Shows
Awkward Silences#122- Exploring UX Research Career Options with Marieke McCloskey of LinkedInWhat are the best UX career options? How do you vet a potential employer to ensure it’s the right fit? Should you join a smaller firm that offers plenty of autonomy and flexibility, or does it make more sense to work for a larger company with a ton of resources? Erin, JH, and Marieke McClosky, Director of UX Research at LinkedIn, address these questions, examining UX research as a career and a practice as they discuss Marieke’s journey as a UX researcher. In this episode, we discuss:Navigating a career path in UX...
2023-03-2942 minAwkward Silences#119 - It’s Not Research, It’s You! with Holly Hester-Reilly of H2R Product ScienceIn this episode of Awkward Silences, Erin May and John-Henry Forster are joined by Holly Hester-Reilly, CEO and Founder of H2R Product Science. They delve into how research can go wrong, how bad research processes can give research a bad reputation, and how the methodology and timeline of your research can complement each other. Holly also outlines the best way to determine the right research method for your product. Tune in for an engaging conversation on research best practices with industry experts.In this episode, we discuss:How bad research processes can give research a b...
2023-03-0853 minAwkward Silences#117 - Understanding Growth Research with Carlos Tellez of NubankErin May, John Henry Forster, and Carlos Tellez, Growth Research Manager at Nubank, get to the bottom of growth research. This episode is focused on two of Erin's favorite things – optimization and research. They discuss how research informs growth teams as Carlos describes the moving parts involved in the research process. Listen to hear what Carlos loves the most about his job, the scope of growth research, research design methods, tools, and tactics.In this episode, we discuss:The value and impact of growth researchKey differences between growth research and product researchResearch workflows and the dynamics of...
2023-02-1541 minAwkward Silences#115 - Optimizing In-Product Research with Ryan Glasgow of SprigIn this episode of Awkward Silences, hosts Erin May and John Henry Forster welcome Ryan Glasgow, CEO of Sprig, to discuss the importance of in-product research. They dive into Sprig’s generative and evaluative research tools, as well as recruiting current customers and reaching out to prospective users for market research. The conversation concludes with a discussion about best practices for in-product research. In this episode, we discuss:What is in-product research? Why is it important?The power of real-time research post-launchStrategies and best practices for conducting in-product surveysShortening the feedback loop with Sprig
2023-01-1832 minAwkward Silences#107 - Making Research Ops Visible with Benson Low of REA GroupMost people have no idea what UX researchers do. Even less known is what Research Ops Specialists do, which is why one of the Research Ops community’s main priorities is to shine a light on the people, mechanisms, and strategies that set research in motion.In this episode of Awkward Silences, Hosts Erin May and John-Henry Forster chat with research design leader Benson Low about why it’s time to bring attention to Research Ops. They discuss the emerging role of Research Ops specialists, and Benson provides several strategies that can help communicate the value of Rese...
2022-11-1743 minAwkward Silences#92 - What Librarians Can Teach UXRs about Insights Repositories with Nada Alnakeeb of DoorDash and Joanna Perez of NetflixPublic libraries have been using insights repositories for decades—and it’s time user research teams catch up. This week, we’re joined by Nada Alnakeeb, Head of Design and Research Operations at DoorDash, and Joanna Perez, Sr. Taxonomy Strategist/Digital Archivist, Studio Production at Netflix. Nada and Joanna shared learnings from their experience building the insights repository at Meta, using familiar organizational patterns to reduce mental load, tips for effective taxonomies, and more.Highlights[00:01:34] Their experience building the repository at Meta[00:05:54] How to archive fleeting or one-off insights[00:07:59] Tools and teams required to build...
2022-05-0545 minAwkward Silences#91 - Design Psychology with Thomas Watkins of 3LeafWhat is design psychology? Thomas Watkins of 3Leaf compares it to ergonomics—both fields aim to make products feel as comfortable as possible for their users. Where ergonomics is concerned with things like the shape of your office chair’s back or the height of its armrests, design psychology is all about making software experiences more intuitive and reducing cognitive load.This week on the podcast, Thomas chatted with Erin and JH about the similarities and differences between design psychology and UX research, risks and need-to-knows for psychologists transitioning into business research, the power of mental models, and...
2022-04-2030 minAwkward Silences#90 - The State of User Research 2022 with Roberta DombrowskiThe State of User Research 2022 Report unpacks the data from our international survey of UX researchers and people who do research as part of their jobs. This week, we met with Roberta Dombrowski, VP of User Research at User Interviews and one of the creators of the report, to talk about how it was made and what she thinks of the insights. She talked about the rise of buy-in and demand for research, what democratization means for professional researchers, and her predictions for the future of user research.
2022-04-0540 minAwkward Silences#89 - UX Agencies: Setting Clients Up for Success with Karen VanHoutenDoing user research in an agency setting comes with its own set of challenges—from context switching to stubborn clients to less-than-optimal tool stacks.Karen VanHouten, Director of Product Strategy at Philosophie by InfoBeans, spent most of her career in enterprise B2B before transitioning to agency life. In this podcast episode, Karen shared some great advice on setting expectations, fostering ongoing client relationships, and why she thinks more researchers should be involved in the sales cycle.Episode highlights[00:01:29] Transitioning from enterprise B2B to agency life[00:03:05] The value of getting involved in the sa...
2022-03-3039 minAwkward Silences#88 - Research Operations for Democratization at Scale with Garrett TsukadaThe democratization of research continues to grow—and with it, the complexities of research operations. This week, we chatted with Garrett Tsukada, Head of Customer Connect UX Research Operations at Intuit about how research ops supports democratization at scale. He talked about how Intuit approaches research democratization for a 14,000+ team, guardrails and processes to ensure research quality, advice for starting and scaling a research operations function, and more.Highlights[04:39] How Intuit approaches research democratization at scale[11:53] The compounding value of research education[13:28] Guardrails and processes to ensure research quality[24:02] Keeping up with the growing demand for de...
2022-03-0236 minAwkward Silences#87 - User Interviews 201: Leveling Up Your Interviews with Therese Fessenden of NN/gYou’ve mastered the basics, but now it’s time to take your interviews to the next level. This week, we chatted with Therese Fessenden, Senior User Experience Specialist at NN/g about how to get even better at interviewing. She talked about how to master the basics, hone your skills, and become an A+ interviewer.Highlights[3:40] You can get more out of your interviews by going in with a solid plan.[9:44] Mastering probing questions.[20:36] Common mistakes people make when they get comfortable doing research, like oversharing.[29:19] Staying objective as you get further into the rese...
2022-02-1541 minAwkward Silences#86 - Research is Everyone’s Job: The Democratization of Research with Jonathan Widawski, CEO of MazeShould everyone do research? It’s a tricky question. Yes, research is a craft that takes years to master. But on the other hand, if we want research to happen all the time, everyone needs to be able to do some of the basics on their own. Today, we talked to Jonathan Widawski, Founder and CEO of Maze about how the democratization of research is actually advancing the craft. He talked about the need for researchers to be good teachers, how research can grow in the same way data and design did, and why the future is user-centric....
