Aneta reveals her Past Present Future framework for career positioning and explains why most companies aren't explicitly requiring AI skills yet, but smart candidates should still showcase them strategically. She discusses the three designer archetypes emerging at AI native companies and shares practical advice on standing out when AI can generate portfolios and case studies for everyone.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

04:06 AI Skills in Job Descriptions Reality Check

06:52 Research Strategy for AI Portfolio Positioning

14:23 Audience Context Determines AI Skill Positioning
17:49 Past Present Future Portfolio Framework

27:10 Common Portfolio Mistakes in AI Era

35:46 Future of AI Skills in Applications

38:39 Favorite Research Interview Techniques

RESOURCES
Lenny’s Podcast featuring Jenny Wen, Design Lead for Claude - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8bcBIAAFo
2024 AI in User Research Report - https://www.userinterviews.com/ai-in-ux-research-report 

CONNECT WITH ANETA KMIECIK:

- LinkedIn: Aneta Kmiecik

- Instagram: @ux.aneta

- Newsletter: Be Your Own Design Team

- Portfolio Course: uxportfolio.co

Nikki explains why she creates forcing functions to slow stakeholders down when they want to rush into AI features without understanding the problem. She advocates for parallel convergent research design where surveys, interviews, and secondary research happen simultaneously to deliver insights faster. The discussion covers why synthesis remains a bridge too far for AI, how to turn research presentations into collaborative workshops, and specific ways researchers can demonstrate value through facilitation skills.

Highlights
00:00 Intro
05:20 Mixed Methods and Data Triangulation
10:07 Finding Small Tests When Teams Won't Wait
14:46 Stakeholder Stress Driving Validation Requests
23:30 Facilitation as Core Research Skill
40:03 Using AI for Research Planning
45:39 Demonstrating AI Skills to Stakeholders

Resources
- AI for User Research 101 Course
- 30+ Tools for every phase of UX Research
- AI Context Engineering for Research Course

They also cover essential skills for today's design professionals, including decision literacy, stakeholder translation, and the art of challenging assumptions diplomatically. Kristen emphasizes that while AI can generate design artifacts, it cannot create alignment across teams or orchestrate complex organizational dynamics. She offers concrete tactics like using customer stories to explain roadmaps, minimizing big presentation moments in favor of ongoing stakeholder engagement, and treating colleagues like users to better understand their motivations and constraints.

Highlights

• 11:08 Design Skills That Can't Be Replaced by AI
• 15:56 Decision Literacy in Organizations
• 21:42 Surprising Realities of Leadership Meetings
• 24:36 Building Influence Without Organizational Power
• 29:01 Storytelling via Roadmaps Exercise
• 35:47 What Trade Off Are You Most Uncomfortable Making

Resources

• A Framework for Decision-Driven Research
• Using Research Roadshows for Influence
• The UX Designer's Guide to Research

Laura also shares her green, yellow, and red light framework for AI adoption. She champions AI for tasks like transcription and meta-analysis of old research data, while warning against using it for synthesis and insights generation without serious human oversight. The conversation explores how AI can help teams move faster without sacrificing quality, the importance of collaborative analysis sessions, and why junior researchers need extra guidance when using these tools.

This episode offers practical guidance for any researcher trying to separate AI reality from the marketing promises flooding their inbox.

Highlights

• 07:07 Green light, yellow light, red light framework
• 11:59 Framework for deciding when to use AI
• 21:06 Will AI change the researcher role
• 31:23 Focus on what AI makes possible
• 35:17 Skills for advocating against AI hype
• 42:07 AI makes things that look like insights

Resources

• Laura's NN/g AI Course
• The AI in UX Research Report
• Using AI Moderation for Research

Basek and Baran share frameworks for executive decision making, explore how AI tools are moving beyond simply replacing human moderators toward creating entirely new research methodologies, and stress that as AI transforms products and experiences over the next few years, customer insights will be fundamental to shaping organizational cultures that keep customers at the center.

Highlights

• 05:15 How research influences corporate strategy
• 12:25 Building effective decision making cultures
• 19:07 Data formats that drive executive decisions
• 26:28 AI everywhere in research tooling landscape
• 29:30 Consolidating insights across teams and tools
• 36:45 Customer centric approach during acquisition integration

Resources

• Read more about the acquisition
• The State of User Research Report
• Visual Design for Research Workshop

They also talk about the "beige-ification" of design, where templated systems and AI tools risk creating homogeneous experiences across brands. Karl explains how his team uses AI as a research copilot while maintaining human craft and creativity. He also breaks down the skills modern designers need beyond visual craft, including business acumen, stakeholder communication, and the ability to translate design impact into executive language.

Highlights

• 06:26 Design challenges across multiple touchpoints
• 19:04 Simple questions unlock stakeholder priorities
• 25:31 Multi-skilled designers beyond specialization
• 32:23 Career growth through T-shaped skill development
• 36:53 The beige-ification of modern design
• 42:44 AI as creative exploration partner

Resources

• Designer's Guide to UX Research
• The 4 Steps to Redesigning Sites
• Connecting Research & Design Leadership

Maria and John also dig into the democratization of research across product teams, the importance of governance and strategy when implementing AI tools, and how researchers can position themselves as orchestrators of both human and artificial intelligence. 

Highlights

• 08:22 AI tools creating pressure for faster delivery
• 17:18 Governance and oversight for AI implementation
• 24:55 Composite and synthetic users explained
• 41:56 Hiring advice for new researchers
• 44:27 Demonstrating AI proficiency in job applications
• 49:25 Research industry predictions for 2026

Resources

• Research Wrapped 2025
• The State of User Research
• Ultimate UX Jobs Board

Kate emphasizes the critical shift happening in research ops from administrative firefighting to strategic systems design. She discusses the importance of discovery over knee-jerk solutions when building research ops from scratch, advocating for focused problem-solving rather than generic panel and library building. The conversation covers the newly released research ops career ladder, the growing need for strategy skills in the field, and how to effectively communicate value to executives by aligning with existing business priorities and measuring concrete outcomes.

Highlights

• 03:54 Bringing past skills to research ops
• 17:45 AI context and memory limitations
• 26:37 Future vision for strategic research positioning
• 36:28 Quality governance in AI era
• 44:21 Strategy skills gap in research teams
• 50:27 Translating research value to executives

Resources

• Strategy References
• Kate's Masterclass
• Research That Scales (Book)
• Kate's Substack
• The ResearchOps Review

The conversation centers on outcome-based assessment, a framework that breaks user experiences into atomic outcomes. Rather than asking broad satisfaction questions, this approach focuses on specific user goals like "users can complete repetitive tasks without friction." Lyndsi explains how teams can identify these outcomes through existing research and customer feedback, then prioritize them using methods like card sorting with actual users. 

The framework helps product teams move away from vague directives and toward specific, measurable improvements that directly impact user success. This episode offers practical guidance for researchers and product teams struggling to demonstrate impact beyond traditional satisfaction scores.

• Amazon Prime article

Highlights

• 13:49 Complicated Opinion on NPS and CSAT
• 18:51 Outcome Based Assessment Framework
• 27:36 Getting Strategic with Stakeholder Buy-in
• 32:00 Traffic Light System for Stakeholders
• 38:57 Revisiting Outcome Statements Timeline
• 41:40 AI's Role in Quantitative Research

About Lyndsi
Lyndsi is a Senior Manager of UX Research at Turnitin, where she leads efforts to make the student and educator experience more meaningful, measurable, and user-centered. She started her career in public education as a school counselor and School Psychological Examiner, working alongside educators to support students’ learning needs. Eventually, she found her way into UX research, where she combined her love of psychology, education, and technology. Lyndsi is passionate about helping teams stay focused on what truly matters to users, and firmly believes that good research is part art, part science, and part really well-organized sticky notes.

Resources

• Defining UX Success Metrics
• UX ROI Calculator
• Getting Started with Analytics

The conversation reveals how their small but mighty teams operate in one of the fastest moving industries. Shalin and Natalie share how they've weaved internal stakeholders with customers, played with their structure to maximize visibility and effectiveness, and enabled partners to get more involved. It's a practical conversation on the value of experimentation, cooperation, and building influence.

Highlights

• 14:00 Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in New Industries
• 25:37 Embedded Research in Live Design Sprints
• 32:33 The Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration
• 36:21 Documentation Challenges in Fast-Moving Industries
• 40:39 Partner-Led Research Methodology
• 43:33 Future of AI in Design and Research

Resources

• The Designer's Guide to Research
• Aligning Research for More ROI
• Effective Product <> Research Collaboration

The Azure Data team also break down their method for fostering relationships, building infrastructure and templates, measuring success, and continuously iterating. The discussion reveals how clear branding, stakeholder collaboration, and systematic infrastructure helped them action on high priority research requests while spotting cross cutting insights across Microsoft's product ecosystem.

About Our Guests
Dr. Serena Hillman is a Principal UX Research Manager in Azure Data at Microsoft. Her work focuses on Human-Data and Human-AI-Data Interaction, leading a team that explores how people engage with data and intelligent systems. She has studied user behavior across domains like video games, e-commerce, edTech, and enterprise cloud tools, and has published 40+ peer-reviewed papers presented at leading conferences and organizations including CHI, CSCW, Grace Hopper, Yahoo!, and Google.

Samira Jain is a Senior UX Researcher on the Azure Data UX Team, where she has been for over five years. She leads SWIFT, a cross-team research program, which encompasses several key initiatives. With a foundation in product design, she brings dual fluency to her research practice—understanding why things matter from a user perspective and how they can be shaped from a design perspective. With extensive experience in both non-profit and enterprise research, Samira is dedicated to enhancing experiences for data professionals.

Jackie Ianni is a UX Researcher on the Azure Data team at Microsoft, specializing in rapid evaluative and programmatic research. Before joining Microsoft, she worked as a researcher at both an agency and in-house, conducting global financial services research. Jackie is passionate about advancing UX research practice, exploring AI tools, and sparking conversations about the evolving role of research.

Highlights

• 05:47 Five Step Program Development Method
• 09:02 Building Stakeholder Relationships
• 15:39 Continuously Improving Research Programs
• 18:37 Cross Product Insights and Breaking Silos
• 23:24 Collaborative Team Success Formula
• 33:58 AI Tools in Heuristic Reviews

Resources

1. Building a UX Research Team from Scratch
2. Create Long Term Impact with Strong Relationships
3. The Ultimate Guide to UX Research Strategy

Jake introduces his framework of three root causes driving research waste: preparation, motivation, and integration. He emphasizes practical solutions like creating insight summaries with stakeholders, building cross-silo research communities, and establishing recurring touchpoints beyond traditional study deliverables. The conversation covers actionable strategies for researchers at all levels, from individual contributors looking to extend their impact to research leaders building organizational initiatives that elevate research as a collective stakeholder voice.

