Being 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 meaningful ways, and growing her skills.

Izzy talked about…

• How she finds mentors and a sense of community.
• How to educate your teammates about the differences between market and UX research.
• How to conquer the inevitable imposter syndrome that comes with being the first and only researcher.

Highlights

• [4:16] Doing UX research as an introvert.
• [9:20] Level up by finding good UXR mentors outside your organization.
• [13:55] The biggest challenge of being the first and only researcher is educating the company about what UX research is—and why it matters.
• [17:53] There are a lot of benefits to working in a team, like each member having expertise in a specific area.
• [23:21] Conquering imposter syndrome.

Resources mentioned in the episode

• Hexagon UX
• Design for Good 
• Nikki Anderson
• Kevin Liang 

About our guest

Imani “Izzy” Nichols is the Founder & Principal Researcher at Yzzi Research. There, she uses her research skills to help businesses understand her customers. She also coaches aspiring UX researchers to help them break into UXR and has her own podcast. She has also worked at WeWork and Octane.