Work is changing—and research is no exception. Will widespread layoffs, hiring contractions, and AI research tools accelerate the “UX-ification of Research,” a term coined by EPIC President Simon Roberts to characterize the narrowing of research to product validation and testing?

Talk about strategic impact needs to go beyond techniques for communicating insights to product teams. We need to recognize and create new opportunity spaces.

As organizations and employees seek guidance to navigate rapid technological and social change, ethnographers and researchers must reclaim our broader remit—not just as a source of product insights, but as a catalyst for organizational learning. We have the opportunity to inform decision-making across entire ecosystems, including customers, marketing, sales, HR, and executive leadership.

Speaker

Robin Beers, PhD, is a consultant, advisor, facilitator, future-of-work thought leader and keynote speaker dedicated to transforming organizations by unlocking untapped potential and making business more human. Specializing in navigating uncertainty, Robin partners with leaders to design and implement strategies that drive resilience, adaptability, and impact. Her approach integrates cutting-edge research, organizational systems theory, and design thinking to align culture and business processes with evolving customer and employee expectations. Through consulting, facilitation, and executive coaching, Robin empowers leaders and teams to embrace complexity, foster belonging and high performance, and solve ambiguous problems innovatively.