TRIP | The Research Inclusion Project

"Everyone's got some level of effort to be inclusive, to have accessibility built in."Shamsu Bhaidani, Founder at Bello has a history of working side-by-side with the market research industry. His latest venture, Bello (https://letsbello.com) offers simplified solutions for qualitative research. Shamsu and his team started with the goal to make sure they could include everyone in research. They started from a product/feature view, making sure that all of their tech is as accessible and easy to use as possible, and supports people with different abilities, connection speeds and tech savviness. The conversation is a great reminder to not assume tech proficiency - on the part of participants and researchers! Always be sure to check and double check that everyone can access everything they need to make the project successful and be "shepherds of the research". Thanks to Shamsu for talking to TRIP from an inclusive research platform perspective!

"Inclusivity in learning is not just about differences, but preferences."--------------------------------In this episode, Michele Ronsen explores how inclusion and representation in research can be deepened by recognizing diverse learning styles, addressing invisible challenges, and bringing cultural expertise into projects. She shares her personal journey that led her to broaden accessibility in her teaching and research practice. Michele highlights practical strategies such as offering multi-format learning materials, creating activity-based engagement, and involving local experts in cross-cultural studies. Together, we look ahead to the future of research education, advocating for critical thinking skills and research literacy.Links:Ask Like A Pro UXR workshopsThe Expert Series (spotlight workshops)Fuel Your Curiosity newsletterUX Lexicon blog

Check the assumptions you have about target audiences - especially with Black consumers. Don't assume the data you have is enough, look into the nuances to guide your business decisions. Dawn's team at Mahogany Minds helps brand teams not only ask questions, but to learn more but know the optimal questions to ask to get beyond initial perceptions. On this episode Dawn talks about brands that have successfully - and sometimes less successfully! - connect with Black consumers. Everyone's living a different experience and it's important to make Black customers feel seen. That indicates a long term commitment by the brand and helps create an authentic relationship with the brand. --------------------------------------------------Connect with Dawn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnvcarr/Join Mahogany www.mahogany-minds.com Work with Mahogany: www.mahoganyinsights.com 

"When we improve products for accessibility we improve the experience for everyone." Annabel Weiner, UX Manager, Accessibility at Ally inspires organisations to proactively ensure people with disabilities are included in usability work across the board, especially shifting it to the earlier side of research efforts. Including these voices early – especially in the prototyping and discovery stages – saves a lot of time in the development and testing phases later on. Annabel also sympathizes with those struggling for those getting funding and suggests talking about how including those with accessibility really does improve market share and WOM recommendations. Her challenge for TRIP listeners? Try to build accessibility into one of your routine research practices. And know it's OK to make mistakes and modifications! Just get comfortable asking about making modifications to ensure they can participate in the research. Check out Annabel's recommended resources: https://inclusivedesign24.org/2025/ and https://www.deque.com/axe-con/

"You don't have to do 0 to 100 things in your first study you try, but little things can make a difference."In this episode of  TRIP, Rajasi Desai shares her journey and practical strategies for fostering inclusivity in user research. She emphasizes the impact of small, intentional steps—such as using multilingual and offline surveys, adapting scheduling for global participants, and making space for human connection. Rajasi also highlights internal initiatives like inclusive UX book clubs and team-wide efforts to diversify participant recruitment.Tune in to learn about inclusion with recommendations:Start Small and Iterative – Focus on making one aspect of your research process more inclusive each time, rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.Use Multilingual and Offline Recruitment Methods – Incorporate surveys in multiple languages and distribute them both online and offline to reach underrepresented groups.Foster Cultural Sensitivity in Execution – Learn to pronounce participants' names, adjust scheduling for global time zones, and create space for vulnerable conversations to build genuine rapport.Links to Resources:6 design failures that could have been avoided with inclusive research Global UX - Designing for gender equity  Making the web a more inclusive place for minority languages (video) from Inclusive Design 2022. Their yearly conference is available on YouTube.--------------------------------------------Rajasi is a Principal UX Researcher at MathWorks, where she leads the Inclusive UX Group. Her work centers on creating processes that enable researchers and designers to be inclusive in their work. She has presented her work at prominent conferences such as UXPA Boston, UXPA International, ICML, NeurIPS, and ConveyUX. Rajasi holds a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.--------------------------------------------TRIP is a self-funded project, produced in partnership with Hasty Storytelling, and is dedicated to raising awareness of new research practices for inclusion, challenging the status quo, and identifying assumptions in the industry by talking to people who are pushing in the insights industry. To support our production with a donation and receive a shoutout for you and your business visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/trippodcastTo learn more about The Research Inclusion Project visit: https://theresearchinclusionproject.com

