research repository in sharepoint

• Skip to main navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Building a repository in Sharepoint - part 1: groundwork and preparations - ResearchOps Community

ResearchOps Community

Operationalizing research and research design

Introduction

Building a repository in sharepoint – part 1: groundwork and preparations.

By Lisa van Ekeren

I am in a meeting with my team and just told them that we (my Lead and I) decided to build our research repository in SharePoint. For a second, no one is saying anything.

Colleague: “How do you mean we’re going to use SharePoint? What will that look like?”

I knew my team was not going to jump of excitement when I would share this decision. Because let’s be honest: SharePoint is not a specialized repository tool and it’s also not the ‘coolest tool’ in town. So, I had to sell it to my team.

“We already have the Microsoft Suite, which means it’s basically a free tool and everyone has access to it by default. It does not need to go through procurement, so we will save a lot of time there. Also, everyone is already familiar with SharePoint in one way or another, so our stakeholders do not need to get used to yet another new tool. Plus, it does not have a complicated UI, it is fairly straight forward. Not to forget it will be easy to move content over internally. I have checked out SharePoint’s functionalities and I am positive I can build a repository in it.”

“Trust me.”

Let’s rewind: how did I get to this point?

When I joined my company, research insights were saved in PowerPoint and Word files and lived in a confidential folder that only the research team could access. Stakeholders would reach out to one of my team members and they would dig up the insights for them, or the team would grant them access to the folder through a sharable link.

The need to build a repository was initiated by my Lead (our Head of Research and Insights) very early on in our company’s existence and was one of the reasons she pushed for a Research Operations position on the team. By then the company only existed for less than 1.5 years. With a repository, we would not only be making research insights accessible for every department, but also reducing ‘time waste’ by streamlining certain processes and working with the tools we already have. This would also align with two of our company’s pillars: customer-centricity and sustainability.

To be honest, I also had to convince myself that this could be achieved with SharePoint so I did a little deep dive into its features. And to my surprise…

SharePoint was not all bad!

In the process of developing our repository I didn’t find a single article or blog of someone who had done what I was trying to do, and I really missed having an example to work from. After the repository was built, I decided to write this article to share my experience.

Whether you are looking to build a repository yourself, or just want to better organize your files, this article shows you can do this on no budget as long as you know which tools to use (and how)!

Disclaimer: In this article I will be using SharePoint terminology. SharePoint is a tool for creating web sites, publishing content, and storing files. A basic familiarity with the tool will help, however, I did include links that lead to more information about each term. When I talk about a repository, I mean a database that helps organisations manage, share and access research datasets for decision-making. A central place where people in our organization can go to find the latest insights from our research team.

I work for a PropTech (Property Technology) company. And the more I think about it, the more similarities I see between building a repository and developing a building. So, in this article, I will walk you through the groundwork and planning, how I prepared the ‘building site’, kicked-off the development process and eventually maintain the building (aka repository).

Groundwork & Planning

Creating a blueprint.

After aligning on the scope of the project I organized a number of workshops to gather the needs and expectations of my team and the stakeholders that we knew would make use of our repository most once it was finished. I also asked them to explain to me their current way of sharing and accessing insights, to learn about their pain points and how long it took them to find and access the insights they were looking for (which turned out to be 30 minutes on average!).

I’m glad I took the time to do this as the insights from these workshops gave me a clear indication of the ‘must haves’ for the repository and helped me measure its success. For example, this is a quote from one of those same stakeholders after the launch of the repository:

“I was looking for a report that X shared, and I went to the repository and found it in 30 seconds!”

That’s 29.30 minutes quicker than before having a repository!

Bringing in the expert knowledge

As I wasn’t a SharePoint expert (more like a self-taught SharePoint geek) I had to deep dive into the world of SharePoint to find out which features and functionalities would support the ‘must haves’ of this repository. I started gathering everything I could find about relevant SharePoint’s functionalities in a Miro board:

• Links to articles
• Screenshots
• YouTube tutorials (I’m a big fan of Kevin Stratvert and SharePoint Maven )
• This Miro board ended up being my lifeline and I shared it with many stakeholders, so they didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Based on the research I had done, I decided to create a repository in a Document Library . Document Libraries are designed for storing documents and come with more document management functionalities than Microsoft Lists. Because our team documents their insights in PowerPoint and Word files, choosing a Document Library made sense.

Deciding on the design

Before I could continue, I had to decide what type of files would ‘live’ in our repository, which would be accessible to everyone in our company. Together with my team we decided on the following files:

• Research Project Brief: A Word document containing a project’s framework e.g., objectives, background, sample, and methodology, enabling researchers to plan and conduct research.
• Written Report: A written text document, often a Word file, that allows for storytelling and includes different data types, studies, or strategic content.
• Insights Presentation: A PowerPoint deck used for presentations and visualization of insights, containing the context of a particular research project, the generated insights and the next steps.
• Later we would also add some training materials to the repository.

Agreeing on its location

To be honest, when starting this project, I didn’t know much about SharePoint’s infrastructure and permission management, so I asked our IT team to explain it to me. This helped me identify possible locations for our repository.

Communication site

We initially built our repository in an already existing Teams-connected site, however, I quite quickly learned this isn’t the way. We weren’t the ‘owner’ of the site which meant we didn’t have permission to optimize or customize the Document Library, nor were we able to adjust the visitors’ access rights — meaning every visitor was able to make changes to our PowerPoint decks.

For this reason, IT and I decided it would be better to move our Document Library to a stand-alone communication site where my team would be the sole owner off, giving us total freedom to build whatever we’d like. Looking back, I wish I had created a communication site from the beginning to save myself some headaches and a lot of time.

Ensuring access

To ensure everyone within the company has (visitor) access to our communication site by default, I linked it to the following communication channels:

• A channel which our IT team created for me, that lives ‘under’ our company’s Team in Microsoft Teams.
• The navigation menu of our company’s communication site.
• Our team’s page (which lives on our company’s communication site).

Preparing the building site

Collecting the building materials.

Before I joined the company my Lead and another colleague had already gathered all research files from the deep, dark corners of our company and had archived them in one folder, #timesaver! I moved the files that would eventually end up in the repository into a separate folder so when the time would come, I would be able to move them to the repository in one go.

Important: I moved the files; I didn’t copy them over. We didn’t want to have multiple copies of the same file living in different locations. It would only cause confusion down the line.

Having your paperwork in order

Preparing the files took more time than I thought (and that’s not just because I’m a perfectionist). For consistency and have some kind of quality standard my team and I decided that every insights presentation should have the same template going forward. I was glad to find out that you can add templates to a Document Library . This way, my colleagues would be able to create a new insights presentation from a template, which would automatically be saved within the Document Library. No need to move files manually!

Quality check

I went through all the files to make sure they had the template and that they were in line with our naming convention. A naming convention had already been enforced by my Lead before my time, which saved me a lot of work. Besides that, I also made sure all insights presentations were pseudonymized, to guarantee our research participants’ privacy. I must say I’m lucky my team existed less than 1.5 years by the time I joined, so the backlog wasn’t massive.

Our initial fear was that stakeholders would be able to make changes to the files’ content if we wouldn’t convert all files into PDFs. However, I quickly realized that by default the visitors of our repository would receive the ‘Visitor’ permission level , which didn’t allow them to edit or delete content.

Gathering your tool sets

Terms and term sets.

I had decided to use terms (tags) and term sets (columns) in my Document Library, also called ‘Managed Metadata’ . Managed Metadata allows you to filter through files quickly and easily, and considering I expected the number of files in our repository to grow rapidly, I figured this was a must have. I asked our IT team to crown me “Term Store Admin” (Queen of Libraria, Safekeeper of the Terms, Breaker of Silos) so I would be able to create terms and term sets in the Term Store Management tool , where all terms and term sets are managed.

I put on my researcher hat and conducted a series of card sorting workshops with 16 stakeholders from various departments. The goal of these workshops was to identify terms and term sets for my taxonomy and eliminate any jargon that might not be understood by stakeholders. I wanted to agree on a ‘shared language’ and create an Information Architecture for our repository that would work for the majority of the company.

What we preach as a team we also apply to our own internal products and processes, which is to make data-driven decisions and listen to our (in this case internal) customers by conducting card sorting workshops.

