Hey Reader,
My friend, it's been awhile -- the last issue of Research for All was over a month ago! I intended to get something sent out last week but I was just too swamped with a big research project. I'm really excited to be back today (even though it's Wednesday and I normally send these out on Tuesdays, oops).
I hope your year is getting off to a great start. I just got back from a long weekend somewhere nice and warm, which was perfect aside from getting stung by a 🐝 on the bottom of my foot almost immediately after arriving. Now I'm back home and just trying my best to not be spoiled on Season 2 of Severance (my husband and I made a silly decision to start re-watching Season 1 earlier in the week and we haven't finished yet 😬).
✨ How to survive a user interview on a totally unfamiliar topic
The user interview project I wrapped up last week was one of the most challenging of my career. The client's product was a complicated technology that I had never used before (and couldn't even try out myself because it requires a lot of specialized knowledge to use). The conversations with participants were intimidating as well -- they were mostly CTOs and Directors of Engineering, and each interview was peppered with tons of jargon and acronyms that I'd never encountered before.
The first few sessions felt like drinking from a firehose -- so much information was coming at me and I had a hard time processing it quickly enough to react and ask appropriate follow-up questions! I was starting to feel some real impostor syndrome.
Here are some things that helped turn things around and make me feel more confident and informed during the interviews on this complicated, unfamiliar subject matter:
🗣️ Be up-front with participants
When we were getting into a particularly technical part of the interview, I would say "Just as a reminder, I'm a researcher, not a software engineer. I don't work at [client's company] and I haven't even used the product myself. So I may have to ask you to speak in layman's terms or repeat yourself if I miss something." This really helped participants get on my level.
❓ Ask participants to clarify
When participants used an unfamiliar acronym or a term I hadn't heard before, I asked them to explain so I would be able to understand the rest of what they were saying.
📝 Don't try to take detailed notes
Taking notes during the interview took up way too much of my brain power, so I relied on transcripts instead and only took notes on things I wanted to follow-up on with the participant.
🤖 Get help from AI
In between interviews, I used ChatGPT to explain concepts to me that I still didn't fully understand. As well, one part of the interviews involved having the participant list different tools they integrate with the client's product -- by the end of the interviews I had a list of 50+ tools I had never heard of before, and ChatGPT was invaluable for helping me group them by their general function. (As always, take any output you get from AI with a grain of salt, and consider double-checking some answers to make sure you're getting accurate information.)
👫 Get help from humans
I had a Slack channel with the client's team that I could use to ask questions, and they were very willing to help me out even if I thought my questions seemed dumb. I also leaned on my husband for help, since he's a very technical guy.
❤️ Accept that you won't be perfect
Despite all of this, I still had moments during the interviews where I felt like I couldn't follow the conversation very well. Sometimes this happened while the client was watching the interview, and that sucked, but I gave myself grace and they were very happy with the research in the end.
🎟️ Events
|
|
January 23:
How to use AI ethically in UXR: A practical guide
In this 1-hour masterclass from the IxDF, UX consultant Cory Lebson will show you how to use AI to improve your research while maintaining ethical standards.
|
|
|
February 4:
Better data, faster: Transform your customer surveys
I'll show you how to maximize your next survey's potential with my expert tips for better survey design and analysis, so you can start getting more useful, trustworthy data from your customers immediately.
|
|
|
February 4:
From insights to action: drive impact as a UX researcher
Ruby will teach you frameworks and ways of thinking you can use to demonstrate the impact of your work well beyond the reports you create.
|
|
|
February 19-20:
UX360 research summit
Through a series of virtual talks and panels, learn the latest in UX research methods, from planning and conducting to analysis and taking action.
|
|
|
May 12-14:
ReConnect retreat
Leave this retreat for UXR leaders in a forest in The Netherlands with a renewed sense of purpose, a clear vision for your future, and a powerful network of research leaders who support your journey.
|
My experieI love this warning from Pavel about focusing just on enabling behaviours without considering their relation to business objectives.
🎒 Tools & Resources
|
|
Discussion - Should I start a newsletter?
Linn, Florian, and Lex have tons of gold to share about growing an audience and establishing a reputation. This event was part of a fundraiser for Altadena fire victims - please visit the donation link in the event description and donate if you are able!
|
|
|
Article - Yet another year in review
This one's for those of us who are consulting/freelancing or thinking about it. Behzod gives an in-depth, thoughtful breakdown of the last 4.5 years of running his "me as a service" practice, Yet Another Studio.
|
|
|
Course - How to uplevel stakeholder management for user researchers
Advance your career and drive strategic impact by tapping into the participants no one talks about -- your cross-functional partners. Use the link below or the code BRAZEN for a 12% discount!
|
|
|
Membership - Network with a purpose
UX leaders / career coaches Meltem Kaso and Kax Uson are looking for 10 founding members to pilot a program that's designed to help you build the skills and confidence needed to create genuine relationships that can grow your tech career.
|
|
|
Course: Business 101 for researchers
This free 2-week course from User Interviews equips attendees with the business acumen necessary to drive UX research impact in their organizations. The live sessions have wrapped up, but you can still access everything async.
|
I like this suggestion from Frances, which aligns with one of the questions I always ask new consulting clients when I'm trying to learn more about what they want out of a project: "what decisions do you hope this research helps you make?"
|
|
Okay, that's all for now, Reader -- hope you're having a great start to 2025!
-- Elizabeth @ Research For All
Was this email forwarded to you?
|
