The Future of User Research Report 2026

Trend 1

AI becomes baseline, judgment becomes the edge

If you’re turning to AI regularly to support your research studies, you’re in good company. For the majority of teams, AI has crossed from experimental to essential.

Two in three participants (69%) report using AI in at least some of their research projects—a 19% increase from last year—handling everything from transcription to synthesis to generating research questions.

That shift is driven by what AI does best: handling repetitive, time-consuming tasks that once consumed researchers’ days.

But speed alone isn't the advantage.

What benefits have you experienced using AI tools?

AI executes, humans decide what matters

Before AI, you may have found yourself drifting into administrative tasks: managing tools, wrangling transcripts, stitching together outputs under tight timelines. All necessary work, but not the reason you entered the field. AI is swinging the pendulum back.

When participants were asked where human judgment remains essential, the answer was clear. AI can surface patterns and summarize interviews. It can't pick up on hesitation, read between the lines, or decide which insight matters most for the business—and why.

When using AI in research, where is human judgment still essential?

Leading teams aren't choosing between humans and automation. They're rethinking the division of labor—handing off the repetitive execution work to AI and focusing their own energy on what only a human can do: frame sharper questions, interpret nuance in context, and stand confidently behind a recommendation.

In 2026, automation is a baseline expectation. Human judgment is the differentiator.

Human review is not a bottleneck; it's a necessary part of the process for user researchers to make knowledgeable recommendations.

Daniel Soranzo

Principal UX Researcher, Goodrx

Human review is most valuable in the messy middle. Where you're connecting what customers said… to what the organization should do about it.

Amanda Gelb

Strategic Researcher, Aha Studio Inc

The most immediate application for AI has been replacing the repeatable parts of research execution. But we've always known that just executing research has never been enough to be a successful researcher.

Dalia El-Shimy

Director of User Research, Wise

Trend 2

Research influence enters the boardroom

You’ve always had the insights. In 2026, you’re finally getting the authority to match.

The number of organizations where research is essential to all levels of business strategy nearly tripled in a single year—from 8% in 2025 to 22% in 2026.

This highlights a structural change in how organizations operate. Instead of using research to validate decisions, it’s being used as a compass. Research teams are pulled earlier into conversations to inform bigger decisions and longer-term strategy.

What role does research play in your organization’s decision-making process?

From running studies to shaping strategies

As part of the evolution of research, your role is also changing from insight producer to business partner. Your time used to be spent setting up the study, conducting interviews, and combing through data. Now that AI handles more of the operational lift, your role is becoming sharper, not smaller.

Over a third (35%) of participants believe the role of the researcher is becoming more strategic, while (33%) believe the role is becoming more blended.

How do you see the researcher role evolving in the industry?

Rather than waiting for research requests, today's researchers are proactive partners who connect findings to revenue implications, navigate the space between UX and market strategy, and influence decisions before they're made.

Your value isn't in running more studies. It's in ensuring the right studies happen at the right time—and that insights translate into measurable business impact.

In this era of AI-augmented research, alongside developing AI fluency, I see value in focusing on where researchers have an edge: our ability to make sense of complex, nuanced data in context; to build rapport and trust with users to deeply understand their needs; and to navigate the very real tradeoffs that shape product decisions.

Brooke Sykes

Senior Manager, Firefox User Research, Mozilla

The best researchers can triangulate business strategy, stakeholder goals, and user research to form a clear narrative about what action should be taken.

Kate Pazoles

Senior Manager, Research, Twilio

Research has never been about data collection. It’s about distinguishing signal from noise, understanding context, and moving from observation to insights that change decisions. That’s where your value lives.

Pert Eilers

Staff Strategic Operations Manager, Adobe

Trend 3

Pressure builds as demand outpaces enablement

If you’re feeling the heat to conduct more studies, deliver results faster, and be the organization’s voice of reason, you’re not alone.

The appetite for insight is growing, but the infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the demand. You’re expected to move faster, get it right the first time, and demonstrate impact—often with the same headcount, tools, and time constraints.

In the 2025 Future of User Research Report, 55% of participants experienced an increase in the demand for research. This year, that number climbed to 66%.

Teams need more than enablement—they need infrastructure

The demand for research hasn't just increased—it's spread horizontally. More non-researchers are running studies, and you've probably felt the ripple effects.