2022-02-0126 minAwkward Silences#85 - So Meta: Doing User Research at UXR Company with Roberta Dombrowski of User InterviewsIt’s our most meta episode yet. Today, we chatted with Roberta Dombrowski, VP of User Research at User Interviews, about doing user research about user researchers at a user research company. Listen in to learn about how adding a formal user research practice has benefited the UI team, the challenges of going from an IC to a leadership role, and building a research practice from the ground up.Highlights[2:58] What’s different about being a user researcher for a user research platform.[11:04] Roberta's biggest wins from adding a formal researcher to the...
2022-01-1839 min
NN/g UX Podcast17. User Research Trends: What's Changed and What Hasn't (feat. Erin May and JH Forster, hosts of Awkward Silences)There is no question that user research has changed over the last two years, but how significant are those changes? The answer is complex, but User Interviews' Erin May (VP Growth & Marketing) and JH Forster (VP Product) demystify these trends and share their observations and hopes for the years to come.
Check out the Awkward Silences podcast by User Interviews
Erin May: Twitter (@erinhmay), LinkedIn
John-Henry (JH) Forster: Twitter (@jhforster), LinkedIn
User Interviews: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
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Recruiting and Screening Candidate for User...
2022-01-0734 minAwkward Silences#84 - B2B Recruiting with Matthew Morrison of BrazeRecruiting participants for user research is hard. Recruiting participants from a pool of your own customers? Somehow even harder. There’s client relationships, privacy concerns, and lots of red tape. This week on the podcast, Matthew Morrison joins Erin and JH to share what he’s learned after a year of B2B recruiting at Braze.Highlights[2:04]The key problems with B2B recruiting.[8:22] Make your sessions as short as possible, 30-45 minutes is best.[12:53] How to make users feel connected to research, even if you can’t offer an incentive.[16:53] How to work with internal stakeh...
2022-01-0441 minAwkward Silences#83 - Being Black in UX Research with Dr. Lisanne Norman of GustoWhat’s it like to be black in UX right now? Are companies sticking by their plans for diversity and inclusion? How do researchers ensure their work is as inclusive as possible? This week on the podcast, Dr. Lisanne Norman joins Erin and JH to talk about all this and more.Highlights[8:13] What to do when people try to make diversity and inclusion your job. [11:12] How including Black participants created aha! moments.[18:01] Creating an environment of openness with participants is key to understanding their experiences.[23:56] How Black UX Austin came to be.[29:52] The challenge of com...
2021-12-2043 minAwkward Silences#82 - Games User Research — with Steve BromleyCreating a video game requires more than just development time and coding—to make sure the experience is enjoyable, you have to test it. In this episode, User Researcher Steve Bromley joins us to discuss the nuances of conducting user research in the video game industry.He describes integrating user feedback with the developer's creative vision, recruitment for games research, and the evolution of the gaming industry since he first started.Steve talks about…How to integrate user feedback with the developer’s creative vision.What playtesting is (and isn't).The surprising challenges of recrui...
2021-12-0845 minAwkward Silences#81 - Establishing Sustainable Research Practices with Gregg Bernstein of Condé NastHow do you build a long lasting research practice? Aim for a healthy one. Gregg Bernstein you how. This week on the podcast, Gregg talked to us about how to contribute to a healthy research practice every day and what a healthy practice even means.Highlights[3:26] Can you have a healthy research function without dedicated researchers?[14:20] Sharing contextualized insights with relevant teams can help you build value as you work.[24:40] What's an unhealthy research culture?[33:13] Contributing to a healthy research culture every day.[36:41] UXR Hot Topics: Democratization and research culture.[40:03] UXR Hot Topics: Burnout a...
2021-11-2344 minAwkward Silences#80 - UX Research and Arab Cultures – with Norah Abokhodair of MicrosoftDoing research with users from different cultures is (very, very) important. It can also be complicated. In this episode, we are joined by Norah Abokhodair, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, who spoke about conducting research in Arab cultures.She explained some of the nuances of Arabic and Arab cultures, how to recruit diverse participants, and how to adjust your research style depending on the context.Highlights[2:11] If you want to build products for everyone, include a more diverse audience in your research.[6:44] Diversely designed experiences are our right—overcoming a cultural hesitancy to critique “West...
2021-11-0937 minAwkward Silences#79 - Participatory Research – with Alexis McNutt Unis of BetterWhat is participatory research? And how do you include it in your UXR practice? Alexis McNutt Unis, Lead UX Researcher, Homeowner Experience at Better is here to explain.Alexis shared how she involves stakeholders in engaging workshops, co-creates with participants, and takes research readouts to the next level to drive a participatory research practice that works for everyone.Highlights[1:29] What is participatory research anyway?[4:58] How Alexis does participatory research.[11:54] The five Es—Entice, Enter, Engage, Exit, Extend.[23:09] How do you decide when to involve which people in participatory research?[32:35] Participatory research strategies for beginners.[37:20] Ho...
2021-10-2741 minAwkward Silences#78 - Accessible UXR: Recruiting and Researching Participants with Disabilities – with Samuel Proulx of FableWe learned so much in this week’s episode of Awkward Silences. Samuel Proulx, Accessibility Evangelist at Fable, joined us to talk to us about accessibility and why it (really, really) matters.He taught us about the assistive technologies that many people with disabilities use to navigate the digital world, why accessibility is more important now than ever, and how designing for accessibility makes everyone’s user experience better.Highlights[2:09] What an Accessibility Evangelist does.[7:39] How to start doing research with people with disabilities.[15:59] Start your accessibility journey by making sure accessibility feedback has somewher...
2021-10-1349 minAwkward Silences#77 - Breaking Into User Research – with Eniola AbioyeEniola Abioye—user research career coach—joined us for a special live episode of Awkward Silences. She answered audience questions and shared some of her best tips for crafting a research portfolio that stands out, transitioning from different fields, and why not everyone needs a bootcamp.Highlights[6:16] How to learn more about user research on your own. [17:17] Tailoring your resume to UX research roles.[22:38] Building a standout user research portfolio.[26:40] Eniola’s honest opinions on bootcamps.Resources mentioned in the episodeEniolaAbioye.com Thinking Fast and SlowLevels.FYIUXRC UX Research Salary ReportCourseraLinkedIn Learning...
2021-09-2951 minAwkward Silences#76 - UXRs Need to Care About the Business, Too – with Zack Naylor of AureliusThis week we’re joined by Zack Naylor, CEO and co-founder of UX research tool Aurelius. We spoke about what researchers need to know about their company, why tying research outcomes to business impact is so important, and how to navigate the waters when business goals and user research don’t align.Zack talked about…Conducting stakeholder interviews to deeply understand your business.Choosing a company that aligns with your values and personal goals.Using business knowledge to get high level stakeholder buy-in.Highlights[3:52] Get to know the business by taking the time to con...