On this episode we speak with Merve Basdogan, Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at Texas Tech University about how technology can bridge the gaps in learning and teaching practices. The UDL framework she uses focuses on 3 key principles: engagement, representation, and expression. Merve is working towards personalized instructions to bridge the digital divide for older adult learners to help them interact with the technological world. Get inspired by the lessons learned in her technology mentorship program and think about how they may relate to interactions with research participants: engage in small talk to built rapport, give relevant/relatable reasons they should to learn a technology, and use jargon-free (and emoji-free) language, and give them practical opportunities.  Read more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) here: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/14/01/all-along. We were so grateful to connect with Merve at TQR in January 2024, stay tuned for next year's lineup here: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/ ------------------------- Dr. Merve Basdogan is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the College of Education, Texas Tech University. As a post-phenomenological scholar, Merve’s research focuses on a diverse array of topics, including the philosophy of technology, technology-enhanced teaching and learning environments, critical AI literacy, digital ethics, and cyberbullying. In 2023, Dr. Basdogan was awarded an AT&T Foundation Grant for her project, "Fostering Digital Literacy in Rural Communities: A University Student-led Technology Mentoring Program," which connects adults over 65 with teacher candidates in west Texas. LinkedIn

As a founding member of the Accessibility Insights Consortium (AIC), Claire brought her expertise and shared with TRIP how accessibility participatory design can spark excitement from the top down and vice versa within an organization. Her first-hand perspective of celebrating incremental changes and pushing for better accessible processes gives listeners something to reflect on within the industry and in all of our work. ----------------------------------- Claire Ferrari holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences & Human Computer Interaction, and a master’s in Interactive Telecommunications. As Principal UX Researcher at Verizon, Claire has built and continues to lead the company’s Accessible UX Research practice. Her work is dedicated to empowering others to include people with disabilities in product design – pushing practices beyond compliance, and improving experiences for all. 

Jennifer walks the TRIP co-hosts through project design choices her team has made to 'design with people, not for people' that have resulted in actionable insights and successful product and line launches. Hear how REI uses their 'focused groups' methodology to make participants with similar contexts comfortable in research - and how they use these sessions to in turn making customers more comfortable in (and excited about getting out in) the great outdoors.  And they can see the results in their brand tracker to ensure the research is having the impact they intend. Jennifer also shares an example of understanding the role of gender in sizing and fit. In that case they used 'friendship pairs' to create safe and relaxed environments that allow the team to get authentic insights to inform the design of the new Active Pursuits line. Check out more info: About REI's co-created product collection with Outdoor Afro here REI Co-op Active Pursuits here Path Ahead Ventures here And to learn more about 828's cultural empathy work, reach out here

