not as a threat to research, but as an accelerant.

Emmanuelle is a strong advocate for AI’s role in improving research efficiency, from transcription and synthesis to centralizing insight repositories. These advances directly address a longstanding criticism of research teams: speed.

“We have to be much faster,” she notes. “The world is moving so fast.”

This is where AI in UX research becomes transformative. By reducing manual effort, AI frees researchers to focus on interpretation, strategy, and influence—the parts of the job that machines can’t replace.

But AI also introduces risk. Organizations are eager to deploy AI broadly, often without fully understanding where it adds value or erodes trust. Emmanuelle draws a clear parallel to digital transformation efforts, where research played a critical role in identifying what should—and shouldn’t—be digitized.

The same principle applies today. UX research in AI-driven organizations must help answer questions like:

• Where does AI genuinely improve the user experience?
• Where does it introduce confusion or distrust?
• How do different user segments perceive AI-driven features?

This positions research not just as evaluators of AI interfaces, but as strategic guides for responsible adoption.

Building research maturity over time

Leadership isn’t a switch—it’s a practice.

Emmanuelle emphasizes that meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. In her book, The UX Research Powerhouse, Vol. 1, she outlines a structured approach to leadership development, including what the first 30 days, 90 days, and year can look like for a research leader.

“You can start seeing differences after months,” she says. “But to really see the shift, I would say a year of practice.”

This long view aligns with UX research maturity, where teams evolve from reactive service providers to proactive strategic partners. Small changes—applied consistently—compound into credibility, trust, and influence.

Why The UX Research Powerhouse matters now

Many of the insights from the episode are explored in depth in The UX Research Powerhouse, Vol. 1. The book focuses on leadership, influence, and impact—not just methods—and is designed for researchers who want a stronger seat at the table.

It’s the book Emmanuelle says she wished she’d had when stepping into leadership, especially in environments where research was misunderstood, underfunded, or undervalued.

As organizations navigate AI adoption, faster product cycles, and increasing complexity, the need for strong research leadership skills has never been clearer. Research leaders don’t just generate insight—they shape how organizations think, decide, and build.

And that responsibility starts with a mindset shift.

“You don’t do it just to do the research. You try to understand the full ecosystem and where your research can make a difference.”

Episode links

• webinar: The future of insight: how information workers leverage AI + human understanding to drive smarter decisions — on-demand webinar about pairing AI with human insight for better decision-making.

• guide: The UX research methodology guidebook — a practical guide covering research methods that help teams generate actionable insights and make research more strategic.

• podcast episode: AI in UX research with John Whalen — an Insights Unlocked episode exploring how AI augments human researchers and shapes UX research workflows.

• blog post: How AI knows what customers do—but only human insight explains why — a blog post that connects AI capabilities with the need for human-centered insight. 

• The UX Research Powerhouse, Vol. 1 by Emmanuelle Savarit
• Practical User Research: How to Integrate User Research for Your Product Development by Emmanuelle Savarit
• UX Research Club – podcast hosted by Emmanuelle Savarit
   

Frequently asked questions

What is UX research leadership?

UX research leadership is the ability to influence decisions, align insight with business priorities, and shape strategy—not just conduct studies. As discussed in the episode, leadership is about impact, not title or team size.

What’s the difference between doing UX research and leading UX research?

Doing UX research focuses on execution and deliverables. Leading UX research focuses on outcomes—how insights inform decisions, reduce risk, and guide product direction.

Can you lead UX research without managing a team?

Yes. Emmanuelle explains that researchers can lead even as a team of one by prioritizing the right problems, managing stakeholder expectations, and aligning research with what the business needs most.

Why doesn’t great UX research always have impact?

Research often falls short when findings aren’t framed around business context. Long reports don’t equal influence—clear, relevant insight does.

How is AI changing UX research?

AI helps researchers work faster by supporting tasks like transcription and synthesis. However, the episode emphasizes that human judgment and leadership are still essential to interpret insight and guide responsible AI use.

What is The UX Research Powerhouse, Vol. 1 about?

The UX Research Powerhouse, Vol. 1 focuses on research leadership, influence, and building long-term impact. It offers practical guidance for researchers who want a stronger seat at the table.

Who should listen to this episode?

This episode is valuable for UX researchers, research leaders, product professionals, and anyone looking to turn user insight into meaningful business decisions.