2021-09-2135 minAwkward Silences#75 - Debunking UX Research Myths with Zach Schendel of DoorDashAs a seasoned researcher who has led teams at Unilever, Netflix, and DoorDash, Zach Schendel has come up against every type of skeptical stakeholder you can imagine.He joined us to chat about the research myths he runs into most often, how he debunks them, and why he wants to banish “let’s do a qual” from everyone’s vocabulary forever.Zach talked about…The 4 UX research myths he’d like to debunk once and for all.Stories from his time at Unilever, Netflix, and DoorDash.How he gets stubborn stakeholders onboard, even if they’re hesit...
2021-09-0847 minAwkward Silences#74 - Building a Product Vision with Rajesh Nerlikar of ProdifyRajesh Nerlikar works with companies to help them build great products. As the CEO of Prodify, he and his team advise startups on how to build impactful, vision-led products that get customers excited. In his experience, the best way to get teams on the same page is with a compelling product vision that’s easy to understand.In this episode, Rajesh joins Erin and JH to chat about why great product visions are like comic strips, the hard work of actually putting those visions into action, and how to get stakeholders on board with it all....
2021-08-2440 minAwkward Silences#73 - Getting Stakeholder Buy-In at a Large Organization with Meg Pullis Roebling of BNY MellonMeg Pullis Roebling, Head of CX Research, Data & Analytics Solutions at BNY Mellon, talks us through her approach to building relationships with stakeholders, finding people to support her research efforts, and making research visible to the whole organization.Meg discussed...How she convinces relationship managers to get clients involved in research.What metrics she uses to make the case for research.How to know when research is weaving its way into the fabric of your organization.Highlights[2:48] A few reasons your organization may not believe user research is important (yet). [8:41] How to get t...
2021-08-1033 minAwkward Silences#72 - How to Ask Great UX Research Questions with Amy Chess of AmazonYour research question is where it all begins. It’s what drives your research forward, informs when you’re ready to wrap up your project, and it’s what gets everyone involved on the same page. But how do you know you’re asking the right research questions? This week on the podcast, Amy Chess, UX Researcher at Amazon, chatted with Erin and JH about how she chooses which questions to ask in her user research projects.Amy talked about…The difference between research questions, research objectives, and interview q...
2021-07-2740 minAwkward Silences#71 - Running a Blended Research Team with Dave Chen of FlippInsights can come from a lot of different places. Support tickets, sales calls, market research studies, and of course, dedicated user research are all a part of an organization's insights funnel. But how do you synthesize all that data into useful insights for your business? Dave Chen, Director of Consumer Insights at Flipp, does it by blending his CX, UX, and Market Research teams into one superpowered insights group. Erin and JH chatted with Dave about how he handles all that research, who does what in a blended org, and how he gets stakeholders o...
2021-07-1328 minAwkward Silences#70 - Radical Listening and Practical Empathy with Babz J.R. HallResearchers talk a lot about the importance of empathy. But what the heck does ‘empathy’ actually mean? What does empathy really look like in practice? Babz Jewell—an ethnographic sociologist and Principal UX Researcher at Variant—is here to explain. She joined Erin and JH to share her practical approach to empathy and active listening, and how these skills have transformed her UX research practice.Babz talked about…How active listening can help UX researchers improve their entire research process.Building better relationships with stakeholders. Using notetaking to be a better active listener. Highli...
2021-06-2931 minAwkward Silences#69 - Thinking Styles and "Average" Users with Indi YoungIndi Young has been researching people (not users), coaching, writing, and teaching about inclusive product strategy for over 25 years. Earlier this week, she joined Erin and JH for a live podcast episode to explain why researchers and designers are doing it all wrong! Okay, not exactly. But she did explain how researching and designing for the majority or “average user” actually end up ignoring, othering, and harming the people our designs are meant to serve. Indi shared how she finds patterns in people’s behaviors, thoughts, and needs—and how she uses that data to create thinking styles th...
2021-06-1848 minAwkward Silences#68 - Actionable Generative Research with Lucy Denton of DovetailShortly after Lucy Denton joined Dovetail as Product Design Lead, she was tasked with running a large-scale opportunity research project—and then making sense of all the insights. And the stakes were high; after all, she was researching user researchers! This week on the podcast, Lucy chatted with Erin and JH about how she knew it was time for a big generative research project, how she got the whole team involved, and what she did with all that research. Lucy talked about…How she and the team knew it was time for a big g...
2021-06-0230 minAwkward Silences#67 - Growing a UX Research Startup with Basel Fakhoury of User Interviews and Benjamin Humphrey of DovetailIn this special episode, two UXR CEOs geek out about their work, the challenges of building tools for user researchers, and the future of UX research tools.This week we’re mixing things up a bit. Basel Fakhoury, CEO and cofounder of User Interviews, and Benjamin Humphrey, CEO and cofounder of Dovetail, braved transpacific timezone scheduling to chat about starting a company in the UX research space, what their teams are working on now, and what they think the future holds for user research tools.Their conversation is available as...
2021-05-1837 minAwkward Silences#66 - Agile Research Ops with Joey Encarnacion of SlackHow do you measure success in a still-evolving field? Joey Encarnacion has been working in research ops since 2017. He joined Erin and JH on the pod to talk about Slack’s Rolling Research program, what success looks like for his team, and how he builds systems that scale.Joey discussed…Ensuring research ops can scale by building the smallest operable system firstHow he measures the success of his efforts in such a new field Slack’s Rolling Research programHighlights[2:14] Research operations as connective tissue within a...
2021-05-0440 minAwkward Silences#65 - The Best of Awkward Silences (So Far)To celebrate our launch on Product Hunt, we're taking some time to reflect on what Awkward Silences is all about. Guests featured in this episode, in order:Jon Macdonald, Founder of the GoodCat Noone, CEO of StarkRoy Opata Olende, Research Operations Manager at ZapierMaria Rosala, User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman GroupJoel Klettke, Founder of Case Study BuddyErika Hall, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at Mule DesignHarrison Wheeler, Senior Manager, Product Design at LinkedIIn
2021-04-3007 minAwkward Silences#64 - Civic Tech with Cyd HarrellWhether you’re paying a parking ticket or getting a divorce, chances are high that you’ll go through some (if not all) of that process online. Chances are also good that the UX of that process will be… not great. Cyd Harrell wants to change that.Cyd—prominent Civic Design Consultant and Service Design Lead at the Judicial Council of California—has been working in civic tech since 2012. She’s passionate about helping governments create digital services that meet people where they are. In this episode, Cyd joins Erin and JH to talk about her past projects, na...
2021-04-2042 minAwkward Silences#63 - Information Architecture in UX with Page Laubheimer of NN/gInformation architecture is everywhere. Page Laubheimer, Senior User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, joins our hosts to shed some light on the complicated topic of IA and how the way we organize data impacts how we interact with products. He explains how and when to do IA work on a UX project, which research methods you’ll need, and how to launch your IA career.Page talked about…How and when to do IA work on a UX projectWhich research methods you’ll need to use to improve your IAHow to launch your IA career...
