Should Everyone Be a Researcher? A Panel on Democratisation in Practice

Join us in-person for an evening of lively discussion, reflection, and a little bit of debate on a questions that are reshaping our field:
Should everyone be a researcher? Should we be democratising research?

As research maturity grows in organisations, so too does the demand for insight. The idea of democratising research — enabling non-researchers to do more discovery, testing, and analysis — promises faster learning, broader ownership, and deeper empathy.

But does opening up research risk lowering quality, creating confusion, or diluting the craft?

This panel edition of The Research Thing brings together a mix of perspectives - from research leaders to those newly empowered to do research - to explore both the opportunities and the trade-offs. Expect debate, honesty, and stories from the front lines of democratisation.
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## 🎙 PANEL DISCUSSION (45 mins + Q&A)

### Democratising Research: Should We or Shouldn’t We?

Our panelists will dig into the realities of democratising research — what it enables, what it complicates, and how to do it responsibly (if at all).
Together, we’ll discuss:

• When does democratisation empower teams, and when does it erode quality?
• How do we balance inclusion with expertise?
• What makes “responsible” democratisation actually work?
• What are the hidden costs (and unexpected benefits) of letting others take the lead on research?
• And crucially, who should own research in the first place?

We will allow plenty of time for audience questions so you can get involved, too!

### Our Panelists

• Anne Stevens, Director of UX at Elsevier
• Carmon Brion, User Researcher at LSEG
• Tricia Radica Rambharose, Lead User Researcher at the Department for Environment
• Maria Khotin, Senior Product Manager at Trainline

Moderated by Caroline Morton, Lead Researcher at Trainline and Organiser at The Research Thing.

Expect lively perspectives, contrasting views, and practical stories that get to the heart of what democratising research really means for our craft and our organisations.

SPONSORS
This 'for practitioners, by practitioners' user research event, is sponsored by Zebra People.

ORGANISERS
Connect with us to speak, suggest a topic or to feedback:

• Caroline Morton, Lead Researcher at Trainline
• Anja Maerz, Senior User Research Manager at Gen Digital
• Rik Williams, Senior Information Architect at Government Digital Service (GDS)
• Swetha Sethu-Jones, Lead Customer Researcher at Just Eat Takeaway

You can also reach us via Twitter @ResearchThing