Dana Keilman from Morning Light Strategy shines on the opportunity for inclusive insights on aging. Aging is a commonality that, at its core, is a human need not impacted or influenced by politics, news, or pop culture. Over the decades, society has focused on the youth for new product development and marketing, but now it’s time to question that focus. Older adults, as well as caregivers, provide white space opportunities often overlooked by brands and corporations. There are stigmas associated with growing old, many of which feed into myths that result in a misunderstanding of who they really are. What you need to know is that they provide a wealth of insight and are a cohort with real purchasing power for business impact. ----------------------------------- For the past 25 years, Dana has worked with Fortune 500 clients to develop and launch new products and services. For Dana, innovation is grounded in thoroughly understanding people’s needs and identifying opportunities for her clients to meet those needs better than competitive options.  Recently, Dana launched Morning Light Strategy with Nicole Munsey to focus on the aging population and caregivers. Building on their past experience in consumer insights, they help clients innovate by more deeply understanding the needs, wants and opinions of older adults and their caregivers.  ----------------------------------- Links: Morning Light Strategy's Website Dana's LinkedIn Nicole's LinkedIn

Lisa and Lindsay joined forces recently on a research-on-research study with participants with a range of disabilities. They discovered many small, simple tweaks and changes that researchers can use to make research more accessible to those with disabilities.  In the episode they emphasize the value of including people with those needs in the research design, the importance of language and being sure to recognize assumptions you might be making as a research team along the way.  For this participant group in particular, it's important to first make a conscious decision about if you will ask about the abilities and then, if it is relevant to do so, explain why you are asking for information about their abilities during the screening process.  It can be as simple as stating that you want to hear from a diverse set of participants.  Carry this simplicity and transparency into the research itself; ask simple, straightforward questions and specify why you're asking why you're asking the questions.  Then give people the space they need to answer the questions.  As Lisa says, "it doesn't have to be overwhelming and expensive. You can make simple changes to make your research more inclusive."  Tune in to get inspired on the small changes you can make - and how to explain the need to make those changes to your stakeholders

Recorded from the IIEX North America Conference in Austin, TRIP brings on Alka Baijal. The Buzzback survey has identified 24% of the difference in ability, and many do not report this information. Alka leads the charge at Nissan in building foresight, which requires a deep understanding of the nuances of unique types of customers, including those who need accommodation or a disability to meet their needs. Having a positive experience with Nissan's products for those with different abilities is table stakes. From the screener to the qualitative research methodology, Alka and her team look to accommodate the person at the center of all our work. ---- Alka Baijal is the Sr. Manager for Trends and New Methodologies in the Market Intelligence department at Nissan North America. She has over 20 years of experience in automotive and consumer insight research in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. Alka partners with internal stakeholders and Nissan leadership to help define how best to serve future customers. Her current responsibilities include identifying the macro trends, values and mindsets that drive consumer behavior and mobility choices. Before joining Nissan in 2006, she held various automotive research roles at General Motors and GM Holden. Alka holds a BA in Sociology from NYU, College of Arts and Sciences, and an MPA from the Wagner School of Public Service, NYU. Alka currently resides in New Jersey. In addition to keeping up with the lives of her two children and son in law, she enjoys travelling and discovering new places with her husband.

This is a Live Recording with guest Stacy Penna of Lumivero recorded at TQR (The Qualitative Report). Stacy is Lumivero's Growth Marketing Director and host of Between the Data, a NVivo Podcast Series. She shares her thoughts on the importance of inclusive insights with TRIP on the TQR stage, with time built for audience Q&A.  ------------------------------------- As the Growth Marketing Director of Lumivero’s research software: Citavi, NVivo, @RISK and XLSTAT, Stacy is committed to managing the research growth marketing team to develop global campaigns from strategy to final marketing execution. Her team develops and implements successful marketing initiatives, such as thought leadership events, the Lumivero Community, Lumivero Conference, across digital and traditional channels to promote their software globally. 

