The User Research Strategist: UXR | Impact | Career

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Hannah is a UX researcher with over a decade of experience helping product teams make smarter, faster decisions. She has a thing for working on public sector services, the grittier, the better and nothing is grittier than healthcare (especially women's health). Hannah worked her way up the chain to be head of research, but she just couldn’t keep away from the hustle of a product team. Instead, she focused on scaling down UX research methods so even the leanest teams can get some insight.

Her mantra? Good research comes in small packages.

 In our conversation, we discuss:

* The importance of bridging the gap between research and business decisions

* Challenges of getting research used by teams and keeping it actionable

* The value of workshops in facilitating collaboration and decision-making

* Tips for structuring workshops in an agile, time-constrained environment

Any links to courses or something

Some takeaways:

* Research doesn’t end with analysis. To ensure your findings are applied, you need to facilitate discussions that help teams translate insights into actionable decisions. After completing research, schedule a workshop where key stakeholders (designers, product managers, and developers) collaborate to prioritize insights based on business needs and feasibility.

* Workshops are vital for creating alignment between cross-functional teams. Hannah emphasized how they enable everyone to share perspectives and make collaborative decisions, ensuring that research gets implemented. Start by introducing short workshops (like assumption mapping) into existing meetings, ensuring that decisions are made as a group rather than individually by stakeholders.

* In agile teams, traditional long-form research methods can be broken down into smaller, digestible tasks spread across multiple sessions. This makes them more manageable and ensures participation without overwhelming the team. Use methods like problem clarity vs. risk mapping in agile sprints by integrating them into existing meetings like retrospectives or standups. Limit activities to 10-15 minutes to fit the team’s schedule.

* A well-structured workshop ensures that participants stay focused and engaged. Timeboxing each part of the workshop, as Hannah suggested, keeps discussions on track and maximizes productivity. For every workshop, clearly define time limits for each activity. Use visible countdowns to ensure that no one person dominates the conversation, allowing equal participation from all team members.

* The misconception that workshops must be long or formal is outdated. Short, frequent sessions can be just as effective in driving decisions and maintaining momentum. Create “minimum viable workshops” by breaking a larger activity into smaller chunks across multiple shorter meetings. For example, instead of a three-hour workshop, spread exercises across a two-week sprint, completing small tasks during existing ceremonies or standups.

Where to find Hannah:

* LinkedIn

* Website

For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected]

In this podcast episode, I discuss:

* How we can often feel like we have to do jobs outside our scope

* The difficulty of saying no to projects

* How it isn’t ideal for us to be overextending into someone else’s expertise

* What to do when someone asks you to do a task you aren’t an expert in

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

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Ruby Pryor is the founder of Rex. Rex is a UX research and strategic design consulting firm. Ruby has worked in Design and Customer Experience for a decade across Australia and Asia. Her previous experience includes working for Boston Consulting Group, Grab and Nous Group. She is a recognized global expert, has spoken at UX conferences in 6 countries and has been interviewed on CNA. In our conversation, we discuss:

* Why cultural localization of apps/products is so important

* UX Research’s strategic role within organizations

* The importance of mitigating risk through UX research

* The need to collaborate across teams

Ruby is hosting a new cohort for her Write for Impact course: https://maven.com/rexperience/writingforimpact (Use NIKKI20, which Ruby generously shared, and get a 20% discount)

Some takeaways:

* UX researchers should advocate for deeper localization efforts, ensuring the product experience feels natural and intuitive for users in different regions. For instance, reviewing user flows with regional preferences in mind or conducting localized user research can help prevent alienating non-US users.

* UX researchers should participate in early product strategy discussions to ensure localization and other user-focused decisions are embedded from the start, reducing costly missteps. They should also actively engage with business and strategy teams, framing research insights around risk reduction and business opportunities. Being part of the conversation early can help UX researchers influence decisions like feature prioritization and product launches in new markets.

* Demonstrating the tangible value of UX research can be difficult because it often prevents negative outcomes that aren’t immediately measurable. Document the decisions before and after research to show their impact. Track the changes made after research insights are applied. For example, if a feature that was initially prioritized is deprioritized due to research findings, quantify the potential cost savings in terms of development time and resources to showcase the value of your work.

