How to get buy in from startups for running UX Research in product teams?

Startups move fast. UX research? It often gets pushed aside—until problems surface post-launch.But running UX research early saves time, prevents costly pivots, and helps teams build what users actually want.

The challenge? Getting your team on board.

Your team is your most important user—so don’t overcomplicate research. Keep it relevant, collaborative, and tied to real decisions.

Aligning research with your team’s goals

A strong UX researcher doesn’t just conduct studies,they connect research with the team’s priorities.

Understanding the Role of Product Managers, Designers & Developers

• Product managers bridge business needs and technology.
• Designers connect research to product development.
• Developers bring it all to life.

UX research unites all three.Bridging the gap between business strategy, technology, and user needs.

At InsightDash, we workshop with teams to align research with their goals. These goals are regularly reviewed, ensuring insights don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Setting up a research study with your team

How do you run research that actually gets used? Here’s how we structure it.

1. Kickoff Workshop – Creating a Research Goal & Study Plan

Gathering the team for a workshop, we have created a template for running a lean UX canvas workshop and this is the perfect tool to find out what you need to plan kick ass study!

• Define the research goal
• Identify assumptions & user personas
• Draft study questions & hypotheses

2. Testing & Refining the Research Process

Before launching the study, you should make sure that you are going to collect data the team can make a decision with. Otherwise, your study insights will end up dustier than the DVD collection you have in the loft.

• Test with a small group (internal pilot)
• Get team feedback and refine the study
• Align study methods with business needs

3. Running the Study & Synthesizing Insights

 Execute the research and bring the team along for the ride. Don’t just incentivise the user, incentivise the team to take part in UX Research.

• Encourage team observation
• Gather top 3 insights from observers
• Set aside time for synthesis & analysis

How to share UX research insights that stick

Your research won’t make an impact if no one remembers it. Make your insights hard to ignore by integrating them into team workflows.

1. Make Research Part of Team Backlogs & Planning

Add key insights directly into your product processes. Coming out of research with insights and recommendations that are pre-written for backlogs and planning mean less work.

• Backlogs
• Sprint planning tools
• Product roadmaps

2. Choose the Right Deliverables for Impact

Keep it simple. Share your insights little and often, it’s not always convenient to drop lots of information on your team. They won’t know where to start or how to use the insights.

• A quick summary is often more useful than a long report.
• Share visual insights like journey maps and decision trees.

3. Use Walkthroughs & Audio Notes for Better Engagement

Reports can be dry. And let’s face it, we all know you zoned out during the last PowerPoint presentation even if they did call it a slide deck.

• Use recorded walkthroughs or audio notes to explain findings.
• Think of it like a guided UX research tour.Clear, engaging, and easy to digest.

Turn UX Research into actionable insights

Integrating UX research into your team doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it focused on team goals, collaborate early, and make insights impossible to ignore.

At InsightDash, we don’t just research—we help teams apply insights fast. Our weekly UX research sprints deliver actionable insights that improve products in real-time.

Want to level up your research? Book a research sprint today!