Insights Unlocked – Episode Summary

Episode Title:

From doing research to leading it: how UX research creates real business impact with Emmanuelle Savarit
Host: Amrit Batu
Guest: Emmanuelle Savarit (UX research leader, author, podcast host)
Air Date: February 9, 2026
Duration: Approx. 22 min (content)

Overview

This episode explores the essential shifts required to evolve from conducting UX research to leading impactful research that drives business outcomes. Amrit Batu speaks with Emmanuelle Savarit, a veteran UX research leader and author of "The UX Research Powerhouse," about transitioning into UX research leadership, influencing business decisions, and navigating the opportunities and challenges brought by AI. Emmanuelle shares her personal journey, leadership lessons, practical strategies, and actionable advice for researchers and organizations aiming to amplify their influence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Emmanuelle Savarit's Career Journey in UX Research

[02:12–03:54]

• Transition from Academia to UX:
  Emmanuelle started with a PhD in psychology, focusing on quantitative and qualitative methods. She moved from academia into what was then called "usability," becoming an early UX research contractor before founding her own consultancy.
• Scaling Her Influence:
  As demand grew, she hired a team, working with government (notably Gov.uk) and private sector clients, especially banks.
• Adapting to Change:
  Political and legislative changes (e.g., Brexit) led her to take full-time roles, eventually becoming Head of Research.
• Notable Quote:

  "I started having more and more demand. So I was a contractor. Then I became a consultant and I started hiring people... Then I became director, head of research. And that's where I am today." (D, 02:12)

Writing "The UX Research Powerhouse" and Focus on Leadership

[04:09–04:38]

• Book Motivation:
  The new book targets the leadership aspects of UX research, focusing on impact, organizational behavior, and securing a seat at the strategic table.
• Key Focus:
  “It’s more about leadership, how to have impact, how we can really have a seat at the table and how we need to change a way of thinking and behaving in the organization.” (D, 04:09)

Early Leadership Lessons – Beyond Classic Management

[04:58–06:30]

• Learning by Doing:
  As often the most senior researcher, she moved from being an individual contributor (IC) to a manager without formal training in research management.
• Unique Challenges:
  Research leadership requires dealing with headcount, budget, suppliers, tools—and often doing so without standard portfolios or recognition within company structures.
• Practical Realities:
  “Researcher, we don’t have a portfolio, we tend to really support everyone else in the organization. Normally, we don’t have the budget... No one thinks of giving us budget.” (D, 05:29)

Proving Value and Influencing Decisions

[06:30–07:36]

• Continuous Justification:
  UX researchers must consistently demonstrate their function’s value and influence decision-making at the top—not just produce research.
• Bridging the Gap:
  There’s often a disconnect between research quality and business needs; meaningful impact arises when research aligns with key organizational priorities.
• Quote:
  “Showing the value of the research is not the quantity. It's really to take what is important for the business.” (D, 07:36)

Doing Research vs. Leading Research: The Mindset Shift

[08:24–10:12]

• Leadership Beyond Management:
  Leadership isn’t tied to managing others; even solo researchers can lead by aligning work with what matters most to the business.
• From Self to Ecosystem:
  Leaders focus on managing organizational expectations, not just research outputs.
• Notable Quote:

  "To be an IC is we do the work... When we start to become a leader, you manage the expectation of the leadership and your stakeholders." (D, 09:22)

Practical Timeline for Mindset Shifts

[10:12–12:14]

• Immediate Actions, Long-term Change:
  Small adjustments make immediate impact, but structural changes unfold over a year with strategic planning.
• Advice:
  Break ambitions into smaller, manageable steps—success comes from incremental progress.

Actionable Techniques for Impact – Leveraging Every Session

[12:14–15:06]

• Maximizing Sessions:
  Researchers own their session time and can “squeeze in” business-relevant questions to uncover new insights.
• Going Beyond Usability:

  “You leverage your session, the access to the participant to test some concept. You don’t have to tell anyone you are doing it, you just run your session…” (D, 13:30)

• Avoiding the Checkbox Trap:
  Research should go beyond delivery process compliance to drive genuine value.

The Strategic Imperative: Avoiding Automation’s Limitations

[15:06–16:00]

• AI Will Automate Basics:
  Usability testing and interviews are increasingly automated; the remaining value lies in strategic, business-aligned work.

  "A lot of things can be done by AI. Usability testing, user testing... but it's not the part of the work which are extremely strategic." (D, 15:14)

AI in UX Research: Opportunity & Caution

[16:00–18:54]

• Role of AI in Decision-Making:
  AI can enhance and scale research, but organizations must be intentional about where and how to deploy it.
• Risk Management:
  Oversaturation of AI can lead to usability or trust problems—researchers are vital for piloting, evaluating, and refining AI-powered features.
• Link to Digital Transformation:
  Emmanuelle draws parallels with earlier waves of digital transformation, where researchers guided impactful, user-centered change.

AI As an Internal Enabler

[18:54–20:41]

• Boosting Team Efficiency:
  Her team uses AI tools (NotebookLM, automated transcription) for knowledge management and faster turnarounds.
• Guarding Against Pitfalls:

  “Leveraging AI as much as we can... of course we need to be very careful of how we do it because AI, there is some risk and sometimes AI has some great hallucination, but you need the researcher to be conscious of it and actually try to spot where there is some risk.” (D, 20:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You could be a leader, even if you are a team of one. You don’t need to manage people to be a leader and to influence the organization.” (D, 08:55)
• “Once you understand the business, you can adapt your findings accordingly to their needs... you look at the business like a participant.” (D, 07:56)
• “AI is great. I’m a very big advocate of AI… but we need to be very careful where we need to put AI because we can’t put it everywhere.” (D, 16:28)
• “A big criticism than research tend to get or the feedback we get is we are too slow. So we could be much faster because the world is moving so fast, we have to be fast.” (D, 19:34)

Practical Resources & Contact Information

[21:40–22:20]

• Connect with Emmanuelle:
  Reach out via LinkedIn (she welcomes messages and connections).
• Book Availability:
  "The UX Research Powerhouse" is available on Amazon, with plans for wider distribution and a future audiobook.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Emmanuelle's background and journey – [02:12–03:54]
• Leadership lessons and research-specific management – [04:58–06:30]
• Making research relevant to the business – [07:36–08:24]
• Distinctions between doing and leading research – [08:24–10:12]
• Tips for beginning to lead with impact – [10:30–12:14]
• Leveraging every session for added business value – [12:14–15:06]
• Strategic potential with AI in research – [16:00–18:54]
• Efficiency gains using AI internally – [18:54–20:41]
• Resources and audience engagement – [21:40–22:20]

Tone and Language

The conversation is candid, encouraging, and practical. Emmanuelle combines frank insights about real-world challenges with actionable advice, all grounded in authentic leadership experience. The tone is supportive—urging researchers to claim their strategic power and to embrace both incremental progress and new technologies thoughtfully.

For further details, show notes, and resources, visit usertesting.com/podcast.