Product Managers (39%), Market Researchers (35%), and Marketers (23%) are all conducting research. While access is growing, infrastructure hasn’t kept up. Without the shared guardrails in place, more research creates noise instead of clarity.

61% of organizations provide access to tools and templates, but fewer than half offer dedicated support from specialized researchers (45%), structured training (46%), or research libraries (49%). 13% report having no resources at all to support non-researchers.

What resources are available to support non-researchers in conducting research?

The organizations navigating enablement well don't treat it as a one-time rollout. They set minimum standards so anyone running research knows what "good" looks like, and they build systems that make insight repeatable, not reactive.

Enablement isn't a couple of lunch-and-learns on ‘how to use our research tool’ or ‘how to run interviews.’ It's teaching people the thinking behind good research.

Caitlin Sullivan

AI trainer, AI Customer Research

By trusting stakeholders to drive their own research and coaching them to improve incrementally, we create an environment where quality standards can be met within the organization's context while empowering teams to move faster.”

Dave Chen

Senior Director, UX foundations & enablement, 1Password

Offer clarity on when it's ‘safe’ to lead research on their own and when it's not—usually based on the mix of impact expected and fidelity required—is critical.

Megan Blocker

Senior Director, Research & Insights, JustWorks

What this means for 2026

Is AI actually replacing user researchers?

No—and the data backs this up clearly. While 69% of researchers now use AI in their workflows, human judgment is becoming more important, not less. Researchers overwhelmingly identify interpreting nuance and emotion (82%), ethical decision-making (80%), and framing the right questions (76%) as areas where human involvement is essential and can't be replicated by a tool.

Why is research influence tripling now?

The combination of AI and competitive markets has helped uplevel research from a support function to a strategic lever. AI frees researchers from time-consuming operational tasks, letting them focus more on strategy. At the same time, organizations face faster product cycles and higher stakes. Organizations need evidence-based decisions that reduce costly mistakes, and researchers can deliver the insights that drive impact.

How can researchers adapt in 2026?

As the role of the researchers shifts from insight producer to business partner, researchers need to step away from execution-level tasks to hone their strategic skills. Business acumen, storytelling, and stakeholder management will be the most valuable assets to clearly communicate insights and share data-backed points of view.

How can lean research teams find success in 2026?

Start small and be realistic about what's achievable with gradual improvements that build momentum over time. AI has actually lowered the barrier to entry, so teams that previously lacked the capacity to run frequent studies can now move faster and create value sooner. The key is pairing that speed with enough structure to keep the work credible because credibility, once lost, is hard to rebuild.

What's the biggest risk for research teams in 2026?

As research spreads across more teams, inconsistencies in methods, standards, and storage create inefficiencies and hurt credibility. More research conducted without shared frameworks doesn't lead to better decisions—it leads to noise. The antidote is building infrastructure: centralized insights, quality standards, and continuous enablement.

What separates research teams that thrive in 2026 from those that lag behind?

Teams that thrive aren't just running more studies—they're building systems of learning across the organization. This goes beyond tools and templates and means building repeatable processes for continuous learning, enabling non-researchers to understand “good research,” and designing intentional AI-human workflows.

Methodology

The Future of User Research 2026 survey was created using Maze and distributed between December 23, 2025 and January 13, 2026. Maze collected nearly 500 responses across roles including UX/Product Researchers (44%), UX/UI/Product Designers (26%), and Marketers (9%). Respondents spanned organizations of all sizes, with strong representation from both Europe (34%) and North America (31%).

Maze donated $2 for every completed survey to the Raspberry Pi Foundation—$1,000 in total—in support of their mission to empower young people through computing and digital technology.

About Maze

Maze empowers researchers to be change makers, turning customer insights into enduring competitive advantage. By bringing recruiting, testing, and analysis together, Maze helps organizations move from intuition to evidence, faster. From researchers to designers and PMs, anyone can run studies that answer any question and drive better decisions. Equipped with Maze’s research-grade AI, teams can focus on what matters most: understanding people, uncovering insights, and shaping change with confidence.

The research landscape just shifted. Here's your map.

Dive deeper into the trends defining user research in 2026—with data, expert perspectives, and takeaways for putting it all into practice.