One of the things I discovered during the card sorting workshops was that some teams had a completely different interpretation of the same term or named terms differently than others. Learning about this let me to adjust the wording of certain terms and term sets so the meaning is clear for all teams. The workshops also helped me understand how stakeholders prefer to filter through content which allowed me to identify the future columns of the Document Library.

Doing card sorting workshops sounds like a lot of work and that’s true. It did take me a few weeks in total. However, it helped me to create a solid set of first terms and term sets which until this day are being used (and understood!) by the majority of stakeholders.

The trick with creating a taxonomy is to start small. It is tempting to add a lot of terms and term sets to your first taxonomy –and I admit I did slip in a few in that I wasn’t entirely sure about — but removing or renaming those because they’re not being used or understood is more time consuming than adding them on the long run (which is what happened to the unclear terms I slipped in).

To summarize

• Take the time to understand your stakeholders’ pain points and wishes for the repository. This will help you get a better understanding of the ‘must haves’ and allows you to measure its success.
• Do your research and organize your thoughts by gathering your findings and resources in one place. Base your decisions on this ‘foundational knowledge’.
• Together with your team, agree what type of content will live in your repository and who needs access to it.
• Decide on your repository’s location from an access point of view: which location comes with the desired access rights and flexibility, and how do you ensure people have access to it?
• Move the content that will live in the repository to one place, for easy access and to do a ‘quality check’.
• With your team, decide on quality standards for your content and create your template(s) based on this.
• Hold the content against your guidelines and template(s): get it in shape for the upload! Base your taxonomy on research, ideally a card sorting workshop. This ensures you have a strong set of terms and term sets to build upon. Keep your first taxonomy lean and use managed metadata to support it!

The story continues…

Curious how I went about building the actual repository in SharePoint, and have been maintaining it since? Then have a look at part 2 of this article were I cover the above, and more!

NOTE: This article is not covered by the ResearchOps.Community CC Attribution-Sharealike International Licence

Research Repositories 101

July 5, 2024 2024-07-05

• Email article
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Twitter

As a research function scales, managing the growing research-related body of knowledge becomes a challenge. It’s common for research insights to get lost in hard-to-find reports. When this happens, research efforts are sometimes duplicated. Enter research repositories: an antidote to some of these common growing pains.

In This Article:

What is a research repository, what is included in a research repository, tools for research repositories, research-repository types, helpful features for successful adoption, 4 steps for creating a research repository.

A research repository is a central place where user-research artifacts and outputs are stored so that they can be accessed by others in the organization.

Storing user research centrally in a repository provides the following benefits:

• Insight can be quickly found because research outputs are stored in one place (rather than distributed across many platforms or team spaces).
• Teams can track findings and observations over time and across studies, helping to uncover themes that might not be identified from one study alone.
• Research efforts are not duplicated, as teams can learn from or build on research performed by others.

Creating and maintaining a research repository is often the responsibility of a ResearchOps function.

When successfully implemented, a research repository can be a helpful tool in increasing the UX maturity of an organization, because it makes insights about users accessible to many people.

Research repositories often house (or link out to) the following items:

• Research reports capture what happened and what was learned in the research study. A research report usually includes overarching themes, detailed findings, and sometimes recommendations.
• Research insights are the detailed findings acquired from each research study. While insights also appear in reports, saving them as their own entities makes them easier to see and address.
• Study materials, such as research plans and screeners, allow team members to learn how research insights were gathered and easily replicate a study method.
• Recordings, clips, and transcriptions make user data easily accessible. Summarizing and transcribing each video allows teams to search for keywords or specific information.
• Raw notes and artifacts from research sessions might be useful for future analysis and can sometimes be easier to read or process than a full transcript or video recording.

Of course, there could be other items included in your repository. There’s no hard rule on what belongs in a research repository. In some organizations, research repositories also store data coming from sources other than user-research studies — for example,  customer support-emails, notes from customer-advisory groups, or market research. When choosing what to include in a repository, consider the needs of your team and repository users.

Research repositories can be built and hosted in many different tools. Choose a tool that your team (and any colleagues who need to use the repository) can easily access or use.

According to our survey, the most popular tools for research repositories across organizations were:

• Collaboration tools (such as Confluence and Sharepoint) are often already used in many organizations. Since teams and stakeholders can easily access them, they become a natural starting place for many research repositories.
• User-research tools (such as Dovetail and EnjoyHQ) are used by researchers to transcribe and tag video recordings and perform qualitative data analysis . Many of these tools have repository features, making them an obvious repository choice.
• Database tools (such as Notion and Airtable) are often used by teams that already work with databases for product management. Database tools allow for easy cataloging of research projects, deliverables, and insight.

A research repository can take many forms and is often dependent on the tool chosen for the job.

Some repositories act as glorified document libraries, where research reports and study materials are filed away in a specific folder structure. These are common when repositories are housed within collaboration platforms like Sharepoint or Confluence.

Other research repositories are searchable indexes or databases of research findings. These are common when teams pursue atomic research — where knowledge is broken down into “nuggets” or key insights.

Each type of research repository has advantages and disadvantages (as shown in the table below). The main tradeoff is insight discoverability versus effort needed to add to the repository . Folder libraries are easy to contribute to and manage, but insights are less discoverable. On the other hand, insight databases are hard to contribute to and manage but provide easy access to research insights.

Of course, a research repository could include both an insights database and a research-document library. For example, an insights database could link to a folder structure containing all the research documentation from the study where the insight originated.

Getting people to contribute and use a research repository can be challenging. Regardless of the tool and type of repository you pursue, here are five attributes that make research repositories easy to use and adopt.

Easy to Access

The tool you use for your repository should be easy to access, use, and learn by teams and stakeholders. A new tool that is unfamiliar or that is hard to learn could stop people from accessing or contributing to your repository.

Flexible Permissions

The right people should have access to the right data. For most organizations, the research repository should not be publicly accessible since research could involve proprietary designs or cause reputational damage. If the repository stores session recordings or identifiable participant data, the right people in your organization should have access to those assets to ensure that participant data is handled appropriately .

Intuitive Navigation or Tags

People should be able to easily find and discover research. If it is too difficult for stakeholders and teams to locate research, they will give up.

If your repository is a document library, folders should be labeled and organized sensibly. If you are using a database or user-research platform, then create clear and useful global tags, to help contributors label their research and people find specific research-related information.

Repository users should be able to search by specific keywords (such as user groups, products, or features) to quickly find research insight. A strong and reliable search feature is often essential.

Exportable, Shareable, and Integrated

Sharing or exporting insight from the repository is important if research is to be disseminated widely. For example, if the repository tool supports integrations with other platforms, research snippets from the repository can be easily shared to Slack or MS Teams channels.

Step 1: Gain Buy-in

People won’t adopt a research repository if they don’t understand its value. Clearly present your arguments for the repository, including what teams might gain from having one. Gaining buy-in for the initiative and tool is especially important if you need to procure budget to purchase a specialized tool. You may need to show the return on investment (ROI) .

Step 2: Do Your Research

Do research before choosing a tool or structure for your repository. Treat the process of developing a repository like building a new product. Start with some discovery and take a user-centered approach.

Some helpful questions to explore:

• How do teams currently do research? What tools do they use?
• How do teams write up or share research insights currently? What works? What doesn’t?
• What questions do stakeholders ask researchers or teams when requesting research insights?
• What counts as research? What kind of research insights need to be stored and socialized?
• Which tools do researchers or teams have access to? What tools seem familiar and are easy to adopt?

If you are procuring a new tool for your repository, your research might include evaluating available tools to learn about their capabilities, pricing models, and constraints. You can also utilize free trials and demos and perform a trial run or private beta test with a new tool to find out what works.

Step 3: Start Simple and Iterate

When creating a tagging taxonomy for your repository, start with a few broad tags rather than getting too granular and specific. This approach will ensure that there aren’t too many tags to learn or apply. The tagging taxonomy may need to change over time as more research and contributors are added to the repository. It’s easier to make iterations if you have a small set of tags.

Consider testing your proposed tagging taxonomy or navigational structure. Methods like tree testing and card sorting can uncover the best labels, tags, or folder structures.

When thinking about adding content to a new repository, start simple. Instead of migrating all research (and research types) in one go, consider importing the most common or most useful items. Use this as a test run to refine the contribution process and structure for your repository.

