Tent Talks Featuring: Alec Levin

Shift in Researcher Activities:

Researchers are becoming more involved at the executive level, driven by organizational changes and the impact of new technologies like AI.Effective communication and business understanding are crucial for researchers to influence executive decisions and strategies.

Impact of AI on Research:

AI and large language models are expected to become essential tools for researchers, enhancing their productivity and expanding their capabilities.These technologies will likely lead to a significant transformation in research practices, making them more efficient and less labor-intensive.

Centralized Research Functions:

There is a growing trend towards integrating research functions more deeply within the product development process.Empowering non-researchers with research skills can reduce communication overhead and lead to more insightful and effective product strategies.

Role of Learners Platform:

Learners is designed to support ongoing professional development and community engagement among researchers.The platform adapts to the changing educational needs of the research community, emphasizing practical, community-driven learning experiences.

Future Technologies in Research:

Emerging technologies, especially AI, are poised to dramatically impact user research by enabling more dynamic and comprehensive analysis of data.Researchers and organizations need to embrace these tools to stay competitive and maximize the value of their research efforts.

Notable Quotes

"Research is the only function that creates value indirectly, by enabling others to make better decisions.""The reality is that it's not just all these super wealthy people who are invested in these companies. It's your grandma's mutual fund too.""AI will not only automate some of the research tasks but will also enable a broader participation in the research process across different roles within the organization."

Reference Materials

Mention of AI and its impact on various sectors like Getty images, which suggests a look into how AI is transforming industries.Discussion of Slack's research-driven approach to expansion in Japan, highlighting the nuances of adapting products for different cultural contexts.Alec's emphasis on the evolving educational and community-building roles through platforms like Learners and events like UXRConf.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!