Conference Program

DECEMBER 3

1 PM ET - Welcome / About the IDEA Council

1:15 - 2:55 PM

Workshop: Your Inclusive Research Game Plan: Hands-On Strategies to Drive Real Change

Kick off the IDEA Forum with Your Inclusive Research Game Plan, a dynamic, hands-on workshop that equips you with foundational tools to apply equitable insights well beyond the conference. Guided by a DEI Mindset Map and behavioral science frameworks, you’ll work alongside peers to map your current position, assess stakeholder dynamics, and develop a practical action plan that turns equitable approaches from ideas into lasting practices. Through interactive exercises and scenario-based problem-solving, this session will help you spot opportunities to embed DEI-forward practices into your daily research workflows, as well as identify steps needed for longer-term change. Get ready to move, share, and leave with a concrete, actionable playbook for driving real change in inclusive research.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Assess their own DEI journey and map key stakeholders to understand their current positioning and readiness for change.
  2. Apply flexible behavioral science frameworks to diagnose challenges and leverage opportunities for inclusive research.
  3. Leave with a customized action plan, team exercises, and reference resources to drive inclusive practices within their organizations.
Kisha Payton
Chief DEI Officer/Global Head of Culture, Escalent
Jane Ottensmeyer
Head of Strategy & Innovation, C Space
2:55 - 3:00 PM

Q&A / Discussion

DECEMBER 4

12 PM ET - Welcome / Highlights of Recent IDEA Council Work

12:15 - 1:00 PM

The Power of Inclusion for Data Equity and Research Quality

Since 2022, Meta has partnered with Ipsos’ Cultural Intelligence Center of Excellence to advance inclusion in marketing and communications. Core to this partnership has been engaging diverse groups of users to determine best practices for diverse presence and portrayal in advertising. In this session, we’ll share details from two collaborative workstreams discussing how a focus on equity  has fueled new and improved ways of working and research quality. This interactive presentation will be coupled with a ‘fireside’ chat to dive deeper on data equity and research quality in their collaborations and beyond. Participants in this session will:

    • Examine successful use cases for applying ‘equity’ awareness in the research cycle
    • Discuss and reflect on 6 key ‘equity-first’ design principles central to the process
    • Identify ways to build greater equity understanding into their own research and insights plans
Janelle James
SVP, US Head of DEI Insights, Ipsos
Victoria Ekwenuke
Head of Marketing & Analytics Inclusion at Meta
1:05 - 1:35 PM

Equity in Research: Conducting accessible, inclusive & ethical research

Understood.org creates resources for those who learn & think differently (dyslexia, ADHD, etc). As such it is important for its team to ensure they engage this population in research and apply consistent equity principles -- this leads to better data and a better participant experience. Understood.org built its approach based on its own research of best-practices...which can be applied to improve the research experience of any population.

Join this session to learn:
- How to consider Participatory and Strengths-based principles throughout your research process
- Considerations for each phase, from recruiting to reporting (in qual and quant)
- A simple get-started "top 10" considerations list!

Justine Bassman
Understood.org
1:35 - 1:50 PM

RAPID SESSION: Applying a Data Equity Lens to Questionnaire Design and Recruitment

Collecting data that is representative, accurate, and equitable is more than just asking demographic questions and oversampling. This presentation discusses best practices and approaches for quantitative and qualitative questionnaire design and recruitment strategies to produce truly representative and accurate data. It covers the structure and wording of questions, accessibility, survey testing and training, how to recruit respondents, and other ethical considerations. Real word examples are provided from health care research projects. 

Participants will be able to:
- Identify recent changes in guidelines for race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity measures.
- Develop and test survey questions that are culturally appropriate, accessible and lead to more accurate data
- Apply sampling and recruitment strategies that lead to more diverse participation and representation in research

Patrick Madden
Market Decisions Research
1:50 - 2:20 PM

Equity as Strategy: Revolutionizing Consumer Research for Authentic & Actionable Results

The urgency to elevate equity in consumer research has never been greater. Yet many organizations struggle to move beyond surface-level diversity to create truly resonant research design that delivers authentic and actionable results. This presentation explores the critical frameworks and methodologies that can drive equitable research practices, offering a fresh perspective on how to build inclusive and culturally aware research approaches beyond just screening criteria. Through evidence-based strategies and real-world case studies across Pharma and CPG, we'll delve into the importance of grounding research in real human experiences, drawing on grounded theory and best practices in behavioral science to ensure insights are deeply connected to authentic, lived moments rather than abstract or hypothetical concepts. This approach is especially important in equitable research, as it ensures that the voices of historically marginalized or underrepresented groups are not only heard but truly understood in the context of their lived realities. We'll examine the pitfalls of traditional research models, common blind spots, and misconceptions, and how to effectively overcome them. By the end of this session, you'll discover how embracing equity not only addresses a challenge but also unlocks untapped potential, transforming it from a problem to be solved into an asset to be embraced.

1. Develop Inclusive Research Design Practices: Participants will leave with practical guidelines for creating research designs that go beyond inclusive screening criteria, incorporating culturally aware methodologies that ensure the research resonates with and accurately reflects the diverse experiences of consumer groups.

