How to present user research findings to stakeholders

You’ve just finished 10 user interviews. The insights are gold. You write a beautiful 20-page report with detailed findings, analysis, and recommendations. These insights and recommendations are based on what you found during your human-centered research.

You send it to stakeholders. Nothing happens. Sound familiar?

The problem isn’t your research. It’s how you presented it. Stakeholders are busy, skeptical, and swimming in information. The way your presentation is created plays a crucial role in ensuring your research gets the attention it deserves. To truly engage stakeholders, you must tailor your presentation to the audience's attention span and engagement levels. Your job isn’t just to do research. It’s to make insights impossible to ignore.

This guide shows you how to present research findings that drive action, change minds, and influence product decisions. A critical component of the research process. Presenting research findings effectively is essential for impact. Maintaining focus on key insights ensures stakeholders pay attention and are more likely to take action.

Why most research presentations fail

Common mistakes

1. Too much detail

• 40-slide decks
• Dense text walls
• Every quote from every interview
• No clear takeaways
• Too much jargon that confuses or alienates non-expert stakeholders

Result: Stakeholders zone out, miss the key points.

2. No clear recommendations

• “Here’s what users said” (without “here’s what we should do”)
• Passive reporting instead of active guidance
• Leaving interpretation up to stakeholders

Result: Insights don’t translate to decisions.

3. Buried insights

• Starting with methodology
• Consider how to recruit the right participants for research for robust findings
• Saving key findings for slide 25
• No executive summary

Result: Busy execs never see the insights that matter.

4. No storytelling

• Bullet points, not narratives
• Data without emotion
• Missing the “why this matters”

Result: Intellectually understood but not felt. No urgency to act.

5. Can’t answer “so what?”

• Insights without business impact
• Unclear how this connects to goals/OKRs
• No ROI or risk framing

Result: Stakeholders think “interesting but not important.”

The anatomy of a great research presentation

Great presentations have five components:

This section provides guidance for creating an effective oral presentation of research findings, focusing on how to structure and deliver your message for maximum impact. When creating a research findings presentation, ensure you incorporate the following elements:

A compelling narrative is essential for engaging stakeholders and driving action. Structuring your information around key storytelling elements helps make your message persuasive and memorable.

The five key components of a great research presentation are:

1. a clear objective to focus the message

1. a logical structure to market research organize information effectively
2. engaging visuals to support understanding and see user research techniques, examples, and tips for product teams

4. actionable insights that guide decisions, and
5. a strong conclusion to reinforce key takeaways and next steps. These elements help ensure the presentation captures attention and drives stakeholder action.

1. The hook (1 minute)

Start with the single most important insight.

Don’t start with:

The selected lines list typical sections or topics often included in a research presentation or report agenda, methodology, and background.

These are foundational parts that outline what will be covered (Agenda), how the research was conducted (Methodology), and the context or prior information relevant to the research (Background).

Start with:

• The biggest surprise
• The scariest problem
• The clearest opportunity

Bad opening:

“Today I’ll share findings from our user interview study. We interviewed 10 users between March 5-15…”

Good opening:

“We’re losing $500K annually because 40% of new users abandon our onboarding at Step 3. Users told us why and we can fix it in two weeks.”

Now you have their attention. A strong opening is especially important when seeking approval for your recommendations or next steps, as it sets a clear objective and helps obtain stakeholder buy-in.

2. The "so what?" (1-2 minutes)

Immediately connect to business impact.

Answer three questions:

• Why does this matter?
• What’s at stake?
• What changes if we act?

When presenting, tailor your message to decision makers by addressing their specific priorities and concerns, ensuring your proposal resonates with those who have the authority to approve or reject it.

Framework: Problem + impact + opportunity

Problem: Users can’t figure out Step 3 of onboarding
Impact: 40% drop-off, costing us 600 signups/month
Opportunity: Fix it and recover 240 signups/month = $96K MRR

3. The evidence (5-10 minutes)

Show (don’t just tell) what users said.