2021-04-0643 minAwkward Silences#62 - The State of User Research with Katryna BalboniOur third annual State of User Research survey gathered insights from 525 people who do research around the world. Katryna Balboni, our Content Director, joined the hosts of Awkward Silences to talk about how the 2021 report came together. They discussed the challenges of survey design, the changing landscape of user research, improving stakeholder buy-in for user research, and (nerd alert!) large-scale medieval surveys.In this episode, Katryna talks about…How we (re)designed our survey and distributed it to user researchersThe relationship between stakeholder buy-in and UX researcher job fulfillmentGetting philosophical about survey distribution and representative audiencesThe “Grea...
2021-03-2335 minAwkward Silences#61 - The Role of Research in CX Transformation with Kim Salazar of Nielsen Norman GroupIs your company truly customer-centric? Are your systems actually helping you create better experiences for your customers?Last week, Kim Salazar, Senior User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, joined us for a live podcast episode to share valuable insights from her own work with teams trying to create truly customer-centric companies through CX transformation. She highlighted the importance of drawing from multiple sources of data and communicating the business benefits of CX work. Highlights[4:51] To achieve CX transformation, we have to break down silos to connect people and technology.[10:29] User-centered companies typically have...
2021-03-0948 minAwkward Silences#60 - Discovery Research and Interview Skills with Maria Rosala of Nielsen Norman GroupAre your research discoveries really discoveries? Or are you collecting validation for your own assumptions?That’s just one of the big questions Maria Rosala, Director of Research at Nielsen Norman Group, tackled in our second-ever live “podinar.” Maria shared her expertise on conducting thoughtful discovery research and user interviews.Listen to (or watch!) the episode to learn:Why the discovery process is a non-negotiable part doing quality user research Maria’s favorite discovery methodsHow to get stakeholder buy-inTips for conducting better, more insightful interviews& more...Highlights[00:01:33] What exactly is discovery research...
2021-02-1847 minAwkward Silences#59 - Ethical Hacking, Information Security, and UX with Ted Harrington of ISEBuilding great products is hard. Building great, secure, products is even harder. This week on Awkward Silences, we talked to Ted Harrington about the intersection between security and UX. He outlined what exactly ethical hackers do, how he challenges stakeholder assumptions about security work, and what teams can do to ensure their systems are secure.Ted talked about…What UX and security work have in commonHow teams can ensure their work is more secureSome of the common issues and myths he encountersHighlights[2:53] In both UX and hacking, bad systems are built on ba...
2021-02-0228 minAwkward Silences#58 - The Lone UXR: Being a UX Research Team of One with Izzy NicholsBeing a research team of one isn’t easy. When you’re the only researcher at a company, you have to do every type of research, recruiting, planning, and analysis by yourself—all without the resources of a large team. But for Imani “Izzy” Nichols, being a UX research team of one is an exciting challenge. She’s been a team of one twice now and has learned a lot from her experience. In this episode of Awkward Silences, Izzy talked about how being a team of one allowed her to focus on championing research, leveling up her career in...
2021-01-1927 minAwkward Silences#57 - Research Amid Sudden Change: Working on Google Classroom During COVID with Amanda RosenburgIn March 2020, Google Classroom’s user base grew from 30 million to hundreds of millions almost overnight.As schools closed, teachers needed new ways to conduct lessons and manage their work. This meant that Amanda Rosenburg, a Staff UX Researcher & Team Lead working on Google Classroom, had a lot of work to do. Research requests were suddenly piling up, and her team needed to execute quickly to help the product team adapt to new and unexpected challenges.Amanda talked about…How she adjusted her research strategy to cover more ground, faster.Her biggest challenges, and the...
2021-01-0535 minAwkward Silences#56 - 2020, UXR Year In ReviewThe year is wrapping up and it’s finally time to say bye forever to 2020 👋. The hosts of Awkward Silences, Erin May and JH Forster, took this opportunity to reflect on some of the things that happened in research this year, what changes they think are here to stay, and what they see on the horizon in 2021. They also revisited some of the best conversations we’ve had on the podcast so far, like chatting with Vivianne Castillo about self-care, Cat Noone about accessibility, and Randy Duke about diversity and inclusion in UXR.Erin and JH talk...
2020-12-2235 minAwkward Silences#55 - So You Want to Be In Research Ops? How Roy Olende of Zapier Made The SwitchThere is a growing need for research operations.As more companies embrace the importance of user research and scale their UXR efforts, a dedicated ops function is quickly becoming a necessity.Research ops—which involves things like participant recruitment, research processes, and programs to help non-researchers do better research—can be a career path for many different kinds of people. Roy has worked with ops pros who come from traditional business operations, marketing, UX, and of course, research. He says the key to succeeding in a research ops role isis to being comfortable with blazing a ne...
2020-12-0839 minAwkward Silences#54 - End-to-End Experience Teams with Danielle Smith of Express ScriptsUnderstanding your product from start to finish is easier said than done. The same goes for integrating research into every stage of a project. Danielle Smith found that she would often work on foundational projects for a product team, then move right along to the next thing, losing sight of the end-to-end experience. When she was tasked with building the research team at Express Scripts, she knew she wanted to have a better view of the big picture. So she brought data scientists, analysts, pro survey designers, and user researchers together to create a superpowered experience team.D...
2020-11-2426 minAwkward Silences#53 - Everything in Context: Anthropology and User Research with Vanessa WhatleyUser research and anthropology have more in common that you may realize. Both involve studying the way people interact with their surroundings and make critical decisions, though anthropologists focus on the cultures and societies that shape behavior. This week on Awkward Silences, Erin and JH chatted with Vanessa Whatley—a Senior UX Researcher at Google—about what researchers can learn from anthropology.Vanessa talked about…How anthropology can teach user researchers to look more closely at the context of participants’ decisions and behaviorsThe benefits of a diverse research team,And how she puts insights into perspective for stak...
2020-11-1041 minAwkward Silences#52 - The Missing Ingredient: How Storytelling Makes User Research More Impactful with Harrison Wheeler of LinkedInPeople are 22% more likely to remember something when it’s presented as a story, rather than a cut and dry fact. So if you’re struggling to get stakeholders to care about and utilize your research, storytelling can be the key to getting research to stick. This week on the podcast, Erin and JH chatted with Harrison Wheeler, UX Design Manager at LinkedIn and host of Technically Speaking, about the power of storytelling. Harrison talked about how getting everyone on board with storytelling can make the facts of research stick around for longer, learning if your research prese...
2020-10-2831 minAwkward Silences#51 - Uncharted Territory: AI & User Research with Hana NagelAI is becoming a part of everything we do. With voice-activated smart homes, ad targeting algorithms, and increasingly smart cars, AI is more and more a part of the fabric of daily life. But how do we make sure AI is built in a way that is user-friendly, unbiased, and ethically sound? That's where user research comes in. Erin and JH chatted with Hana Nagel, a Service Designer at Element AI, about how she researches for AI, why inputs are just as important as outputs, and the ethics around improving AI through your data.