2. Identify and Overcome Research Blind Spots: Attendees will gain practical strategies for identifying common blind spots and misconceptions in traditional research models, with specific techniques to ensure that marginalized or underrepresented voices are authentically represented and integrated into the research process.

3. Transform Equity into a Strategic Action: The session will provide a clear roadmap for how organizations can shift their perspective on equity in research from a problem to be solved to an asset to be embraced, using it to unlock new opportunities for innovation, deeper consumer engagement, and most importantly, culturally aware research outcomes.
Ashley Colquitt-Finley
Director, Strategy, Brandtrust
2:20 - 2:30 PM

BREAK

2:30 - 2:45 PM

RAPID SESSION: Applying Inclusive Practices to Drive Equitable Outcomes and Business Impact

Traditional research execution practices are no longer effective. To accurately capture today’s consumer, innovation is essential. New tools and technology exist to help researchers enhance representation, reduce biases, and amplify diverse perspectives.
But access does not equal success. Tools and technology can only achieve equitable outcomes when successfully applied. And which ones are most effective?

In this session, we will share essential practices you can apply immediately to drive inclusive research decisions that lead to equitable outcomes and drive research value through more accurate, nuanced insights. These include:

- Strategic Planning: no one can check every box and leverage all available tools for each inclusive research project. Strategic planning helps research teams make better decisions about where to focus time and resources by gaining alignment on research objectives and priorities.

- Inclusive Collaboration: practical tips to help you intentionally address diversity in project resourcing and create a research workflow and environment that enables everyone to contribute their unique perspective.

- Analytic Techniques: Data analysis can unintentionally suppress consumer voices. And cognitive biases influence everyone - researchers are no exception. We will share some tools and techniques that help mitigate biases, reveal more complex trends and amplify diverse perspectives.
Mary Hunter
Founder, Data Larks
2:45 - 3:15 PM

Research Firm Meets Grassroots Organization: Learnings from the Community Access Scan

This session explores the collaboration between Tides for Reproductive Freedom, a BIPOC-led nonprofit abortion fund, and Southpaw Insights, a primary research company, as they conducted a first-of-its-kind statewide survey with birthing people ages 16+ in Massachusetts about the perceptions of and experiences accessing and considering abortion. Join feyla, Co-Founder and Director at Tides, and Hannah, Senior Research Associate at Southpaw, as they delve into the year-long project that embedded equity into the entire research life cycle and centered the voices of communities most affected.

Disclaimer: This presentation does not endorse or promote any political agendas nor necessarily reflect Insights Association's views.

Attendees will learn…

-The impact and execution of producing statistically credible state representative data while hearing from Tide’s direct constituents on the ground.

-How a co-creation mindset between researchers and stakeholders shaped a methodology that met respondents where they were and led to recommendations grounded in relevance.

-About the tensions, challenges, and successes aligning consumer research methodologies with a grassroots approach.
Hannah Kaplan
Senior Research Associate, Southpaw Insights
feyla mcnamara
Co-founder/Co-Executive Director, Tides for Reproductive Freedom
3:20 - 3:35 PM

RAPID SESSION: Mindful Touchpoints: Equity, Empathy, & Trauma-Informed Care in the Suicide Loss Community

Opportunity access and achieving consent are crucial tenets of Equity and Trauma Informed Care. IQS Research saw data collection for this project as an opportunity for people to share one of the most difficult experiences of their lives, which demanded their consent and our mindful approach in multiple stages to achieve it. We strove to ensure our intention to conduct sound research did not take precedence over the potential for harmful impacts on our participants. We knew Equity, Empathy, and Trauma-Informed Care were necessary for harm reduction. What we didn’t expect was their profoundly positive impact on participant engagement and insights development.

1) How to consider Equity, Empathy, and Trauma-Informed Care when applying consent measures within a survey instrument.

2) Using multiple variables to build a “compassionate” outreach and messaging strategy.

3) Understanding that equity, empathy, and trauma-informed care have the potential to yield previously uncaptured insights.
Vincent Singer
Research Study Coordinator, IQS Research
3:30 - 3:45 PM

RAPID SESSION: Redefining Research: How the Inclusivity Index™ Empowers Broader Voices

This dynamic session is designed for researchers eager to assess and enhance the inclusivity of their recruitment strategies and research methodologies. 

By using the Inclusivity Index™, you'll discover how to identify representation gaps and ensure diverse user perspectives, ultimately driving more equitable and impactful research outcomes. 
Through practical exercises, you'll leave equipped to apply the Inclusivity Index™ and lead the way in fostering inclusivity in your research.

What You’ll Learn:

-Mindful Recruiting for Diverse Voices
Learn to recruit intentionally, ensuring diverse perspectives are well-represented and authentically reflected

-Measure Inclusivity with Data
Use a demographic Inclusivity Index to compare your sample to the U.S. population and quantify inclusivity

-Showcase and Improve Inclusivity
Display your sample's inclusivity visually and identify areas to enhance diversity even further

**Participants will receive the Inclusivity Index, a DEI rating tool for more inclusive UX and CI research.

Angela Orlando, PhD.
Senior UX Researcher, Key Lime Interactive

Open Forum & Discussion

We'll discuss key takeaways and future topics & issues you'd like to explore.