We need to deliver UX research assets to the business, not store them in a repositoryWhen I entered the field of user experience research in 2021, research repositories were top of mind. As a former librarian (and ethnographer), I had found my niche! Research teams were having trouble finding past research within their organizations, which led to repeated studies and duplicated efforts. I was happy to see that the solution was a library, or repository.The rise of the UX research repositoryTools like Airtable, Confluence and Sharepoint were often customized for use as repositories. And beginning around 2015, repository tools like EnjoyHQ, Condens, and Dovetail came onto the market. These tools were not just research librariesthey helped UX teams track their research studies, analyze their insights, and organize their outputs. Already, the repository had multiple functions beyond simply storing research.As time went on, UX research repositories became impossible to define. Everyones repository looked different, and had different purposes and functionalitiesindeed the term repository had gone through the process of semantic diffusion (when a term is coined with a specific definition, but its meaning weakens as its usage widens). Teams started calling their repositories insights hubs and research libraries in an effort to be more focused and descriptive.The problem was that these tools didnt effectively address a larger, looming problem: UX research was sorely underutilized for product development decisions. While repository tools did help researchers organize their assets, decision-makers like product managers, designers and executives were unlikely search a UX research repository for answers to their product development questions. Poor adoption became a huge reason why repositories failed. In a survey of 400 UX professionals, Nielsen Norman found that over 50% of research repositories had fair or poor adoption rates. If a repository isnt used by an organization, its business value is prettylow.UX research produces businessassetsSince 2022, UX has been in a state of extreme flux and UX practitioners are at a crossroads. The looming problem about research visibility I mentioned above? Its now front-and-center. Thought leaders like Jake Burghardt are diving into the problem spacehe writes, even as tech organizations tout their use of data in decision making, much of their essential research languishes in low-engagement archives, failing to drive whatsnext.Clearly, we need to re-think our consideration of the research repository, as it exists today. We need strategy and tooling that supports the delivery of UX research assets to decision makers. The repository tools we have today typically dont achieve thisgoal.So how do we achieve the goal of successful delivery of UX research to product decision makers? First, we need to start talking about UX research assets as business assets, not simply deliverables. Lets take a closer look at two tangible assets that UX research produces: customer journey maps and personas.Personas and customer journey maps areassetsPersonas are a powerful tool to focus design and development efforts on the users of a product or service. Rather than using a set of statistics to describe a user segment, user researchers create a fictional person who embodies the behavior and motivations of a usersegment.As Aurora Harley explains in her article for Nielsen Norman, personas can act as guides when working with outside agencies on things like participant recruitment and customer journey mapping (see below). As time goes on, personas can be refined using analytics toolsmaking them living documents that have ongoing value to the business.The value of personas extends far beyond design and development. The business benefits of well-crafted personas include an improved product-market fit, more targeted and effective marketing efforts, increased user satisfaction, and ultimatelysignificant competitive advantage.Image source: https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/your-guide-to-personas/A customer journey map is a visual representation of the process a customer goes through to accomplish a goal. The map is based on a scenario and features a narrative of the actions of the customer, including their mindset and emotions. The map will also include actionable insights, and opportunities for improvement. Good journey maps are based on customer research, not simply putting oneself in a customers shoes. Customer journey maps can be used to align teams on customer experiencerather than each team relying on their own siloed data. When teams are aligned, real decision-making can takeplace.Dave Seaton, founder of Seaton CX, creates customer journey maps that ladder up to the business goals of his clients. When we deliver the journey map, stakeholders are going to be able to make better business decisions. Whether its, do I focus my efforts on this product feature? Or fixing this product or integrating with some other partner in the ecosystem? The customer journey map provides that insight so the client can make better business decisions and achieve those goals (pc, 11.18.2024).An example of a B2B customer journey map from BrightVesselSuccessful journey maps and personas are products of user research with clear business benefits. Without them, businesses who create products and services for customers are essentially flying blindor at the very least, experiencing a lot of customerchurn.From repository to deliveryplatformAs I pointed out above, it is an unfortunately common occurrence that UX research teams spend time and effort setting up a research repository, only to find that stakeholders dont engage with it. The result is that repository tools can inadvertently silo UX research.This is worth repeating: unless 1) all stakeholders and decision makers have access to the repository and 2) they fully adopt it, the tool has not achieved the goal of increasing the visibility and usage of UX research.While UX research is certainly presented and shared by the teams who produce it, this singular method of delivery is not enough. Stakeholders may be enthusiastic about research findings at a read-out, but that enthusiasm is quickly buried by the mountain of other responsibilities and information in their day-to-day. So how do we ensure that UX business assets stay top ofmind?Understand your stakeholdersSet up yourstrategyFor tooling, think beyond the usualsuspectsThe first step is to understand the stakeholders. What are their priorities? How do they work? What tools do they use on a daily basis? Erika Hall writes about interviewing stakeholders in Chapter 4 of her book Just Enough Research. Talking to stakeholders not only gives you a window into their day-to-dayyou can better understand where research sits on their list of organizational priorities.With this information in hand, create a strategy in which research insights (and assets) are delivered to stakeholdersthey should never have to go hunting forthem.If you use tooling, it should be second nature to use and present information clearly and concisely, so that users find answers to their questions quickly and easily. A traditional research repository may not fit the bill in this case. Perhaps what we really need right now is a research delivery platforma truly self-service library, tailored to what our stakeholders are searching for.Beyond the research repository was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.