Newsletter

Should I join an established UX team or build my own?

IT'S FINALLY 2020! WOOT!

Career goals abound! Like you, I've been thinking about where I am, where I want to go, and why. This month I thought I'd double down on specific career question I am often asked and one I have pondered countless times myself.

Is it better to join an established UX design or research team - OR - work as the sole designer or researcher and build my own team?

SPOILER ALERT: My response directly relates to UX maturity, described below.

NOTE: This article is helpful for job seekers, entrepreneurs, AND those who hire talent. Stay with me here...

 

THE ESTABLISHED TEAM

First, let's get on the same page regarding an “established UX design or research team.”

“Established” is the key word here. It’s a throwaway word. What matters more is where the team/individual is in their “UX maturity”. In other words, where do they fall on the spectrum between “UX Unawareness” and actual “User Centered Design” in daily practice, culture and implementation?

 
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“The maturity model is additive. As the organization’s grasp of UX increases, it becomes capable of making increased strategic use of UX without losing the capabilities it has already developed.” - Charles B. Kreitzberg

Here are some UX maturity considerations:

  • When you join an existing team you’ll usually find some processes, strategies and structures in place. The depth and success of these can vary. What exists, and how well they are working, are great indicators of maturity. The more robust the more mature. Check out these mature process indicators.

  • Chances are the existing team began, or already tackled, the challenge of “proving” the value of design and user research to the rest of the organization. Ascertain to what degree, and how many UX champions, are within the org. Again, the more robust the more mature. Dig deep on this topic.

  • Perhaps the biggest benefit of joining an established team is learning from seasoned UX professionals (plural). Ideally, the talent is also willing to share their UX knowledge, specific product/customer expertise, and tips on how to thrive within the organization's unique culture. Understand their approach to mentoring, availability to you, and gauge their “maturity” by their interpretation of key roles.

 
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  • I’ve learned boatloads from working with super UX mature organizations and individuals as well as those just beginning. Gathering an accurate understanding of the specifics, and gaps, in regards to their UX maturity is critical to a successful, healthy, win-win relationship.

  • If you prefer predictability, can adapt to established processes and procedures, and want to focus on “doing the hands-on design or research work,” then joining a “MATURE” UX team is likely a better fit. Mature is the key word here, not established though. Here you should be able to hone your craft without the distractions of “building a practice" or “selling its benefits". If you’re new to UX, joining a mature team is almost certainly a better bet IMHO!

  • [!] Having said that, definitely dive deep to truly understand the maturity of the team/individual before committing. Why? Because:How “established” they are bears no relationship to their “UX maturity”Understanding UX maturity is a far better indicator of potential cultural fit and growthReplacing the word "established" with "mature" in your UX conversations can add a next level perspective

So gather the intel you need to evaluate the UX maturity for yourself! One size certainly does not fit all.

 

THE SOLO UXer

  • Building a design or research practice from scratch, or starting to consult or freelance on your own, can be thrilling. As the first (or only) UXer, you’ll likely be tasked with demonstrating the value to others while owning the process, creating and selling the services, and crafting and implementing the strategy to bring it all to life. You'll also:

  1. Establish the UX ethos

  2. Create the design and research protocols

  3. Evaluate, select and set up the right tools and platforms

  4. Hire and manage UX talent as well as internal/external clients

  5. Design, and or conduct your own studies (while simultaneously doing all of the above)

  • Some of my biggest professional wins and growth spurts occurred when building new teams and businesses. The entrepreneurial freedom allowed me to really stretch myself, expand my craft, and overdeliver for my clients/employers --- in spades.

 
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  • My first two (and only) participant pools were birthed while building new teams and programs. I was more comfortable tinkering with different tactics without someone looking over my shoulder. It felt safer to experiment. The freedom from the constraints that come with more “UX mature” teams also allowed me to explore a plethora of new methods, tech stacks, and other approaches.

  • [!] Nevertheless, growing a new program or practice can be taxing and lonely. Make sure you're in a healthy place and ready to scale your network. Trust me! You’ll need people to turn to for sanity checks and advice. NOTE: While my network grew exponentially during these builds so did my waistline!

  • [!] One last point... if you choose to be a “first time builder,” invest the time to find out what’s realistic. Many of us have walked this path already. Here are some “reality check” considerations.

 
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If you know anything about me, you know I’m an open book. I’ve also built (or significantly revamped) seven teams and two small businesses. You can save a lot of time, embarrassment and frustration by learning from someone who has designed and implemented thriving teams and operations. Inexperienced but enthusiastic people say yes too quickly, only realize their error when it’s too late. #askmeanything.

Whichever path you pursue, I hope you’ll now venture into 2020 with new a perspective and approach better evaluate win-win UX situations. I’ll definitely be cheering you on from the sidelines!