Step 4: Onboard and Advocate

The key to successful adoption is a plan for onboarding and change management. Don’t expect the tool to be adopted straight away. Change aversion is common with any new process, design, or tool. Teams and stakeholders may need constant reminders or encouragement to use the repository. You may also need to run training sessions to help people learn how to use it and get value out of it.

Research repositories store and organize UX research, making research insights widely available and easy to consume throughout an organization. When creating a research repository, research available tools, gain feedback from researchers and teams who would use it, and plan to iterate after launch.

Related Courses

Researchops: scaling user research.

Orchestrate and optimize research to amplify its impact

Related Topics

• Managing UX Teams Managing UX Teams

Learn More:

Please accept marketing cookies to view the embedded video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQgm4VPJCdU

Create Your Own Research-Participant Database

Kim Flaherty · 3 min

UX Researchers Reporting Structure

Kara Pernice · 3 min

Strategic & Reactionary User Research

Kara Pernice · 4 min

Related Articles:

Supercharge UX Research by Automating Workflows and Repetitive Tasks

Kim Flaherty · 7 min

Democratize User Research in 5 Steps

Kara Pernice · 10 min

ResearchOps 101

Kate Kaplan · 8 min

Formative vs. Summative Evaluations

Alita Joyce · 5 min

You Are Not the User: The False-Consensus Effect

Raluca Budiu · 4 min

UX Stakeholder Engagement 101

Sarah Gibbons · 7 min

SharePoint Diary

Salaudeen Rajack's Experiences on SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365 and related products!

How to Create a Document Library in SharePoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

With its wide range of features and capabilities, SharePoint allows you to create, store, and manage documents in a centralized and organized manner. If you’re searching for how to create a document library in SharePoint, which serves as a repository for all your files, look no further. This article provides a step-by-step guide to help you set up your document library quickly and efficiently, allowing for an effective document management system within SharePoint. No fluff – just the essential steps you need to create, customize, and use your document library.

How do I create a document library in SharePoint?

• Navigate to the SharePoint site where you want to create the library.
• Click on the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner of the page.
• Select “Site contents” from the dropdown menu.
• Click on the “New” button and choose “Document Library” from the available options.
• Provide a name and description for your library, and configure any desired settings.
• Click on the “Create” button to create the document library.

Key Takeaways

• SharePoint document libraries offer interactive features for file management and collaboration, including version control, collaborative editing, and integration with Microsoft Teams and Office.
• Creating a document library in SharePoint involves simple steps like logging into the SharePoint site, using the “New” button to choose “Document library”, and customizing settings such as name, description, and email configurations.
• Document libraries can be personalized with different layouts, columns, and permissions. Their performance is optimized by maintaining a sensible volume of documents and using version control for efficient management and retrieval.

Table of contents

What is a document library in sharepoint, key features of sharepoint document libraries, preparing for your new document library, adding a library via site contents, configuring library settings, creating columns for custom metadata, enhancing usability with views, add document library to navigation, working with content types, using document templates in sharepoint document libraries, uploading and organizing new files, managing access and permissions, tips for optimizing your document library for efficient document management, utilizing powershell for document library management, optimizing document library performance, troubleshooting common issues, getting started with sharepoint document libraries.

Before diving into the creation process, it is important to understand what exactly is the document library in SharePoint. A SharePoint document library is more than just a storage hub. It’s an interactive space where you can:

• Upload, create, update, and collaborate on files
• Display a comprehensive list of these files with key details
• Handle various types of documents, from text documents to images, videos, and webpages, all in one place

Sounds like an organizer’s dream, doesn’t it?

A document library is more than just a storage space – it’s a powerful tool designed to enhance collaboration. Document libraries are commonly used for storing and managing documents such as Word files, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and more. Document libraries offer features like checking in and out documents, version control, and permissions settings.

A SharePoint document library ensures that team members can work together efficiently while maintaining document integrity. Furthermore, SharePoint document libraries promote collaboration by enabling multiple users to access, edit, and share documents simultaneously. But that’s not all. SharePoint document libraries come with a superpower – an array of other features, like below!

• Centralized Storage : Document libraries provide a single point to store files and access all types of documents, contributing to an organized data management system.
• Metadata : Files in SharePoint libraries can be tagged with metadata, which makes sorting and retrieving documents easy and efficient.
• Office 365 Integration : Libraries seamlessly integrate with Office 365 applications, making it convenient to edit documents with familiar tools like Word or Excel.
• Version Control : SharePoint libraries track versions of a document, giving you a history of edits and the ability to revert to prior versions when necessary.
• Access Control : You can set permissions to control who can view or edit files in your libraries, thereby enhancing security.
• Co-authoring : Multiple users can edit documents at the same time, which is essential for teamwork and real-time collaboration.
• Cross-Device Accessibility : Files in document libraries are accessible from any device, enabling you to work from anywhere.
• Alerts and Notifications : Users can set up alerts to receive notifications when documents are added, modified, or deleted in a library. This helps in staying informed about important changes.
• Search and Discovery : SharePoint provides powerful search capabilities to find documents based on their content, metadata, or file names. It allows users to locate the documents they need quickly.

So, whether it’s managing files effectively or promoting seamless team collaboration, SharePoint document libraries have got you covered. By leveraging these features of SharePoint document libraries, you can improve the way your organization handles files and data.

Before embarking on the journey to create your new document library, planning is crucial. Determine the way you’ll structure your files, the metadata to include for sorting and filtering, and how you want to manage permissions to align with your team’s needs. Simple preparations like these can make your journey in document management smoother and more efficient.

Consider the following factors when planning your Document Library structure:

• Define the folder hierarchy : Determine the folder structure that best suits your organization’s needs. Create different document libraries or folders based on teams, projects, or any other relevant criteria to help users locate files quickly.
• Utilize metadata : Assign metadata to your files to categorize and classify them. This will enable users to filter and search for documents based on specific criteria, improving efficiency and organization.
• Create custom views : Customize the views in your Document Library to display files in a way that makes sense for your team. This can include grouping files by certain criteria, sorting them, or displaying specific columns.

Are you excited yet? Let’s dive in!

Creating a Document Library in SharePoint: Step-by-Step

A document library is a centralized storage location where you can upload, share, and manage your files within SharePoint. Designed to encourage collaboration, these libraries allow multiple users to work on documents simultaneously. They are a core feature of SharePoint products, including SharePoint Online, SharePoint Server 2013, SharePoint Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2019, and SharePoint Server Subscription Edition.

When you create a new SharePoint Online site, it comes with the default document library, “Documents.” However, depending on your business requirements, you may need additional document libraries. Time to begin!

Creating a document library in SharePoint is a straightforward process. To create a document library, follow these steps:

• Navigate to your SharePoint site. On the home page, click the “New” button in the command bar.

• Once you are ready, click on “Create” to create the document library.

Your new document library is now created and ready for you to add documents. You can access the library from the Site Contents page or directly through the relevant URL. Remember to configure permissions and library settings as needed to ensure that the right team members have access and that the library is optimized for your workflow.

If you are using classic experience, You can create a new document library with the below steps:

• Navigate to your SharePoint team site, Click on the Settings gear icon, Click on Add an App
• Click on the “Classic Experience” link, Select “Document Library” as the type of library, give your library a name, and click on the “Create” button.

The new document library will then be added to the site and listed in the site contents.

An alternative pathway to library creation is via Site Contents. Go to the Site contents page in SharePoint through the web browser. Once you’re there, click the “New” button. Select “Document Library” from the available list of apps. Name your document library and provide a description if desired. Finally, click on the “Create” button to finish creating the document library.

Customizing Your Document Library

With your document library now created, it’s time to personalize it to match your needs. SharePoint allows customization options such as library settings, managing permissions, setting up version control, and checkout policies, so your library operates efficiently and securely.

Your first task is to establish the fundamental settings of your document library: Here is how it works:

• You can access the Library Settings page by clicking on “Settings Gear” and then selecting “Library settings.”
• Under General Settings, update the library name and description to reflect its purpose.
• In Advanced Settings, decide whether to allow items from this document library to appear in search results.
• Determine how documents are opened by default – either in the client application or browser – and tweak other settings related to offline availability.