Three types of evidence:

Video clips (most powerful):

• 30-60 second clips of users describing problems
• Nothing beats hearing it in their voice
• Builds empathy and urgency by helping stakeholders connect emotionally with user experiences

Quotes (second best):

• 1-2 sentences max
• Include participant context (“Sarah, Project Manager at 50-person startup”)
• Bold the most impactful phrase

Data (supporting role):

• Frequency: “8 out of 10 participants mentioned…”
• Intensity ratings, time costs, pain point matrices
• Charts and visualizations to clearly present research data
• Integrate quantitative data alongside qualitative insights for a comprehensive view
• Only present relevant data that directly supports your key points
• Be transparent about your sample size and explain its implications for the credibility and representativeness of your findings
• Avoid presenting raw data to stakeholders. Instead, curate and summarize findings for clarity and actionability
• Organize your evidence using tagged data so stakeholders can easily search for and explore specific insights. Providing a searchable repository allows stakeholders to dig deeper into the research data if they wish. You can also include links or references to supplementary materials for those who want to dive deeper into specific findings or raw data.

Ratio: 60% video/quotes, 40% data

4. The insight (3-5 minutes)

Synthesize patterns into clear themes.

Don’t give them 47 findings. Give them 3-5 themes. Summarizing your findings into key insights helps stakeholders quickly grasp the most important takeaways and supports clear, action-oriented communication.

Structure each theme:

• Theme name (clear, specific)
• What we learned (1-2 sentences)
• Evidence (2-3 supporting quotes/data points)
• Implication (what this means for the product)

Example:

Theme: “Customization beats breadth”

What we learned: Users prefer deep customization of 5 metrics over access to 50 pre-built reports they don’t need.

Evidence:

• 7/10 mentioned wanting to “define my own metrics”
• “I’d rather have 5 metrics I can control than 50 I can’t change” - Director of Marketing
• Users spend avg 30 min/week building custom reports in Excel because tool lacks flexibility

Implication: Prioritize customization engine over expanding report library.

5. The recommendation (3-5 minutes)

Tell them exactly what to do.

Don’t stop at insights. Make specific, actionable recommendations. It’s important to share insights in a way that leads to clear, actionable next steps for your stakeholders.

Format:

Recommendation #1: [Specific action]
Why: [Links to insight]
Impact: [Expected outcome]
Effort: [Time/resources needed]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]

Example:

Recommendation #1: Add “Skip for now” button to Step 3 with contextual explanation

Why: 8/10 users confused whether account setup is required or optional, causing abandonment

Impact: Estimated to reduce Step 3 drop-off by 50% (240 additional signups/month)

Effort: 1 sprint (2 weeks)

Priority: HIGH - Quick win with major impact

Presentation formats by audience

Different stakeholders need different formats. When presenting user research findings, it is important to tailor your presentation format to the target audience to ensure the information is clear, relevant, and engaging for them. These formats, such as presentations and user research reports, help communicate user research findings effectively to different audiences.

For executive leadership (15-30 minutes)

What they care about:

• Business impact
• Strategic decisions
• ROI
• Risk

Format:

Slide 1: Executive summary (1 slide)

• Top 3 insights
• Business impact
• Key recommendation

Slides 2-3: Critical evidence (2 slides)

• Most compelling video clip or quotes
• Key data points

Slides 4-5: Recommendations (2 slides)

• Specific actions
• Impact + effort estimates
• Prioritization

Slide 6: Next steps (1 slide)

• Timeline
• Resources needed
• Decision required

Total: 6 slides, 15-minute meeting

Pro tips:

• Effectively present complex information in a concise and impactful way for executive audiences
• Send deck 24 hours in advance
• Start with conclusion (not methodology)
• Be ready to skip slides (they’ll ask questions)
• Speak their language: revenue, retention, market share

For product team (30-45 minutes)

What they care about:

• User problems
• Feature implications
• Prioritization
• Implementation details

Format:

Slides 1-2: Key findings (2 slides)

• Top 3-5 insights
• Quick context

Slides 3-8: Deep dive (5-6 slides)

• Each insight explained with evidence
• User quotes and video clips
• Pain point severity

Slides 9-12: Recommendations (3-4 slides)

• Specific features or fixes
• Wireframes or examples if available
• Effort estimates

Slide 13: Next steps (1 slide)

