The impact of qualitative research is determined long before findings are presented.
Research creates value when it is:
• relevant to what stakeholders are working on
• visible while it is happening
• open to interpretation and discussion
Lookback is designed to support stakeholder involvement throughout the research process - not just at the end.
WHEN TO READ THIS
Read this article if you are:
• struggling to get stakeholders engaged with research
• presenting findings that feel disconnected from ongoing work
• working with clients or external partners
• trying to increase the impact of your research
IMPACT STARTS BEFORE THE FIRST SESSION
One of the most common failure modes in research is misalignment.
There is little worse than presenting carefully prepared research only to realize - in the room - that it does not connect to what stakeholders are currently working on.
This is not a quality problem.
It is a relevance problem.
In Lookback, impact is shaped early through:
• stakeholder interviews
• shared goals
• early visibility into sessions
EARLY INVOLVEMENT MATTERS
Stakeholders are far more likely to engage when they:
• recognize their own questions in the research
• see participants struggle or succeed in real time
• feel invited into the sense-making process
Lookback supports this by making live observation and early access easy, without disrupting the participant experience.
LIVE OBSERVATION AND THE OBSERVER LOBBY
Stakeholders can observe sessions live from the observer lobby.
They can:
• see and hear everything the participant and moderator do
• take timestamped notes
• discuss observations with each other
• submit questions to the moderator
The participant cannot see or hear observers.
This preserves the integrity of the session while enabling collaboration.
DISCUSSION ANCHORED IN EVIDENCE
Impact does not come from slides alone.
In Lookback, discussion happens directly on:
• recordings
• notes
• findings
Teams can:
• start threaded discussions
• @-mention teammates
• respond with video evidence rather than opinion
This keeps conversations grounded in what actually happened.
FINDINGS AS SHARED REFERENCE POINTS
Findings are designed to be small, concrete, and shareable.
They work well because they:
• are tied to specific moments
• preserve context
• are easy to revisit
Some findings stand alone. Others are best shared together through highlight reels.
The goal is not persuasion. It is shared understanding.
TIMING AND RELEVANCE
Even strong evidence can fail to land if it arrives too late or in the wrong context.
Lookback supports ongoing research work by:
• keeping findings accessible over time
• allowing stakeholders to dip in when needed
• supporting iterative research rather than one-off reports
This makes research more useful to teams that are continuously building.
WHAT TO READ NEXT
• Using Discover to Explore Research Data – for AI-assisted sense-making
• Roles and Access in Lookback – for stakeholder permissions and visibility
• Highlight Reels and Sharing – for packaging evidence