Learn more about our guest:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raelinmusuraca/
Website: https://raelin.me/
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We're very excited to have Professor Raelin Musuraca in this episode. With a background in interaction design, marketing, and journalism, Raelin has extensive experience in leveraging human-centered research and design methods to help companies improve their customer experience and increase revenue. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and also owns her own design consulting company, Raelin Research. During her career, she has worked with various companies, helping them to develop a deep understanding of their customers through research and design. We are eager to learn more about her unique perspectives on human-centered design and customer experience.
In fact, Professor Raelin was the inspiration behind this podcast program. We had lunch in March where she gave us valuable advice on networking by reaching out to professionals, professors, and TAs around us. Her words stuck with me for a long time — “People love to talk about themselves!”
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02:10 - What motivated you to start teaching at CMU after two decades of industry experience? Can you tell us more about your decision to switch career paths and what motivated you to become a professor now?
04:36 - As someone who has spent time in both industry and academia, how has your industry experience shaped your teaching approach and focus? Will you share your past industry experience/projects with the class while you are teaching?
05:33 - Why Raelin doesn't like the word “soft skill”, as those are the most important skills. Can these skills be tested in behavior questions interviews?
08:38 - Do you have any memorable moments or challenges in teaching?
10:23 - What aspect of teaching do you find the most rewarding/valuable?
11:48 - Now let’s move on to the career side. We saw on your profile that your bachelors degree was in journalism, but then you got your master in professional writing and eventually launched your career in creative leadership. We are wondering how you made those transitions and why?
17:17 - Why would you want to get a job at big tech companies like Google? Think more about how you want to contribute to the world. One direction is to reflect on how we can make impacts beyond the screens and improve other people’s lives through technology.
18:30 - We found marketing and service design an important part in your experience. How can having a marketing mindset benefit UX designers or researchers? Do you think aspiring UX practitioners like us need to train our marketing mindset intentionally?
24:20 - We found out you also worked in banking industries and retail industries before. What is the difference between working with them, and are they using different user methodologies?
30:28 - Could you tell us more about Raelin Research LLC and why you decided to start your own design consulting company?
33:00 - What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing a career in design and research?
37:13 - What skills do you think are most essential for success in this field?
40:42 - What do you see as the future of design and research, particularly in the context of emerging technologies?
43:22 - This is a question we ask all of our guests on the show: If you could go back and speak to your younger self in your 20s, what advice or message would you give to yourself?