Highlights

• 08:15 Defining research waste and value
• 14:48 Identifying research waste in organizations
• 21:36 Breaking down research silos
• 30:21 Creating insight summary statements
• 37:38 Integration and recurring stakeholder touchpoints
• 42:52 Building research initiatives not individual efforts

Resources

1. Conducting Better Stakeholder Interviews
2. The 2025 State of Research Strategy Report
3. The Research ROI & Impact Calculator

Nancy Baum leads the qualitative research practice at C+R Research. She has nearly 20 years' experience in the field, exposing her to many ebbs and flows. Nancy believes that qualitative practitioners are vital to sifting through the mounds of data, information, and competing interests flooding many companies' attention. Focusing on and uncovering the "Why?" and "How?" still matters today.

Listen to learn ways to advocate for qual research, what Nancy thinks of AI-moderation, and how she's developing new researchers.

Highlights

• 09:19 How stakeholders misunderstand qualitative research
• 22:46 AI moderation complements quantitative surveys
• 32:32 Customizing deliverables for stakeholder impact
• 41:09 Flexibility navigates unpredictable human conversations
• 47:49 Deep listening trumps active listening
• 50:26 Early stakeholder conversations secure research value

Resources

• Try our qualitative sample size calculator
• The best qualitative research tools in 2025
• Qual vs. quant vs. mixed method approaches

In this five-part audio documentary, we’re exploring the past, present, and future of ResearchOps—and it’s exciting, fascinating, and, at times, pretty mindblowing stuff! Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews.

In this fifth and final—”awwww”, we hear you say—episode of ResearchOps 2.0, we’re turning the spotlight on the people of ResearchOps: the curious minds, problem-solvers, and system-builders who’ve made this profession what it is today. We’ll explore who they are, where they’ve come from, and what drives them to transform how organisations learn from their users.

If you’re a ResearchOps professional, this episode will make you feel seen and heard. If you’re a leader looking to hire a ResearchOps role, this episode will help you think differently about who might hire. And if you’re looking to transition into a ResearchOps career, this episode will give you a great sense of the skills you need and the incredible profession you’ll become a part of.

In this five-part audio documentary, we’re exploring the past, present, and future of ResearchOps—and it’s exciting, fascinating, and, at times, pretty mindblowing stuff! Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews.

In this fourth and penultimate episode of ResearchOps 2.0, we’re exploring a timely topic: how to build enduring research systems even when change seems to be the order of the day—every day. You’ll hear top tips from experts who’ve managed to ride the winds of change to deliver successful, responsive research operations.

In this five-part audio documentary, we’re exploring the past, present, and future of ResearchOps—and it’s exciting, fascinating, and, at times, pretty mindblowing stuff! Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews—the only solution you need to recruit high-quality participants for any kind of research.

In this third episode, we’re diving deep into what taking a platform approach to ResearchOps means and why research platforms are a pivotal part of the future of ResearchOps.

To scale up; tune in.

⭐️ Larry, Katie, and Gavin are presenting their work at EPIC 2025 in Helsinki ⭐️

The conversation reveals how AI research requires new approaches beyond traditional usability testing. Katie explains her work simulating family interactions with AI assistants, where researchers act as human filters for LLM responses to study relationship building over time. The team demonstrates how even small changes in AI personality can be detected by users, highlighting the sensitivity of human-AI relationships.

Gavin emphasizes the critical importance of getting AI right from the first interaction, unlike traditional MVP approaches. When AI fails to understand or respond appropriately, users often abandon it permanently, making prototype research essential for building trust before launch. The discussion provides practical frameworks for researchers working with emerging AI technologies and the evolving methods needed to understand human-AI interactions.

Highlights

• [06:25] Prototyping AI experiences mindset
• [20:53] Human simulation in AI prototyping
• [31:15] Human vs bot detection challenges
• [38:52] Context interaction and trust framework
• [49:33] Team collaboration in groundbreaking research
• [51:27] Trust themes in AI development

Resources

1. The State of User Research 2025
2. AI For User Research 101 Course
3. 20+ AI Tools for User Researchers

In this five-part audio documentary series, Kate Towsey of Cha Cha Club explores the past, present, and, most important of all, the future of ResearchOps. Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews.

In this episode, we’ll explore how ResearchOps professionals are approaching AI today and what the future holds. Expect several unique case studies, as well as mind-blowing, not-so-futurist concepts. (Hint: Never mind AI research moderators. What about AI as genuine research participants?)

Credits
Production, narration, and audio engineering by Kate Towsey. Co-produced with Cha Cha Club manager, Glenn Familton, and ResearchOps experts, Jenna Lombardo and Renato Venter. Aria, the robotic voice, was generated by Soundly. Music and (most) sound effects featured in this episode were sourced from Epidemic Sound. Explore music and sounds via this playlist.

In this five-part audio documentary series, Kate Towsey of Cha Cha Club explores the past, present, and, most important of all, the future of ResearchOps. Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews. This episode features insights from User Interviews Co-Founders Basel Fakhoury and Dennis Meng, as well as CMO Erin May.

Credits
Production, narration, and audio engineering by Kate Towsey. Co-produced with Cha Cha Club manager, Glenn Familton, and ResearchOps experts, Jenna Lombardo and Renato Venter. Aria, the robotic voice, was generated by Soundly. Music and (most) sound effects featured in this episode were sourced from Epidemic Sound. Explore music and sounds via this playlist.

We're closing with a topic that technology like AI—and shrinking attention space—is affecting: reporting results. Our guest, Caitria O'Neill, had a sense that stakeholders weren't really engaging with her results (or their implications) as she'd like them to. During her time on teams at Meta, AirBnB, and Google, she'd iterated and evolved how she packaged, presented, and stored research readouts.

It's a great listen for anyone who has felt a nagging suspicion that partners just aren't connecting with research.

Resources on Reporting

• Rethinking our Approach to Research Reports
• A Framework for Simple, Repeatable Reporting
• 30+ Free Report Templates and Examples

These days, Kate's investing in Cha Cha Club, a space for ResearchOps pros to connect and learn.

Stay tuned for an exclusive podcast series with Kate and Cha Cha Club...coming soon.

More ReOps Resources

• What is Research Operations and Why Does it Matter
• The State of Research For Non-Researchers
• Building an Accessibility Research Panel

This week, Andrea Amoros, a Senior Principal Researcher at Ingram Micro talks strategic research (which is different from a research strategy). Andrea shares her definition of strategic research, its value for a company, and showcasing that value for stakeholders and partners.

Strategic Research Resources

• What is a UX Research Strategy?
• Creating ROI from User Research
• Strategic vs Tactical Research Projects

This week, Eniola Abioye, UX Researcher at Meta, discusses what it takes to break into the user research industry. Her advice on creating application materials, searching for roles, and preparing for the interview process offer evergreen insight for any job seeker.

UX Career Resources

• Free on-demand course with Eniola: User Research 101
• The Ultimate UX Research Job Board
• Getting started with freelance UX research

This week features Amy Chess (then at Amazon) unpacking arguably the most important research skill: asking questions. She shares what makes a "good" question, how questions should connect to insights and impact, and how you can improve your question-creation ability.

Research Question Resources

• A Guide to User Research Questions
• 70+ User Testing Question Examples
• Writing Better User Interview Questions

This week brings back an evergreen conversation with Product Talk's Teresa Torres on continuous discovery methods. Since this episode first aired, more companies have brought non-researchers (such as Product Managers, Designers, and Developers) into the process. Continuous Discovery is a practical, repeatable, and accessible way to expose your team to the value of user insights and design research more broadly.

Continuous Discovery Resources

• A Launch Kit for Using Continuous Interviews
• A Practical Application of Continuous Methods
• A Framework for Using Continuous Discovery

This week features a conversation with Erika Hall on the misuses of surveys. They're overused, often shoddily designed, and can get in the way of a better approach for the question (which might include not doing research at all). This topic has only grown in importance as development and decision cycles shorten, putting pressure on researchers to get insights to stakeholders faster.

Erika also recently updated her landmark book, Just Enough Research, to take into account these and other changes in the UX landscape.

Research Survey Resources

• A Complete Guide to Survey Research
• Creating Surveys to Identify User Problems
• Use This Checklist for Better Survey Design

Hannah Ghidey, Senior Research Manager at Etsy has successfully navigated this balance, finding big, strategy-setting questions while maintaining product-specific influence and know-how. It’s a great conversation for anyone working as a UXR on a product team or searching for a scaleable way to build a responsive team that’s also strategically-oriented.

Highlights

• 03:09 Strategic Research in Business Innovation
• 07:30 Effective Collaborative Research Planning
• 11:03 Harnessing Team Insights for Innovation
• 15:01 Building Trust in Research Collaboration
• 20:15 Sustaining Research Relevance
• 29:53 Integrating Research into Business Strategy

About Hannah
Hannah Ghidey is a UX leader, currently at Etsy. She is a creative, strategist, and researcher, helping teams shape experiences at the intersection of user needs, business goals, and data.

Resources

• Ultimate Guide to Research Strategy
• Research x Product Collaboration Report
• Build a UX Research Team From Scratch

Jess joins Erin and Ben to reframe the AI conversation, focusing on how UXRs can and should adapt, what working on these systems has taught him about the UX discipline, and his philosophy for building teams that are ready to take on the innovative challenges of tomorrow.

Jess's recommendations: Matt Webb, Maggie Appleton, and the Pessimists Archive Newsletter.

Highlights

• 07:15 Human-Centered AI Evolution
• 17:53 Evolving AI Forecast Strategies
• 24:04 Diverse AI Team Building
• 33:27 Navigating Responsible AI Challenges
• 37:01 Qualitative Analysis with AI Tools
• 40:15 Optimism and Concerns About AI

About Jess
Senior Director of Research specializing in human-centered AI. Early stage investor in AI, AI hardware ecosystems, climate, and anything that seems like the world would be better with it in it. Currently leading UX research for Microsoft AI. Previously led the Generative AI team and supported all UX functions for the Responsible AI and data transparency teams at Meta. I also served on the Board of Forging Youth Resilience, a nonprofit that empowers young people to build physical and mental strength for life by providing access to a national network of community-based fitness programs and mentorship.

Resources

• The AI in UX Research Report
• 20+ Tools for Every Research Phase
• Using AI in UX: A Day-in-the-Life

Jay shares his journey to working in the mindful technology space, how we can shift our frame from "user" to "life" experience design, and the benefits companies see when their products consider the whole person on the "other end." Jay also shares strategies for maintaining mindfulness during our own technology use, and ways we can carry these practices into research and design practices.