PS. What's right for you right at this point may change in the future. The prompts will help you overtime. It fact it was many of these prompts that helped me review my own UX maturity (and the current marketplace). Like you, I've been thinking about where I am, where I want to go, and why...

 
 
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Stay tuned for an update on my exciting next chapter, named Curiosity Tank, and the UX terms many of us defined via crowdsourcing in September.

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I am committed to making it easier for "temporary, accidental and aspiring researchers" to up-skill themselves and to find efficient means for non-researchers to obtain the insights they seek.

 

SPEAK UP, GET INVOLVED, SHARE THE LOVE

 

UPCOMING SAN FRANCISCO CLASSES

 

Stay curious my friends. I'll catch you next in February-ish...

Five Fun Holiday Survival Tips Based on User Research

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Just in time for your holiday gatherings, here are 5 fun tips for what to do when someone strays waaaayyyy off topic during a conversation.

These tips are based on what I do when this happens during a #userresearch interview but they work IRL too!

  1. Before you engage, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. (Get into character.)

  2. Be polite and respectful. Try to mirror their body language and emotional state to make them feel comfortable. (They drink eggnog = you drink eggnog.)

  3. Try holding up a finger, like you are politely signaling a waiter. Then say, “Could you please help me understand how that relates to X?” “Please” is the key word. (omit "WTF?!")

  4. Channel your beginner's mindset. For example, if someone is telling you about Z, kindly point out you are unfamiliar however you’d like to learn more “later”. (At Uncle Al’s house, it’s ok to not follow up.)

  5. Celebrate their passion and enthusiasm, but ask them to briefly summarize what happened. “Briefly” is the key word. KEY WORD.

Most importantly, try to model a calm and welcoming behavior (and avoid shopping malls). If all else fails, revisit your recruiting tactics, and chant “this too shall pass”.

Happy holidays!

Save the Dates!

Wow, thanks for all of the terrific feedback on my last newsletter. Jenny, one of my returning students said, "It was golden. It's something I'll keep for reference and refer back to over and over again." That kind of feedback makes makes it truly worth it! If you missed November's blast, and would like a copy, just lmk. Thanks Jenny!

 

LINKEDIN TO WEBINAR

Does offering an individual an incentive to participate in a study introduce bias? Does it predispose a participant to tell me what they think I want to hear?

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Christina, a four time student, asked these great questions in my Art of the Interview class and it inspired me to write a LinkedIn post about it. Turns out a lot of people have thoughts on the topic too! I am SUPER pumped, proud, and excited to share I’ve been asked to host a webinar to expand on it.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE AND REGISTER

This is free, remote event is open to everyone. Registering will grant you access to the live session AND a recording to watch on your own at anytime thereafter. The live session is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 17th at 9am PST/12pm EST. There will be a 30-40 minute presentation and a live Q&A.

Strangely, you cannot register directly without a "business email address". If you prefer to use a Gmail or Yahoo type of email address please email Emily Smith at Remesh, or me, and include the preferred email address. We will register you manually. Additional details are here.

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PODCAST DEBUT ON AWKWARD SILENCES

My post about 7 reasons NOT to conduct user research (because not everything is a #userresearch problem people!) also drummed up a lot of interest. The good folks at Awkward Silences, a super cool podcast by User Interviews, invited me on the show as a guest. We recorded my very first podcast episode on November 15th. It was more fun than a barrels of monkeys! We seriously had a blast. Stay tuned for this episode to launch soon!

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY CLASSES

Use it. Don't loose it! Many of you asked for my January schedule in hopes to invest your "learning and development/professional funds" before the end of the year. Here you go!

  • Introduction to User Research (3 hour workshop): Jan 8th, Wednesday @ 6pm-9pm

  • Introduction to User Research (Daylong Bootcamp): Jan 14, Tuesday @ 9am

  • Art of the Interview (3 hour workshop): Jan 21, Tuesday @ 9am

  • Intermediate Mixed Methods (Daylong Bootcamp): Jan 31st, Friday @ 9am

NOTE: These classes may not appear on the General Assembly website until tomorrow end of day.

 
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Emma had this to day about my new Art of the Interview class: "I really loved it and found it helpful. The biggest thing I took away was some really concrete ideas of how to create an interview guide. Your slides about how to convert potentially leading questions into more unbiased open ended questions was super helpful and clear... Your class really opened up my knowledge and now I feel like I have a really great starting place for writing my interview guide... And now I know I need to pilot too! And so, so much more. Thanks for your guidance!"

 

OTHER EVENTS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU

 

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I hope these class and event listings inspire you!

