Dave's Research Co. — "DRC" — is based in Porto, Portugal. I work with product organizations across the globe, remotely and on-site.
My practice is built on a pragmatic view of data and insights in product development: we must use our learning deliberately and appropriately. It's too expensive and too slow to point research everywhere.
Different product problems require different methods and mindsets. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to drive effective outcomes. There are, however, certain modes of learning well-suited to certain product scenarios.
The way we launch a new product line into an existing customer base, for example, works quite differently from how we evaluate our product portfolio for critical performance issues.
Consulting as DRC, I help organizations work on strategy and product initiatives with the right tools for the job.
About Dave
I'm a practicing brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, amateur winemaker, and I read avidly, around 50 books each year. Many of them are good.
I view research as a focused learning practice aimed at doing things better. It asks for humility, rewards attention, and demands competent advocacy.
As a professional field, the practice is evolving and integrating ever more tightly into the fabric of our organizations. I'm privileged to have a front-row seat for seeing this unfold, and a chance to help grow our understanding of how it works.
In general, I'm fascinated by the creative process and the notion of skill. My professional work and personal pursuits let me engage with larger questions:
- How do we make good things?
- How does that work when groups of people are involved?
- What does it mean to master a craft?
- How do we effectively teach and share our understanding?
Conference / Speaker Bio
Dave Hora is the founder of Dave's Research Co. where he helps product teams drive critical initiatives with the right mix of data, insight, and common sense. He began professional research work in 2011, eventually starting the practice as the first research hire at six companies, including PlanGrid and Instacart.
Now, Dave is based in Porto, Portugal, and works with companies across the globe. He writes regularly on research and its co-evolution with product practice, is an amateur winemaker, and holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Talk and Workshop Index:
- Our Discomfort with Research Democratization Podcast — October 2023, Scaling Research
- Re-integrating Research into Product and Design — Miro Design Talk (internal), August, 2023
- Research That Influences Workshop — Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research, March 2023
- Advice for Establishing Research — December 2022, Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research
- Research Ops: Research Skills Framework Workshop— May 2022, UX LX Conference
- A Research Skills Evolution — March 2021, Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research
- The Research Skills We Need to Succeed — February 2021, UXRConf Anywhere
- The Power of Pattern Language — September 2020, EuroIA Conference
- Working with the Research Skills Framework workshop — September 2020, UXinsight Festival (with Tomomi Sasaki)
- Tools for the Trek — February 2020, Interaction 20 Milan (w/ Tomomi Sasaki)
- Shaping Effective Research — October 2019, IXDA Berlin
- Elevating Design: Create a strategic plan to increase your impact — September 2019, EuroIA 19 (w/ Alissa Briggs)
- Considering Research: function & impact — June 2019, User Research London
- Research: Goal, role, having an impact — June 2019, Strive UX Research
- Lean Learning: Applied UX Research — October 2018, Develop Denver
- "Maps & Markers: enacting a strategy to transform your design team" — August 2018, Adaptive Path UX Week (w/ Alissa Briggs)
- Lean Learning: Applied Product Research — May 2017, NASDAQ's "The Center"
- UX Research for Live Products — January 2015, ConveyUX
