15 customisable OKR examples for Researcher
What are Researcher OKRs?
The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.
Formulating strong OKRs can be a complex endeavor, particularly for first-timers. Prioritizing outcomes over projects is crucial when developing your plans.
We've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Researcher to help you. You can look at any of the templates below to get some inspiration for your own goals.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.
Building your own Researcher OKRs with AI
While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. You can use our free AI generator below or our more complete goal-setting system to generate your own OKRs.
Our customisable Researcher OKRs examples
You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Researcher. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.
Hope you'll find this helpful!
1. OKRs to hire top-level Senior UX Researcher
Hire top-level Senior UX Researcher
Screen and shortlist at least 10 suitable candidates by week 4
Launch a comprehensive job ad campaign immediately- Shortlist 10 suitable candidates by week 4
- Review all received applications daily
- Conduct interviews and make an offer to the selected candidate by week 8
- Compile a list of potential interview candidates
- Schedule and conduct interviews
- Select and make offer to chosen candidate
- Define clear job description and requirements for the UX Researcher role by week 2
- Detail daily responsibilities and tasks for role
- Outline necessary qualifications and skills for UX Researcher role
- Include long-term goals and expectations for position
2. OKRs to enhance understanding and application of copyright laws
- Enhance understanding and application of copyright laws
- Complete a certified online course on copyright laws by securing at least 85%
- Review thoroughly to achieve a minimum score of 85%
- Register for a certified online course on copyright laws
- Dedicate regular study hours to comprehend course material effectively
- Attend 3 copyright-related webinars or workshops to deepen contextual understanding
- Attend and participate in all chosen activities
- Register for selected webinars or workshops
- Research and identify 3 copyright-related webinars or workshops
- Apply learned theories by reviewing and updating 5 copyright agreements per week
- Review weekly assigned copyright agreements
- Submit revised agreements for approval
- Apply learned theories to update agreements
3. OKRs to elevate productivity in academic research
- Elevate productivity in academic research
- Implement and maintain a research schedule, ensuring minimum 5 hours of effective work daily
- Draft a dedicated 5-hour daily research schedule
- Regularly evaluate and adjust schedule for effectiveness
- Implement routine to follow the established research schedule
- Submit two high-quality research pieces for publication review
- Conduct comprehensive research on chosen topics
- Submit papers for publication review
- Write and edit two research papers
- Attend at least 3 professional development workshops related to research methods or practices
- Ensure participation in each workshop attended
- Register for the chosen professional development workshops
- Identify suitable workshops focused on research methods
4. OKRs to develop a compelling game that engages and captivates players
- Develop a compelling game that engages and captivates players
- Develop a functional prototype of the game with polished graphics and intuitive controls
- Implement and refine intuitive controls based on user experience and usability testing
- Iterate on the game design based on user feedback and playtesting results
- Conduct user testing to identify any issues with the game controls
- Collaborate with an artist to create high-quality graphics for the game prototype
- Conduct user research to identify target audience preferences and game themes
- Develop a survey to gather user feedback on preferred game themes
- Use findings to inform game theme selection and prioritize target audience preferences
- Conduct interviews with target audience members to understand their preferences
- Analyze user research data to identify common themes and preferences
- Conduct playtesting sessions to gather feedback and iterate on the game design
- Create a detailed game design document outlining gameplay mechanics, levels, and objectives
- Outline basic gameplay mechanics that will define the core experience of the game
- Create clear and specific objectives for each level, ensuring they align with gameplay mechanics
- Design a series of diverse levels that challenge and engage players
- Research popular gameplay mechanics, level design techniques, and objective structures
5. OKRs to broaden understanding of agent's role in business operations
- Broaden understanding of agent's role in business operations
- Attend two professional seminars or webinars focused on the agent's role in the business
- Register for two chosen professional seminars or webinars
- Attend and actively participate in these webinars
- Research upcoming webinars focused on the agent's role in business
- Conduct informational interviews with five business agents to gain first-hand information
- Schedule and conduct interviews with selected agents
- Identify five business agents relevant to the project
- Draft insightful questions to ask during interviews
- Complete three agent case studies with cross-industry analysis by quarter-end