Highlights

• 03:55 Design for Mindful Well-Being
• 08:13 Mindful Design: Impact Over Intentions
• 14:54 Broadening Design's Impact on Life
• 25:20 Holistic Recruitment Strategies
• 34:10 Enhancing Connection Through Mindful Presence
• 42:48 Understanding Technology's Emotional Pull

About Jay
Jay Vidyarthi is the author of RECLAIM YOUR MIND and an accomplished designer, entrepreneur, and thought leader at the unique intersection of mindfulness and technology. As the founder of Still Ape, he’s been involved in over fifty technologies that have helped millions of people improve their well-being, including Muse, the Healthy Minds Program, Sonic Cradle, and many more. His work and ideas have been featured by Harvard, MIT, TED, Forbes, CNN, Fast Company, and Vice.

Resources

• The Self Care Playbook for UX Researchers
• Cultivating Empathy for Your Colleagues
• Wellness and UX: Going Beyond the User Experience

Daniel Gottlieb, Head of Research Operation for Microsoft's Developer Division, has spent a lot of time designing research education programs. He joins to discuss his success creating workshops that empower and inspire non-researchers to get involved. He shares the parts of a good workshop, ways to keep attendees engaged, and how he measures success.

This is a revealing conversation for anyone who has wondered what successfully "democratizing" user research could look like. Daniel brings pragmatism and positivity to research education. You'll leave with a better sense of how to begin educating your own stakeholders on the power of user research, and maybe even get a democratization practice up and running.

Highlights 

• 12:12 - Empowering UX Researchers Multiplies Impact  
• 17:21 - Collaborative Research and Customer Insights 
• 22:08 - Guided Customer Research Workshops  
• 27:22 - Building Excitement Through Coaching  
• 36:38 - Benefits of Diverse Group Dynamics 
• 38:25 - Empowering Developer-Led Research Showcase 

About Daniel
Daniel Gottlieb is the Head of Research Operations for Microsoft’s Developer Division User Research Group. He received his PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on animal welfare (quality of life) and primate (monkey) behavior.  Daniel moved from researching monkey behavior, to managing research logistics at a National Primate Research Center, to managing UX Research Operations in Microsoft’s Developer Division. He is passionate about making research easy and accessible, teaching, and finding ways for disparate groups to work together to support a unified research mission.

Resources

• PwDR questions answered live by UXpert Nikki Anderson
• Discovery research exploring "people who do research"
• The "State of Research for Non-Researchers" Report

Michael breaks down the Bullseye Customer Method, including best practices for recruitment, question design, and analysis. He's found that research is more successful when it's a team effort, and shares ways to promote cross-team collaboration throughout the Bullseye process, like using watch parties for share-outs. Michael also weighs in (using his 30+ years in the industry) on topics like the current UX job market, the impact of AI on researchers, and the power democratization for resource-limited teams.

It's a must-listen for anyone working on early-stage products or struggling with visibility and buy-in from stakeholders.

Highlights

• 06:33 Defining Core Value Proposition
• 16:29 Founders' Key Concerns Analysis
• 21:58 Clarifying Customer Understanding
• 26:38 Effective Open-Ended Survey Questions
• 31:46 Leveraging Associations for Networking
• 43:01 Benefits of Team Watch Parties

About Michael
Michael joined GV in 2010 as the venture industry’s first UX research partner. As a UX researcher with over 30 years of experience, Michael has boosted conversion, tested new concepts, streamlined workflows, and defined bullseye customers for hundreds of companies. He helped develop the design sprint method made famous by the seminal book, Sprint. He has also written about his research work for startups at medium.com/@mmargolis. 

Resources

• Choose the right method with this selection tool
• Making research essential to company success
• The steps to asking better UX research questions

Today's guest believes these questions present opportunities for UX researchers. Brett Krajewski, VP Research and Growth at Accelerant Research, joins Erin and Carol to share strategies for researchers to stay sharp, stay relevant, and stay valuable. These include balancing business goals with user needs, being more experimental with methods, reframing how we use time for research, and more.

Highlights

• 06:30 Justifying UX ROI Amid Economic Challenges
• 12:02 Integrating Insights for Improved UX
• 18:50 Balancing User Needs and Business Goals
• 21:07 Scalable Research in Fortune 500 Companies
• 29:47 Innovative Strategies in Research Planning
• 38:30 Storytelling's Role in Research Impact

About Brett
Brett Krajewski is the Vice President of Research & Growth at Accelerant Research, where he leads the research and client solutions teams, delivering innovative insights to empower businesses and many fortune 500 companies. With a career spanning both in-house industry roles and consulting/agency leadership, Brett has built and led high-performing, multi-method research teams for Fortune 50 companies. His past roles include Head of Design Research: Customer at Walmart and Lead of Product Research at Lowe’s, where he drove customer-focused innovation and strategy.

Resources

• Complete Guide to UX Research Methodologies
• On-Demand Business 101 for Researchers Course
• Panel Discussion on the Future of UX Research

They join Erin to take us inside the enterprise, unpacking how research "happens" and what this has taught them about building cross-functional relationships. Specifically, Judy shares the value of using environmental inputs (like whether it's B2B or B2C) to map stakeholder structures, identify (and start using) meaningful metrics, and choose the right method for the moment.

Together, these strategies have helped Judy create lasting UX impact, building influence and trust with key stakeholders. Listen to learn how you can start creating more impact inside your organization, whether it's an enterprise or a startup.

Highlights

• 06:16 Learning and Research Challenges in Large Organizations 
• 10:56 B2C vs B2B: User Metrics vs Revenue Focus 
• 15:43 Adapting Research Insight Presentation to Stakeholder Needs 
• 17:43 Collaboration with Key Stakeholders and Functional Diversity 
• 22:39 Understanding Matrix Structures: Cross-Functional Roles & Incentives 
• 26:55 Embrace Details: Mastering Business Processes Efficiently

About Judy
Judy is a Senior Researcher at Salesforce, where she uses I use qualitative (e.g., interviews, codesign) and quantitative (e.g., text analysis, surveys) approaches to tackle strategic, exploratory, and evaluative research questions. She has worked at Meta, Hubspot, and Simplisafe, and has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University.

Resources

• Learn the fundamentals of business with this free course
• Use these five steps to calculate the ROI of UX research
• These skills build credibility and influence for more impact

Emily talks about the unique value researchers bring to design leadership, how she's had to adapt her approach, and explains how product experiences are iterated and improved at large companies with a strong design-research partnership. Emily also shares how she's preparing her team of designers for the future of UX work and the characteristics she looks for in a new hire.

Highlights

• 07:30 Essential User Understanding for Product Success
• 13:50 Identifying Users for McDonald's Enterprise Products
• 24:38 Developing Innovative Product Solutions for Shift Leadership
• 30:46 Balancing Innovation with Existing Workflow Challenges
• 34:56 Cultivating Patience and Persistence for Organizational Change
• 39:05 Ranking Four Attributes: A Favorite Interview Question

About Emily
Emily Wurgler is the Global Director, Experience Design at McDonald's. She has over a decade of research experience at places like PeaPod Labs, dscout, and Over the Shoulder. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Indiana.

Resources

• UX Designer's Guide to Research
• Working in Design Research Consulting
• Design Thinking for Better Partnerships

Andrew shares some of his team's own research on design collaboration, from how it's changed, what still needs improving, and how UX professionals can collaborate better. This includes the growing and evolving impact of AI. He also talks about what he learned during his recent parental leave—including the pervasiveness of screens—and how he's applying that learning to his own team.

Highlights

• 11:13 Design's Role in Software and Team Collaboration
• 18:01 Diverse Methods for Sharing Research Insights
• 20:46 Uncertain Future of AI: Expectations Reset
• 24:34 AI's Impact on Productivity and Team Collaboration
• 29:49 Overcoming Challenges: Standing Out in Content Saturation
• 33:05 Perceptions of Change: Exploring Role Spikiness

About Andrew
Andrew Hogan conducts research on the design industry and design practices to figure out what’s happening. He love anecdotes, anecdata and data. He also likes to write and speak about what he finds, sometimes in the form of jokes and is occasionally quoted by places like Fast Company, WSJ, Forbes, CNN, Business Insider, AdAge, CIO.com and Tech Republic. In the past he authored/co-authored 50+ Forrester reports about design, UX, CX and the design industry, and created CX certification training modules on journey mapping and data/AI + design.

Resources

• A Designer's Guide to UX Research
• Product x Research Collaboration Report
• The 2024 AI in UX Research Report

Graham takes us inside his strategy for this, including how team structures can affect change (and their impact on research tooling). He also unpacks just how important Research Operations (ReOps) is to planning, executing, and managing change at an organizational level. Finally, Graham looks ahead to the impacts of AI and how he believes it might help teams like CX, analytics, and marketing work together better.

If you've ever wondered about how companies grow and develop, and how these developments can impact user insights, check it out.

Highlights

• 08:16 Enhancing Collaboration through Transparent Tool Mapping
• 14:37 Harmonizing AI and Human Roles for Success
• 20:44 From Projects to Service Design: A Strategic Shift
• 23:46 Research Insights: Steering Through Complexity for Success
• 28:40 Integrating Research into Client Relationship Strategies
• 31:37 Insights from Backgrounds: Decoding Environmental Cues

About Graham
Graham Gardner, VP of UX Design Research Operations at U.S. Bank, is a researcher, designer, strategist, and maker. He brings a human-centered design lens to research ops (thanks to a long stint at IDEO and a background in inclusive education research). He works to collaboratively and iteratively understand and design research and design ecosystems that grow and evolve with the changing contexts of our beautifully messy world and the people that live in it. Conversations with Graham usually involve dad jokes, dog cameos, and snack breaks.

More Resources

• Guide to UX Research Strategy
• AI in UX Research Report
• The Importance of Research Operations

Will Notini joins to dig into that interplay—how research is at the heart of design and vice versa. In particular, he thinks the best companies are using design research principles to explore new opportunities, both what they create and how those experiences function.

Will also shares a framework for researching "fast and slow," the importance of participant recruitment, and how building trust with colleagues creates more impactful, lasting user insights.

Highlights

• 04:11 Uncovering Unbiased Insights Through Exploratory Design
• 12:20 Finding Participants Who Truly Care and Invest
• 19:43 Building Trust for Collaborative Design Discussions
• 24:54 Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Expertise-Sharing at IDEO
• 30:37 Simulated Research: Addressing Urgency and Resource Challenges
• 34:10 Iterative Learning: Updating Assumptions and Approaches

About Will
Will Notini is a Senior Design Research Lead at IDEO, where he is a generalist —drawing on his training in social science research to execute design and innovation work for clients in a range of industries. In his role, he manages multi-disciplinary teams and leads the research.

His background is in anthropology and did mixed methods market research in the restaurant industry before transitioning to design research and has been at IDEO since. He has also recently picked up an MBA and a potentially unhealthy (unrelated) obsession with tennis.

Resources

• The Designer's Guide to User Research
• How to Recruit Participants for Research
• Storytelling Basics for UX Researchers

Brad shares their three-step process for creating a research practice that's ready to deliver for the business, including the questions you must ask stakeholders. Using examples from Webflow, Brad also talks about tactical considerations such as managing cross-team research requests, the importance of Operations, and how they think AI will help with democratization.