Remember: These adjustments affect how the library handles documents and should align with the needs of your organization. Let’s explore some key settings you can adjust:

• Columns : You can define metadata fields for documents, such as author, date, status, or custom tags. This helps in categorizing, filtering, and searching for documents based on their metadata.
• Versioning : SharePoint allows you to enable versioning for your document library. This feature tracks changes made to documents and enables you to revert to previous versions if needed. You can choose to enable major versions, minor versions, or both.
• Document Check-Out : By enabling document check-out, you can ensure that only one user can edit a document at a time. This prevents conflicting changes and helps maintain data integrity. When a document is checked out, other users can still view it but cannot make changes until it is checked back in.
• Content Approval : In addition to document approval, you can enable content approval for the entire library. This ensures that all documents go through a review process before being visible to other users.
• Content Types : Content types define the metadata and behavior of documents in your library. You can create custom content types to meet specific requirements, such as contracts, proposals, or marketing materials. Associating content types with your library can ensure consistent metadata and streamline document creation.
• Views : SharePoint allows you to create different views of your document library, enabling you to organize and present your documents in a way that suits your workflow. You can create views based on metadata, document types, or any other criteria that are relevant to your document management processes.
• Document Sets : Document sets are a powerful feature in SharePoint that allows you to group related documents together as a single entity. This is particularly useful for managing projects, cases, or any other scenario where multiple documents need to be treated as a single unit.
• Alerts and notifications : SharePoint provides alerts and notifications to keep users informed about changes made to documents. Users can subscribe to alerts to receive email notifications when a document is modified or when specific conditions are met.

By customizing these settings, you can establish document management workflows that align with your organization’s policies and ensure the integrity and security of your documents.

Create custom metadata columns tailored to your organization’s needs to track specific properties.

• Navigate to the library settings.
• Select ‘Create column.’
• Define the column name and type (single line of text, number, choice, etc.).

Apply these columns to categorize and sort documents. This enhances the default document library functionality and enables precise filtering. You can also add a column from the default view of the document library:

The metadata columns and content types in your SharePoint document libraries uniformly classify, manage, and enhance the searchability of documents across a site collection. Consistent naming conventions and configured metadata can turn your SharePoint Document Library into an organized, efficient, and easily navigable tool.

The cornerstone of a well-organized library is its usability. Adding custom views with specific columns and settings helps efficient navigation and file retrieval.

To create a view in a SharePoint document library, follow these steps:

• Go to the document library where you want to create the view.
• Click on the “All documents” dropdown menu in the top-right corner of the page.

• Select the columns you want to display in the view.
• Choose the sort order for the items in the view.
• Set any filters for the view, if desired.
• Click “Save” to commit your changes to the view.

Once you have created the view, it will appear in the “All documents” dropdown menu. You can switch between views by clicking on the dropdown menu and selecting the desired view.

Optimize your SharePoint site navigation by customizing the Quick Launch for ease of access:

• Go to Document Library, select Settings, then Library Settings, and then “More Library Settings”.
• In the library settings page, click on the “List name, description and navigation” link under the “General Settings” section.

• Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page to apply the changes.

Link to Views in Quick Launch: To link directly to different views from the Quick Launch, add the view link to the Quick Launch bar. This allows users to switch between views from anywhere on the SharePoint site quickly.

Content Types allow you to define a set of metadata and behaviors for documents and items. To use them effectively:

• Access the library settings for the document library you wish to customize.
• In the Advanced Settings , enable the option to Allow management of content types .
• Add or remove content types as needed, tailoring your library to represent various document categories according to your organization’s needs.

SharePoint allows you to create and use document templates within your document libraries. Document templates provide a consistent format and structure for creating new documents. Here’s how you can leverage document templates in SharePoint:

• Create a document template : To create a document template, open the application associated with the document type you want to use as a template (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Design the document with the desired layout, formatting, and placeholders for variable content.
• Upload the template to your library : In SharePoint, navigate to your document library and click on “New” >> “Add Template” to browse and add the template file. Once uploaded, the template will be available in the New menu for creating new documents.

By utilizing document templates, you can streamline document creation processes and ensure consistency across your organization’s documents.

Managing and Sharing Documents

With your library now established and tailored to your liking, it’s time to delve into the dynamics of document management and sharing. In SharePoint, managing documents and files efficiently is essential for maintaining an organized document library. This includes mastering uploading and editing, utilizing drag-and-drop features, and understanding version control. Adding documents to your SharePoint library is as simple as clicking on the library name, then selecting “Upload” and choosing the files you want to add.

In a document library, you have the power to add, edit, delete, co-author, download files and documents, control access, generate custom views, share files and folders, add links to external resources, and highlight important content.

Adding new files to your SharePoint document library can be achieved effortlessly through either the “Upload” command or the drag-and-drop method into the library interface. Once your files are uploaded, they can be organized within the document library using folders, metadata, or both, to ensure efficient file retrieval and management. For ease of file management, SharePoint libraries can be synced to a local device via OneDrive, which enables file upload directly from File Explorer and provides status icons to indicate the sync status for each file.

Now that your document library is set up and customized, it’s time to start adding and organizing documents. Follow these steps:

• Upload documents : To add documents to your library, click on the “Upload” button and select the files you want to upload. You can upload multiple files simultaneously by selecting them using the Ctrl or Shift key.
• Drag and drop : SharePoint allows you to drag and drop files directly into your library. This provides a quick and convenient way to add documents without having to navigate through multiple folders.

Once uploaded, you can edit documents directly within SharePoint by clicking on the file name and selecting Edit . This action opens the file in the associated Office Online application, where you can make real-time changes.

Setting the right permissions when sharing documents in SharePoint is crucial to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive information. You can control who sees what and who can do what within your library:

• Navigate to your library, click on “Settings Gear”, and select Library settings.
• Choose Permissions for this document library.
• Here, use Grant Permissions to add users or groups.

Assign the appropriate permission level with your organization’s policy. For sensitive documents, consider creating unique permissions or tighter control through Permission settings.

To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your SharePoint document library, consider implementing the following tips:

• Consistent naming conventions : Establish a naming convention for your documents to ensure consistency and ease of search. Include relevant information such as document type, project name, or client name in the file name.
• Use folders and metadata : A combination of folders and metadata can help you organize and categorize your documents effectively. Use folders to group related documents together, and apply metadata to tag and classify documents based on attributes.
• Regularly review and archive : Conduct regular reviews of your document library to identify and remove outdated or redundant documents. Archive documents that are no longer actively used but need to be retained for historical purposes.

PowerShell is a powerful scripting tool that can help you manage your document library more efficiently. Use PowerShell scripts to automate tasks, such as creating multiple document libraries, setting permissions, modifying library settings, enabling versioning, or uploading files in bulk. How do I create a SharePoint document library in PowerShell? Here are some examples of PowerShell automation:

• How to Create a Document Library in SharePoint Online using PowerShell?
• How to Create Multiple Document Libraries in SharePoint Online using PowerShell?
• How to Get Document Library Permissions and Export to CSV using PowerShell?
• How to Delete a Document Library in SharePoint Online using PowerShell?
• How to Upload Files to SharePoint Document Library using PowerShell?

To use PowerShell with SharePoint document libraries, you must have the SharePoint Online PowerShell module or PnP PowerShell module installed. These modules provide a set of cmdlets and functions specifically designed for interacting with SharePoint, making it easier to manage and automate document library tasks.

Maintaining optimal performance of your document library is instrumental in maximizing the benefits of SharePoint. Having a robust document management plan is key to maintaining an organized document library.

• Limit the Number of Items: Try to keep the number of items (documents and folders) in a library below 5,000. If you have a large number of documents, consider breaking them into multiple libraries or using folders to organize them.
• Use Appropriate Columns and Indexing: Only create columns that are necessary for your library. Having too many columns can impact performance. Index columns that are frequently used for filtering, sorting, or grouping. Indexing improves the efficiency of these operations.
• Optimize Views: Limit the number of views in a library. Having too many views can slow down the loading of the library. Use filters and indexes in views to improve performance, especially for large libraries.
• Enable Versioning Judiciously: Enabling versioning allows you to track changes and restore previous versions of documents, but it can also increase storage requirements and impact performance. Consider enabling versioning only for critical documents or libraries where version history is essential. Regularly clean up old versions to maintain optimal performance.
• Use Content Types: Utilize content types to define and manage document templates, metadata, and workflows (Power Automate) consistently across libraries. Content types can help streamline document management and improve performance by promoting standardization.
• Manage Permissions Efficiently: Assign permissions at the library or folder level instead of individual documents whenever possible. This reduces the overhead of managing permissions. Use SharePoint groups to assign permissions to multiple users instead of assigning permissions individually.
• Enable Offline Synchronization: If users frequently access documents offline, enable offline synchronization for the library. This allows users to work with documents locally and sync changes when reconnected, reducing network load.