2020-10-1434 minAwkward Silences#50 - To Manage or Not to Manage? UX Research Careers with Amber Davis, UXR Director at AudibleIt's time to take the next step in your research career, but is management right for you? Erin & JH chatted with Amber Davis, UXR Director at Audible, about her journey as a research manager, how to evaluate what you really want from your career, and who to talk to when you're ready to level up. Highlights[5:03] Even if you think you don't have management experience to look back on, research is full of management and leadership.[8:17] Being a manager gives you many more opportunities to contribute at the strategic level. [12:00] Straying too far from d...
2020-09-3040 minAwkward Silences#49 - The Magic of Diary Studies with Tony TurnerLooking to add a new research method to your stack? Diary studies are a great way to get to know what your users are thinking in context, plus they can be run remotely! We chatted with Tony Turner, Lead UX Researcher at Progressive Insurance, about how his team uses diary studies to build out better customer experiences. He offered some tips on scaling up diary studies, which tools he uses to get the job done, and how he uses the data he gathers from diary studies to build out customer journey maps.
2020-09-1628 minAwkward Silences#48 - Rising to the Moment: UXR, Diversity, & Inclusion with Randy DukeThis week on the podcast, Erin and JH chatted with Randy Duke, Senior Research & Design Strategist at Cantina. They covered a topic that's on many people's minds right now, systemic racism and inequality, and how UX research can have a positive (or negative) impact on these systems. Randy talked with us about UXR's role in all this, how we can work to change the systems we work in, and how we can create more inclusive research.Highlights[4:58] A good place to start thinking about how to address inequality is to reflect on the system we work...
2020-09-0341 minAwkward Silences#47 - Up and to the Right: How Research Improves Conversion Rates with Jon MacDonald of The Good 📈We've been more and more curious about how user research can be used by more than just researchers. This week, Erin and JH chatted with Jon MacDonald, founder of The Good, about how marketers can use research to improve conversion rates. He talked about what conversion rate optimization really is, how to get stakeholders to see the value of research work, and why the key to conversion success is really just giving users what they came to your site for in the first place. Highlights[1:43] Everyone expects Jon to have great stories about...
2020-08-0440 minAwkward Silences#46 - Creating Better Help Content with Andrew Sandler, Director of Innovation at AdobeWhen Andrew joined Adobe back in November, he faced an interesting design challenge. How do you manage a vast library of help content, spanning tons of different products in different industries, so that users can easily find what they need to know to fix their problems? Andrew has learned a lot about leveraging the power of community to problem solve, experimenting with different formats to make technical explanations more accessible, and proving the value of great help content. Erin and JH chatted with him about how he positions help content to stakeholders, tackles creating c...
2020-07-1544 minAwkward Silences#45 - How Alignment Can Speed Up Your Work with Jonathon Hensley of Emerge InteractiveJonathon Hensley spends a lot of time creating strategies for businesses. So Erin and JH chatted with him about what's changed since COVID-19 and why alignment matters more than ever right now. The takeaway? Everyone needs to be aligned around a common goal. They also need to understand how every project supports that larger goal. In a world that's moving faster than ever, user research is a pivotal part of making sure each effort is serving that goal well.Highlights[7:06] The key to individual alignment is clarity on your goals and purpose, and providing p...
2020-07-0344 minAwkward Silences#44 - Being Data-Driven vs. Data-Informed with Hannah Shamji, Consumer PsychologistThere's a lot of data out there. Keeping track of Google Analytics, NPS scores, site metrics, usability test results, industry data, and everything else can be downright overwhelming. Which is why Hannah Shamji, Head of Research at Copyhackers, likes to say she's doing data-informed work, not data-driven work.For Hannah, her team, and her clients, working with tons of data can be overwhelming. Since you can usually find at least one graph to support a research point, it's important to put data in context. Hannah outlined how she gets in the zone with large amounts of data...
2020-06-1231 minAwkward Silences#43 - UX Benchmarking: Demonstrate Design ROI with Kate Moran of NN/gUX benchmarking may seem like a lot of work, but Kate Moran is here to show you how to do it effectively. She's VP of Research & Content at Neilsen Norman Group and leads UX teams to better benchmarking, teaches newbies how to get started, and explains this complicated subject with clarity. She joined Erin and JH on our very first live episode to explain how UX benchmarking can help teams show the ROI of their work. She walked through how benchmarking can help get stakeholders on board, how to choose the right metrics early on, and most i...
2020-05-2950 minAwkward Silences#42 - 2 for 1: Combining Customer Research & Sales Demos with Jane Portman of UI BreakfastSales demos are a great opportunity to get to know your customers. The person on the other end is interested in your product, looking for a solution to a problem, and likely have some pain points with their current solutions. That's why Jane Portman, co-founder of Userlist, uses demos as an opportunity to connect with potential customers, keep pain points top of mind, and learn how to make her product even better. She chatted with Erin and JH about why she's doing customer research and sales demos at the same time, how constantly talking to customers helps h...
2020-05-2035 minAwkward Silences#41 - 10x: User Research for Growth with Aazar Shad of UserpilotWe’ve heard from a lot of designers and user researchers on the show, but we’re always looking for fresh perspectives on how research can help your business. So this week, Erin and JH chatted with Aazar Shad, Head of Growth at Userpilot, about how research methods are essential to his growth strategy.Aazar started using research methods to find our who his users were, but continued using them to grow Userpilot’s business. He talked about how secondary research helped him find the best ways to connect with his target audience, continuous interviews help him identi...
2020-05-0733 minAwkward Silences#40 - Dream Stack: ROI-Driving Research Toolsets with Daniel Loewus-Deitch and Leo SmithWith so many research tools on the market, it can be hard to nail down exactly which ones are right for your team. This week on the pod, Erin and JH chatted with Daniel Loewus-Deitch and Leo Smith, who are the Directors of User Experience and Research, respectively, at a large insurance company. They wanted to learn more about how Daniel and Leo choose the tools with the best ROI for their team.Daniel and Leo have spent a lot of time building out their tool stack. Since they have a lot of experience working for large...
2020-04-3049 minAwkward Silences#39 - Interviewing Users Every Day for A Year with Jonathan Anderson of CanduAfter three failed MVPs, Jonathan Anderson and the team at Candu realized they needed a better strategy for understanding how users interact with their product. So they started doing some user interviews. And they kept doing them. Every day for a year before launching their product. Jonathan chatted with Erin and JH about what he learned from those interviews, how it changed the direction of his company, and how he went from a total newbie to a research pro.Highlights[5:36] Doing one interview a day every day keeps the Candu team curious about what the users...