This is must-listen for anyone building a research team, looking for ways to expand their influence or impact, and even early career folks who want a look inside an innovate team.

Highlights

• 03:14 Building Relationships and Networks for Long-Term Success
• 16:18 Monitoring Customer Trends for Strategic Insights
• 22:26 Optimizing Best Practices and Research Insights Activation
• 29:37 Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Risk Through Automation
• 36:22 Four Key Questions to Guide Your Research
• 40:41 Strategic Evolution and Research Maturity at Webflow

About Brad
Brad (they/them) is a UX Leader, User Researcher, Coach, and Dancer who's been helping companies from early-stage startup to Fortune 500 develop engaging, fulfilling experiences and build top-tier Research & Design practices since 2009. They have helped launch dozens of products, touched hundreds of millions of users, managed budgets ranging from $0 to $10M+, and coached hundreds of Researchers.

Resources

• Building a UX Research Team From Scratch
• Create Lasting UX Impact With Stakeholders
• The Three Facets of High-Impact Research

Caroline shares the ways she structures the UX team to support the product landscape at Dashlane, their processes for empowering colleagues to contribute to research, and why she prefers a "decentralized" model. The conversation also unpacks the core skills that Caroline emphasizes no matter the company: storytelling, actionable insights, and templates. Together, these help her team maintain rigor while scaling to meet new user experiences opportunities.

Finally, Caroline discusses how to balance the security and usability when conducting UX research, and forecasts what the future of data privacy and security might have in store, like passwordless authentication.
 
Episode Highlights

• 04:27 Implementing research in stages
• 07:22 The strategic impact of UX on a business
• 11:23 Focusing on ICP segmentation and user sophistication
• 18:06 The importance of privacy and data security
• 23:01 Decentralizing research processes
• 30:17 The importance of research in complex technology

About Our Guest
Caroline is a Design leader with experience in innovative companies transforming their industries. She has led design teams through all phases of product development and fostered a culture of open collaboration and feedback. Caroline was previously VP of Design at Handshake, Neuralink, and is now an AWS Design ambassador and Head of UX at Dashlane.

More Resources on Security in UXR

• A Researcher's Guide to Data Privacy Regulations
• NDAs and Consent Forms for UX Research
• Examining Ethical Design and Respectful UX

Erin, Carol, and Jo unpack each of these trends, flagging what they mean for both the work of researchers and the value of research more broadly. For example, these trends signal a rise in importance of the research generalist, the critical value of stakeholder influence, and the skills tomorrow's successful researcher must build today. Together, these trends and skills help create a roadmap for how researcher's can grow from a tactical resource to a strategic partner.

Episode Highlights

• 03:57 The nature of research in organizations
• 11:01 Transitioning researcher roles: from operational to educational
• 18:01 The importance of democratization in design
• 22:43 Overcoming resistance to research in design
• 30:25 AI's impact on user research trust
• 37:59 Understanding competitive landscape in building products

About Our Guest
Jo Widawksi is the Founder and CEO at Maze. He’s a veteran Product Designer & former UX teacher. As a UX lead working with clients like McKinsey, Rocket Internet & PSG, he saw first-hand how hard it is for product teams to get the data, insights, and feedback they need to make confident design decisions. Now he’s co-founded Maze, the continuous product discovery platform for user-centric teams.

More Resources

• Read the 2024 State of User Research Report (from UI)
• Read the Future of User Research Report (from Maze)
• Learn how to create stronger stakeholder relationships

After discussing the challenges facing today's UX researcher, the conversation shifts to what Auzita has seen work for researchers, both those working in large and small companies. Erin and Auzita touch on tools (like AI), tactics (like prioritization frameworks), and collaboration approaches to work more productively with stakeholders and teammates. They also discuss burnout's effects and the ways of combatting it.

Finally, Erin and Auzita make some predictions on where UX is headed in the months and year ahead, and what these trends might mean for our work.

Episode Highlights

• 03:53: Challenges and strategies of "doing more with less"
• 11:23: Addressing time and deadline constraints
• 21:38: Failure modes and avoiding burnout
• 32:05: Balancing tactical and strategic work
• 38:21: Emphasizing your research's impact
• 44:57: Adapting to blurred work boundaries

About Our Guest
Auzita has a background in computer engineering and Human Computer Interaction. She currently leads teams dedicated to optimizing customer support experiences and developing cutting edge AI tooling solutions at Airbnb. Prior to this she led the research and annotation teams at Sprig working on streamlining the process of obtaining real-time insights for product teams.

More Resources on Research Efficiency

• Scaling yourself while combatting burnout
• Doing user research on any budget
• A blueprint for scaling UX research

This wide-ranging conversation combines our guests' reflections on the trends that brought UX to its current moment with an analysis of what the future holds—and how we can prepare ourselves (and our teams) for it. From strategies on creating more business value for our work to tips for creating stronger cross-functional partnerships, this conversation will equip you with practical steps to future-proof your research practice.

Episode Highlights

• 09:28 - The evolution of the UX research industry
• 15:48 - Adapting UX methods for team dynamics
• 21:56 - Balancing our focus between the business and the user
• 30:45 - The role of UX research in fostering shared understanding 
• 41:18 - Planning strategically and anticipating team needs
• 47:27 - The promise of AI for user experience professionals

About Our Guests
Judd Antin is an executive coach, consultant, advisor, writer, and teacher, leveraging his 15 years of experience as a research, design, and product executive at top companies (Meta, Airbnb) and his PhD in Social Psychology & Information Systems from UC Berkeley to help individuals and organizations achieve their goals and overcome their challenges.

Dave Hora is the founder of Dave's Research Co. where he helps product teams drive critical initiatives with the right mix of data, insight, and common sense. He began professional research work in 2011, eventually starting the practice as the first research hire at six companies, including PlanGrid and Instacart.

Christiana Lackner is a UX research leader and dot connector. She's building research maturity within organizations so that teams involve the right people, ask the right questions, and act on the answers.

More Resources on the Future of UX Research

• The role AI will play in the future of UXR
• Connecting UX research to business revenue
• The 2023 State of User Research Report

Tyler shares some of the tools that create his research toolkit, including efficient note-taking, creative approaches to participant recruitment, and mixed-methods continuous discovery methods. He explains how session recordings and account impersonation can offer deeper insights when primary research isn't possible. Tyler reinforces the value of proactive research, such as social listening and competitive analysis.

This is a useful conversation for anyone without "researcher" in their title, but who wants to increase their customer engagement, build more thoughtful products, and do so in a way that respects both budgets and timelines.

Episode Highlights

• 03:16 - The scrappy mindset: learning from real-life experiences
• 10:21 - Broadening perspective through cross-industry inspiration
• 16:12 - Proactive user research for connecting and learning
• 24:17 - Streamlining customer feedback with TL;DR summaries
• 36:51 - Tools and tactics for customer insights
• 44:09 - The importance of pricing and packaging

About Our Guest
Tyler design interfaces for software products, builds internet businesses, and occasionally writes books. In his off time he's renovating a 100 year old Victorian house in the Pacific Northwest. In a past life he designed video games.

More Resources on UX Research for Designers and PMs

• The Product Manager's Guide to UX Research
• The UX Designer's Guide to Research
• Uncomplicated Recruitment for Non-Researchers
• "People Who Do Research," a Discovery Study

During their conversation, Claudia breaks down what revenue typically looks like for a company and where you can find the specific revenue goals for your company. Then she digs into the important processes of weaving those revenue goals into a research strategy from the start, offering examples from her time on product teams.

The discussion also explores the importance of triangulation, or combining multiple data types to form a more complete whole. Claudia explains that user researchers should balance conducting primary research with existing information to help clarify how UX is linked with wider business goals. She offers suggestions for teams big and small looking to make impact with the highest level decision makers and company executives.

Episode Highlights
06:07 - Strategic frameworks for company growth and revenue
12:05 - Leveraging competitive analysis for market success
22:06 - Creating meaningful insights for your business
30:05 - Tracking research impact: Setting expectations and routine updates
37:13 - Elevating projects: Moving from junior to senior stakeholders
44:39 - Triangulating data: Connecting research to company success

About Our Guest
Claudia is a leader with 10+ years experience leading product, strategy, and data teams across the enterprise and financial technology space. Her work has directly influenced companywide strategies, leading to a $5B total valuation, a successful international acquisition, and multi-million dollar growth fundraising rounds.  She advises and angel invests in early stage startups, in North America and Southeast Asia. Her areas of focus are enterprise, finance, and consumer AI-generated content.

Resources on Research Impact and Revenue

• A guide to showing the value of user research
• Claudia's textbook of choice for learning about revenue
• The three aspects of high-impact UX research
• The Business of Research Slack Community

Nadyne underscores the nuances of conducting user experience (UX) research within healthcare settings, unpacking the intersections of patients' lives, their health, financial well-being, and spiritual factors that can come with many diagnoses. She emphasizes the importance of being well-prepared to manage deep conversations, maintain objectivity while being viewed as human, and handle the delicacy of information with privacy and sensitivity.

Nadyne shares practical advice on approaching sensitive research topics, providing control to participants, giving space for the research team, and even using diary studies for a more comprehensive understanding of patient experiences. Additionally, she talks about the intricacies involved when working with healthcare players, from insurance providers to medical staff, and how their differing incentives shape patient care.

Episode Highlights

• 03:56 - Transitioning from tech to healthcare research
• 13:56 - Challenges when researching with medical professionals
• 21:32 - Navigating Sensitive Topics when recruiting patients
• 28:45 - Planning for legal requirements in user testing
• 35:24 - Data protection in healthcare research
• 41:11 - The unique rewards of healthcare research

About Our Guest
Nadyne Richmond is a user researcher and experience design leader with a track record spanning two decades. She has worked and led teams at places like IBM, Microsoft, Included Health, and Babylon. She started her career as an engineer, giving her a unique window in the challenges of creating products and services that are excel technically and meet the demands of customers and the business alike.

Resources From Nadyne

• Crucial Conversations book
• An Arm and a Leg Podcast
• Interviewing Users book

More Healthcare Research Resources

• A researcher's guide to data privacy guidelines
• Designing experiences for healthcare companies
• UX research strategies for building healthcare apps

The episode digs into the ways a solo UXR can start making an impact, but in a strategic, sustainable way. Julian identifies questions to ask stakeholder teams, processes to consider standing up, and the tools to consider investing in from the start. We also discuss the dual hat-wearing of UXR and Ops on smaller teams/teams-of-one. Julian shares how he balances his time between executing on business-critical work and organizing research workflows so that other teams can start connecting with customers.

Even if you're not a solo UXR or a team-of-one, Julian's experience building bridges between/across departments and his suggestions for aligning user research to core business goals from the start will help you and your team be more impactful.

Episode Highlights

• 03:49 - Strategies for success as the first researcher in an organization
• 12:52 - Strategies for building bridges as a researcher in a new organization
• 19:16 - Building essential processes for small research teams
• 27:59 - Comparing research repositories and insights hubs
• 30:47 - Triangulating insights from different teams
• 35:11 - Strategies for scaling your research capacity

About Our Guest
Julian is a UX Researcher specialized in Research Operations (ReOps), founder of the180 and based in Barcelona, Spain. Whether in-house or working with clients, he repeatedly found myself building Research teams from scratch as the first Researcher in the team. This experience helped him develop a real knack for infrastructure, so he decided to fully specialize myself in ReOps. He likes to talk about this as his switch "from Finder to Builder".

More Resources for Building UX Research Teams

• Use this checklist to organize and build your UX team
• The steps to build and lead an impactful UX team
• How to scale yourself while avoiding burnout

Victoria shares her framework for thinking about the differences between primary and secondary research, suggesting that instead of distinct categories, they exist on a continuum. She argues that primary research is sharper, more impactful, and has better ROI when it's supported by secondary research.

In addition to sharing best practices for desk research, Victoria walks through research her team conducted on how organizations approach research, offering strategies to maximize your efforts based on specific company growth stages and product demands. The episode closes by exploring how desk research is changing in light of emergent technologies such as large-language models and the benefits of reading widely.

Episode Highlights

• 06:39 - Integrating desk research into your research strategy
• 12:30 - Desk research techniques and best practices
• 17:41 - Unpacking trends in the kinds of questions asked during desk research
• 23:31 - How desk research is evolving alongside AI technology
• 25:14 - The role of curiosity in desk research and innovation
• 34:20 - How research repositories and agile methods impact desk research

About Our Guest
With a passion for turning complex inputs (data, research, behaviors) on customers, market dynamics, and competitors into smart strategies that drive growth, Victoria has spent the last decade helping companies ask better questions to get better data, source more powerful insights, and stay on top of important dynamics that matter. Previously at Morning Consult and Kantar, Victoria now focuses on all things demand gen, product marketing, market research, and growth strategies to deliver more value for Wonder users.

More Resources on Desk Research

• How to conduct (and write) a research literature review
• UX research is better with market research collaborations
• This database showcases AI-powered desk research tools

Lauren shares importance considerations and nuances around different types of studies and even analysis approaches. She also unpacks her approach for international samples, the impact of drop-off rates, and participant compensation strategies.

Going beyond sample sizes, we conclude with a discussion of how to better engage with stakeholders when advocating sample sizes, making these conversations about "how many to recruit" more informed. She also shares resources to use when making the case to stakeholders.

Episode Highlights

• 05:41 - Crafting research goals and parameters: a collaborative journey
• 13:48 - Flexible research design: navigating sample sizes and methodologies
• 19:57 - Tailoring sample sizes to research objectives: finding the right fit 
• 26:30 - Qualitative confidence and stakeholder expectations
• 34:11 - Diverse methodologies in quantitative research: beyond surveys
• 43:05 - Departing research wisdom on sample sizes generally

About Our Guest
Lauren Stern is a mixed-methods research leader focused on creating the most human-centered technology possible. Over the last ten years her work has explored how perception and social cognition shape our experiences with automated systems from military zones to living rooms. Whether exploring individual experiences in the field or looking at large-scale data collections, she loves the puzzle of study design and coaching new researchers through the process.

Resources on Sample Sizes

• This free calculator gives sample ranges based on your study needs.
• Need some research-backed sample size help? Bookmark this today.
• You must pay participants. This calculator helps ensure an fair amount.

They'll dig into the crucial role of human oversight in AI, what preliminary analysis might look like using AI, how to check and refine the work of an AI assistant without derailing your project delivery date, and recommendations for etiquette regarding the reporting of AI-informed results.

The episode closes with an exploration of the limits of AI and where user experience researchers can play a larger role in its development. George believes AI can (and should) inspire new directions of research, but not dictate them.

Episode Highlights

• 03:48 - Innovating consumer insights using AI
• 12:21 - Importance of human involvement in AI tools
• 20:04 - Enhance discussion sections with  AI tools
• 26:50 - AI-inspired insights provide inspiration, not guidance
• 34:12 - Interpretation beyond analyzing transcripts
• 36:46 - Applying engineering rigor to the process of building a business

About Our Guest
George Whitfield is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and CEO at FindOurView. As CEO of his most recent company FindOurView, he launched a Gen AI product to help user researchers synthesize insights faster from high volumes of customer interviews. George holds 4 patents and has 3 degrees from MIT including a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Masters and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.

Resources on Qual Data and AI

• Our AI in UX Report shares findings from a survey of over 1,000 researchers
• What does it mean to "code" qualitative data? This breakdown explains it all.
• Interested in trying an AI tool for your analysis? Here are 20 worth considering.

They explore the world of measuring the impact of UX research. with Pryor introducing a four-level impact assessment framework. Ruby shares a four-level assessment framework and the conversation moves to prioritization, making "strategic" decisions, and increasing your research influence.

This episode also gets into what it means to demonstrate the "business value" of one's work, specifically how researchers can and should quantify their impact in terms that are tangible to the company. Ruby will share ways to score early wins, build momentum, and overcome communication frictions to find shared value.

Episode Highlights

• 03:14 - UX researcher impact: insights, optimization, prioritization, strategy
• 09:14 - Understanding organizational structures and strategy development collaboration
• 20:22 - Challenge of quantifying impact and strategic level
• 21:33 - Measuring strategy impact: challenges and indicators
• 30:04 - Prioritizing investments based on strong market indicators
• 38:51 - Stakeholders prioritize growth, revenue, and cost reduction

About Our Guest
Ruby Pryor is the founder of Rex, a service design and UX research consulting firm. Her previous roles include UX research at Grab, strategic design at Boston Consulting Group and management consulting at Nous Group. She has taught courses on increasing the impact of UX to learners from 5 continents and has spoken about design and UX at conferences in Asia and Europe.

Resources on UX Research Impact

• How to Track the Impact of Your UX Research
• Leading an Impactful User Research Team
• Use Stakeholder Interviews to Drive Impact

Bryan share insights on how to prepare for conferences such as using apps to schedule meetings and emphasizing networking over solely focusing on content. He also discusses strategic scheduling to align conference participation with career goals and offers advice on making spontaneous, serendipitous connections.

The conversation also covers practical tips for adding value during small talk, how to approach and connect with other researchers, and the importance of being open, vulnerable, and willing to face rejection in the pursuit of meaningful interactions. Bryan provides guidance for both newcomers to the UXR field and seasoned professionals: overcoming imposter syndrome and leveraging transferable skills from related fields.

Episode Highlights

• 03:58 - Navigating the Unpredictable: Strategies for Introverts at Networking Events.
• 08:24 - Strategic Networking: Maximizing Opportunities Before and During Conferences.
• 12:33 - Networking strategies for academic and professional growth.
• 22:36 - Balancing Attendance: Prioritizing Conferences with Active Roles.
• 28:03 - Maximizing Remote Networking: Strategies for Engagement in Virtual Conferences.
• 33:07 - Conference Insights: Making the Most of Your Experience through Pre-Planning.

About Our Guest
Bryan Dosono, PhD, is a user experience research leader in the consumer technology space. He applies human-computer interaction research methods with visual storytelling to modernize the design of global marketplaces and online communities. He currently volunteers as a Conference Chair at UXPA International and serves on the User Interviews Research Council.

Looking for a UX community? Here are 16 to join for networking and development.

But as Joe Stubenrauch explains, the move also offers researchers the opportunity to pursue new career paths, improve work-life balance and geographic flexibility, and reinvent their lives.

And he should know: Formerly a professor of history, he walked away from tenure to join a big tech company as a UX Researcher at AWS. In this episode, Joe discusses his decision to walk transition to the private sector and shares thoughtful advice for others considering a similar move.

Highlights from the episode

• [04:06] Joe reflects on feeling burnt out, bored, and doubtful in academia 
• [11:23] What makes you happy? Joe weighs the pros and cons of things like mental health, geographic mobility, and proximity to family and friends.
• [19:41] Breaking into a new field, experimenting, and talking to people. 
• [34:47] The importance of having a portfolio that includes compelling stories 
• [41:35] Tactical advice for job seekers (resumes, LinkedIn profiles, job interview strategies, etc)
• [44:23] Working in a team environment as a former academic

About our guest

Joe Stubenrauch is a former professor of British history at Baylor University, and the author of a prize-winning book published by Oxford University Press. During the height of the pandemic, he walked away from tenure and joined a big tech company in order to redesign his life. Now as a UX Researcher at AWS, Joe has found unexpected similarities between his work as Victorianist and his work in the cloud. He also writes regularly about the transition from academia to industry and is obsessed with how people can reinvent their lives and careers.

You can follow Joe on LinkedIn.

The work of a Content Designer involves fitting the right words in the right places, understanding the nuances of things log in vs. sign in, and knowing the right words to use to engage customers. Content Design is an important part of the user experience—and the ROI is high. Like, “millions of $s saved through content-testing” high.

Erica Jorgensen is a Staff Content Designer at Chewy.com and the author of Strategic Content Design: Tools and Research Techniques for Better UX. She joined Erin and Carol on the podcast to discuss the ins and outs of content design, the importance of clarity for effective communication, and how to involve your audience in content design.

Highlights from the episode:

• 00:02:03: What is content design in the context of UX research?
• 00:06:48: Gaining clarity by thinking about the words you use frequently 
• 00:14:00: How Erica used simplified language to get customers to buy more insurance plans
• 00:26:42: Using cloze testing to ensure general content clarity
• 00:29:26: The importance of syllables and length 
• 00:39:46: Resources and guides for better content design
• 00:42:56: How Microsoft saved $2 million through content testing

  Sources and people mentioned

• BrainTraffic
• Chewy.com
• Cloze testing — “Cloze Test for Reading Comprehension,” NN/g.
• Curtis Kopf, Chief Experience Officer at REI
• Dylan Romero, Affiliate Instructor at University of Washington, UX at Microsoft
• Flesch–Kincaid – Wikipedia 
• Hemingway Editor
• Jorgensen, Erica. Strategic Content Design: Tools and Research Techniques for Better UX. (2023) — GET 15% OFF AT ROSENFELD MEDIA WITH CODE AS15
• MeasuringU (Jeff Sauro)
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Metts, Michael and Andy Wefle. Writing Is Designing: Words and the User Experience. (2020)
• Scott Kubie
• System Usability Scale
• Tracy Vandygam, Senior Content Designer at Mozilla
• Visual Thesaurus
• Winters, Sarah. Content Design. (2017)

About our guest

Erica Jorgensen is a staff content designer at Chewy.com and the author of Strategic Content Design: Tools and Research Techniques for Better UX, published in April 2023 by Rosenfeld Media. 

She's a content designer, content strategist, and team leader determined to bring greater respect to the content field. To that end, Erica speaks frequently at conferences including UXDX USA, UX Lisbon, Microsoft Design Week, the Web Directions Summit, and Button: The Content Design Conference, and on podcasts like The Content Strategy Podcast with Kristina Halvorson and Content Insights podcast with Larry Swanson. In addition to working in content roles for companies of all sizes, she has taught at the University of Washington and Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts. 

Erica earned her B.A. from the University of Connecticut and M.A. from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. In her free time, you can find her exploring Washington State’s wineries or hiking with her husband and rescue dog, Rufus.

Throughout the episode, Maria draws on her experience leading global teams at Facebook and Autodesk and a decade of research into the interconnectedness of leadership, design, and change to offer practical advice on how to approach change through a designer mindset.

In this episode, Maria, Erin and Carol cover:

• What is a “changemaker”?
• The qualities of effective leaders and change agents.
• How designers can employ their skills to drive change at scale.
• Treating design as a mindset.
• Building support and working with people who share a creative and open mindset.
• Why we need to believe in progress and continuous improvement.

Highlights

00:04:23 – Design is about helping people make sense of the world

00:09:34 – Maria’s research into the connection between leadership, design, and change

00:13:50 – The importance of understanding people’s resistance to change

00:16:28 – What is a changemaker?

00:18:04 – Design as a noun, a verb, a mindset that can lead change at scale 

00:24:30 – Qualities of effective change agents

00:33:19 – Why Maria hates the term “change management”

00:36:12 – Embracing failure as a learning opportunity

00:39:46 – The importance of passion, purpose, and a belief in continuous progress

About our guest

For three decades, creative teams and business leaders have sought the provocative vision and mentorship of Maria Giudice, GEW DEECE. After founding the pioneering experience design firm Hot Studio and leading global teams at Facebook and Autodesk, Maria’s mission today is to build the next generation of creative leaders. 

Through one-on-one coaching, group coaching, and team-building workshops, Maria unlocks the potential hidden in executives and the people they lead. A popular speaker at design and business conferences, Maria is also the author of four design books, including Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design, and most recently Changemakers: How Leaders Can Design Change in an Insanely Complex World.

That’s not for lack of caring—but building a customer-centric culture is easier said than done. And how you do this depends on whether you’re starting from square one or trying to change a company’s culture from the inside.

According to Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin, changing a culture towards customer centricity requires starting from the bottom-up. Building something new? Leaders should be obsessing over customer feedback, actively placing research and customer insights front and center from the very beginning. 

In this episode of Awkward Silences, Prayag sits down with Erin and Carol to discuss his strategies for building a customer-centric product culture at Marvin. Tune in to learn more about what it means to obsess over customers, doing research versus using research, how customer centricity is put into practice at Marvin, and more. 👇

Highlights: 

[00:00:31] The origins of Marvin

[00:04:40] Building a culture around customer centricity

[00:08:35] Why leaders should obsess over a customer centric culture

[00:13:59] How the rest of the team can keep customers front and center

[00:18:04] Balancing doing research and using research

[00:21:46] “Capital R” versus “lower case r” researchers 

[00:28:21] Getting researchers more involved in strategic conversations

[00:30:35] Practicing customer centricity at Marvin

[00:39:36] The Marvin repository

[00:46:53] Prayag’s parting words of wisdom: talk to your market

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• heymarvin.com

About Our Guest

Prayag Narula is an entrepreneur and trained researcher with a passion for building technology he always wished for when conducting user research. He is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Marvin, a qualitative data analysis platform and research repository for user-centric teams across the globe. He is further the Co-Founder and a Board Member for LeadGenius, a demand generation automation company automating and accelerating outbound sales and marketing for mid-marketing and enterprise companies across the world. 

Linus Lee, a Research Engineer at Notion, spends his time researching and learning about AI—how users interact with it, the challenges of building trustworthy AI systems, and its - potential to help people work more effectively.

In this episode of Awkward Silences, he sits down with Erin and Carol to discuss Notion’s approach to designing interfaces for Generative AI tools. 

Tune into this episode to learn more about the challenges of instructing AI, the importance of user feedback to the AI design process, security considerations, use cases, and more. 

Highlights: 

[00:05:03] Tools Linus is excited to see come to market

[00:06:50] Generative AI and its function at Notion

[00:10:22] Recognizing AI is useful versus finding the use cases for it

[00:13:58] Lessons from the Notion design process

[00:22:09] Breadth versus depth in workflows

[00:26:10] Learning about models in the wild

[00:28:52] Security considerations with AI products

[00:32:13] Understanding the difference between AI generated and human written text

[00:36:34] Should we be scared of AI?

About Our Guest

Linus Lee is a Research Engineer at Notion, prototyping new software interfaces for augmenting our collaborative work and creativity with AI. He has spent the last few years experimenting with AI-augmented tools for thinking, like a canvas for exploring the latent space of neural networks and writing tools where ideas connect themselves. Before Notion, Linus spent a year as an independent researcher in New York City. 

Andrea joins the Awkward Silences podcast to provide insight into how she learned to make research meaningful for stakeholders at higher levels of the organization. Having been hired to conduct discovery but with no plan set up for her, she took the initiative to interview the leaders within the company to understand their needs and identify opportunities for strategic research. 

Tune into this episode to hear Andrea’s advice on building relationships with stakeholders, approaching push-back, and creating meaningful change in the current research landscape.

Highlights: 

[00:00:50] Andrea’s motivation to give research a seat at the big table

[00:07:46] What bringing research to the big table really means

[00:11:06] Presenting research to bigger audiences versus smaller audiences

[00:14:08] Making presentations meaningful to the audience

[00:17:47] How Andrea made it to the big table

[00:22:26] How product-specific research can be escalated to the big table

[00:24:53] The marginalization of research today

[00:30:27] How changes in research apply to other fields

[00:32:23] Andrea’s advice for building courage

[00:36:17] The possibility of getting to the big table without presentations

[00:38:46] Navigating push-back

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• 📘 Awkward Silences blog
• 🔗 Andrea's LinkedIn
• 📘 Andrea's article: How to Present Research Insights to Executives with Ease
• 🎁 Get 3 free participants for your next research project with User Interviews
• ✍️ Take our survey to let us know what you want to see next

About Our Guest

Andrea M. Amorós is the Associate Principal Researcher at ADP, a payroll solutions provider leader globally. She has always been a really deep thinker, curious about understanding human behavior and the unconscious mind. Her expertise lies in conducting strategic research and discovering patterns at scale to improve people's lives. She has a background in Design Engineering and has worked in various startups, consultancies and large-scale corporations.

That’s how long Awkward Silences has been going with Erin and JH as hosts.

But now it’s time for something new.

JH says goodbye to Awkward Silences as he kicks off a new chapter in his career. Today, he and Erin reflect on the years. They share a bit of the original background to the podcast, their favorite memories, and even some behind-the-scenes aspects and outtakes that may surprise you. 

Tune into this episode to learn all about Awkward Silences and bid a fond farewell to JH 👇

Highlights: 

[00:02:01] Why did Erin pick JH as co-host?

[00:05:03] JH’s favorite part of the podcast

[00:06:52] A look back to when the podcast first felt “real”

[00:10:07] Favorite episodes, memories, and guests

[00:13:26] Secrets of the intro

[00:14:50] JH’s podcast future

[00:17:01] Where is JH heading?

[00:20:25] Funny outtakes and memories

Pejman Mirza-Babaei joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss how to transform research insights into actionable design decisions by collaborating with stakeholders. With over fifteen years of experience doing UXR and interaction design on various applications, Pejman shares insights on the importance of effective communication and collaboration; the need for actionable and cost-effective research; and the challenges and biases that can arise in decision-driven research.

Tune into this episode to learn all about the intricacies of decision-driven research 👇

Highlights: 

[00:01:53] Pejman’s extensive experience with games and user research

[00:04:40] Making good, directed, actionable decisions from research

[00:08:53] The inspiration behind The Game Designer’s Playbook

[00:13:14] Collaboration with stakeholders to determine research necessity

[00:16:53] Ensuring alignment between decision-makers and researchers

[00:23:30] When decision-centric research backfires

[00:27:31] Avoiding marketing your company to your participants

[00:30:07] Specificity in context 

[00:32:28] Navigating difficult decisions stemming from research

[00:37:03] Successfully seeing research insights through to action

[00:43:46] Life motivations mirrored in games

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• The Game Designer's Playbook

About Our Guest

Pejman Mirza-Babaei is a UX research consultant, author, and professor. His latest book, The Game Designer's Playbook, was published in September 2022. He also co-edited the Games User Research book (2018), a compendium of insights from over 40 experts on UX research in games. He has over 15 years of experience doing UXR and interaction design on various applications, from mobile apps to VR games and everything in between streaming content, console, PC games, and even delivery robots! He worked as the UX Research Director at Execution Labs (Montréal, Canada) from 2015 to 2017 and was a UX Researcher at Vertical Slice and Player Research (UK) from 2009 to 2013. 

You don’t want to chase your competitors, but you need to know what they are doing to know how you can improve.

Rachel Miles joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss the value of competitive research in UX and design. As the UX research lead at IBM, Rachel integrated competitive research at IBM to measure their products’ performance and to align their existing internal measures with external measures. She shares insights on selecting benchmark competitors or metrics, communicating competitive insights, and navigating legal challenges. 

Tune into this episode to learn how competitive research can inform your product development and strategy 👇

Highlights:

[00:00:41] Rachel’s interest in competitive research

[00:02:27] What makes up competitive research?

[00:05:54] Choosing your competitors to benchmark against 

[00:10:08] Determining benchmarking metrics

[00:16:33] Rule #1: Avoiding over fixating on the competition

[00:21:37] Opportunities for non-researchers to do competitive research

[00:23:28] Creating and sharing benchmark assets

[00:27:95] Managing participants for competitive methods

[00:30:11] Navigating legal challenges

[00:34:56] Priming participants for fake scenarios

[00:38:05] Teamwork makes the dream work in competitive research

About Our Guest

Rachel Miles, UX Research Lead at IBM, is a user experience researcher and strategist. A self-proclaimed nerd of all trades, she loves to learn about everything that crosses her path. In her spare time, you might catch her reading, drawing, traveling, or working on her blog where she talks about where technology meets wellness. 

Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s a part of a wider ecosystem of stakeholders, beneficiaries, and more.

Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial, recognized a clear gap in design methods that only addressed the individual user and the immediate product benefits: designing beyond the product with a systems thinking approach. As the author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, Sheryl says, 

She joins Erin and JH today to discuss how systems thinking can address the complexities and interconnectedness of products and their ecosystems, sharing practical strategies for integrating it into your own design practice. 