Kill 3 birds with 1 stone

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This holiday weekend I enjoyed terrific family time. The conversations ran the gamut and a few of them gave me pause. My nephew, for instance, asked me why I teach and coach. I replied with my typical response. "I love it! The more I teach/coach the better practitioner I become. And the more I practice the better teacher/coach I become. It's reciprocal."

He paused, then asked me what I "really get" out of it. And I looked into his twinkle-y, tween eyes and I said with a genuine smile "knowledge. I'm a learner. I learn from my students every single day. We learn form each other." That response led him to ask me what I learned lately...

 

HERE ARE THREE OF THE MANY THINGS YOU HELPED ME REALIZE

1) It's hard to know how your user research skills stack up. I was in this boat for a long time also. You are not alone in wondering about this. There is good reason for you to be scratching your head too because:

  • There’s no clear or consistent measurement or assessment of UXR

  • The definition of “success” is muddy and job titles are inconsistent

  • The journey to break into UXR, or level up, feels long and lonely

  • There aren’t a lot of people available to give you feedback along the way

  • Hands-on learning options are far and few between. (One of my students flew up from Los Angeles to take my classes - on two separate occasions!)

 
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2) It's hard to find ways to improve your research chops. Yep, I've been there too.

  • It feels strange to make up a project to work on

  • You don't know where to start

  • It's hard to imagine that a potential employer would take a factious project seriously

  • You can't find the right people to recruit or don't know who you should recruit

  • It's intimidating to think about doing it alone

  • You don't have time along with everything else on your professional development plate

  • There aren't a lot of easily accessible UXR classes or programs

Sound familiar? I could go on and on but I'll put that on hold (for now).

 
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3) A [UXR] portfolio is a foreign concept for many of you. Yes, some people refer to portfolios as case studies. These terms may be interchanged. However a portfolio is different from a resume and CV in that it includes student and or professional project work.

Whatever you call it, it’s important to have one and to maintain it over time. Why? Because resumes and LinkedIn profiles don’t tell a hiring manager or recruiter a lot about you as a [UXR] candidate. A portfolio provides a richer, and more intimate, opportunity to demonstrate how you may fit their needs.

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Your portfolio should:

  • Be available online 24/7. Yes, you may password protect a portion of it

  • Capture your professional essence and breadth of expertise

  • Convey your thought process, skills, knowledge, interests, and experience

  • Demonstrate how you communicate and collaborate. UX and UXR are team sports!

  • Document your key accomplishments and industry activities

  • Help remove some of the friction during the interview process

  • Evolve over time. You and your work are not, and should not be, static

  • Be authentic

  • Show what is interesting to you, or about you, professionally and personally. Use it to help you stand out

Here are some strong [UXR] portfolios and inspiration:

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If you don't have a portfolio, are confused about where to start, how to handle your NDA protected work, or face other portfolio challenges, let's talk. These are all surmountable. I've been there too! I'm thinking about creating a workshop around this topic specifically. Let me know if this might interest you.

Nope. I am not going to leave you there with three problems. So now what?

 

TAKE THE PLUNGE. KILL 3 BIRDS WITH 1 STONE AND RUN A STUDY!

That’s right. Build a study and gather feedback on your portfolio, resume and or LinkedIn profile from people that represent your “users.” Hey, this is a great exercise to build your research chops regardless of the industry you currently work in.

Whew to start? Build a research plan. Think about your approach, the timeframe, the resources/platforms you have available and the people best positioned to provide feedback. If you work in UX or UXR consider three segments; recruiters, people who hire UX professionals, and people who teach in UX fields. If you are not in, or aspire to break into these areas, then adapt the segments to your industry.

 
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Some thought starters to inspire a discussion guide:

  • How usable and understandable is the [portfolio, case study, resume, LinkedIn profile]

  • Are the [positions, companies, methods, industries] you aspire to work in easy to ascertain

  • How would you summarize the [work, strengths, opportunities] based what you "see or read"

  • Is the [portfolio, case study, resume, LinkedIn profile] experience consistent with what you "know"

  • Are the mobile and desktop experiences [delivering a similar story, easy to navigate, consistent]

  • Are hard skills [recruiting, interviewing, quant/qual, platform] front and center

  • Are the soft skills [passion, collaboration, drive] coming through

  • How does the “total package” compare to similar practitioners or students

  • What do you think of the “total package” overall

  • What’s working well and what could be improved upon

  • Who else would you recommend I solicit feedback from

Helpful resources on building UX and UXR portfolios:

If it feels more comfortable, partner with someone else to gather feedback for each other. You test their materials and they test yours. (BOOM! There's that reciprocity theme again...) Make sure you agree on your specific research and career goals, and a consistent note-taking strategy then gather input just like you would on a new product you're developing for sale. After all, these are your sales tools!