2020-04-1731 minAwkward Silences#38 - Accessibility, User Research, and Inclusive Design with Cat Noone, CEO of StarkThis week on the pod, Erin and JH talk to Cat Noone, CEO of Stark, a suite of tools designed to help teams ship accessible work. They chatted about how accessibility is constantly evolving, what teams can do to get started, and inclusive design. Highlights[1:50] Accessibility is continually changing and evolving, so it's important to think of it that way.[3:01] Accessibility is a side effect of inclusive design.[12:59] Identify other people in your organization that may be able to work with you on accessibility and create a bridge between teams.[15:08] Accessibility helps everyone, and framing it...
2020-04-1034 minAwkward Silences#37 - Using Research to Write Next Level Copy with Joel Klettke of Case Study BuddyThis week on Awkward Silences, Erin and JH chatted with Joel Klettke, who has 6+ years of experience writing killer conversion copy for clients like Hubspot, Scott's Cheap Flights, and WP Engine. His first piece of advice? All the best copy [is] words you've stolen from the customers themselves.He also stressed the importance of meeting your customers where they are, involving copy from the start of any new project, and structuring your user research so it's easy to pull out the best insights. He walked us through how he used research to make changes at Hubspot that r...
2020-03-2547 minAwkward Silences#36 - User Research as a Growth Engine at Early Stage Startups with Loic Alix-BrownOne of the key tenets of the Lean Startup approach is ensuring you have product-market fit. To find it, you'll need to talk to potential users, and get them to confirm your product is something they really need, and are willing to pay for. Loic Alix-Brown started doing user interviews to learn if he had product-market fit for his Instagram hashtag startup Flick. But he didn't stop doing research after the MVP, it became an integral part of the way he's built his business. This week on Awkward Silences, Erin and JH chatted with Loic about how h...
2020-03-1932 minAwkward Silences#35 - Democratizing Research in Large Enterprise Companies with Luke Fraser of Stepwise InnovationThis week on the pod, Erin and JH chatted with Luke Fraser, Founder & CEO of Stepwise Innovation (formerly Paper Ventures). They work with insurance innovation and product development teams to get products to market faster. Before starting Stepwise Innovation, Luke worked at IDEO's Design Lab and Liberty Mutual Insurance as a Product Manager. All in all, he's spent a lot of time working with teams at large enterprise companies, with lots of red tape around user research. He chatted with Erin and JH about how he democratizes research in risk adverse environments, works with legal teams instead...
2020-03-1231 minAwkward Silences#34 - Self Care As A UX Researcher with Vivianne CastilloVivianne Castillo’s career has always been human-centered. She started off as a counselor, helping people navigate through complex issues, but eventually found her way to UX research, helping companies better understand their users. Though she loves user research, she’s found it frustrating that it doesn’t adopt the same standards of care for its practitioners that counseling and other human service work does. Since researchers deal with the messy task of human emotion, all those sessions can take a toll on them. Things like compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma occur often, but without a name for wha...
2020-02-1439 minAwkward Silences#33 - Using Session Replay Tools to Supercharge Your User Research with Elyse BogaczThis week on the pod, we chatted with Elyse Bogacz, who has worked on product on Drift, Runkeeper, and now NDVR. She walked us through how she uses session replay tools like FullStory to supercharge her user research. She talked about how she shares replays with developers and stakeholders, how she deals with privacy issues, and how other teams can use session replay tools to add to their user research programs. Highlights[1:11] Tools like FullStory hand Hotjar have helped Elyse learn important things about users at early stage startups[4:43] You only get a limited number of...
2020-01-3133 min
Awkward Silences#32 - 7 Reasons Not To Do User Research with Michele RonsenErin and JH chat with Michele Ronsen, founder of Curiosity Tank and General Assembly instructor. Michele talks to a lot of different people about user research, and she's found there are some situations where user research is (😱) not the best move forward. In fact, there are 7. Michele walked us through each one, and what teams should do instead. About our guestMichele Ronsen is a UX and design researcher, founder of Curiosity Tank (formerly Ronsen Consulting) and an instructor at General Assembly. She loves digging deep into research, being people’s research buddy, and introducing teams...
2020-01-0742 minAwkward Silences#31 - Why No One Listens to Your Research Reports with Caitria O’Neill of GoogleIf you’ve ever presented research to a crowd of glazed over eyes, or sent around a detailed report only to hear back crickets, this episode is for you. After reading Caitria O’Neill’s article UX Research is Boring and No One Reads It, we knew we had to chat with her. Caitria has made sure research is heard, absorbed, and utilized in companies like Airbnb and Facebook before moving on to her current role as a Staff UX Researcher at Google. She shared tips on how to make research reports fun, storing insights so they’re used m...
2019-12-0646 minAwkward Silences#30 - How 3 Mailchimp Researchers Landed Their Dream Jobs with Jud Vaughan, Khalida Nicole Sebree, and Christianne ElliottThere are many ways to become a UX Researcher. To learn more about the winding career paths many researchers take, Erin and JH talked to Jud Vaughan, Khalida Nicole Sebree, and Christianne Elliott, who are all UX Researchers at Mailchimp. Though they all hold the same job at the same company, they took very different paths to get there. Jud started at a Support Technician at Mailchimp and worked his way over to the Research department. Khalida wanted to go into medicine and studied Psychology in college. Then she got into the startup scene and began doing f...
2019-11-0749 minAwkward Silences#29 - Researching Your Own Users with Chad Aldous of RentableResearching with your own users means you have to make some special considerations. When was the last time they used your product? Where are they in the funnel? When was the last time they participated in a research session with you? We chatted with Chad Aldous, Head of Design and Co-founder of Rentable (formerly Abodo), an apartment listing company, about how he and his team handle research with their own users. He chatted with Erin and JH about doing continuous and one-off research projects, how he chooses the right users to talk to, and how he creates g...
2019-10-2326 minAwkward Silences# 28 - The Three Tiers of Culturalization with Chui Chui Tan of Beyō GlobalThis is the third episode in our three part series on cross-cultural research. In this episode, Erin and JH chat with Chui Chui Tan, author of International User Research and Founder of Beyō Global. Chui Chui walked us through her "three tiers of culturalization", which can help international and cross-cultural researchers focus in on what they need to be researching. She also talked about how to prioritize different elements of your research based on the culture you're researching, the product you're working on, and how those two things interact with each other.
2019-10-1733 minAwkward Silences# 27 - International Markets and Anthropology with Leia Atkinson of ShopifyThis is the second episode in our three part series on cross-cultural research. In this episode, Erin and JH chat with Leia Atkinson, Staff Researcher at Shopify. Leia chatted with Erin and JH about how her degree in Anthropology helps her learn more about international audiences through research. She shared her technique for recruiting participants through "snowballing", how she deals with culture shock, and how she maximizes her learning each time she takes a research trip abroad.
