Hey Reader,

You probably didn't even notice, but this is the latest I've ever sent out this newsletter! Usually I get it out in the early morning in my timezone, but I was dealing with a sick toddler this weekend and I had two new research projects started this week.

ANYWAYS, hopefully this ends up being a nice interlude in your day. If you're in EST like me, maybe you're reading it over lunch :)

✨ 5 things that make every research project a success (or: everything I know about working with clients I learned from working at Centralis)

My very first job as a UXer was at Centralis, a research-focused UX consulting firm just outside Chicago. I joined immediately after finishing my PhD in Psychology, and I had absolutely zero practical experience with UX research. Thankfully, Kathi Kaiser and Lyman Casey, Centralis' founders, took a chance on me anyways ❤️

The people I worked with at Centralis (Centraliens, as we call ourselves 👽) are the smartest people I know. So much of what I do now as a UXR consultant is shaped by what I learned during my time working with them.

Centralis is shutting its doors at the end of the year as the founders shift their focus to other things, so I wanted to use this newsletter issue to share the most important things I learned from these brilliant folks about how to be a great UXR consultant/freelancer -- and pretty much everything I share below applies to working with in-house stakeholders as well, so take a read even if you aren't a freelancer.
​

💪 Always project confidence​
The client hired you because they trust your expertise, they value your opinion, and they truly want to work with you. So own it! Speak with authority and don't shy away from sharing your thoughts and recommendations as an expert researcher -- it's what they're paying for.

🤝 You have to make an argument, but you don't have to win it​
Clients will sometimes have different opinions than you -- maybe they interpret a research result in a way that you don't agree with, or maybe they have strong feelings about the sample size for a project and it doesn't align with best practices. When that happens, share your opinion clearly and confidently. If they push back, give it another try, maybe from a different angle. But if they really don't want to budge, there's not much you can do about it -- you've stated your case, and it may make more sense to drop the issue than continue to push back and risk your relationship.

🤸‍♀️ Be flexible (to a point)​
You want your client to feel like working with you is easy and enjoyable, and one way to do this is to be flexible where you can. Maybe they realize they need an extra day to finish up the prototype and you can accommodate that in your scheduling. Or maybe they ask if they can watch your interviews live, and that makes you feel a bit nervous but you still say yes. One caveat to being flexible is you also want to keep in mind what you agreed to in your contract. If the client decides they want add on 5 additional interviews, it's probably time for a scope change conversation instead of an immediate "yes".

🗣️ Be easy to reach​
Clients should never be confused about how to get in touch with you, and you should make it easy for them by making yourself available on the platform they prefer (like Slack or...shudder...MS Teams). And don't disappear for days or weeks on end, even if you're knee-deep in analysis -- keep clients updated on what's happening and invite questions and discussion.

☎️ Don't deliver bad news by email​
Did your recruiter mess up and only recruit people in Montana when the client wanted a US-wide sample? Did you run half of your usability sessions and then realize you were using the wrong prototype link? If you need to share bad news with the client, don't do it by email -- call them or jump on a quick meeting instead. You want to be able to use the appropriate tone, gauge their reaction, and talk through potential next steps together.

🎟️ Events

November 21: GenAI storyboarding for service design The team at Made Manifest will share how they've been using Generative AI tools like Dall-e to create service storyboards as part of their work -- with lots of tips, examples, and even some time to experiment with the tools on your own! Get ticket

December 3: Inclusivity in user experience Join Ruby for an inspiring discussion on inclusivity in UX with the talented Emily Anderson. Emily will share her insights, experiences, and strategies for creating more inclusive user experiences. Get free ticket

December 5: Why research gets ignored & how to fix it Sometimes, when we share research findings, we hear back "We already knew that". Steve Portigal will examine why that happens and how we can adjust our approach to research to prevent it. Join over Zoom or live in Mountain View (with dinner!). Get ticket

December 10: How to find unexpected AI outcomes The consequences of AI can be profound and harmful to users and our organizations. The best thing you can do as a designer, researcher, or PM is to uncover these potential issues and mitigate them BEFORE you launch. (I'm coming to this one!) Get free ticket

I wouldn't say that there are absolutely zero situations where it can be valuable to ask a participant carefully-worded questions to get at what they want from a product/company, but I think Yang's guideline around relying on open-ended questions that reveal needs, pain points, and preferences, is a great one.

🎒 Tools & Resources

2-day workshop - Sort and sift, think and shift: Let the data be your guide Learn an iterative analysis process and dive into data to understand its content, dimensions, and properties -- then step back to assess what you have learned to bridge findings with current conversations in the field. Use PLAN30 for 30% off! Get 30% off

1-day workshop - How to run an effective prioritization activity Learn to facilitate workshops that help your team converge quickly on a force-ranked prioritized list of bets—fast, without glossing over nuance or getting sidetracked. And make those decisions stick! Check it out

Course - Reimagine your career: A playbook for designing your next act When navigating major career inflection points, no one should have to go alone. In this six-week program, you'll join research leader Christine Perfetti and a group of like-minded women who are ready to design the next chapter of their careers. Use FAST25 to get 25% off until Sunday! Get 25% off

Okay, that's all for now, Reader -- hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you again soon. And to my 🇺🇸 subscribers, happy (early) Thanksgiving!! ​ -- Elizabeth @ Research For All ​ Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here

Elizabeth Creighton​
​LinkedIn​
​Website​
​
Questions? Comments? Compliments? Complaints? Hit 'reply' -- I'd love to hear them.
​
Looking for more research stuff? Book a chat or resume review, download my free research plan template, or join my User Interview Skills course at 20% off.
​
Logo designed by the inimitable Tom Creighton.
​
​Unsubscribe | Preferences | Archive | Cedar Ave, Hamilton, ON L8M 3A5

👾 The Bonus Level

Your reward for scrolling down this far just keeps getting better the longer you watch it. Congrats!