Think about it in 3 steps, based on your level of control and influence: 1 - Start by reflecting on yourself: take a personal Inventory of yourself and your practices, and personal education.  2 - Then reflect on your work/your team: take a second inventory, this time of your work- what biases are built in there, what do you have the power to control. 3 - Finally reflect on your environment/industry/larger picture. Think about the larger systemic changes of the way you work and the way your company does business. Tune in to hear more about Discover’s Equity Sequence Model and their recent ESG Report: https://www.discover.com/company/esg/2022-esg-report/home/?cmpgnid=leap____&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=LEAP&utm_source=LinkedIn. And try Jessica's tip to 'language challenge' yourself using The Micropedia of Microaggressions https://www.themicropedia.org/ ---------------------------------------- As Director of Consumer Insights, Jessica uses consumer insights to drive growth in Discover's lending and deposits products. She leads a team of insights professionals, with expertise across the product suite, combining macro consumer trends, competitive intelligence, syndicated data, and custom qualitative and quantitative research to drive decision making. She has a passion for understanding the "whys" behind consumer behavior and choices through consumer research. 

In episode 5 of season 4, we meet Ricardo and Hung, the founders of BIEN, a motion design company driven by diversity and inclusion and a pioneer in their industry. Their personal experiences and cultural backgrounds led them to create BIEN in 2017 with the mission of making inclusion the foundation of their business. The motion design industry has historically has lacked representation of diverse voices, but Ricardo and Hung have actively strategized to make their company inclusive in every aspect. From their practices to resourcing, they've fostered an environment that promotes diversity. BIEN is sparking a new generational shift in the motion design industry, inspiring change and broader representation for designers and artists. Join us as we explore their inspiring journey and learn how embracing diversity can bring positive transformation to the creative world.

In our conversation with Anouar, we discussed that behavior-based methodologies bring authenticity to work versus analyzing claims on wants and needs. Anouar shares his academic background and brings a new perspective to inclusivity, sharing how authentic behavior is not tied to personal identity. And we can forecast the future by looking at habits and wagering on different scenarios. As we continue the strides of data quality and inclusion in our work, Anouar brings a fresh challenge by staying proactive, understanding bias' in the methodology to different audiences, and putting in place an auditing method to verify the data responses. --------------------------------------- Anouar El Haji is the Founder and CEO of Veylinx. He is known for introducing with Veylinx a Nobel Prize-winning methodology to the world of market research. Veylinx supports leading brands with a better understanding of wants and needs to make strategic product decisions with confidence. Anouar is the recipient of several awards among which the Young Talent Award from the Dutch Market Research Association. Anouar holds a PhD degree in Marketing and two master's degrees all from the University of Amsterdam. His articles have been published in scientific journals and various media. He is a visiting scholar at the Amsterdam Business School. Veylinx currently has offices in Amsterdam, New York and Casablanca.

Today's episode discusses the evergreen benefits of working with diverse-owned suppliers including driving increased brand consistency, benefiting the communities the supplier operates within and represents, and improving work quality through different perspectives and approaches to problem solving, and how those benefits increase when using a supplier who authentically represents a specific target audience. Guest, Wynter Blanquet-Warren, cautions that so much of the hurdle to effective DEI efforts and supplier diversity programs is the "lack of humanity." The solution: proactively put more partners and suppliers in front of marketing teams to remove barriers and help them meet their diversity goals, learn how to "be the face" and champion of supplier diversity within your organization, dig into your history, find your own triggers and motivations to be vulnerable, and have conversations about what you want to achieve so you can create community around the discussion. ------------------------------------------------------------ Wynter Blanquet-Warren, is the current Director of Creative & Business Operations at Walmart, is a marketing leader with deep experience in creative operations, account management, and outsourcing strategies. During her time in advertising, she led cross-functional teams in support of partners across financial services, CPG, and lifestyle brands. Transitioning into the tech industry, Wynter joined Sage Software to stand up project management and creative operations as part of a new global brand team. As Head of Agency Operations & Purchasing at Meta, Wynter led strategy, implementation and operations for a global preferred supplier program aimed at improving quality of work, performance, and cost savings for outsourced global business marketing programs and content. As a DEI champion, she also launched an internal supplier diversity initiative at Meta to galvanize incremental spend and support for diverse businesses. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblanquet-warren/