Remember, the specific optimizations required may vary depending on your SharePoint environment, usage patterns, and business requirements. It’s important to monitor and analyze the performance of your document libraries regularly and make adjustments accordingly.

While SharePoint Document Libraries provide numerous benefits for document management, users may encounter common issues that require troubleshooting. Some common issues users may face include:

• Access Permissions: Users may experience issues with accessing or editing documents due to incorrect permissions. Ensure that users have the appropriate permissions and check for any conflicting permission settings.
• Version Conflicts: Multiple users editing a document simultaneously can result in version conflicts. To avoid conflicts, encourage users to check out documents before editing and check-in back.
• Document Recovery: Accidental deletions or modifications can lead to data loss. Restore documents from version history or recycle bin to mitigate the permanent data loss.
• Slow Performance: Break large libraries into smaller, more focused libraries. Index columns that are frequently used for filtering or sorting.
• Permission Issues : Verify that the user has the necessary permissions to access or modify the library. Check if the user is a member of the appropriate SharePoint groups or has been granted direct permissions. Ensure that permission inheritance is not broken unintentionally.
• File Upload Issues : Check if the specific file size exceeds the maximum upload limit set in SharePoint. Ensure that the file type is allowed and verify that the user has sufficient permissions to upload files.

By addressing these common issues and implementing preventive measures, organizations can ensure smooth document management and minimize disruptions in their SharePoint Document Libraries.

We’ve journeyed together through the world of SharePoint Document Libraries, exploring their creation, customization, management, and optimization. Whether it’s creating your first library or fine-tuning it to perfection, SharePoint provides a host of features to make document management an effortless process. By following the step-by-step guide and implementing best practices, you can create and manage document libraries in your SharePoint environment. Utilizing advanced features like metadata customization and secure permissions enhances organization and collaboration. Addressing common issues and FAQs ensures smooth operation.

But this is just the beginning. As you explore further and familiarize yourself with SharePoint, you’ll uncover more ways to leverage its capabilities. So, take your newfound knowledge and start your journey towards efficient document management. The world of SharePoint Document Libraries is at your fingertips.

A Document Library in SharePoint is a specialized container that allows you to store, organize, and manage documents and files. It provides features like version control, metadata, and user permissions to help you collaborate effectively with your team.

Yes, you can customize the columns in a Document Library to better suit your needs. By default, a new library includes columns like “Name,” “Modified,” and “Modified By.” To add custom columns, go to the Library Settings, click on “Create Column,” and define the column name, type, and other properties.

SharePoint allows you to control access to a Document Library using user permissions. You can grant individual users or groups specific permissions, such as “Read,” “Contribute,” or “Design.” To manage permissions, go to the Library Settings, click on “Permissions for this document library,” and then grant or modify user permissions as required.

Yes, SharePoint allows you to create multiple views for a Document Library to present the contents in different ways. For example, you can create views based on filters, grouping, or sorting. To create a new view, go to the Library Settings, click on “Create View,” and define the view settings according to your preferences.

Yes, SharePoint allows you to set up alerts to notify you when changes occur in a Document Library. To create an alert, click on the “Alert Me” button in the Library tab, and configure the alert settings, such as the type of change to be notified about, the frequency of notifications, and the delivery method (e.g., email).

To upload multiple documents to a Document Library simultaneously, use the “Upload” button in the Library tab. Click on “Upload,” select the files you want to upload from your local machine and click “Open.” SharePoint will then upload all the selected files to the Document Library.

Yes, you can sync a SharePoint Document Library to your local machine using the OneDrive sync client. This allows you to access and work with the documents offline. To set up syncing, click on the “Sync” button in the Library tab, and follow the prompts to configure the OneDrive sync client on your device.

To move or copy documents between Document Libraries, select the desired documents, click on the “Move to” or “Copy to” button in the Library tab, and then choose the destination library.

To share a document library with your co-workers, navigate to the library you wish to share, click on the “Share” button, and enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to share with. You can also specify whether the invitees can view or edit the contents of the library.

To delete a document library, navigate to the library settings and find the “Delete this document library” option. Be cautious, as this will remove the library and all documents contained within it. Ensure that you have backed up any necessary documents before deletion.

A SharePoint document library is a centralized repository. It is designed to store, organize, and manage documents. It offers features like versioning, metadata, and workflows. A folder within a document library is a way to further categorize and organize files. It is similar to folders in a file system, but lacks the library’s advanced capabilities.

To add a document library to a SharePoint page, edit the page where you want the library to appear, click on the ‘+’ button to add a web part, and then select the ‘Document Library’ web part. Choose the library you want to display and publish the page to save changes.

Related Posts

• ← How to Delete a SharePoint Page: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Upload Files to SharePoint: 7 Quick Ways! →

Salaudeen Rajack

Salaudeen Rajack - Information Technology Expert with Two-decades of hands-on experience, specializing in SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365, and related products. He has held various positions, including SharePoint Architect, Administrator, Developer and consultant, has helped many organizations to implement and optimize SharePoint solutions. Known for his deep technical expertise, He's passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights to help others, through the real-world articles! Read More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of new posts by email.

Unlocking the Power of Research Repositories for Product Managers

A centralized system is required to develop a good understanding of your users across teams and across your firm. Here's when research repositories come in handy. They bring together various points of user input and feedback. So, whether you're a UX researcher, designer, or a product manager, this post is for you.

Have you ever wished for faster answers to your research questions? If your team has already conducted a few studies, you likely have a solid understanding of your users and may already have the answers you need.

However, various other departments within your organization are likely also receiving feedback from customers. How do you connect your data with insights from other teams? And how can you ensure that people have access to research data when they need it? Discover the solution in a research repository.

Based on our extensive experience working with diverse clients, including large enterprises and NGOs, UX Studio has developed a comprehensive ebook on research repositories for UX research . This resource covers all the essential aspects, starting with the definition and key principles of research repositories, along with insights on building and maintaining them for long-term success. We would also like to provide you with a sneak peek from the book about why a research repository is crucial for your organization.

What is a research repository?

Any system that keeps research data and notes that can be quickly retrieved, accessed, and used by the entire team is referred to as a research repository (or research library). Let’s look at the key components of this definition.

A research repository is a system that stores all of your research data, notes, and documentation (such as research plans, interview guides, scripts, personas, competitor analysis, etc.) connected to the study. It allows for easy search and access by the entire team.

Let's take a closer look at the elements of this definition:

Storage system.

A system of this type is any tool you use to store and organize your research data. This can take various forms and structures. It could be an all-in-one application, a file-sharing system, a database, or a wiki.

Research data.

Any information that helps you understand your users can be considered research data. It makes no difference what format is used. Text, images, videos, or recordings can all be used to collect research data. Notes, transcripts, or snippets of customer feedback can also be used.

Ease of use.

Anyone on your team can access, search, explore, and combine research data if it is simple to use. Developers, designers, customer success representatives, and product managers are all examples of this. Any of them can gain access to the research repository in order to learn more about users. The researcher is no longer the gatekeeper when it comes to understanding users.

Since it’s a massive collection of research, the research repository is also the team’s go-to place for learning about users and their pain points. Instead of searching three different locations for reports, all research information is centralized in one single place.

How can a research repository help your company?

As a company starts doing more and more user research, this means more studies, more reports, and a whole lot of information that you cannot really access unless you know who worked on what.

If you work in a company without a research repository, you probably rely a lot on file sharing software like SharePoint or Google Drive. This means you spend a lot of time navigating through folders and files to find what you're looking for (if you can find it at all), as well as sharing file links to distribute your work and findings.

How often do you wish for a simpler way of organizing all this data?