• Roadmap implications
• Additional research needed

Total: 13 slides, 30-45 minute meeting

Pro tips:

• Leave room for discussion
• Involve team members in the discussion to foster collaboration and shared understanding
• Bring full notes (they’ll ask detailed questions)
• Connect to current roadmap
• Discuss edge cases

For cross-functional stakeholders (45-60 minutes)

What they care about:

• How this affects their area (marketing, sales, support, etc.)
• Broader implications
• Collaboration opportunities

Format:

Slides 1-3: Context + key findings (3 slides)

• Research goals
• Top insights
• Business impact

Slides 4-12: Detailed findings (8-9 slides)

• All major themes
• Rich evidence (video, quotes, data)
• Multiple perspectives

Slides 13-16: Recommendations by team (3-4 slides)

• Product recommendations
• Marketing implications
• Sales/CS implications
• Operations changes

Slide 17: Discussion + next steps (1 slide)

Total: 17 slides, 45-60 minute meeting

Pro tips:

• Invite broad participation
• Show how insights affect each team
• Consider the needs and perspectives of other stakeholders, such as designers, developers, and executives, when preparing your presentation
• Open Q&A at end
• Document action items

Storytelling techniques that work

1. The day-in-the-life story

Instead of: “Users struggle with task management”

Tell this story:

“Meet Sarah. She’s a project manager at a 30-person startup. Every Monday morning, she opens 4 different tools to see what her team is working on. First, she checks Asana for tasks. Then Slack for updates. Then Google Docs for documentation. Then her email for approvals. This takes 45 minutes every week—just to understand what’s happening.

Then, she manually copies all this into her status report for the CEO. Another 30 minutes.

That’s 1.25 hours every Monday doing data entry instead of actual project management.

Eight out of 10 project managers we interviewed have the same workflow. That’s 8 hours per month per person—just moving information between tools.”

By sharing a day-in-the-life story, you help build empathy with stakeholders, making user challenges more tangible and relatable.

Now the problem feels real and urgent.

2. The before/after vision

Show the current state (problem) and desired state (solution).

Today: [Screenshot or description of painful workflow]

Tomorrow: [Vision of improved experience]

Example:

Today: Users spend 10 minutes trying to find the right report, then export to Excel to calculate metrics we don’t provide

Tomorrow: Users open a customized dashboard that shows their exact metrics, updated in real-time, directly addressing the audience's goals and pain points.

3. The failed attempt

Show what users tried before and why it didn’t work.

“Users aren’t just sitting around complaining. They’re trying to solve this.

6 out of 10 have tried Competitor X. They all left within 3 months because [specific reason].

4 out of 10 built custom solutions in Google Sheets. They work, but break constantly and can’t scale.

By sharing these failed attempts, we can anticipate and address potential objections from stakeholders who may be skeptical about our solution.

They’re desperate for a solution. That’s our opportunity.”

4. The direct quote

Sometimes, just let the user speak.

Show a video clip or highlight a powerful quote on a slide with nothing else:

“I’d pay $200/month for a tool that actually solves this. Everything I’ve tried is half-baked. Someone needs to build this properly.”

— Director of Operations, 80-person company

When presenting a direct quote, maintain eye contact with your audience to reinforce the message and increase engagement.

Let it sit. Don’t rush past it.

Visual design principles

Keep slides simple

One idea per slide.

❌ Bad: Wall of text, 5 bullet points, tiny font
✅ Good: One key insight, one supporting quote, one image

Use images and video

Slides should be visual.

• User photos (with permission)
• Screenshots of their workflows
• Photos of their environment
• Diagrams of pain points
• Video clips of interviews

Text-heavy presentations are ignored.

Highlight what matters

Make key phrases pop.

Use:

• Bold for emphasis
• Color for critical numbers
• Larger font for main insight
• Quotes in distinct styling

Example:

"It takes me 2 hours every Monday just to compile data. I'm not doing actual analysis—I'm doing data entry."

Use data visualization

Turn numbers into visuals.