Then analyze and synthesize the data. Create a top-line report (minimum) or a case study with video clips (ideal). Make sure to include "before" images, pull quotes, and recommendations. Then address the feedback (and pat your self on the back).

I guarantee potential employers will find this approach unique and impressive. Passion, resourcefulness, initiative and rigor are terrific skills to demonstrate. Simply soliciting their participation, and asking for referrals to gather feedback from next, will broaden your network! And did I mention you'll also kill 3 birds with 1 stone? Hey, be careful out there.

 
 

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Now help yourself to one more serving and take a nap! You deserve it. I’m thrilled, and grateful, to know you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Stay curious,

Does this resonate with you?

 
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I HEAR YOU

Transitioning into user research, and growing these skills, can be a long and lonely journey. There isn't one clear, direct, or "correct" path. If you are anything like me during my transition... you seek feedback along the way to understand if you're heading in the right direction. You're curious how your skills compare to others, what's transferable from your current experiences, and if your resume and portfolio resonate as intended. You wish for a safe place where you can tinker with new "things". Or perhaps a "research buddy" to help banter ideas around or evaluate what approach is best for your unique situation. Does any of this resonate with you? I'd love to know!!

My plan is to prototype a solution to begin to address this gap in Q1. It delves deeper than my one-off classes and has potential to reach more people than my 1:1 coaching. So I am lining up some beta participants. Does this interest you? Please send me a note and include what about this idea resonates the most with you.

By the way, please know that the irony of this "gap" is not lost on me. You seek feedback yet UXR is largely about gathering feedback! The cobbler's children...

 

NEW CLASS AT LAST!!

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Ask and you shall receive. My new three hour workshop, The Art of Conducting User Research Interviews, launches Friday morning, November 8th, at San Francisco's General Assembly. Most user research classes concentrate on important practical and pragmatic tactics. While this scientific approach is necessary, and logistics are super important, unfortunately many key nuances of the “art” are often omitted.

This class addresses that gap by focusing on the personal interactions, soft skills and other subtleties talented interviewers employ to ensure meaningful conversations. I hope to see you there!

 

RARE JUNIOR DESIGN RESEARCH ROLE

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This position is not yet posted! One of my clients, Invoice2go, is looking for a junior researcher to join their team onsite in Redwood City, CA. I've worked on two projects with them and very much look forward to a third one. They have terrific research talent, big ambitions, a great product and a lot of juicy research questions. Here are a few bullet points about the role:

  • 1-3 years of research experience

  • Identify and communicate high priority research questions and opportunities

  • Identify and communicate the appropriate methodology for achieving research goals

  • Support recruiting participants for research studies and contribute to a larger participant pool

  • Conduct product related surveys, interviews, usability tests, diary studies, and other research methods

  • Analyze research data to generate findings and insights

  • Organize and participate in impact workshops with product teams and stakeholders

  • Create and deliver compelling stories to communicate actionable insights to product teams and stakeholders

If interested, please contact Brandon Randazzo directly at Invoice2go.

 

SIGN UP TO BE A TESTER

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One way to improve your UXR skills is to provide feedback. There are tons of panels out there that you can join as a tester, either by participating in surveys or diary studies or click tests or five-second tests or a variety of other types. This is a great way to get exposure to how people are administering different types of research and to learn about different tools and platforms. Even better, you can get paid to do it!

That said please do not, under any circumstances, submit responses for any study in which you do not meet the criteria. In other words, don’t mess with other researchers’ data. Only take part in studies you are qualified to participate in. Google “user research ethics.” This is important.

(Karma is real. This industry is small.)

 

IN THE CLASSROOM

Considering the above... if you are receiving this email you are likely qualified to participate in my UC Berkeley students' evaluative interviews. They are gathering feedback from people in UX-related roles on their "Crowdsourcing Terms" website prototypes and use cases. Please consider participating in a 30-minute remote interview via Zoom his week or next week. Complete this simple, five question screener to participate. Trust me. Helping aspiring UXers improve their skills feels rreeeeeaaaallllyyy good!

This week the students are also learning about card sorting with our 200 terms. Some of you are probably thinking "How did they card sort 200 terms?!" Good question! First they categorized all of the terms that were not familiar to them and moved them aside. This eliminated at least 30-50% of the terms off the bat. It's interesting in itself to see which terms fell into this category. Some were pretty surprising (to me).

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UPCOMING SAN FRANCISCO CLASSES

 

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Elevating the next generation of UXers!

The seeds are taking root! Between starting on a new project (leading a Rolling Research program and at well-known tech company), our “Crowdsourcing Terms” work continuing to take flight around the world, and launching a new Mixed Methods research class tomorrow, things are very exciting and busy. #grateful

 

WORK WITH US!