Let's explore how research repositories can elevate your research work!

The go-to place to learn about users

Since it’s a massive collection of research, the research repository is the team’s go-to place for learning about users and their pain points. Instead of searching three different locations for reports, all research information is centralized in one single place.

Speeding up research.

Whenever you have a new research question, you can start by reviewing existing data. Since it’s all organized according to tags, you don’t have to go through multiple reports to find it. This way, if there’s relevant information, you get the answers faster.

Get more value from original research.

If research observations are no longer tied to report findings, they can be reused to answer other questions. Of course, if they’re relevant. This builds on the previous point of speeding up research. Also, it allows you to get more value from original studies.

No more repeated research.

As reports get buried and lost in file-sharing systems, so does the information they contain. We briefly mentioned this before. But you’re probably familiar with the situation. Someone performed a study on a feature at some point. Let’s say that another person joins the team and wants to learn about that feature. Without any knowledge of existing research, researchers start a new study for the same question. If, on the other hand, all the research data is centralized, you can see what questions have already been asked.

Enable evidence-based decisions.

Probably this is one of the biggest wins for a research repository. It allows teams to see the big issues that need to be solved. Also, teams get to see on their own, how these issues come up. On top of that, they can now use that data to prioritize projects and resources. This makes it easier than using gut feelings or personal opinions.

Anyone can learn about users - to increase UX research maturity.

By default, the researcher is the person who knows everything about users and their problems. A research repository opens up this knowledge to anyone who is interested. With a bit of time and patience, everybody can get to know users.

You can prioritize your roadmap.

Putting all the data together will give you an overall view of the user experience. This, in turn, will help you see what areas you need to prioritize on your roadmap.

Yes, it takes time and resources to set up and maintain a research repository. But the benefits are clearly worth that investment. Even more so since information, along with access to it are essential for high-performing teams. Besides research, it is about building trust and transparency across your team and giving them what they need to make the right decisions.

When to use a research repository?

Whether you are thinking about setting up a research system for an ongoing project or you would like to organize your existing insights, there are a few things to consider.

Long term, ongoing research.

This is common for in-house research. It may also occur if the user research is outsourced to a third party. Data will begin to pile up at some point in long-term, ongoing research. It will become more difficult to locate information as it accumulates. We’ve also discussed the issues that may arise if you only rely on reports. In this case, you will undoubtedly require a solution to organize and structure all of the research findings.

This is the first major scenario in which you should strongly consider establishing a research repository. Even if you’re a one-person team, and you’re the only one doing the research, it’s a good idea to start promoting research repositories. Explain your situation to your manager or team.

Multiple researchers are working on the same project.

It doesn’t really matter whether this is a short-term or long-term project. When multiple researchers are working on the same project, they require a solution that will assist them in compiling all of the data. You can collect all of the observations using a research repository. Even if the two researchers discuss their findings, using a research repository increases the likelihood that important data will not be overlooked.

Good products are developed from great insights. However, teams require access to these insights in order to integrate them into the product. This is where research repositories can be helpful.

Setting up a research repository may take some time, but it is a great investment for scaling research operations in the long run and increasing UX research maturity. Despite the initial effort required, a research repository can take your entire research to the next level. For this, you can use the tools you have at hand such as Notion or Google Sheet, or you can try out dedicated tools such as Dovetail or Condens .

At UX Studio, we have assisted numerous companies in setting up their research processes, enabling them to conduct in-house research and enhance their product development with a user-centered approach.

For comprehensive guidance on research repositories, we invite you to download our complete book here .

Do you want to build your in-house research team or create your own repository?

As a top UI/UX design agency , UX studio has successfully handled over 250 collaborations with clients worldwide.

Should you want to improve the design and performance of your digital product, message us to book a consultation with us. Our experts would be happy to assist with the UX strategy, product and user research, or UX/UI design.

Health Libraries Group

Launching a Research Repository with Microsoft SharePoint

HLG Nursing Bulletin   Vol 37 (2)

Steven Walker Librarian for Bristol Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Partnership Trust [email protected]

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) has set up a digital Research Repository using SharePoint to host the information on its Intranet. Working in collaboration, the Library and Knowledge Service, Nursing and Quality and Research & Development created a new Research Repository database. SharePoint is underpinned by a powerful database and it is a very flexible tool in terms of information management. AWP needed a tool that would facilitate collaborative working, simulate database functions and present information in a number of ways for different user requirements.

There are several databases and specialist information storage and retrieval tools that could be used to host a Research Repository either internally or externally through the Internet. While there is often a temptation in organisations to think of using well known applications and blogging software there are often local solutions that will meet your needs just as effectively. In this article, I will explore how Microsoft SharePoint can be deployed as an effective information solution in which to create and share research across a healthcare organisation.

Before selecting a particular solution, one needs to consider the whole process of how the information is going to be managed. For example, consider questions such as ‘What are the information requirements now and in the future?’ and ‘How can we organise the information effectively and also cost effectively?’ IT budgets in a number of organisations are under pressure with the demands of support agreements, upgrades and migration to new platforms. It is most advantageous if your plans can be incorporated within an existing solution.

One of the key strengths of SharePoint is that it is a web-based collaborative working tool that can be accessed by everyone through an Intranet so there is minimal effort in terms of setting up the solution other than promoting your new tool within your community of users once it has been established. Given that in the majority of cases it will be in use within an organisation there will be no financial cost or licensing burden. 

Details of staff research and publications were originally held in a spreadsheet which was imported into a SharePoint List. Almost everything within SharePoint is organised within ‘Lists’ and these function in a similar way to spreadsheets.  ‘Lists’ are a very effective way to manage, store and manipulate information. SharePoint provides the opportunity to present the same information in different ways using filters called Views. The Research Repository has several ‘Views’ that present different aspects of the data relating to the publications. For example, there is a ‘View’ for ‘All Research’, ‘AWP Sponsored Research’ and ‘Systematic Reviews’ to a name a few.  The data that is presented within these ‘Views’ is filtered according to keywords in the columns within the ‘List’.

The data is currently managed by our Research and Development department here at AWP. The ‘List’ within SharePoint is controlled by a set of permissions so that while most users across the organisation can browse the information, they cannot make changes or add details of new publications. In due course, it may prove time consuming to have members of our Research and Development team update the ‘List’ every time a member of staff wishes to add details of publications that they have been involved in writing. Instead, an automated form called an ‘Infopath’ form may be used to co-ordinate the information flow. For example, when a member of staff wishes to submit details of their publication they could complete an ‘Infopath’ form. The appropriate team members in Research and Development will be notified of a pending submission and will need to make a decision as to whether to approve or reject the information about the given publication. If the team decide to accept the entry, the ‘Infopath’ form will automatically enter the data into the Research Repository List.

In the longer term, once the data has been cleansed, organised and managed within SharePoint, it should be possible to present it for inclusion in a wider Research Repository solution across the NHS Library, Knowledge and Information community subject to the requirements of stakeholders here at AWP.

In the future, there may be a need to generate reports in respect of the data that is held within the Research Repository. One of the key strengths of SharePoint is that it integrates very effectively with other Microsoft Office applications such as Excel and Access. Data from a ‘List’ can be exported into a spreadsheet at the touch of the button for further analysis, or indeed Microsoft Access in order to create a database. As referred to above, it should be possible to import the contents of the AWP Research Repository into a much broader, regional or national database solution given the integration between SharePoint and Microsoft Office applications.

The fact that SharePoint is a web-based tool allows for the presentation of data in several different ways, especially with regard to filters and views. In this respect, it is possible to try and achieve something that will suit the needs of everyone within your organisation.  Often, one of the challenges within an organisation is to achieve the ‘buy in’ from members of the team. One of the best ways to do this is to show them that there is something positive in the solution for them.

SharePoint is a process improvement tool and there are some limitations. It is not a fully blown out of the box library and information management system. It doesn’t have the same look and feel as a structured library system and search interface. Entering long abstracts will be problematic within ‘Lists’ without technical developments as the wandering text will distort the view of the page, so a concise summary will go better with the ‘List’. Nevertheless, impressive, cost effective and collaborative results can be achieved through using SharePoint’s features to manage and sort information through mechanisms called ‘Lists’ and ‘Views’. 