* UX researchers often limit their collaboration to product teams but should also connect with business operations and strategy departments to align research insights with broader business goals. Seek out opportunities to network and collaborate with stakeholders in business strategy, operations, and marketing. Understanding their goals can help researchers align their findings with broader organizational objectives, increasing the overall impact of UX research.

* A core part of UX research is mitigating risk by identifying potential usability issues before they reach the market, but this impact often goes unnoticed because it prevents problems rather than solves them. Keep a clear record of what decisions would have been made without research insights, and show how research prevented potential errors, resource waste, or user frustration. This can help quantify the “hidden” value of your research efforts.

Where to find Ruby:

* Website: www.rexhq.io and www.rubypryor.com 

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-pryor/

* Impact sizing masterclasses: https://www.rexhq.io/masterclasses

👋 Hey, Nikki here! Welcome to this month’s ✨ free User Research walk-through✨. In these walk-throughs, I review my previous work and comment on what worked, what didn’t, and how I would improve it or walk you through work I am currently doing to share my thought process.

If you want to see everything I post, subscribe below!

Resources:

* Submit a topic

Join my membership!

If you’re looking for even more content, a space to call home (a private community), and live sessions with me to answer all your deepest questions, check out my membership (you get all this content for free within the membership), as it might be a good fit for you!

👋 Hey, Nikki here! Welcome to this month’s ✨ free podcast ✨ of User Research Academy. Three times a month, I tackle reader questions about the ins and outs of user research through my podcast, and share super concrete tips and examples on user research methods, approaches, careers, or situations.

If you want to see everything I post, subscribe below!

Resources:

* Connect with Giulia

* Career jumping from UXR to PM

Resources:

* UX Forensics - check out my website

* Join my membership!

* Submit a topic/question

Content note:

While we won’t be discussing details about specific traumatic experiences, we will be mentioning examples of trauma and trauma responses. Because even high-level discussions like these can be activating for those who have experienced trauma, we want to invite listeners to pay attention to how you’re feeling (emotionally and physically) as you listen. If you find yourself experiencing a strong reaction, we encourage you to pause to care for yourself, whether that includes recentering with deep and measured breathing or stepping away.

Resources:

* Marja’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marja-germans-gard-phd/

* Marja’s website: https://marjagermansgardphd.com/

Listen: 

* A Trauma-Informed Future with Katie Kurtz (podcast)

* Laura van Dernoot Lipsky on Future Tripping (podcast)

Read: 

* Cultivating Resiliencies for All: The Necessity of Trauma Responsive Research Practices (article by Matt Bernius and Rachael Dietkus)

* Practicing without a license (article by Tad Hirsch)

* Design for Safety (book by Eva PenzeyMoog)

* Trauma Informed Design resources website (a resource repository: https://www.tidresources.org/)

* Trauma-Informed Design Research (Medium article by Jax Wechsler)

* SAMHSA principles: https://www.cdc.gov/orr/infographics/6_principles_trauma_info.htm

Follow: 

* Rachael Dietkus, Melissa Eggleston, Carol Scott, PhD

Join:

* Trauma-Informed Design Discussion Group (request to join using this form)

👋 Hey, Nikki here! Welcome to this month’s ✨ free podcast ✨ of User Research Academy. Three times a month, I tackle reader questions about the ins and outs of user research through my podcast, and share super concrete tips and examples on user research methods, approaches, careers, or situations.

If you want to see everything I post, subscribe below!

Resources:

* Follow Ana on LinkedIn

* “The tools” by Phil Stutz

* Join my membership!

* Submit a topic/question

👋 Hey, Nikki here! Welcome to this month’s ✨ free podcast ✨ of User Research Academy. Three times a month, I tackle reader questions about the ins and outs of user research through my podcast, and share super concrete tips and examples on user research methods, approaches, careers, or situations.

If you want to see everything I post, subscribe below!

Resources:

* Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn

* Evolving UXR for Greater Impact @ Great Research Event

* Join my membership!

* Submit a topic/question

Resources:

* Follow Kasia on LinkedIn

* Kasia’s recommended resources:

* Foundation Regiment that offers free online psychological consultations 

* Basics of Trauma Informed Design 

* Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine 

* "Deviate" by Beau Lotto 

* “Stutz”

* Join my Membership!