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If you are familiar (enough) with the UX/UXR industry, and have some social media, administration, communication and or community management experience, let’s chat. We’d love some support (hence the inability to keep up with these weekly "Fuel Your Curiosity" updates). We’ll also need some design talent as we begin rebranding as well. Remote workers are welcome.

 

CONTINUED CONFIRMATION ABOUT OUR CONFUSING TERMS

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We're still celebrating! Apparently people in Serbia, Sudan, Lebanon, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, India, Turkey, Poland, Nigeria, Jordan, Ukraine, most of western Europe and several countries in Asia find our industry’s terms confusing too. We have heard from people in over 30 countries now, all via LinkedIn, and have 75+ additional UX-related micro-volunteers ready to participate in subsequent phases. Check out this post for context if you missed the news about our successful Crowdsourcing effort.

 

CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

Last week my 18 UC Berkeley students started reviewing the 150 Crowdsourced terms for clarity, tone, completeness, ease of understanding, and word count. They also checked them for accuracy via secondary research.

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Interestingly, almost all of them struggled with “how to find credible resources” and knowing “which entities were trustworthy”. While they did find a lot of theoretical examples, they much prefer, and continue to look for, “actual use cases”. About half describe the assignment as “a strong or excellent example of applied learning” while others say it’s “just plain frustrating to travel down rabbit hole after rabbit hole” to gather sufficient intel to either confirm the initial definition meets the success criteria and or learn enough to recommended an edit. They also added in “related terms” and an example of the term used in an educational sentence. The terms are shaping up quite nicely!

 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO INTERVIEW

Help elevate the next generation of UXers! These same UC Berkeley students will be conducting interviews with people in UX-related roles this coming Monday night, October 7th, between 7:30-9:30pm PST and again next Monday night, October 14th, between 7:30-9:30pm PST. The focus will be on our “Crowdsourcing Terms” format, usage and organization. Ideally each student team will conduct two interviews within this time frame. Interviewees will participate in two sessions a piece. We are looking for four volunteers to participate on each Monday night for a total of eight interviewees.

In-person interviews will take place in downtown San Francisco. Remote interviews will take place via Zoom. Please email if you are available and interested. Make sure to indicate if you can participate in-person or remotely.

This week the students are crafting their interview guides based on the goals and key questions and we workshopped in class.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AT IT'S BEST

Interestingly, the sketch note Australian UX designer Milly Schmidt created about one of the feedback gathering calls also inspired an incredibly thoughtful, global dialog about whether perception trumps context. The responses, we believe, demonstrate social media at its best. A means to initiate and participate in a literate, respectful, proactive, and engaged conversation. Which raises the questions...

Do you think we have gone too far in trying not to offend anyone? Is this an issue of gender, age, or both? Have we taken a leap forward for respect, grace and dignity? Or have we put so many handcuffs on each other that no one can talk openly anymore? Does it speak to the confusion and the cluster*** around how we speak? And what's appropriate, or not? Do we truly understand each other? Take a look for yourself.

 
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UPCOMING SAN FRANCISCO CLASSES

 

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WOW what an incredible, nail-biting week!

I skipped last week’s communication but I feel great about it. Here’s why.

FIRST, WE HOSTED OUR DAUGHTER'S SIXTH BIRTHDAY PARTY

For context, her birthday parties are like my Burning Man! Crazy crafting, decor, games, food, yadda yadda. This year she chose a Star Wars theme. Making lightsabers out of pool noodles was one of the preparations. In addition to the typical yearly pre-party craziness, her grandparents planned to surprise her in costume!

A week before her party, while scrolling through Pinterest for “birthday cake inspiration” (like every typical six year old does, right?), she challenged me to make a super complicated cake. I am not a baker but there was NO WAY I was going to turn her challenge down.

Turns out the cake making was a blast and a whole family effort! Turns out fondant is like sticky Play-doh! She made all of the stars and applied them herself. Then she concocted the idea to top them off with circular, modeled, glittery “death stars” and ran with it.

She was incredibly proud of herself. The look on her face was priceless. That experience of making the cake with her may be one of my proudest achievements in life. (The handmade pink flamingo piñata for her luau party is a close second though!) Anyway, here are some fun pix of Sunday’s special guests and other festivities.

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ON TOP OF THAT I ORGANIZED AND LAUNCHED A CROWDSOURCING EFFOR

The goal was to define 150 of our industry’s most confusing terms. Fifty-plus colleagues (most unknown to me) contributed from around the world. The target audience is MY MOM (and her name is Princess Leia. LOL). The audience is more accurately described as non-researchers who know something about technology but do not have deep expertise with UX or UXR. While I’d love for my mom to actually understand what I do, it's high time for a comprehensive glossary (with a decent user experience!) of our industry’s cluster**** of terminology, acronyms and slang.