If you are considering developing a Research Repository do not be deterred by the technical challenge. Your local webmaster or Information Manager should be able to guide you through the process. Start in a structured way and build up a spreadsheet of initial data that can be transferred to a broader solution in due course. Consider what your aims are and how these can best be achieved with your proposed solution.  Reflect upon how you would wish to have your data organised and categorized, the possibilities are almost unlimited with tools such as SharePoint. 

Please feel to contact me via email should you have any questions about the design and implementation of the Research Repository.

Share this:

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

The User Research and Insights Tool for Design and Product Teams

The Ultimate Guide to Building a UX Research Repository

Without a UX research repository to guide research efforts in an organization, chaos and waste exist. Everyone is winging it as they go. Each team has multiple research tools that do not provide a consistent format for collecting research data, synthesizing bulk data, and getting insights.

The result? UX researchers are always scrambling for answers to questions that should already exist. Unfortunately, there’s no way to find old research because it’s trashed as soon as it’s used. Your current solution is not searchable, and you don’t have a system for organizing data or sharing insights in a meaningful way.

A research repository takes care of these problems. It becomes a centralized storehouse of information that serves as the single source of truth. 

No more data silos, fragmented research, wasted resources, or inconclusive reports that don’t inspire action. You now have a robust solution that makes it easy for anyone in your organization to collect and synthesize bulk research data, automatically get insights, and share that information with stakeholders to drive visible product growth.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn:

• What is a UX research repository?
• Why UX research repositories fail
• Why do you need a user research repository?
• Components of a research repository
• Features to look for in a research repository
• How to create and manage a UX research repository
• 5 UX research repository tools to consider

What Is a UX Research Repository? 

A UX research repository is a shared collection of research-related elements. It’s a central warehouse of your organization’s insights about user research, product improvement, and design. 

The research repository is a vital part of the UX research process that helps you quickly analyze research data and create nuggets important to project stakeholders and decision-makers.

A user research repository provides customer-centric data based on investigative research that improves design elements.

The user research repository supports these organizational functions:

• Help UX researchers to be more productive when planning and tracking research
• Grow awareness and participation of UX research among product owners, and decision-makers 

Why Do UX Research Repositories Fail?

1. Unrealistic Expectations 

Sharing UX research in an organization with low awareness leads to frustration. Stakeholders are uninterested, and the disconnect prevents them from seeing the benefits of UX research. 

A research repository isn’t a magic fix. Instead, it creates more friction. While great software is a step in the right direction, you need to discover the underlying reasons why employees are not excited about research or don’t find it helpful.

Perhaps the design team doesn’t know what good insight from research looks like. On the other hand, maybe the product development process was never influenced by research . Whatever the reasons, uncover them first before implementing a research repository.

2. No Leadership or Ownership

Decision-makers and C-suite executives rarely plan for research hires. Research departments are usually birthed by product managers and designers who are tired of:

• Doing research that nobody uses
• Searching for documents to answer basic questions
• Jumping between tools because there’s no documented process for research

You need someone to lead research efforts at your organization—a person who has the authority and influence to coordinate research efforts and unite teams. In addition, the research leader has a deep understanding of the research process to make decisions that increase UX adoption throughout the organization.

If you believe that a research repository will solve existing issues, then you have to convince decision-makers that research should not be a side project but a job that requires full-time attention. Having a team to manage the research repository is the first step in implementing research recommendations.

3. Existence of Data Silos 

Apart from the UX teams, other departments within your organization also conduct research. For example, sales representatives nurture leads, marketers speak to prospects, product teams interview users, and customer success teams use Net Promoter Score to determine user satisfaction. 

User research is happening at multiple levels, but it’s not organized or streamlined. Internal teams use different tools to analyze data and publish similar UX research reports and updates across various products. 

Hence, the research solves an immediate need without a widespread understanding of data. Furthermore, consumers and project stakeholders can’t find what’s important because they’re overwhelmed with information.

4. Repetitive Research

It’s nearly impossible to keep teams on the same page when data silos exist. For example, the new product manager who just joined your team is researching an existing topic and, even worse, getting the same results. 

Decision-makers lose trust in UX research when researchers share insights they already know. As a result, it dilutes the credibility and effectiveness of research insights.

5. Lack of Knowledge Sharing

Lack of knowledge sharing is one of the biggest problems growing organizations face. However, re-learning is expensive, and promoting a culture where new employees can learn from existing key insights cuts down the cost of training and speeds up the onboarding process.

When starting a new research project, you’ll get more context and understanding of the topic by accessing past research reports. Storing this information on cloud storage like Dropbox and Google Drive makes it difficult to organize information or scale research. When a repository is challenging to use, employees stop using stored research which hinders knowledge sharing. 

6. Difficulty Showing the ROI of UX Research

It’s difficult to show the ROI of UX research when it’s decentralized and highly fragmented. A structured research repository mitigates these issues by streamlining the data synthesis process, so it’s easy to identify insights that clearly convey value.

7. Recommendations Don’t Drive Action 

UX presentations and reports are popular formats for sharing UX research insights. However, there’s no standardized format, so every researcher defaults to their preference when sharing insights with stakeholders.

Traditional research reports are disconnected from evidence and raw data leading to the research insight. Usually, these reports are shared arbitrarily over Dropbox, chat, email, or Google Drive. Without a formalized place for stakeholders to access this information, nobody reads the report, and recommendations go unnoticed.

Hence, it’s difficult for decision-makers to understand what led to a research insight. The lack of supporting evidence to back up research nuggets leaves holes in your research methodology and makes stakeholders unwilling to take action.

Why Do You Need a User Research Repository?

Centralized Customer Insights 

One of the primary reasons to invest in a research repository is to have a central place to store research data so everyone can quickly find information. In addition, access to relevant data leads to insight that wasn’t possible within the scope of a single research project.

Faster Research Process 

Since research repositories support the early stages of a project such as data collection and analysis, it speeds up the UX research process and saves time. 

When you have raw data, UX reports, and nuggets of information in one place, it’s easier for teams to access insights. In addition, a structured data taxonomy with pre-defined meta tags makes it easy for researchers to provide value to stakeholders.

Get Insight from Old Research 

As a UX researcher, you’ll probably find that there are rare instances when you can pull and reuse insights from old research. The typical scenario is to reconsider old research as a guiding light, not simply reusing it. However, the key insight from past UX research can help you add evidence and fill gaps in new insights. 

When the data is contradictory, you can investigate further to understand why. For example, trends may have changed, and user needs have evolved since the last time you conducted the research. Hence, digging into the differences strengthens your research findings as you uncover new meaning.

Make UX Research a Team Sport 

UX research should not be an isolated event but a collaborative activity .  UX research repositories like Aurelius allow you to add team members to facilitate collaboration and provide opportunities to involve stakeholders in the user research process.  

Getting buy-in for research and implementation for recommendations is easier when stakeholders play an active role rather than just sitting through a UX research presentation at the end of the process. They also feel a greater sense of ownership which increases the chances of implementation.

A good repository allows you to work with teams, whether remotely or in-person. Involving multiple people (even non-researchers) in the process brings in more diverse opinions and increases the adoption of user research across your organization. It also encourages non-researchers to conduct independent research through an established framework that supports and ensures high-quality results.

Democratization of Research 

One of the primary reasons organizations invest in a research repository is to democratize research. As a result, anyone within the organization can access UX research projects without the help of a user researcher. 

UX researchers are not gatekeepers of information. Instead, they empower non-researchers with the knowledge to conduct research on their own.

Access to information for all eliminates knowledge hoarding and ensures stakeholders can quickly find the right knowledge when they need it. Democratization of UX research also improves data management and makes it simpler to manage multiple research data and projects.

What Are the Components of a UX Research Repository? 

Infrastructure .

Parts of the infrastructure include:

Research methods to help the research team stay grounded when conducting research and explanations for different UX research methods . In addition, listing best practices and techniques promotes high-quality work and serves as a learning route for new and inexperienced researchers.

UX research tools and templates for conducting and analyzing research data: Templates for reports, test plans, user interviews , protocols, consent forms, and more can be housed here.

Research Planning 

Research plan strategy : A UX research plan keeps researchers and internal teams focused on essential research areas instead of covering every product feature. Storing the research roadmap in the research repository makes it easy to access.

