Make UX Research Impactful

By Shiva Chavoshian · Published January 29, 2026

I had the chance to attend the UX360 Conference in Berlin. It was a great opportunity to hear from researchers and designers across different industries and reflect on how we can make user research more actionable in product teams.

In this post, I’m sharing a few personal reflections on one of the core themes of the conference: how UX research can better support decision-making.

This is not a summary of every talk, but rather a collection of thoughts and lessons that stood out to me and I thought we can have improvements in our company. I’ve done my best to represent the ideas faithfully, while adding my own perspective.

Rethinking the Role of UX Research

A recurring message throughout the conference was that UX research should be more than just producing insights. Our goal is to contribute meaningfully to product strategy and help teams make more informed choices.

Utkarsh Seth (Google) highlighted this in his talk “Beyond Insights”, where he argued that researchers add the most value when we help bridge the gap between findings and real-world impact. This means thinking beyond execution and focusing more on how our work influences the bigger picture rather than just crafting them.

To do that effectively, researchers need to be plugged into what matters most to the business and product teams—and bring those priorities into the research process from the start.

Understand company needs

Another key point was that the role of UX research looks different depending on the organization.

Giulia Angeletti (Nestlé) spoke about this in her session on cross-functional collaboration. She reminded us that researchers can’t (and shouldn’t) try to answer every question. Instead, we should focus on the areas where research can have the most strategic impact.

Lyubomir Todorakov (Paysafe) added to this by encouraging researchers to learn how decisions are made in their company. By understanding the structure, pace, and goals of the business, we can better align our work and make sure it gets used. His advice: “Follow the money.” Look at where your company is investing and position your research where it supports those priorities.

Don’t Lose the “Why”

Hadi Pourebrahim (Roche) gave a great talk about the importance of keeping sight of the “why” behind decisions—not just from users, but also internally.

Too often, teams move forward with design or research activities without fully understanding the reason behind a project. When that happens, it opens the door to confusion, wasted effort, or misaligned outcomes.

Keeping the “why” in focus helps everyone stay aligned and ensures that research serves a clear purpose. It also helps researchers ask better questions and deliver more targeted insights.

Delivering Insights That Land

Utkarsh Seth also challenged us to think about how we present insights, not just how we gather them.

Often, researchers are trained to focus on methods and rigor, but how we communicate our findings is just as important.

One simple tactic he shared: ask yourself, “If we knew X from this research, what would we change in the product or strategy?” If you can’t answer that clearly, your insight might still be too abstract.

It’s all about reducing the distance between research and action—delivering the right message, in the right format, at the right time.

Experimenting With Delivery

Several talks emphasized the need to try new ways of sharing insights and learn what works for your team.

Some ideas I liked:

It’s also worth tracking what gets used. Whether its seeing which reports are referenced in Jira, mentioned in Slack, or cited in planning meetings, this kind of feedback can help you refine your approach over time.

It was a great reminder that impactful research is as much about strategy and communication as it is about methods.

– If you’re thinking about the same challenges or have your own ways of making research more influential in your team, I’d love to exchange ideas!

– I also used some notes made by Léo Ribas that we connected in the conference.

Let Shiva shed some light on your users!

Get in contact

UX360 Conference Berlin, where the future of user experience takes shape

The UX360 Conference in Berlin is one of Europe’s leading gatherings for UX, UI, and product design professionals. Each year, it brings together top designers, researchers, and innovators from across industries to share insights, emerging trends, and best practices in crafting exceptional digital experiences.