How can lived experience improve research?
It can help research teams ask more relevant questions, design more accessible participation, interpret findings with greater context and communicate results in ways that make sense to the people affected.
Lived Experience Research and Evidence Consulting
Lived experience can strengthen research when it shapes the question, method, interpretation and use of findings—not only the recruitment stage.
What this involves
Insight that can be used.
LEX Consulting supports researchers and organisations to bring lived expertise into research and evaluation in a meaningful, ethical and practical way. This can include refining research questions, reviewing participant materials, contributing to advisory structures, interpreting qualitative evidence and planning knowledge translation.
The engagement is designed to complement academic, clinical and methodological expertise. It can be a focused review or an agreed contribution across project stages, with role clarity, remuneration and boundaries discussed at the outset.
Possible outputs
What an engagement may produce.
- Research question and design review
- Participant information feedback
- Lived-experience advisory input
- Interpretation and knowledge-translation advice
- Evaluation and evidence briefing
Working method
A clear and bounded process.
- Clarify the research purpose and decision it should inform
- Review participation, language and accessibility
- Identify what lived expertise can and cannot answer
- Connect findings to practical organisational use
Common questions
Before you engage.
Can you join a research advisory group?
A defined advisory, review, workshop or briefing role can be discussed depending on the project, stage, scope and expectations.
Discuss how this service could support your work.
Share the project context, decision or engagement you are considering. A suitable scope can then be discussed.