My initial thinking was that we’d all benefit from a shared vocabulary and our teammates and clients would reap the benefits as well! Now I also realize it can serve as a living document to chart the evolution of the industry. That’s pretty cool, right?

Anyway, the deadline to complete the definitions was Sunday (the same day as the party). Yea, you read that right. It was a total and complete nail-biter but wWE DID IT! You can read more about the logistics, goals and surprisingly successful effort and feedback in this LinkedIn post. Please help us celebrate!

Milly Schmidt, a UX designer in Sydney, Australia who I did not know, created this sketch note illustration based on one of the two "kick off" Zoom calls I held. The calls were intended for me share my thinking and gather feedback from volunteers on how to approach this effort (the process, organization, collaboration tools, etc.) before diving in. Her masterpiece captures that design thinking process beautifully. (Hey Milly, can I interest you in some birthday party crafting around this time next year?)

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This fantastic accomplishment and body of work would not have been possible without the following incredibly very talented and committed contributors. NOTE each name links to their individual LinkedIn Profile so please send them a virtual high five!

Team leads Roxy Jones, Janet Standen, Kaleb Loosbrock, Danny Spitzberg. A special shoutout also to Rachel Auckland, from South Africa, who blazed the trail with an astounding contribution of nine definitions out of the gate.

And every single contributor on each of the five teams Maxwell Wolf, Rachna Tiwarya, Frances James, Jennifer Epps, Liberty Matias, Mary Denise Robertson, Shane Nehring, Eddie Y. Shieh, David Beckley, Jasmine Gutierrez, Aileen Liu, Siddhant Patel, Quinne Fokes, Amit Sathe, Caleb Sexton, Ashley Gardner, Adriana Varisco, Julie Keenan, Eva M. Durazo, Masha Bell (Mary), Stephanie Krieger, Ujala Anis, May Reid-Marr, Shadi Aljazzar, Nhu-Anh Le, Sheila Manhães, Michael T Lombardo, Andrew Maier, Michael Long, Mary Denise Robertson, Sujit Tulcidas, and Betty Troy.

Thank you also to everyone else receiving this communication who provided support and showed interest and but may have been sidetracked due to life and other unexpected circumstances.

NO FEAR! There is much more work to do so stay tuned for how you can still participate! For example, I’ve already amassed 75 more terms to add to our initial list, and we need to turn it into a useable format (with good UX)! Luckily, in this next phase it looks like we will have additional contributors from India, Italy, Croatia, the UK, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada and more. People continue to reach out to me from all over the world! It's thrilling this work has generated so much dialog and excitement.

 

SO THOSE ARE MY TWO EXCUSES FOR MISSING LAST WEEK'S DISTRIBUTION

I hope you'll agree it was worth it too! Next week I'll do my best return to my regular format and intended schedule. In the meantime, please forward this communication to someone who you think might enjoy it. Better yet, sign them up to to receive future versions here. It will be the gift that keeps on giving..

When does it NOT make sense to do user research?

My new project is delayed by a few weeks and I have to say my happy dance is looking pretty good! I totally admit it. I’m excited to have some unexpected non-project-work time. Found time. In between time. Time to work on my daughter's Star Wars birthday party (can you say Obi-wan-Kabob-bies?) and of course craft and share user research-related news and inspiration with you. I hope you find them helpful...

 

CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

STUDENT: Does it ever NOT make sense to do user research on something you want to build?

ME: YESSIREE BOB! Here are some examples when I don't think it makes sense, may not be appropriate, or at minimum should give you pause:

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  1. When there is a better way to answer the question (for example, with analytics). E.g. How many people ______? How often does _____ occur?

  2. If the timeline doesn't permit it. E.g. We need to understand the customer journey by tomorrow

  3. When people are looking for evidence to "support" a hypothesis or prove a point. E.g. I know this is the best way to move forward and research will prove it.

  4. The question is not defined enough to explore or answer. E.g. There are competing goals and objectives at play, the question is too big

  5. When something is broken, doesn't function, or past its expiration date. E.g. A dead link, visual or behavioral consistency. Just fix it.

  6. To check the "research box". E.g. Yes we totally conducted research. We spoke to the founders/ investors/ our team this morning!

 

OUR TERMS CAN BE SUPER CONFUSING

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  • Yea, I’m still on my “words really matter” war path. This one might last a while. Why? Because user research terms are super nuanced and precision is extremely important.

  • The term of the week is Card Sort: It’s a user research method where participants “sort” items or topics into categories that make sense to them. The results uncover how they organize their thinking which is instrumental in building an intuitive structure for whatever you want to create (a product, service, cookbook, you name it). Card sorts can also help you prioritize, label information and develop an intuitive information architecture. They can be conducted in-person and online. My favorite online tool for card sorts is Optimal Workshop’s “Optimal Sort”.