2019-10-1724 minAwkward Silences# 26 - Cross Cultural Research in Action with Elsa HoThis is the first episode in our three part series on cross-cultural research. In this episode, Erin and JH chat with Elsa Ho, a Senior UX Researcher at Uber who works on airports and events. Elsa is no stranger to international and cross-cultural research though, she's spent most of her career helping companies and teams learn about international audiences. She walked through some of the meaningful cultural differences she's encountered over the years, how she works with translators to ensure she's getting the full message, and how she makes the most of each trip. About...
2019-10-1722 minAwkward Silences# 25 - Why Participants Participate in User Research with Brittany Rutherford of User InterviewsWe’ve talked a lot about how researchers do research, now it’s time to hear from the participants. We invited our Participant Marketing Lead, Brittany Rutherford, and had some recent participants leave voicemails about their experience. We asked participants, "why do you participate in user research?" to help us understand how participants think about user research and how we can make their experience better. Learn more about why people like being part of User Interviews.
2019-10-0128 minAwkward Silences#24 - What's in a Name? Building Custom Research Programs that Stick with Vicki TollemacheHow do you get everyone on board with research? Vicki Tollemache has found that building a branded research practice that's fun, engaging, and impactful is pretty effective. She started Grubhub's Parts Unknown research practice to involve everyone in researching emerging markets and exploring new ideas within their product. Erin and JH talked to Vicki about how she set up Parts Unknown, the effect its had on Grubhub, and her tips for establishing your own standing research day.
2019-09-2339 minAwkward Silences#23 - How to Interview Customers Continuously with Teresa Torres of Product TalkTeresa Torres is a master of continuous interviewing. As a product discovery coach and founder of Product Talk, she works with teams of all shapes and sizes to help them build better stuff. Part of that is talking to customers all the time, and establishing a cadence that keeps customer needs top of mind. In this episode, she talks to Erin and JH about what it takes to establish a continuous interview practice, shares some tips for doing better interviews, and encourages everyone to get out there and start talking to customers. Highlights[3:31] What's...
2019-08-2042 minAwkward Silences#22 - Stop Freaking Out About the Evils of Personas with Andy Budd of ClearleftPersonas are polarizing, some love them, but many love to hate them. This week, Erin and JH talk to Andy Budd, co-founder of Clearleft about why the social mediaverse should stop freaking out about the evils of personas. They're a tool in the toolkit, and come with contextualized nuance all their own. Read our blog post about it here: https://bit.ly/2KA7B5H About our GuestAndy Budd is the co-founder of Clearleft, an agency that helps design leader, founding member of the Adobe Design Circle, Venture Partner at Seedcamp...
2019-08-0828 minAwkward Silences#21 - Why Surveys [Almost Always] Suck with Erika Hall of Mule DesignSurveys are everywhere. They bombard us at every turn, and most of them aren't even helping teams learn what they need to know. We chatted with Erika Hall, co-founder of Mule Design and author of Just Enough Research about why most surveys suck and what we can do about it. Check out our blog post about this episode here 👉 https://bit.ly/2O5oDOg About our guestErika Hall is the co-founder of Mule Design and the author of Just Enough Research. She loves design, getting to the bottom of things, and well-designed research.
2019-07-2343 minAwkward Silences#20 - Why Being Wrong is Right with Alec Levin of LearnersThis week on the pod, we talked to Alec Levin, founder of the The UXR Collective and Learners. He chatted with us about something he thinks UX research needs more of—failure.He put it this way in the podcast, "If you’re batting 100% on all your points of view, you’re not trying hard enough. You’re working on stuff that’s too easy." Erin and JH spoke with with Alec about being open to new ideas, challenging yourself, and being transparent about your work.
2019-07-1028 minAwkward Silences#19 - What UX Researchers Can Learn From Children with Noam Segal of WealthfrontThis week on the podcast, Erin and JH talk to Noam Segal who recently gave a talk at the UXR Strive conference in Toronto, and after hearing all the buzz we had to chat with him about it ourselves. He shared some lessons he's learned about research from his four year old daughter, including, keep your eye on the prize, find a method in the madness, tell it like it is, be a good host, and believe in magic. About our guestNoam Segal is a UX, business, and career coach and the Senior...
2019-06-2845 minAwkward Silences#18 - Juggling Hardware and Software (and Service Design) Research with Susan Rice of ToastAt the end of the day, we’re really just lucky to be in this field. You get to learn all the time every day. And you can’t ever assume you know all the things because you just don’t. That’s just a human thing. To learn from our customers and to serve them, it’s just so meaningful.This week on the podcast, Erin and JH talk to Susan Rice of Toast.As Toast developed their Toast Go, a handheld POS system for restaurants, Susan learned a lot about researching for both hardw...
2019-05-3128 minAwkward Silences#17 - Is It Ok To Recline Your Seat On An Airplane? with Bob Saris of User InterviewsThis week, we’re doing something a little bit different. We’re talking to the CTO of User Interviews, Bob Saris, and a bunch of random strangers about one of the biggest questions out there—is it ok to recline your seat on an airplane? We got our whole team involved to do some on-the-street research. Read all about it here: https://bit.ly/2w3iUfU
2019-05-1622 minAwkward Silences#16 - How to Facilitate User Research in Any Team with Nicola RushtonThis week on Awkward Silences, we talked to pro UX designer and researcher Nicola Rushton. She's worked with teams large and small to facilitate fantastic research. She walked us through how she does it and how to think of researchers as facilitators of learning. Read all about it here: https://bit.ly/2VRwqSk
2019-05-0828 minAwkward Silences#15 - Starting a ResearchOps Practice with Kate TowseyThis week on Awkward Silences, we talked to Kate Towsey, a ResearchOps thought leader and advisor and founder of the Cha Cha Club—a members' club for ResearchOps professionals. Previously Research Operations Manager at Atlassian, you may know her as the person who started the ResearchOps Slack community in March of 2018.In the past year, the ResearchOps community has grown and Kate has left her consulting career to join Atlassian. Erin and JH talked to Kate about how she's started a ResearchOps practice and what she's excited to see as ResearchOps grows.
2019-05-0144 minAwkward Silences#14 - How to Make a Potentially Awkward User Interview Less Awkward with Adam Sigel of Hometap65% of homeowners have experienced anxiety related to their home. Adam Sigel wants to figure out how to get that number down. As the VP of Product at Hometap, a home equity startup, he talks to homeowners about their hopes and fears about their homes. We talked to Adam about his experience interviewing users and how he's become a more empathetic researcher.Highlights[2:21] Adam talks about his research at Hometap[4:32] Resist the urge to pitch[9:15] Let discovery conversations be open ended[12:39] The difficulties of pattern recognition in complicated discovery interviews[17:40] Can someone productize dads?About...
2019-04-2427 minAwkward Silences#13 - Make Qualitative Research Your Competitive Marketing Advantage with Katelyn BourgoinTalking to customers is pretty powerful stuff. This week Erin & JH talked to Katelyn Bourgoin, 3x startup founder and growth geek, about how qualitative research can become your marketing team's competitive advantage. Learn more about the episode here https://bit.ly/2IHsbSu Highlights[3:30] Go into qualitative research with a goal of learning[7:18] Stop running away from the angry bear[13:41] Doing a switch interview to learn about the buyer's journey[16:46] How to do churn interviews[20:03] Creating better marketing personas based on qualitative research[23:54] Don't do selfish marketing[27:57] Create a culture of consistent researchAbout our G...
