Sharing research insights for better designs

Understand research sharing methods

Choose a format for sharing insights:

One of the most common formats that UX researchers and designers use to share their work is presentations.

A presentation is a group of slides where each slide has new information.

Presentations provide your stakeholders with a high-level overview of the project.

For example, your presentation might only share the top three to five insights from your usability study to keep stakeholders engaged.

Presentations can be used to share your insights with a big group of people, and that group of people might include stakeholders who are not in the field of UX.

Presentations can be made pretty quickly using tools like Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Apple's Keynote.

Keep in mind, people might use the term "deck" instead of "presentation," but the two words mean the same thing.

The presentation consists of 15-20 slides broken up into four sections: study details,

themes, insights and recommendations, and an appendix.

Another format you can use to share your research insights is a research report.

A research report is a document with fewer visuals containing the same information as the presentation.

A research report can be made using tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Apple's Pages.

Research reports will often place the summary of the research insights and recommendations before the detailed insights.

This allows stakeholders to quickly read the actionable information.

Tips for creating a strong presentation

Tip 1: Know your audience

Before the presentation begins, take time to find out what the people you're presenting to are interested in learning about, then tailor your presentation accordingly. For example, a presentation to a marketing team will probably be different than a presentation to management, so you'll need to be adaptable. A personalized approach keeps your audience engaged during your presentation and increases your ability to gain their support for your project.

Tip 2: Provide an overview

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Include a short roadmap or "table of contents" at the beginning of your presentation, so your audience knows what to expect throughout the presentation. Your roadmap should almost be like a checklist that the audience can follow along, so they have a vision for how much content is left to cover.

In addition, one slide should feature an overview of the content you’re presenting, also known as an executive summary. It’s kind of like sharing your conclusion or biggest takeaways at the beginning of the presentation. Be sure to discuss how your research impacts the big picture, like how the product would support the company’s goals and objectives. When your audience understands the overall goal of the presentation and your product from the start, they’ll have a better context for specific details and stories you provide later.

Tip 3: Tell a story

Think of your presentation as a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each slide should push the story you’re telling forward, and the story should flow from slide to slide. Part of telling an effective and engaging story is including examples of actual users, such as quotes, photos, or short video clips from interactions with users. Storytelling is more powerful than sharing a list of research insights because your audience can observe the emotions, pain points, and delights of your product from a real user’s point of view.

Tip 4: Show numbers

A strong image often communicates more clearly than words. Use data, graphs, and charts to illustrate your most important insights. Your goal is to keep the attention of your audience, so let the images and data you show speak to your audience and strengthen the story you’re telling.

Tip 5: Less is more when it comes to text

Keep the information you present short and to the point. Your slides should only include high-level details that answer questions like why, what, and how. Try to include minimal text on your slides so that the audience doesn't spend time reading while you're presenting. If necessary, you can add additional resources in the appendix of your presentation for the audience to review later.

Tip 6: Provide recommendations for next steps

End the presentation with a list of recommended next steps based on the insights you presented. Your recommendations might include changes to make to the product designs, additional research to conduct, or future meetings to schedule. This step helps gain support from stakeholders and will put the pieces in place to move forward in the design process. It's a best practice to clearly state your recommendations on a single slide.

Tip 7: Leave time for questions

At the end of your presentation, be sure to leave a few minutes so your audience can ask questions about the material you presented and can clarify any points. This is also a great opportunity for you to provide more details about areas that your audience is interested in learning more about.

And that's it! With these tips in mind, you're ready to create your very own research presentation and deliver it to stakeholders. Remember, sharing your research is an important step in the design process. Be creative and foster an environment where people feel comfortable commenting and giving feedback.