- Identify three agent cases from diverse industries for study
- Compile findings and complete final report by quarter-end
- Perform a detailed cross-industry analysis on chosen case studies
6. OKRs to enhance understanding of royalty structures in business contexts
- Enhance understanding of royalty structures in business contexts
- Interview 3 professionals in the field of royalties in businesses
- Draft relevant interview questions tailored for each professional
- Identify three professionals in the royalties business field
- Schedule and conduct the three interviews
- Read and summarise 5 books related to business royalties
- Write a concise summary for each book
- Select and procure 5 relevant books about business royalties
- Carefully read and interpret each book
- Develop and present a detailed report on the role of royalties in business
- Prepare a presentation highlighting report findings
- Research the significance and mechanism of royalties in business
- Compile gathered data into a comprehensive report
7. OKRs to develop a comprehensive monolingual dictionary
- Develop a comprehensive monolingual dictionary
- Implement and test a user-friendly search and organization system
- Develop a prototype of the search and organization system
- Run usability tests with a sample of users
- Revise system based on user feedback
- Get a 90% positive feedback score from 100 beta users for the dictionary usability
- Implement real-time customer support to resolve user issues swiftly
- Conduct surveys to gain precise user feedback on dictionary usability
- Improve dictionary interface based on previous user testing feedback
- List out 10,000 words with detailed definitions and usage by end of the quarter
- Write detailed definitions and usage for each word
- Research and collect 10,000 words from reliable resources
- Proofread, edit, and finalise the word list
8. OKRs to integrate UX testing insights into decision-making
- Improve decision-making with UX testing insights
- Increase user satisfaction rating by 10%
- Train 3 non-UX team members on conducting and interpreting UX tests
- Implement changes based on user feedback in 100% of cases
- Conduct 10 user tests for at least 2 features
9. OKRs to file patent for medical device and enhance prototype functionality
- File patent for medical device and enhance prototype functionality
- Thoroughly research patents in the related field to ensure uniqueness by end of Week 4
- Identify relevant fields for patent search
- Analyze findings for potential uniqueness conflicts
- Conduct comprehensive patent search through online databases
- Implement three major improvements in the prototype based on testing feedback by Week 12
- Complete drafting a unique and detailed patent application by Week 8
- Finalize application, including all diagrams and claims
- Write a comprehensive description of the invention
- Research and analyze existing patents relevant to the invention
10. OKRs to improve understanding of OKRs
- Improve understanding of OKRs
- Read at least two books or articles about OKRs to deepen understanding
- Research top books on OKRs and make a list of two to read
- Set aside dedicated time every week to read and focus on OKR materials
- Discuss key takeaways with colleagues or mentors to enhance comprehension
- Take notes while reading to summarize main concepts and ideas
- Attend a training session on OKRs to gain foundational knowledge
- Attend and actively participate in the OKR training session
- Prepare a notebook or document to take notes during the training session
- Research online for a reputable training session on OKRs
- Register for the chosen training session on OKRs
- Create and successfully implement a personal OKR to apply knowledge gained
- Discuss OKRs with at least three colleagues to gather different perspectives
- Engage actively in conversations with colleagues to understand their perspectives
- Take notes during discussions to capture different insights on OKRs
- Schedule a meeting with colleagues to discuss OKRs
- Prepare a list of questions to prompt discussion on OKRs
11. OKRs to enhance the quality and comprehensibility of technical documentation
- Enhance the quality and comprehensibility of technical documentation
- Improve user-satisfaction score regarding documentation clarity by 25%
- Revise and simplify technical language in existing documentation
- Collect user feedback regularly to pinpoint confusion
- Input visual aids to enhance document comprehensibility
- Increase documentation completeness by 30%
- Conduct comprehensive review of existing documents for gaps
- Allocate resources for completing incomplete documents
- Establish system to maintain document updates
- Conduct bi-weekly documentation review and update to ensure current and error-free information
- Evaluate and rectify any errors in the documentation
- Update outdated sections of the document
- Set a bi-weekly schedule for documentation reviews
- Reduce customer support queries about product functionality by 20%
- Conduct regular user experience testing for feedback
- Launch an online FAQ page on product functionality
- Improve product user manual for clarity and comprehensiveness
12. OKRs to boost customer loyalty and extend business footprint
- Boost customer loyalty and extend business footprint
- Launch 2 brand-new offerings for current customers
- Conduct market research to test and validate the ideas