In this episode, we discuss the importance of including a ‘cultural broker’ on your team; someone fluent in the culture - not just the language - who can weigh in on planning and materials to ensure they will resonate with your target audience(s).  We also talk through how to prioritize translations and transcriptions, when AI can help, and when a human is needed to include cultural subtleties and nuances along the way. Jill recommends proactively lining up a partner you can trust and reminds us to seek out diverse voices in all projects, not just those that specifically request or require their inclusion. ----------------------------------- Jill Kushner Bishop, PhD Founder & CEO, Multilingual Connections No matter where in the world Jill is or what she’s doing – she’s always focusing on creating connections across languages and cultures. After studying and teaching internationally, Jill brought her PhD in Linguistic Anthropology to the corporate world, where she worked as a user researcher for Sapient and then oversaw Language, Culture & Diversity Programs for 100+ Chipotle Mexican Grill locations.  In 2005, she launched Multilingual Connections to help organizations understand, engage, and grow their multilingual audiences. Their customized services include translation, transcription, multimedia localization, and bilingual research support services. When she’s not working, Jill  is spending time with her husband and teen son, renovating houses, and trying to make her garden grow. ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillkbishop/⁠  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/multilingual-connections⁠  ⁠https://www.facebook.com/multilingualconnections⁠  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/multilingual_connections⁠  ⁠https://twitter.com/m_connections⁠  

In the episode, we discuss the pursuit of constant curiosity of humans and how language, articulation, and staying mindful of how to remain inclusive. From recognizing unconscious bias from the screening to pulling back the layers of training our ears to new environments, we uncover how to bring our authentic voice to the conversation. She challenges TRIP listeners to reflect on "am I making an effort to continue exposure and train my ear to listen from a new environment, accent, or group of individuals"? Aïcha gives some valuable takeaways: hold space for the who, be more intentional on screener questions for articulation and be fearless in challenging some of the demographic groups targeted in your insights work. ------------------- Aïcha Ly is a trilingual, solutions-driven market and competitive intelligence strategist, speaker, and activist. She is the Founder and CEO of SITB LLC, a values-driven boutique firm specializing in public speaking coaching and message crafting and Head of Consumer Insights at OpenSignal. A native of Senegal, West Africa, Aïcha draws from her experience being a triple minority – female, a foreigner, and Black – in leadership roles at several Fortune 1000 companies, to champion and advocate for others. Aïcha brings a wealth of knowledge and life experience, sharing the power of linguistics and the importance of inclusive insights, including her research and TEDx presentation on unconscious bias related to regional, racial, and international accents. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aichaly/ SITB LLC - https://www.sitbstudio.com/ TEDx Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxgQ0WqV0Zc&t=2s VoxPopMe - https://site.voxpopme.com/ OpenSignal - https://www.opensignal.com/

Today's conversation with Kisha stresses that getting innovative and inclusive is not only necessary, it's an opportunity. She encourages TRIP listeners to "be more bold and brave and do things differently...dig deeper, challenge and push" because our systems have been built on bias. She challenges insights professionals to peel the layers back and dig deeper on everything, even when it seems tiring, and also offers our listeners C Space's Inclusive Screener report and Mindset Map quiz to use it as a framework in our work. C-Space's Inclusive Screener Report C-Space's DEI Mindset Map ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kisha Payton is currently Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at C Space, where she brings over 15 years of experience building cross-functional teams that make change happen. A graduate of Spelman College and Duke University School of Law, Kisha combines her nonprofit, legal and for-profit backgrounds to help companies change the way they view Diversity and Inclusion. She currently resides in Atlanta, GA with her son Lawson where she spends her spare time as an amateur iPad artist.

Before products are developed, we have to take action by using research inclusion to reduce barriers to access and ensure people see themselves within the product. There is an opportunity to use inclusion as a delighting force within products. "When I research, I look at the relationship we have with the customer or user of our product. A way to invite people into a product is by establishing trust and transparency, which is an aspect of care. Inclusion is care." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashlee is a research leader dedicated to improving user experience through data and insights-driven product strategy, leading research teams in the growth, consumption/creation, and i18n space.