The User Research Round-up: CW35
Conversational surveys, the problem with research reports, new usability heuristics, protecting research from fraud, using value prop to communicate UXR
It’s my birthday today! I usually keep these roundups just for paid subscribers, but I thought I’d open this one up as a little birthday treat. As always, I’ve pulled together five links that feel especially useful right now, things I’d happily pass along to a friend if we were swapping research stories over coffee. Hope you find something here that sparks an idea or makes your week a little easier.
Let’s do it!
Link roundup
01.
Conversations, Not Checkboxes (Article) by Conjointly + me!
I wrote this with Conjointly after too many surveys that collected answers but missed the story. The piece shows how conversational surveys turn “pick one” into “tell me what actually happened,” with smart follow-ups that probe, validate, and keep responders honest. I share prompts and guardrails I use in real projects, so you’re not guessing at phrasing or flow. I’ve used this format to surface blockers teams couldn’t see in interviews, and it helped unlock decisions in days, not weeks.
02.
Caitria O'Neill on the Problems of Research Reports (Podcast) by User Interviews
If your beautifully formatted deck keeps getting parked in a folder, this episode hits home. Caitria breaks down why reports stall out and what to ship instead—decision memos, living docs, teardown notes that feed tickets, and short read-outs tied to one choice. I nodded through the part on “report theater,” where teams expect a show and leave without actions. You’ll walk away with simpler deliverables that move work forward and a cleaner path from finding to fix.
03.
The new Usability heuristics (Article) by Michael Dian
Michael refreshes the classics for the products we’re actually building now: permissions, AI-assisted flows, trust, and reversibility. The language is tight, the criteria are testable, and the examples map neatly to modern patterns. I bookmarked the framing on error recovery and user agency; it slots straight into heuristic scorecards and review checklists. If your team still leans on a dusty top-10, this gives you sharper edges without bloating the list.
04.
Bots, lies & alibis: Protecting your research from fraud (Video) by Rally UXR
Participant fraud is no longer a fringe problem, and this talk treats it like an operational risk with a clear playbook. You get tells to watch for, like copy-paste bios, unnatural response cadence, device stacks that don’t add up, and concrete screening moves that take minutes to set up. I lifted two ideas right away: dynamic math checks and scenario echoes that expose coached answers. It’s pragmatic, calm, and built for teams that need stronger gates without wrecking timelines.
05.
Adapting the Value Proposition Canvas to Communicate Research Value (Article) by Dawn Ta
Dawn flips the VPC to sell research inside the business, not just products to customers. Map stakeholder jobs, pains, and gains to your study plan, then show how findings plug directly into risk reduction, revenue, or speed. I used a version of this in a QBR and landed a roadmap slot since leadership finally saw the line from churn pain to a tighter activation path. If you need a one-pager that gets a yes, start here.
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Cool. Same.
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Use code URAWESOME at checkout.
Now go forth and be the researcher they turn to. Not the one they “circle back” on.
Stay curious,
Nikki