Tune into this episode to learn actionable advice on adopting a systems thinking mindset when designing user experiences 👇

Highlights: 

[00:01:18] The appeal of systems thinking

[00:08:45] Ethnography as a bridge between traditional UX methods and systems thinking

[00:14:29] Understanding when a problem calls for systems thinking versus when it does not

[00:22:37] Avoiding “chaos” when integrating systems thinking

[00:28:04] Systems thinking as a mindset rather than a set of tools

[00:31:30] Recognizing when methods are producing valuable results

[00:36:17] Utilizing systems thinking for speculative design

[00:41:34] The importance of multi-disciplinary groups in systems thinking

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers

Want a copy of Sheryl Cababa's book?

Use discount code: [cababa-awkwardsilences] for 15% off your purchase of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers at https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/systems-thinking-for-designers/.

About Our Guest

Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial and Author of “Closing the Loop - Systems Thinking for Designers,” is a multi-disciplinary director with over two decades of experience in product design and consultancy, mainly focusing  on systems thinking and evidence-based design. Her current role at Substantial, a design and software development consultancy, involves conducting research, developing design strategies, and advocating for human-centric outcomes. In her book, “Closing the Loop - Systems Thinking for Designers,” Sheryl introduces readers to a powerful systems thinking mindset.

• Starting with your core beliefs
• Maintaining neutrality
• Standing in the storm
• Honoring the wisdom of the group
• Upholding the agile mindset
• Honoring the group’s agenda

According to Marsha Acker, Founder, and CEO of TeamCatapult, 

In this episode, Marsha sits down with Erin and JH to discuss the art and importance of facilitation in group settings, focusing on the 6 key principles of great facilitation she wrote about in her book The Art and Science of Facilitation: How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams.

Tune in to hear her approach to facilitation, including methods, the preparation process, and how to build your facilitation skills.

👇

Highlights: 

[00:01:05] Defining facilitation: the art of leading people through a process towards a goal

[00:04:50] Reading the room and speaking the language of others

[00:06:08] Maintaining neutrality as a leader

[00:14:24]Standing in the storm of conflict and handling differences

[00:20:43] Honoring the wisdom of the group

[00:23:25] Enhancing agile processes with intentionality

[00:28:54] Honoring the group’s agenda 

[00:33:12] Familiarity versus externality: the pros and cons of different facilitator types

[00:35:57] Guidelines for facilitating workshops

[00:44:56] The importance of navigating invisible team dynamics

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey
• The Art and Science of Facilitation: How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams 
• Build Your Model for Leading Change

About Our Guest

Marsha Acker, CPF, CPCC, PCC, is the author of Build Your Model for Leading Change: A guided workbook to catalyze clarity and confidence in leading yourself and others, available now. She is the founder and CEO of TeamCatapult, a leadership development firm that equips leaders at all levels to facilitate and lead sustainable behavioral change. She is also the author of The Art and Science of Facilitation: How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams and the host of the Defining Moments of Leadership podcast. 

According to Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, upskilling product people to do research means letting them observe, sit in, and be present during each stage of a research project—not just being told what to do.

Helen went from doing scrappy research with 0 researchers to supporting 50 product people at The Economist to conduct great research with the help of 2 other UX researchers.

Tune into this episode to learn how she established UX research as a valued discipline at The Economist, plus how to balance developing research as a craft while supporting non-researchers at the same time. 

👇

Highlights: 

[00:04:11] From 0 researchers to 3 UXRs and 50 product people 

[00:13:30] The art of observation and note-taking during moderated interviews 

[00:18:59] Generative research? Bring in a pro researcher

[00:24:34] Helen’s biggest wins in instructing others on how to do research better

[0:31:07] Researchers develop the craft, but they don’t own it. 

[00:33:54] Actionable tips on setting guardrails for non-researchers’ research

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey

About Our Guest

Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, is a user-focused research expert with experience in insight, ethnography, design, and user research across commercial, government, and non-profit sectors. Her current role involves telling user stories that uncover opportunities and inspire action across the organization’s portfolio of digital properties. Before joining The Economist, Helen has had an illustrious career involving positions at The Guardian, a housing and homeless charity shelter, Lloyds Banking Group, and Asda. Recently she spoke at the Insight Innovation Exchange 2023.

According to Varun Murugesan, Co-founder of Apple and Banana,

Being good at scrappy user research is like being the Jason Bourne of research: being effective with what you have, even if you’re shot down by a tight research budget or limited in bandwidth.

Varun joins Erin and JH to discuss his tips for doing scrappy research, advice for finding and utilizing creative techniques in research, and the potential positive and negative effects of the AI explosion.

Highlights: 

[00:01:38] The value of “scrappy” research in tough economic times

[00:05:50] Being “scrappy” is about speed

[00:08:51] Innovating with scarce resources during the pandemic

[00:17:33] Enhancing creativity through messiness

[00:21:40] Sources of inspo for creative research

[00:25:07] Re-evaluating your work and success

[00:31:03] Research during the AI explosion

[000:35:55] 7 years strong doing research, plus new opportunities for the future

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• fruitful.appleandbanana.org

About Our Guest

Varun Murugesan is the Co-Founder of Apple and Banana, a UXR training and development company helping to build better products through fruitful research. He is also the author of Fruitful, an online UX research library and toolkit of resources for researchers and UX teams aimed at conducting user experience research that drives impact. He is also the Senior UK Researcher of SeatGeek, a mobile ticketing marketplace. Before these positions, Varun worked in UXR roles at Best Buy and Facebook. An entrepreneur, author, and researcher, Varun has spent his career immersed in psychology, technology, and design, and has been featured on a various media platforms sharing fruitful research and his personal UXR career journey.

A gift from Apple & Banana and Awkward Silences

Interested in trying Apple & Banana for your next research project? Use our code AWKWARD-FRUITS-35 to save 35% on Fruitful, an advanced UX research repository used by 100s of teams around the world.

Whether you are designing a research project, prototyping a product, or carving out your career path, unlearning plays an important role in learning new things. But how do we embrace them in a practical way that leads to viable success?

For Kevin Kelly, Publisher and Founding Editor of Wired, leaning on failure is a crucial aspect of the creative writing process—and the motions of life in general. From giving advice on embracing mistakes to finding true joy and fulfillment, Kevin Kelly shares a raw perspective on applying important life lessons to both work and life.

In this episode we discuss:

• Understanding “known failures” and “unknown failures”
• Forgetting and unlearning your bias. 
• Prototyping and experimentation in research and in life
• Career advice, tips, and hacks

Highlights:

[00:01:51] Navigating failure: tractable vs. intractable failures

[00:05:37] Understanding other people's beliefs and questioning our own

[00:12:25] The value of prototyping and experimentation in life and your career

[00:16:47] Redefining success and exploring unique opportunities

[00:22:15] Learning what to ignore and discarding unnecessary information

[00:33:44] Kevin's current project on a 100-year desirable future!

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• https://kk.org/books/the-inevitable

About Our Guest

Kevin Kelly is an accomplished author, speaker, and “evergreen optimist,” known for his work on technology, innovation, and the future. As the founding executive editor of Wired, Kevin has been instrumental in shaping discussions around technology and its implications on society. He has authored several influential books, including "The Inevitable," which delves into the technological forces that will impact our future. Currently, Kevin is working on a project envisioning a desirable 100-year future.

In this episode we discuss:

[00:02:37] The potential of AI for automating away the monotonous 

[00:14:23] Utilizing AI: building versus buying

[00:18:05] Tips for getting started with AI applications

[00:25:55] A shift in the roadmap of potential research products

[00:31:43] How utilizing AI could go wrong for researchers

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• grain.com

About Our Guest

Mike Adams is the CEO and Co-Founder of Grain, a communication platform for teams that helps capture video snippets with ease. Self-describing as a three-time founder with over ten years of experience building skills for job education software programs, Mike is a pioneer for fully immersive cohort-based education. His current mission with Grain is to help teams to share more understanding with each other and the people they work together to serve, thus creating a more cohesive working environment. Mike has authored several useful articles, including “The Founder’s Guide to Actually Understanding Users”. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• What does coaching entail?
• The individual benefits of coaching
• Finding the right coach
• When is it a good idea to consult a coach?
• What qualities do effective coaches have?
• Advice for aspiring coaches

Highlights:

• [01:48.73] Sylvana defines coaching and shares her career journey
• [07:05.40] Sylvana explains why most people look for leadership coaches
• [10:59.60] The difference between mentorship and coaching
• [19:40.69] When not to call a coach and the duration of a coaching arrangement
• [21:52.00] Factors to consider when choosing a coach
• [27:14.36] What you can expect from working with a UX coach
• [39:51.76] Career tips for aspiring coaches 

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• http://userinterviews.com/awkward
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvanarochetbelleri
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/elan-vital-coaching

About Our Guest

Sylvana Rochet is the Founder and Principal Coach at Elan Vital, a leadership coaching and personal development company that helps founders and executives tap into their full potential and achieve their goals. Before founding Elan Vital, she worked as a Partner and Executive Coach at Evolution, a leading coaching, consulting, and investment firm that specializes in working with high-growth companies.

In this episode of Awkward Silences, Devin Harold, Director of Research at Capital One, unpacks how to craft and refine a winning UXR strategy, including tips to help you make team playbooks, win stakeholder buy-in, and inform your strategy with maturity models.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The significance of a robust UX research strategy
• The definition of a good and bad strategy 
• Essential components of an effective research plan
• Aligning research with stakeholder needs and expectations
• Metrics and KPIs to evaluate progress and success

Highlights

• [00:01:17] Strategy vs delivery, prioritizing projects and allocating resources  
• [00:10:13] The role of flexibility and adaptability
• [00:15:38] Gaining stakeholder buy-in and tying research to organizational objectives
• [00:21:05] Establishing KPIs and metrics to measure progress and success
• [00:33:46] Periodic reviews and updates to maintain relevance and effectiveness

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
• UXR Maturity Models: Move to a more advanced level in your org by Nikki Anderson of Dovetail
• UX Strategy Components by Nielsen Norman Group
• The Organizational Appetite for Research by Behzod Sirjani

About our guest:

Devin Harold is the Director of UX Research at Capital One, where he leads a team dedicated to improving end-to-end experiences and touchpoints for one of the company’s primary business units. With over eleven years of experience in UX design and research, he has a deep understanding of research methodologies, leadership, strategy, frameworks, and interaction design. Devin’s expertise and leadership have been recognized with multiple awards, including the IDEA Award, Verizon Beyond Award, and Verizon Credo Award. 

This week on Awkward Silences, Daniel Pidcock, the co-creator of atomic UX research and founder of Glean.ly, joins Erin and JH to explain this new approach to research knowledge management. Additionally, Daniel shares success stories of companies that have used Glean.ly to integrate data from disparate sources and glean meaningful insights. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• What is atomic UX research?
• The pillars of atomic research
• How atomic research can improve your research strategy
• How does Glean.ly power atomic research?