  • There are three types of card sorts: Open, closed and hybrid. Each has pros and cons. Happy to answer any questions.

 

SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO LITTLE TIME

  • NEXT WEEK I start teaching user research in UC Berkeley’s UX Design program. This class is great for those who have some understanding that user research is a great skill to add to their arsenal but aren’t sure where to start, how to get hands-on experience or where to go for mentorship. Trust me. Knowing how to find answers to your own questions (correctly) is incredibly empowering.

  • PSYCHE! My two new General Assembly classes are getting traction.

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  • A Mixed Methods session called “Conducting User Research Intermediate Bootcamp." This hands-on class explores a variety of generative and evaluative methods. Learn which ones best inform specific types of research questions and phases. The first session will be on Friday, October 4th at 9am. >> Register here.

  • The Art of the Interview (not yet posted but is slated to launch October 3rd.) You’ll see, practice, and get feedback on how to successfully begin an interview, develop rapport with participants, dig deeper, create sound bites, get out of difficult situations, and wrap up, while leaving the door open for future correspondence.

  • NOTE: All General Assembly details (about my class sessions, dates and times) are always listed on my website. Shortly after you land on the homepage, a pop up will appear with all the deets. I update this regularly.

  • The offer still stands too. If you completed one of my User Research Workshops or Bootcamps at General Assembly prior to June 1st, you’re invited you to audit an upcoming class of the same type. I’d be thrilled to have you back in the saddle and reap the benefits of the feedback you provided to help improve the class materials and tools. They've evolved tremendously thanks to you! Just email me when you'd like to come.

 

COMING SOON!

  • This week we kick off the “Defining our Confusing Terms” crowdsourcing project. I have four team leads ready to go. If you’re interested in being a co-lead or contributor please send me a note. Buckle up - this might be a crazy fun ride.

  • My “How to Break into User Research” article is on hold while I finish up the UC Berkeley curricula. Stay tuned.

 

SPEAK UP, GET INVOLVED, SHARE THE LOVE

And that’s a wrap! My third official newsletter-y-email-communication-musing-thingy! I'll stop counting now. They say it takes 21 days to develop a habit. I have my fingers crossed. Regardless, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If, if, if...

How was your weekend ? Yea, I could use another day too! I cannot believe my daughter is starting kindergarten this week and summer is almost over. ARRRGGG! Anyway, here is some exciting user research-related news and inspiration. Might as well jump back into the saddle, eh?

 

CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

Last week someone asked me the difference between design thinking and ethnography. Earlier I had a fascinating conversation with two very senior practitioners about whether Journey Mapping was a user research method or not and this sparked a heated debate about whether "gathering" data is required criteria to be considered a UXR method? What do you think? Talk to me people.

The bottom line is that almost everyone I know, regardless of level, is perplexed by some UX/UI/Design/User research-related lingo.

So I compiled a list of nearly 100 terms! This week I solicited micro-volunteers to help define them through crowdsourcing. I posted in my google group and on LinkedIn. The response was terrific. I’ll host one more kick off call today at 3pm and then release this puppy into the wild. Talk about prototyping, iterating and dogfooding! (Yep, dogfooding is on the list too!) I’ve never crowdsourced anything. It's exciting though! Not a LinkedIn fan? You can read about the effort, and see my other posts, on my website too.

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SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO LITTLE TIME

  • WOOT WOOT! In September I’ll start teaching user research classes in UC Berkeley’s UX Design program. My class will run on Monday nights, in downtown San Francisco, for 10 weeks. You do not have to be enrolled in the certificate program to take it. Here is the existing course overview. I’ll be tweaking it but it will be jammed packed with actionable goodies for people who want to go both deep and wide. We’ll be building UXR portfolio pieces along the way too.

  • WAHOO! General Assembly will also feature two new classes of mine this fall (in addition to my existing User Research 3 hour Intro workshop and Conducting User Research day-long bootcamp). Please continue to refer your friends and colleagues to those foundations. After 25 classes year to date (yep, seriously) they are REALLY TIGHT NOW! Drum roll please…. My new classes are:

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  • A Mixed Methods session called “Conducting User Research Intermediate Bootcamp”. This is where you can really roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with a variety of generative and evaluative methods. Learn which ones best inform specific types of research questions and phases. The first session is October 4th. >> Register here.

  • The Art of the Interview (not yet posted but slated to launch October 3rd.) Here, you’ll see, practice, and get feedback on how to successfully begin an interview, develop rapport with participants, dig deeper, create sound bites, get out of difficult situations, and wrap up while leaving the door open for future correspondence. We’ll also discuss when it’s appropriate to deviate from your guide (gasp!) and why.