Instead of: "40% of users abandon at Step 3"

Show: Funnel chart with dramatic drop at Step 3

Instead of: "8 out of 10 users mentioned integration"

Show: Bar chart showing frequency of themes

Handling objections and pushback

Objection #1: "That's just what 10 people said"

Response:

"You're right—this is qualitative data from 10 interviews. But:

• We saw consistent patterns (8/10 mentioned this)
• This aligns with our analytics (40% drop-off at that step)
• Competitor reviews mention the same problem
• These are representative of our target segment

If you want quantitative validation, we can survey 500 users. But these insights are consistent and urgent enough to act on now."

Objection #2: "We already knew that"

Response:

"I'm glad this confirms your hypothesis. Now we have:

• Specific user language to use in marketing
• Quantified impact (time/money costs)
• Priority ranking (which issues matter most)
• Evidence to align the team

Even if intuition was right, we now have shared understanding and evidence to drive decisions."

Objection #3: "But the roadmap is already set"

Response:

"I understand the roadmap is tight. Here's how this research affects priorities:

• Critical insight X suggests Feature A won't solve the core problem. Building it would waste 6 weeks.
• Insight Y shows a 2-week fix could recover $100K/year in revenue.

What if we paused Feature A and prioritized the quick win instead?"

Objection #4: "Those users don't represent our market"

Response:

"Let's look at who we interviewed: [share participant breakdown]

If you think we're missing key segments, let's do 3-5 more interviews with [specific segment]. But the patterns here are strong enough that I'd be surprised if [segment] told a completely different story."

After the presentation: driving action

1. Send a follow-up summary

Within 24 hours, email:

Subject: "Key takeaways: [Research Topic] - Next steps"

Body:

• Top 3 insights (3 bullets)
• Top 3 recommendations (3 bullets)
• Decisions needed
• Link to full deck

Keep it under 5 sentences.

2. Create shareable artifacts

Make insights accessible:

• 1-pager: Single-slide summary
• Video reel: 3-minute compilation of best clips
• Slack post: #research channel with key findings
• Notion page: Full report with searchable quotes

3. Tag insights to roadmap items

Connect research to execution.

In your project management tool:

• Tag roadmap items with related insights
• Link to research findings
• Reference user quotes in feature specs

Example: Feature "Customizable Dashboard" → Links to 3 research studies showing customization needs

4. Schedule follow-up

Don't let insights die.

• 1 week: "Have you had a chance to review?"
• 2 weeks: "Let's discuss next steps"
• 4 weeks: "Here's how we're implementing findings..."

Templates and examples

Executive summary template

RESEARCH SUMMARY: [Topic]

RESEARCH QUESTION: [Primary research question]

CONDUCTED: [Dates] | PARTICIPANTS: [Number] [Persona]

TOP INSIGHTS:

1. [Insight 1 - one sentence]
2. [Insight 2 - one sentence]
3. [Insight 3 - one sentence]

BUSINESS IMPACT: [Revenue/retention/efficiency impact]

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. [Action 1] - [Effort] - [Impact]
2. [Action 2] - [Effort] - [Impact]
3. [Action 3] - [Effort] - [Impact]

DECISION NEEDED: [What you need from them]

Slide layout examples

Insight slide:

[Large heading]: Key insight #1 [2-sentence explanation]

Research methods: Briefly describe the research methods used to gather these insights (e.g., surveys, interviews, data analysis).

[Supporting evidence]: • Quote 1 • Quote 2 • Data point

[Image/screenshot]

Recommendation slide:

[Large heading]: Recommendation: [Specific action]

WHY: [Links to insight] IMPACT: [Expected outcome] EFFORT: [Time estimate] PRIORITY: [High/Medium/Low]

[Visual: mockup, diagram, or comparison]

Conclusion: make your research impossible to ignore

Great research doesn’t present itself. You need to:

1. Start with the insight (not the methodology)
2. Show, don’t tell (video clips beat bullet points)
3. Connect to business impact (answer “so what?”)
4. Make specific recommendations (tell them what to do)
5. Follow up relentlessly (drive action)

Your job isn’t done when the research is done. It’s done when the insights change what gets built.

Effectively sharing data from your research project is crucial to ensure your findings have real impact. User researchers play a key role in communicating insights and driving action within teams and organizations.

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Ready to act on your research goals?