How to Avoid the Research Repository Death Trap đź‘» w/ Stephanie Marsh
Oct 31, 2023
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Stephanie Marsh, former user research lead at UK’s Government Digital Service and now Research Ops lead at Springer Nature Group, discusses the challenges of knowledge management in UX research, including the allure of research repositories, practical steps for improved knowledge management, and the difference between repositories and libraries.
Implementing consistent naming conventions, storage locations, and documentation practices is crucial for effective knowledge management in UX research.
Using repositories alone is not enough to solve knowledge management challenges in UX research. Governance, behavior change, and planning are essential for success.
Deep dives
The Importance of Knowledge Management in UX Research
Knowledge management in UX research is a crucial aspect that involves identifying, organizing, storing, sharing, and archiving information within an organization. It encompasses various components such as managing participant data, research outputs, and research infrastructure information. Effective knowledge management facilitates better accessibility, understanding, and utilization of research findings and data. However, it is often an afterthought in the research process, leading to challenges in finding and accessing relevant information. To address this, it is important for teams to establish consistent naming conventions, storage locations, and documentation practices. Implementing these fundamental knowledge management practices can provide a solid foundation before considering more advanced tools or solutions.
The Limitations of Repositions as Knowledge Management Solutions
Repositions are often seen as a solution to knowledge management challenges. However, the reality is that repos alone are not sufficient to address the complexities of knowledge management in UX research. While repos can serve as a central repository for raw data, analysis, and insights, they require effective governance and consistent behavior changes to be successful. The use of repos depends on the context and needs of each organization. It is essential to define the scope and purpose of a repo in relation to the specific research practices and infrastructure within the organization. Relying solely on a repo without proper planning, behavior change, and support may not effectively solve knowledge management issues.
The Importance of Behavior Change and Incentivizing Knowledge Management
Successfully implementing knowledge management practices and tools within a research team requires behavior change and incentives. Building trust between the research ops team and researchers is crucial to facilitate knowledge management improvements. Training and support are essential to help researchers adapt to new knowledge management practices and tools. Communicating clearly and involving researchers throughout the process can encourage their active participation and buy-in. Establishing a code of ethics or conduct can also ensure consistent research practices and draw attention to the importance of good knowledge management. While certain legal requirements like GDPR can act as incentives, it is important to foster a culture where knowledge management is seen as valuable and necessary for high-quality research.
Practical Approaches for Knowledge Management in Small Research Teams
For small research teams without dedicated knowledge management roles, there are practical steps to improve knowledge management. First, establish agreements within the team regarding storage locations, naming conventions, and documentation standards. Creating a shared spreadsheet to list and track projects can serve as a simple repository before investing in more advanced tools. Emphasize consistent practices and keep the agreed-upon systems up to date. By focusing on these fundamentals, small research teams can lay a solid foundation for effective knowledge management before expanding to more complex solutions.
In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Stephanie Marsh.
Stephanie has a wealth of experience and most recently led user research at the UK’s Government Digital Service before hopping over to lead Research Ops at Springer Nature Group. Our conversation covers the gnarly and much-discussed topic of knowledge management.
In this chat with Stephanie we discuss:
How frustration with 3D pie charts kick-started their career in research.
Why knowledge management is a more gnarly problem in UX research than in other functions.
The allure of research repos as a knowledge management solution.
The value using research skills to determine knowledge management needs.
Repositories vs libraries.
Practical steps to get started with improved knowledge management.
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You can connect with Stephanie using the links below.