2019-04-1836 minAwkward Silences#12 - Essential Times for Qualitative Research With Shipra KayanThis week on the podcast, Erin and JH talk to Shipra Kayan. After 10 years of working in UX design and research at Upwork, she's launched her own consultancy. On the pod, she talked about getting your research started on the right foot, no matter what kind of research you're doing or how big your team is. Highlights[5:47] How do you decide between what to do long-term and short-term?[7:49] Do research your team is ready to listen to[17:16] Always plan on learning from your research[20:05] Democratize your research planning process[24:21] Always document your research[27:48] There’s a lo...
2019-04-1130 minAwkward Silences#11 - Integrating Research Faster with John CutlerJohn Cutler is a man of many talents. He’s a product development champion, team whisperer, and now, podcast guest on Awkward Silences! Erin and JH talked to John about just-in-time research, promoting healthy team practices, and integrating research faster. Highlights[3:22] Start together, work together, finish together[7:50] Consistently integrate your ideas[9:02] Continuous design, rather than design then build[10:16] Create a backlog of learning goals[11:30] Integrate research faster[17:32] Finding a working balance for you and your team[18:10] The dangers of defensive dogma[35:02] Critiquing your research process
2019-03-2736 minAwkward Silences#10 - Give Us Your Feedback and Reviews (Retro #1) - with Erin & JHIn this special edition episode, we're talking about what we think about the podcast so far and where we hope to go. We want your feedback to help us decide what to do next! Let us know what you think here: https://bit.ly/2uoijV9
2019-03-2235 minAwkward Silences#9 - Running Amazing Remote UX Research Sessions with Sonya BadigianErin and JH talk to Sonya Badigian. As a researcher at a fully-remote company, Sonya is a big fan of remote research. She walks us through how remote research can be affordable, flexible, and fun. About Our GuestSonya Badigian is Staff UX Researcher at Procore Technologies (previously UX and Content Specialist at Marketade). She has Masters in Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon. After graduating and taking a remote research job, she was surprised to learn how powerful remote research can be.
2019-03-1329 minAwkward Silences#8 - Continuously Delivering and Discovering with James Aylward of PluralsightPluralsight is built on continuous discovery and continuous delivery, which means they are constantly building and shipping code, while constantly digging in to how customers feel about their product. We talked to James Aylward about the framework that keeps his team moving while creating products that are all about the customer. Episode Highlights[1:45] James talks about how Pluralsight thinks about continuously delivering and discovering[4:10] Culture and values at Pluralsight[5:57] The directed discovery process[13:05] Who you should have on your team to bring the most value to your products
2019-02-2731 minAwkward Silences#7 - Making User Testing Fast, Fun, and Accessible with Laura PowellTry to think of each user as a new friend, and you want to learn about them. Don’t get nervous — relax! It’s just nice to create the sense that you’re having a conversation with someone. You’re listening to what they’re saying and flowing with what they say, not just reading a list of questions.JH and Erin talk to Laura Powell about making user testing easy and fun for users and for companies. She’s just wrapped up her 9th User Test Fest, this time in Austin, TX, and was excited to chat with us about all t...
2019-02-1332 minAwkward Silences#6 - Building Products That Don't Cause Emotional Trauma with Laura KleinAlgorithms don’t always handle “edge cases” well, and the people who design them can have too broad a definition of edge case—stillbirths, miscarriages, and other life tragedies are actually relatively common.So how do the people who are responsible for building things, often many many people for any given human experience, design for the possibility of unexpected outcomes? That is to say, for real life? This week on the podcast, Erin and JH talked to Laura Klein about building products that consider user's real life situations more thoughtfully. Sometimes, big tech does things that actua...
2019-01-3141 minAwkward Silences#5 - Collaboration Between UXR and Stakeholders with Holly Hester-ReillyIf there’s anyone who can link stakeholders to the awesome power of user research, it’s Holly Hester-Reilly. Holly is a champion of research that is connected to every member of organizations; research that reaches across teams and unites companies towards a common product goal. Highlights[3:55] How research falls away from growing companies[7:12] Creating change even if you’re not at the top of the pyramid[9:15] Giving stakeholders options to help them make decisions[11:33] Creating snapshots of your sessions[13:30] Avoiding bias in your research presenta...
2019-01-1630 minAwkward Silences#4 - Conversational Research with Maggie Crowley of DriftThis week on the pod, Erin and JH talk to Maggie Crowley, Director of Product Management at Drift, about research as a product manager at a rapidly growing startup. They talk about how to do great research in a conversational way, how Drift's research practice is growing, and how Maggie thinks about research as a PM. Highlights[4:50] How do you establish the outcomes you’re looking for? [8:08] Since you use your own product, do you still need to test with outside users?[9:40] Using shared Slack channels with your biggest customers
2019-01-0230 minAwkward Silences#3 - Quant and Qual Flow with Cat AndersonSome people think you have to choose between qual and quant research when you start your study. Not Cat Anderson. At AP Intego, she works with a fairly small and scrappy team (just like us!), but that doesn’t mean she’s not doing big things with her research. She lets qualitative and quantitative research flow into and inform each other, creating overall better research results. Episode Highlights[1:23] Cat walks us through how she found her way to a UX Writer position[6:01] The importance of stakeholder buy-in for user research[8:38] Cat talks about designing her cybers...
2018-12-1229 minAwkward Silences#2 - When Research Doesn't Go As Planned with Jaclyn PerroneWhat do you do when your user research session doesn’t go according to plan? It happens all the time, in a lot of ways, for a lot of reasons. Fortunately we have Jaclyn Perrone, Design Director at thoughtbot, on the pod today to talk us through it all. She shares stories of times things didn’t go quite right, what to do when participants get stuck on the wrong things, and how to avoid (avoidable) mishaps. Episode Highlights[4:05] Things go wrong when you do things with other humans (like user research)[7:06] Jacly...
2018-12-0427 minAwkward Silences#1 - Why are we here? with your co-hosts, JH and ErinListen as JH and Erin wrestle with the biggest question there is: why are we here anyway? We'll dive into what we think the podcast should (and should not) be and pave the way for our first guest.
2018-11-2818 minAwkward Silences#0 - TrailerWhat's this Awkward Silences podcast all about anyway? As a place to start, it's about embracing the awkward beauty of talking to people to learn and build better stuff. Get a sneak peek and meet our hosts, JH Forster and Erin May of User Interviews.
2018-11-2606 min
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life321: A Craft Discussion of Aspects of the Novel, with Vanessa Blakeslee!In this week’s episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel as my copy of it crumbled and dissolved. I defend the honor of Henry James at great length. TEXT DISCUSSED
2018-06-301h 12