- Develop creative and unique ideas for new product offerings
- Initiate marketing campaigns to promote new offerings
- Increase customer retention rate by 15%
- Implement a customer loyalty rewards program
- Improve after-sale follow-up and customer service interactions
- Create personalized re-engagement strategies for inactive customers
- Achieve a 20% growth in cross-selling opportunities with existing clients
- Develop targeted cross-selling strategies and tactics
- Analyze existing customers' purchase patterns and needs
- Train team on effective cross-selling techniques
13. OKRs to acquire comprehensive understanding of various companies' missions
- Acquire comprehensive understanding of various companies' missions
- Read and analyze mission statements from 50 different industries each week
- Obtain mission statements from each industry
- Compile a list of 50 different industries
- Schedule weekly sessions to read and analyze statements
- Conduct four in-depth case studies on companies with unique missions monthly
- Identify four companies with unique missions
- Research company background and specifics
- Compile findings into comprehensive case studies
- Participate in two webinars or relevant industry events every month
- Schedule and register for two relevant events
- Attend and actively participate in webinars/events
- Research upcoming webinars or industry events in your field
14. OKRs to improve business acumen through literature
- Improve business acumen through literature
- Write a succinct summary after each read to cement learning
- Immediately after reading, jot down key points from the material
- Create a concise summary using the jotted points
- Review your summary to ensure it's accurate
- Consume 20 industry-specific articles weekly
- Locate and bookmark 20 industry-related articles each week
- Summarize key insights gleaned from each article
- Devote daily time to read four articles
- Read at least 3 business-related books completely
- Select three business-related books to read
- Finish reading all three books
- Schedule regular time slots to focus on reading
15. OKRs to develop innovative pharmaceutical products
- Develop innovative pharmaceutical products
- Develop and test 2 prototypes with satisfactory patient outcomes
- Conduct patient outcome tests on prototypes
- Identify key components for prototype based on patient needs
- Build and refine two prototype designs
- Conduct research to identify 3 potential active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Identify key drugs suitable for pharmaceutical component research
- Conduct thorough research on potential active ingredients
- Document findings for each potential ingredient
- Secure regulatory approval for 1 new pharmaceutical product
- Respond promptly to regulatory feedback and additional information requests
- Conduct rigorous clinical trials for safety and efficacy
- Develop and submit detailed dossier to regulatory authority
Researcher OKR best practices to boost success
Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.
Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇
Tip #1: Limit the number of key results
Focus can only be achieve by limiting the number of competing priorities. It is crucial that you take the time to identify where you need to move the needle, and avoid adding business-as-usual activities to your OKRs.
We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.
Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRsTip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Having good goals is only half the effort. You'll get significant more value from your OKRs if you commit to a weekly check-in process.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
Tability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparencyTip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row
Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples above). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.
As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.
Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.
How to turn your Researcher OKRs in a strategy map
The rules of OKRs are simple. Quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly, and yearly OKRs should be tracked monthly. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:
- It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
- It will highlight poorly set OKRs
- It will surface execution risks
- It improves transparency and accountability
Spreadsheets are enough to get started. Then, once you need to scale you can use a proper OKR platform to make things easier.
Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRsIf you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.
More Researcher OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to develop a flexible and innovative product roadmap
- OKRs to complete holistic roadmap for human capital management 2024
- OKRs to enhance technical risk assessment procedures
- OKRs to boost App Downloads
- OKRs to enhance employee satisfaction with total remuneration
- OKRs to minimize technical debt across all 100 crawlers
OKRs resources
Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.
- To learn: What is the meaning of OKRs
- Blog posts: ODT Blog
- Success metrics: KPIs examples
What's next? Try Tability's goal-setting AI
You can create an iterate on your OKRs using Tability's unique goal-setting AI.
Watch the demo below, then hop on the platform for a free trial.