  • NOTE: All General Assembly details (about my class sessions, dates and times) are always listed on my website. Shortly after you land on the homepage, a pop up will appear with all the deets. I update this regularly.

  • FORMER GA STUDENTS: The offer still stands. If you completed one of my User Research Workshops or Bootcamps prior to June 1st, you are invited to audit an upcoming class of the same type. I’d be thrilled to have you back in the saddle and reap the benefits of the feedback you provided to help improve the class materials and tools. They've evolved tremendously thanks to you! Just email me when you'd like to come.

 

OUR TERMS CAN BE SUPER CONFUSING

  • Heads up. I’m on a warpath to bring some definition sanity to terminology in our space. Do you know the difference between UI, UX, CX, UXR? If you don't, look ‘em up. There’s a very big difference. I can tell immediately how seasoned you are by the way you use our terms. Precision is extremely important.

  • Here’s a term for you to ponder this week. Prototype: A concept or idea turned into form (a storyboard, video, 2D or 3D mock up, a blurb, interaction design, etc.) that allows us to gather constructive and timely feedback during the concept and development phases. You can learn more about prototyping in this article I authored for Autodesk Academy. And check out the accompanying practice assignments to improve your prototyping skills.

 

COMING SOON!

  • I’ll share an update about the “Defining our Confusing Terms” crowdsourcing project.

  • A new course and article called “How to Break into User Research”. Eventually I’ll be looking for a few beta participants so keep an eye out!

 

SPEAK UP, GET INVOLVED, SHARE THE LOVE

And that’s a wrap! My second official communication! I promise I’ll stop counting. Soon. Regardless, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Musings for aspiring, temporary, accidental and other user researchers

How are you? It’s been a while since we chatted but I bet you’ve been working on some cool stuff. To make sure you’re gonna rock all of your projects, and keep your head in the UXR game, I wanted to share some exciting user research-related news and inspiration with you.

 

FIRST AND FOREMOST

If you completed one of my User Research Workshops or Bootcamps at General Assembly prior to June 1st, I'd like to invite you to audit an upcoming class of the same type. I’d be thrilled to have you back in the saddle and reap the benefits of the feedback you provided improve the class materials and tools. They've evolved tremendously thanks to you! Just email me when you'd like to come.

 

CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

A few weeks ago my students and I were talking about how to evaluate when you’re ready to actually start conducting a study. So, of course, I drafted a checklist of sorts and posted it on LinkedIn to gather feedback. I’ve got a decent working draft now and I’d love your thoughts on it too. Shoot me an email if you’re interested, please. Not a LinkedIn fan? I repurposed all of my posts and they are now on my website too.

OUR TERMS CAN BE SUPER CONFUSING

  • Let’s face it, the terms we use can be a cluster****. But they are important. Do you know the difference between user research, user testing and a usability test? If you don't, look ‘em up. It's a very big difference. I can tell immediately how seasoned you are by the way you use our terms. Precision is extremely important.

  • Here’s a term for you to ponder this week: Diary study. It’s a research method where people report on their behaviors and or actions over a period of time. It’s useful to get a sense of how a product, service and experience plays out over an extended period. We call this a longitudinal study.

 

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY

  • And speaking of confusing, I’ve compiled a list of 100 UX/UI/UXR/Design-related terms. I'm looking for several volunteers to help define by them by crowd-sourcing. We’d all benefit from a shared vocabulary and our teammates and clients would reap the benefits as well!

  • Are you interested in defining a term? Taking a first pass at a term (or twenty)? How about working on a team with other user researchers and designers to grow that network? GREAT! It’s kicking off next week. Email me to get on the list, stat!

  • NOTE: I'm interested in people contributing that represent various levels of expertise. This will create a richer experience and provide an opportunity for new practitioners to learn from more established researchers as the definitions unfold, and vice versa.

 

COMING SOON!

  • Awesome teaching updates. New fall classes, programs and venues, oh my!

  • Meanwhile, I’ve been asked to collect testimonials to help promote the new classes. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on your class or other experiences with me. Share what you learned, what was most memorable or helpful, something about the vibe, other takeaways, you name it. I’d be so appreciative. You can add those thoughts in this 10 question survey. It will also allow me to get to know you better so I can tailor the samples I share and new activities I create around your interests!

 

SPEAK UP, GET INVOLVED AND SHARE THE LOVE

And that’s a wrap! My first official newsletter-y-email-communication-musing-thingy! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

About

Michele Ronsen founded Ronsen Consulting, a design and strategy firm specialized in human centered research and development. Together with her team of experts, Michele offers full-service and a la carte solutions that help businesses grow on time and within budget...
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