How to nail UX research education for stakeholders

Let's face it: most research education sessions fall into two problematic categories. They're either dry presentations with someone reading bullet points from slides, or they're so basic that they fail to prepare people for real-world scenarios. Neither approach works for busy folks.

After facilitating more than 250 sessions as a UX Research Consultant and partnering with more than 50 companies to share UX knowledge, I've learned that teaching UX research methods is an art form in itself.

This isn't just about democratizing research—it's about doing it in a way that actually sticks. In this article, I’m sharing:

• Foundational principles that matter in UX research education
• Practical approaches I’m using that have stood the test of time
• My template for UXR peer review sessions with stakeholders.

Understanding how adults actually learn

The foundation of effective UX research education lies in andragogy—the study and practice of adult education. Developed by Malcolm Knowles in the 1960s, this framework identifies key principles that make all the difference when teaching adults:

• Self-direction: Autonomy in the learning journey is important and people want to be involved in planning what they learn
• Building on experience: Learners often connect new concepts to existing knowledge
• Immediate relevance It’s most motivating to learn things that can be applied right away
• Problem-solving orientation: Solving real problems supports the learning process more than abstract concepts
• Understanding the "why": Learners need to know why they're learning something before investing effort
• Intrinsic motivation: While external rewards matter, internal motivations like self-improvement drive stronger engagement

Interestingly, surveys with adult learners also show that biological needs significantly impact learning success. Participants in learning programs point out that adequate breaks, food, and drinks—especially in sessions lasting longer than 90 minutes—can make all the difference between a failed effort and a successful learning experience.

So, how do we apply these foundations as UX researchers teaching others?

Bottom-up education: Creating what people actually need

The most successful UX research education comes from identifying what people actually struggle with, rather than prescribing a standard curriculum. Before creating any materials, do a bit of research:

• Which research methods do team members consistently avoid because they seem difficult?
• What common mistakes appear in study drafts?
• Do teams face recurring skepticism during research presentations?
• Are you wasting recruitment budget because studies target the wrong participants?

This targeted approach delivers far more value than creating generic courses that people find boring to complete. 

Keeping people active & engaged

The moment you start talking non-stop or show a lengthy video, you've lost your audience. Here's what works instead:

• Make it interactive: Replace bullet-point lists with checklists people can mark off
• Create momentum: When creating digital assets like online UX research courses, use infinite scroll instead of pages so people feel they're constantly making progress instead of stalling (and finding good opportunities to get distracted)
• Collaborate with designers: Create branded materials that look inviting instead of generic, plain resources
• Treat it as an event: Frame it as a special opportunity, not "back to school" or just another meeting
• Bring in external experts if possible: External facilitators often command more attention and credibility (sad but true). At the same time, this is a great opportunity for in-house UX researchers to demonstrate ownership and responsibility for the subject by bringing in an expert that can cover a specific topic best
• Create meaningful recognition: Offer badges or certificates that unlock new responsibilities (e.g., "complete UX research foundations to gain a seat to the research platform")

Balance the positive with the pragmatic

Let your past mistakes be part of your message. Sharing missteps not only humanizes your experience—it helps build trust. When paired with solid present-day insight, vulnerability becomes a teaching tool. Stories like: 

• Resources wasted on building the wrong features
• Projects that moved in misguided directions
• Embarrassing moments in front of leadership when assumptions proved wrong

…create a narrative that’s far more memorable than a list of generic best practices. These stories of vulnerability build can really make the lesson stick, and remind your audience that every expert was once a beginner.

Engagement techniques that actually work

After experimenting with different formats, I've found these approaches particularly effective:

For in-person sessions:

• Start with a 5-minute individual activity before people even sit down
• Use pair discussions for complex concepts rather than large group discussions
• Have teams compete to identify flaws in deliberately problematic research plans or use “sacrificial” examples from previous studies where it’s easy to spot flaws
• End with a commitment ceremony where people share one thing they'll do differently

For online resources:

• Create short, focused modules (under 15 minutes) rather than lengthy, all-encompassing courses
• Include interactive elements every 3-4 minutes, even if it’s just to tick the box of a checklist with what people have seen in any case
• Embed real examples from your company that show both successes and failures
• Add "choose your own adventure" elements where learners make decisions and see consequences
• Include downloadable templates people can immediately apply to their work

The balance between teaching & enabling

The ultimate goal isn't to make everyone a research expert—it's to create enough understanding and appreciation that:

1. Teams know when research is needed
2. Basic research can happen independently when appropriate
3. Complex research questions are brought to UX research specialists
4. Research findings are properly valued and implemented

With the right approach, we can equip teams to explore, learn, and grow—without sacrificing quality or slowing down momentum.

📥 Free template: Stakeholder peer review session

Want to help non-researchers connect with your work? This downloadable Miro template is a workshop format I use regularly to involve stakeholders in reviewing real study clips. It’s a powerful way to demystify what researchers do and show that turning observations into insights isn’t as quick and easy as it seems.