Highlights:

• [01:38.75] What is atomic research? What is Glean.ly?
• [08:24.98] Daniel discusses why atomic research works, including how it helps organizations solve crime cases
• [11:14.58] How Glean.ly enabled Just Eat to grow and expand
• [14:06.67] One big benefit of atomic research powered by Glean.ly
• [23:59.45] Applications for atomic research and research strategy tips
• [38:27.70] The atomic research origin story

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• Glean.ly
• Cheat sheet

About Our Guest

Daniel Pidcock is the co-creator of atomic UX research and founder at Glean.ly, a UX research repository platform used by some of the world’s largest brands. He has spoken about atomic research at several events, including the UX Brighton Conference and Atomic UX Research for agencies. Before founding Glean.ly, Daniel worked as a UX consultant at Neighbourly, JUST EAT, and ie Marketing Communications. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Navigating a career path in UX research
• Making career moves that align with your goals
• How to start a career in UX research
• Pros and cons of different working environments 
• Vetting potential employers

Highlights

• [01:27] Marieke’s first job was at Nielsen Norman Group
• [04:42] The benefits of working at a large organization like LinkedIn
• [7:12] Getting started with– choosing a direction when you are new to UX research
• [12:57] How to vetMarieke shares valuable advice on vetting employers
• [19:37] How does the UX research team come up with research questions?
• [25:29] TJH summarizes the differences between working at a large company vs. a smaller firm
• [39:24] The best thing about consulting is “the breadth of who you get to work with, the different industries, different teams”

About our guest

Marieke McCloskey is the Director of UX Research at LinkedIn. For over a decade, she has worked as a UX researcher and consultant with the world’s most innovative companies, including Nielsen Norman Group and the NFL. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University College Utrecht and earned a MA in Cognitive Science at John Hopkins University. 

We’d like to thank everyone who attended the event, especially our guest speakers, panelists, and moderators. It was a truly extraordinary YouXperience for everyone. Head over to our blog to get a full recap of the 2023 YouX conference and videos of the sessions—we clipped all the awkward silences parts out, so you don’t have to. You can also download a recording of the entire event at the YouX event page.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Interviewing with confidence
• Mentorships and coaching
• Wellness and UX
• Your unique UX career path
• Dealing with imposter syndrome

Highlights:  

• [00:02:59] Interviewing with Confidence (Danny Essner) – Awkward silence is your friend and dealing with self-doubt
• [00:07:38] Will You Be My Mentor? (Paul Derby) – Navigating the mentor-mentee relationship
• [00:12:36] Reframing the Imposter Syndrome (Panel) – You are not a computer! The panel address imposter syndrome and getting to the root of the problem
• [00:18:06] Wellness and UX: Going Beyond the User Experience (Dr. Christelle Ngnoumen) – Dealing with stress through mindfulness. The power of language on your perspective
• [00:24:32] Research for All: Building Healthy Teams Through Democratization (Kate Kalcevich) – for all, How can we democratize research? Democratizing generative and evaluative research

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• YouX 2023 Recap: Learnings, Session Recordings, and Additional Resources
• YouX 2023 - The Event for You, Researchers

About our guests  

Danny Essner is VP of Marketing at Chameleon, a SaaS platform that allows startups to create personalized and engaging experiences for their users. 

Paul Derby is a SR. Manager of UX Research at ServiceNow. Paul is also the founder of Paul Derby Coaching, LLC, where he provides 1:1 coaching to UX researchers who want to establish their personal style of leadership.
Devin Harold is Director of UX Research at Capital One, where he leads a team focused on design and research for Capital One's Financial Services in New York.
Erika Spear has ten years of experience in qualitative and mixed-method research design and execution. She is currently a Research Manager at AnswerLab.
Varun M is a Senior UX Researcher at SeatGeek and the Co-Founder of Apple & Banana. 

Tiffany Eaton is a talented and creative self-employed graphic designer with expertise in logos, cover art, graphic design, children's illustration, and children's book illustration.

Nikki Anderson-Stanier is Founder & Managing Director of User Research Academy, a company that offers coaching, mentoring, and remote courses on UX Research. 

Fredrick Royster is an accomplished educator and UX/Web/Graphic Designer with over twenty years of experience in web design and front-end development.

Dr. Christelle Ngnoumen is Principal User Experience Designer at Headspace Health, where she leads internal and external research programs dedicated to the design of Headspace's evidence-based digital interventions.

Kate Kalcevich is Head of Accessibility and Innovation at Fable, a platform for people of all abilities, where she works on democratizing design and accessibility. 

For our guests' full bios, visit https://www.userinterviews.com/blog/best-highlights-from-youx-2023 

Mike Oren, Head of Design Research at Klaviyo, has built and scaled several thriving research teams from scratch throughout his career. In this episode, he discusses the power of company culture and shares advice on culture building.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The overall impact of research culture on companies’ bottom-line goals
• The anatomy of a “healthy” company culture
• Establishing cultural norms in your organization
• Dealing with challenges and avoiding mistakes
• Tips and tricks for nurturing and developing a research-focused company culture

Highlights:

• [00:01:11] Planting the seeds of research culture
• [00:03:18] The importance of psychological safety for UXR teams
• [00:06:04] Maintaining healthy conflict and avoiding cognitive bias
• [00:12:21] Attributes of a healthy research culture
• [00:21:45] How research culture fits in with the rest of the organization
• [00:28:39] Tips on how to build research awareness and educate stakeholders

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• http://userinterviews.com/awkward
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/klaviyo

About Our Guest

Mike Oren, Head of Design Research at Klaviyo, a technology company that provides an automated email marketing and SMS marketing platform. He is also the Founder of Societech, an Adjunct Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design, and an independent UX Research Consultant. Mike holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction and Sociology from Iowa State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and English Writing from DePauw University. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How bad research processes can give research a bad reputation
• Top most common ways that research can go wrong
• The relationship between research methodologies and project timelines
• Figuring out the right method for your research

Highlights:

• [00:04:27] Holly’s unique perspective from academic research and into tech
• [00:07:58] How can research go wrong?
• [00:10:20] The components of a good research model; what you need to get right
• [00:14:32] What to do with a research plan once you have it to ensure maximum alignment
• [00:16:54] How to combat biases in research and questionnaires
• [00:21:54] The interaction between methodology and the timeline in research
• [00:24:18] Figuring out the right method for your research
• [00:31:01] Interacting with stakeholders and organizations for the best research outcome

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• Holly’s LinkedIn
• H2R Product Science Website
• H2R Product Science LinkedIn

About our guest

Holly Hester-Reilly is the Founder and CEO of H2R Product Science, as well as a Product Discovery Coach and Consultant for the company. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York University, a Member of the Board of Advisors at Octane11, and a Product Advisor at Ergatta. Needless to say, Holly is an undisputed expert in her field, and we’re lucky to have her on the show! 

Join Erin and JH as they welcome guest Derek Osgood, CEO of Ignition, to examine the key components of a product launch. Derek shares his perspective on branding at scale as he outlines critical aspects to consider before, during, and after launch. He also provides a step-by-step walkthrough of a successful go-to-market strategy, complete with specific marketing tactics for planning, targeting, collaboration, and research.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What makes a successful product launch?
• The elements of a winning launch
• Best research practices, tactics, tips, and tools
• Common mistakes and oversights

Highlights:

• [00:03:37] The ingredients to a successful launch
• [00:08:34] Walkthrough of a successful launch (plus a laundry list of important questions to consider)
• [00:12:11] Internal marketing and the importance of communicating across teams
• [00:17:17] How teams get it wrong, dos and don'ts
• [00:20:39] A simplistic way to segment your audience
• [00:26:25] Message testing tips - the how, when, and why
• [00:32:02] Specific tactics and tools Derek uses to find pricing and understand features

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• http://userinterviews.com/awkward
• Ignition LinkedIn

About Our Guest

Derek Osgood is a product marketing specialist, entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of Ignition, a platform that helps brands streamline go-to-market strategies. He has launched several products that have collectively generated over $1 billion in revenue. Before Ignition, Derek worked as Director of Product Marketing at Rippling, Director of Marketing and Growth at BBVA, and as a Product Manager at Playstation. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• The value and impact of growth research
• Key differences between growth research and product research
• Research workflows and the dynamics of working relationships
• Research methodologies, tactics, and toolkits

Highlights:

• [00:01:08] What is growth research? What is platform research?
• [00:06:52] One big difference between growth research and product research
• [00:12:07] How does growth research "operate within the growth context"?
• [00:09:39] Support from leadership and the value of research in the context of growth
• [00:15:18] Carlos shares Nubank's approach to qualitative research
• [00:18:34] Carlos details his team's creative approach to data collection
• [00:28:41] Tactics for identifying the impact of research
• [00:28:41 Triangulation is a requirement of UX research; it's also the trickiest part to get right

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• Nubank website
• Nubank LinkedIn

About our guest

Carlos Tellez is a digital strategist, UX researcher, service designer, and education enthusiast. Currently, he is the UX Research Manager at Nubank. Much of his work is focused on creating effective research teams and advancing the field of UX research. Carlos has a Master's degree in Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He also has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Vassar College.

Alfonso de la Nuez, Co-Founder, CVO & BoD Member at UserZoom, and Dana Bishop, VP, Strategic Research Partners at UserZoom, drop by to discuss the evolution of the UX and muse on Adobe's recent acquisition of Figma. They take Erin and JH along for a retrospective look at the past 30 years of UX, dig into industry trends, and explore the nuances of user research.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The reasons behind the rise of UX tools like Figma
• The nature of collaboration in UX design, research, and stakeholders
• How tools affect the way we approach projects
• An evolution of UX design and UX research

Highlights:

• [00:01:52] Why is Figma the “darling of the design world”?
• [00:06:37] Prototyping changing for two reasons: time and necessity
• [00:13:09] Alfonso puts things into historical perspective with an anecdote
• [00:17:28] Fundamental differences between UX design and UX research
• [00:24:38] Dana discusses one dramatic industry change
• [00:30:06] A CX story about an encounter DoorDash
• [00:36:46] What's the next big thing in UX research?

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• http://userinterviews.com/awkward
• https://www.figma.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/userzoom
• https://www.userzoom.com

About Our Guest

Alfonso de la Nuez is Co-Founder, CVO & BoD Member at UserZoom. He has over seventeen years of experience in various disciplines, including UX, digital marketing, eCommerce, web design, and user-centered design. He is also the author of The Digital Experience Company, co-founder and former CEO of Xperience Consulting, and former co-founder and CEO of Xperience Consulting.

Dana Bishop, VP and Strategic Research Partner at UserZoom, has over twenty years of experience in UX research. After spending nine years at Keynote Systems, Dana worked at Key Lime Interactive until she joined UserZoom in 2017. Her work in UX research is primarily focused on competitive research and benchmarking. Currently, she is co-host of UXpeditious, a weekly podcast exploring the world of UX.