Other details to include in the strategic research plan include:

• KPIs for each research project
• Project timeline
• Research protocols
• UX research plan templates

Schedules : Contains information such as the topic of study, location, date, and time of the research. This information allows relevant stakeholders to join the studies or easily find information upon its completion.

Research requests: The process for product and design teams to request user research to be conducted. Depending on the size of your in-house research team, making research requests might not be available for organizations of all sizes. However, it’s a great way to drive UX growth and gain insight into your organization’s research needs.

Data and Insights 

Research reports : The UX research report summarizes findings from a user research project. It includes a background of the study, research scope, research methods, key insights, and recommendations.

Research insights or UX nuggets : UX nuggets or insights are your research findings with supporting evidence

Raw data: Raw data from UX research include transcriptions, audio/video clips, highlight reels, user interview sessions and other research data . Rather than trash notes after completing the research projects, store them for future analysis. They can also inform user personas, journey maps, and other user research.

Features to look for in a UX research Repository  

Beyond central storage for research data, a research repository allows users to trace raw data to research insight. Access to raw data provides context to the research and helps stakeholders understand key insights.

Furthermore, the repository allows users to review old research insights for relevance when conducting a similar study. Additionally, traceable data inspires new insights when research data is recently collected.

A research repository is the single source of truth within your organization. You store sensitive information such as customer research, interview notes, and survey responses in the repository. Hence, consider the following:

• Where you’ll store customer data
• Whether data will be anonymized or encrypted 
• Process for deletion and retention
• Security policies in place
• GDPR compliance (for EU regulations)

Your UX research repository empowers everyone in your organization to conduct research and leverage customer insights for improved user experience. To achieve this goal, employees should have access to data and the ability to share research in real-time. 

Your research repository should have features for deep linking to insights over chat, email, Slack, or zoom presentations.

How to Create and Manage a UX Research Repository

1. Appoint a Team to Manage UX Research

It’s essential to define ownership to provide a consistent structure for collecting, organizing, and storing UX research. The best way to define ownership is to appoint a team to manage UX research.

Within the research team, assign leaders to guide the process. UX research leaders are champions who embody the vision and mission of your organization.

UX leaders should:

• Understand the requirements of the research process
• Have a holistic view of the organization and its goals
• Increase adoption and implementation of research across the organization

2. Organize Existing Research  

This step applies to you if this is not your first time doing research. After appointing a team, organize existing research data around the topic. Reviewing current research is an integral part of building timeless research. In addition, using past research to guide current efforts makes UX research faster and more efficient.

Questions here include:

• How many times did customers ask for a particular feature? 
• What problem kept recurring as you reviewed the existing data? 
• Are there patterns with customer quotes that provide more context on where to begin the current research? 

3. Label Everything 

It’s essential to have a consistent format for tagging research data. Conducting research is a long process that takes months and sometimes years. If you forget to use the correct tags when making entries to the repository, it will be impossible to find the data later.

Define your business taxonomy, file naming system for research data, and meta tags. Establishing a system for labeling entries creates a strong alignment with the research repository. It also makes it easier to consolidate insights from multiple sources to create a scalable and robust knowledge graph.

4. Map Feedback Channels

The final step in organizing research data is to map your feedback channels. You need to map the source of the user feedback and where it’s stored. Look out for gaps in data collection. Perhaps some support tickets fall through the cracks when storing research data. Maybe some user feedback isn’t making its way to your research repository. 

Mapping feedback channels can help you close gaps to improve future research insights. It’s also easier to store research data when you know the feedback source. You can integrate Zapier with Aurelius to import feedback such as:

• Zendesk chats
• Trello cards
• Social media feedback
• Google Forms
• Slack messages and channels
• And over 3,000 apps

5. Audit Your UX Research Tools 

There are tons of research tools out there. In fact, we have an article covering the best UX research tools in the market. Each tool performs a specific function, as you’ll see from the list. Hence, you might end up using multiple UX research tools at once. Review your current UX tool stack to see:

• Which tool you haven’t used in months
• UX tools solving your biggest pain points
• UX tools you use all the time

The answer to these questions provides insight into which tools you need to keep in your stack or replace with a more robust alternative.

6. Improve Note-Taking for UX Research  

One of the best ways to improve UX research note-taking is to use a transcription tool to transcribe calls, user interviews, focus groups, and usability testing sessions. 

Transcripts provide a verbatim account of a session while combating bias through an objective record of the conversation. Grain integrates with Zoom and Google Meet if you prefer a third-party tool. Alternatively, you can import cloud recordings from Zoom into Aurelius with our Zoom integration. Then, transcribe, analyze and draw insights from your transcriptions.

Use a template to standardize note-taking. Templates help note-takers know what to focus on and document information. A note-taking template also increases the accuracy and consistency of notes across sessions, making it easier to assemble research.

7. Automate Research Presentation 

Analyzing research data and turning it into meaningful insight is where the hard work happens. However, this is the most time-consuming part of the research process.

A faster approach is to upload and tag research data when you collect them instead of trying to do it all at once. Then, use Aurelius to analyze large batches of raw data to draw insights and make recommendations that achieve your research goals.

Rather than presenting a 30-slide report, you can create a UX research nugget that is a shareable report from your key insights and recommendations. You can present UX research via Zoom calls, Slack, knowledge-base software, email, or as a live link.

5 UX Research Repository Tools to Consider

Aurelius is a user research repository built by UX researchers for UX researchers. It offers the perfect balance between being cost-effective and providing a suite of features to help you collect, organize and synthesize research data. Our lean features mean that you only pay for what you need and nothing else.

Upload your data to Aurelius using our magic uploader. You can import spreadsheets, video, audio, notes, and other file types using the Aurelius-Zapier integration or Aurelius-Zoom integration.

Next, use our powerful global tagging to tag notes, key insights, and recommendations. It helps you to analyze data and turn it into valuable insights quickly.

AI-powered intelligent keyword analysis makes finding patterns across bulk data easy. Get inspired by past research using the universal search feature to find old research reports, notes, and other data to make key insights fast.

Add recommendations to each key insight, and we’ll automatically build an editable report that you can share with anyone right inside Aurelius .

Aurelius isn’t just a research repository. Instead, it becomes an extension of your daily workflow, promoting collaboration, encouraging independent research, and helping you create research insights that drive action from stakeholders.

EnjoyHQ is a user research repository platform designed to help research teams to centralize and share research. Features include feedback management, keyword tracking, and qualitative comparative analysis.

Confluence is a team workspace and research repository designed to help teams collaborate and share knowledge efficiently. Features include knowledge sharing, accessible product documentation, and reporting.

Airtable is a low-code, cloud collaboration service. It has the features of a database applied to a spreadsheet. In addition, Airtable offers a centralized platform to manage projects, ideas and customers. Features include a built-in database, content management, and collaboration tools.

Dovetail is a user research repository that works as central storage for qualitative research . You can capture customer feedback from multiple resources, organize and analyze the research data in one place. Features include collections management, client portal, and e-prescribing.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a research tool designed to help businesses create and edit data on spreadsheets. You can add users to the document, collaborate in real-time and chat with team members within documents. 

However, it lacks the functionality of a modern-day research repository. Google Sheets doesn’t transcribe audio/video clips and highlight reels. It’s challenging to analyze bulk data, tag or organize research data in spreadsheets because everything is mechanical.

Should You Build Your Research Repository from Scratch or Explore Robust Options Like Aurelius?

Large organizations like WeWork, Gitlab, and Microsoft have the resources to build a research insight repository from the ground up. It’s a solution to consider if you have specific needs and processes that a commercial solution like Aurelius can’t cater to.

However, considering that you need a team and the financial resources to build and manage such a complex structure, this is not feasible or sustainable for most organizations. It’s why very few enterprises use an internal solution.

Joseph and I built Aurelius to help organizations of any size to conduct research without the bottlenecks. Creating a research culture is easier when you have a central repository to store data in any format, automatically tag insights, and share your findings with stakeholders.

We understand the challenges of finding a research repository to manage customer knowledge, analyzing bulk data, and streamlining research efforts. So, we’ve developed an affordable repository that makes it easy to build timeless research, collaborate across teams, automate insights and share recommendations that drive action.

Find out how to manage research projects with Aurelius