In our Season 3 finale, Erin and Carol are joined by Caroline Morchio, Head of UX at Dashlane, a credential management platform. Their conversation explores UX research best practices at a security-minded organization like Dashlane, highlighting other what teams can bring to their own work. Caroline shares the ways she structures the UX team to support the product landscape at Dashlane, their processes for empowering colleagues to contribute to research, and why she prefers a "decentralized" model. The conversation also unpacks the core skills that Caroline emphasizes no matter the company: storytelling, actionable insights, and templates. Together, these help her team maintain rigor while scaling to meet new user experiences opportunities.Finally, Caroline discusses how to balance the security and usability when conducting UX research, and forecasts what the future of data privacy and security might have in store, like passwordless authentication. Episode Highlights04:27 Implementing research in stages07:22 The strategic impact of UX on a business11:23 Focusing on ICP segmentation and user sophistication18:06 The importance of privacy and data security23:01 Decentralizing research processes30:17 The importance of research in complex technologyAbout Our GuestCaroline is a Design leader with experience in innovative companies transforming their industries. She has led design teams through all phases of product development and fostered a culture of open collaboration and feedback. Caroline was previously VP of Design at Handshake, Neuralink, and is now an AWS Design ambassador and Head of UX at Dashlane.More Resources on Security in UXRA Researcher's Guide to Data Privacy RegulationsNDAs and Consent Forms for UX ResearchExamining Ethical Design and Respectful UX

Jo Widawski, founder of Maze, discusses the future of research with three key trends: growing demand, democratization empowering decision-making, and new technology like AI scaling research. The conversation explores the rise of research generalists, stakeholder influence, and necessary skills for future researchers, offering a roadmap for growth from tactical to strategic partnerships.

Erin talks with Auzita Irani from AirBnB about optimizing UX research efficiency. They cover strategies for doing more with less, balancing tactical and strategic work, avoiding burnout, and leveraging tools like AI. They also discuss the impact of research, adapting to blurred work boundaries, and predictions for the future of UX.

Three UX research experts, Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner, discuss the industry's evolution, adapting methods for team dynamics, balancing business and user focus, fostering shared understanding, planning strategically, and the promise of AI. They share insights on future-proofing research practice, creating business value, and building cross-functional partnerships.

Tyler Wanlass, lead product designer at CommandBar, shares practical strategies for user research for designers and PMs. He discusses scrappy approaches, creative participant recruitment, and mixed-methods continuous discovery. Tools like session recordings and account impersonation offer deeper insights. Proactive research, social listening, and competitive analysis are key. Helpful for those without a dedicated research team looking to build thoughtful products efficiently.

Claudia Natasia, CEO of Riley AI, discusses linking research to revenue, strategic frameworks for growth, leveraging competitive analysis, creating meaningful insights, tracking research impact, and elevating projects. She emphasizes triangulating data types, balancing primary research with existing information, and making impact with decision makers and executives.

Healthcare design advisor Nadyne Richmond discusses challenges in healthcare research, like engaging professionals and patients, legal requirements, and data protection. She emphasizes the rewards and intricacies of healthcare research, including the importance of thorough planning, sensitive topics management, and balancing objectivity with empathy.

Julian Della Mattia shares insights on starting a UX research team from scratch, including strategies for success, building bridges within organizations, essential processes, and scaling research capacity. He discusses balancing research with operational tasks, connecting insights from different teams, and aligning user research with core business goals to maximize impact.

Head of Growth at Wonder, Victoria Sakal, discusses the importance of desk research in projects. She explains the continuum between primary and secondary research and the benefits of combining them. Victoria shares best practices for desk research, strategies for different company growth stages, and the impact of emergent technologies. The episode also touches on the role of curiosity in research and the benefits of reading widely.

Lauren Stern, a research sample size expert, discusses tailoring sample sizes to research objectives, qualitative confidence, diverse methodologies in quantitative research, and engaging stakeholders. She provides insights on recruiting participants, analysis approaches, international samples, drop-off rates, and participant compensation strategies. The conversation highlights the importance of advocating for sample sizes and provides resources for making informed decisions.