Problem

The mission of Microsoft Research (MSR) is to apply Advanced Science like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to transform innovative technologies into Microsoft Products. MSR has traditionally hired core researchers’ and applied scientists’ roles to fulfill its mission. While MSR has excelled in advancing technological capabilities, AI/ML breakthroughs, and strategic partnerships, it has historically placed less emphasis on User Experience Research and Design (UXRD). This lack of focus on UXRD presents a broader challenge for innovation, as it can slow the innovation process and increase the rate of failure.

Solution

In this research, me and my team conducted a literature review to identify common challenges in innovation process and conducted semi-structured interviews with innovation related professionals to understand the specific innovation challenges in different companies. After data analysis, we proposed and developed an interaction system to foster cross-team collaboration and help align UX Research insights with company business goals. Currently, we are working to develop a model based on Microsoft Copilot to help predict user behavior and market trends.

Research Process

Figure 1 Research process of this study

Literature Review

Our initial step involved a comprehensive literature review. First, we searched articles on platforms including Google Scholar, ACM, Research Gate. They keywords we used were "innovation barriers", "innovation models", "innovation strategy", "Business UX Innovation", "Innovation and Entrepreneurship", innovation process", AI in innovation", "AI in UX", "AI and innovation". We included studies that are conducted after 1/1/2021 to get the newest published papers.
Next, we made a criteria to asses the study quality of the research papers. Only the study that is related to uncovering or analyzing innovation challenges and AI implementation in innovation process is included. Ultimately, we reviewed and summarized from the final selection of studies.
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Figure 2 Choosing analyzed papers based on PRISMA flowchart

Research Questions

What hampers turning research ideas into impactful products?

How to balance human-centered design with humanities, creativity, technology, and business needs?

Can diverse teams (researchers, designers, engineers) overcome communication gaps to achieve more?

Could power imbalances & conflicting goals be overcome to foster successful collaborative innovation?

Semi-structured Interview

After getting insights from literature review and came up with research questions. We created a set of common questions and customized a few questions for each specific role to gain insights. We conducted one-hour, semi-structured remote interviews with 8 industry professionals and 2 academic researchers.

Partcipants Demographic

Experience: Consulting with start-ups; Collaborating with internal incubation teams within enterprises; Making strategic decisions regarding incubation initiatives.
Roles: UX Researchers and Designers; Project Managers; Innovation Hub Professionals; Startup Founders; Service Designers.

Thematic Analysis

We systematically analyzed data by identifying key points, coding them in a spreadsheet, grouping similar points on FigJam, and deriving insights.

Insights from Interviews

The “Not Invented Here” Syndrome: Companies stuck in their ways (traditional structures) and often reject good ideas because they weren't invented internally.
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"Each project requires us to quickly adapt our management structure and framework, often improvising and adjusting as we go along, which is time consuming."
- P7 Service Designer

Barriers to advocating for User Centric Design: Managers doesn't value user research; limited time and investment; internal biases; prioritize business goals over users experience in the short term.
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“I want our folks to be a part of the hypotheses. I would involve all stakeholders in the whole research process and try to teach and coach them through the process.”
- P4 Product Manager

Existing Gaps in Leveraging Diverse Teams: While collaboration is a core strength across teams, including UXR, instances of solo efforts with limited communication have occasionally occurred.

"...we really need to break down the walls between designing, engineering and marketing..."
- P3 Research Engineer

Problem Validation

Workshops

To narrow down our problem spaces and validate the themes we summarized from our previous research, we organized 2 workshops with Microsoft Product Managers and UX Researchers to observe their work models and identify any potential gaps.

Summary of Research

Innovation Framework

Cute Framework

We designed the CUTE framework with concentration on four distinct stages – Collaboration, User Centralization, Transparency, and Experimentation – each with its own goals to achieve.

01 Collaboration

Collaboration: How could we foster team collaboration?

Goal: Our aim is to foster a culture of teamwork and shared ideas.
‍Challenge: The challenge lies in effectively managing diverse perspectives and ensuring that everyone feels comfortable contributing their ideas.

02 User Centralization

How could we centralize User Involvement?

03 Transparency

How can we make the Decision-Making process more Transparent?

Goal: We aim to democratize decision-making by fostering informed participation from all stakeholders. Additionally, we aim to build trust, involve more stakeholders, and make working together easier.
‍Challenge: The challenge lies in ensuring everyone has a clear understanding of the trade-offs between user needs and technical limitations, as well as the key metrics used to assess the viability of an idea.

04 Experiementation

Experimentation: How could we centralize Experimentation?

Goal: We aim to gather actionable insights through testing to drive business value and maximize return of investment (ROI).
‍Challenge: The challenge lies in choosing the right testing methods to refine your solution and maximize ROI.

My Role

Team

Tools

Duration

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