Amazon Design’s Post

UX Researchers are therapists. Let me rewind. I'm going to need to explain that. George Lakoff is one of my favorite authors I learned about in grad school. He taught me that people think and understand through metaphors. And when I try to explain something, I constantly think about what metaphors might help me out. So when people outside the tech industry ask me what do UX Researchers do, I say we're kind of like therapists. Our patients are software. Sometimes they're members of a product team. And if you ignore the advice of your therapist, your problems aren't going to vanish. But I'm always in search of a better metaphor. So I'm curious, what metaphors do y'all use? ===== If you want to why I think this =========== 🍎 Apple: https://lnkd.in/dCNvUPjw 📗 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dxhN5tdP ====================================

Last night, I was cooking dinner and listening to Drs. Jasmin M. Goodman, Ph.D. and Maryann Kwakwa’s "Office Hours: Career Paths for PhDs" podcast, Episode 5 featuring Dr. Rebecca Constantini. As the episode was wrapping up, Dr. Constantini provided some *much needed* reminders and self-confidence boosters. From 41:10 - 42:29, she said, “It is no easy feat to get into a PhD program. To secure that spot. To go through the program. You are a resilient individual and the fact you have gotten this far in your program is telling enough and testament to the fact that you will make it.” As I wrap-up my fieldwork and transition into the dissertation writing phase AND my ongoing job search phase, it is always helpful to hear that this can and will be done. This is just a phase. And if I’ve made it this far, I can go a little farther. For every doctoral student pivoting (or slightly curious about pivoting) to industry, a HIGHLY recommend the Office Hours podcast. https://lnkd.in/eYaPmqw5

I used to listen to Oprah’s SuperSoul conversation podcast and, in the intro, she says, **“I believe one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time—taking time to be more fully present.” I agree with this sentiment so incredibly much (I practice Buddhism so being in the present is both a struggle and aspiration for me). But I also think another super valuable gift you can give yourself is feedback. For the longest time, I expected others to give me feedback. And while this is completely valid and, at least I believe should happen, it’s not the only way we can help ourselves learn and grow. In fact, you can give yourself this gift. Even if it makes you cringe 😂😬 The first time I listened to an interview I ran, I wanted to throw my headphones clear across the office. Same with many subsequent times after that — it was like listening to a message I’d left on someone’s phone. I hated hearing my voice. BUT…. That annoying but… I learned SO F*CKING MUCH!!! I was able to listen to: - How I lead participants sometimes - When I tend to ask closed-ended questions - How many times I asked double-barelled questions And so many more “mishaps” (lets call them that). Listening and assessing your own research sessions can be such an eye-opening and incredibly valuable experience (EVEN if you hate the sound of your own voice which most people do so…we just have to accept it). You can learn so much just by listening back and assessing what went well, what needs to improve, and then coming up with concrete strategies on how to improve these points. In my most recent article, I talk all about listening to and assessing your own research sessions. Check the article out, link in comments! #userresearch #research #ux #uxr #uxresearcher #uxresearch #designresearch #userresearcher #careers

Loved speaking with Nikki Anderson, MA! I'll be honest, it was a bit of a fan boy moment chatting with Nikki, someone who has inspired me with her posts and awesome podcast work 👏 Recommend anyone who is on the job hunt in UXR, checks out this episode 🎧 #ux #userexperience #uxresearch #userresearch #research #uxpodcast #podcast

Check out the newest episode of the Ipsos UX podcast on social justice in design. Also happy to announce that in the future I am going to co-host this podcast with Jacqueline - our next episode is going to focus on #accessibility in UX. #ux #uxdesign #uxresearch #socialjustice #inclusiveresearch #inclusivedesign

What does it mean to understand something? How do we take information and create understanding? Stephen Anderson and Karl Fast, co-authors of Figure It Out, appear on UXPodcast, discussing how we can do our best to figure it all out. https://lnkd.in/g64eZTv

I am all for UXRs deeply empathizing with their stakeholders' needs, goals, and pain points. I am all for understanding product teams are under stress and things need to get done fast. I am all for trying to be as educated as possible on our stakeholders' roles. I am all for doing our best to mitigate risk with constraints. But I do wonder... When are others going to understand the UXR role in it's fullness? When are others going to understand we can't always test in 1-2 days because we don't want to get terrible data? When are others going to understand that it's not just about a casual thirty-minute chat with a few users every week? When can we both understand each others' roles fully and take the time to make compromises? --- I write all about the craft of user research and how to navigate your career as a user researcher. Subscribe to The User Research Academy at https://buff.ly/3E98VIQ for deep dives on these topics. #userresearch #research #ux #uxr #uxresearcher #uxresearch #designresearch #userresearcher #careers

Majority of the time when I explain to the product stakeholders that we need to conduct user research and gather feedback to create a better UX they always say, "let's not waste time, I feel that the feature that I'm proposing will increase the value of the product". Whenever the team shows a flawed UX in a product and propose a solution, "Think different, listen to tech podcasts on how great companies are built, don't spread negativity here". And kaboom, the result is ending up with a broken product. 😅 Jokes apart, I would like to highlight on a quote by Frank Chimero, "People ignore design that ignores people." What are your thoughts on this? comment down below, wanted to listen from the industry experts. #ProductDevelopment #UserExperience #UserResearch #Feedback

Breaking into UX (Part 2): 🎙️ What goes into a transition? A while ago, I enjoyed speaking with Peter Horvath and Jesse Anton for their podcast, 24 Minutes of UX, about my career story and the lessons I gained from entering the world of content design. I posted Part 1 of our discussion last week. I’d like to share Part 2 today. Sometimes, I wonder whether our lessons stay relevant as time passes. But, after revisiting this discussion, I find it interesting that many of the experiences shared still have value. If you have any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear from you. Listen to the episode: bit.ly/42XSquU. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy