Awkward Silences

If you ask Roberta Dombrowski why it's her favorite time of year, she'll probably mention the UX Research Tools Map. Why? Because it’s one of User Interviews’ most popular projects of the year that features the best UX research tools available across different use cases.Ye one and all are invited to explore the fantastical land of the 2022 UX Research Tools Map! From the Royal Courts of The High Kingdom of Recruiting and Panel Management to the dark waters of Megalodon 365 and G-Dragon, you can explore more about each UX tool and get a comprehensive view of the UXR tool landscape. Informative, fun, and entertaining in its detail—the medieval-themed map is designed to help UX researchers far and wide gain a better understanding of the different UX tools available to them. In this episode, we discuss:Why the UX Research Tools Map is awesomeNew features we love, updates, and categoriesThe challenges of optimizing your tool stackTools! UX research tools! And more wonderful tools!Highlights:[00:01:44] Taco: Roberta explains the motivation behind the map[00:06:11] JH and Roberta list some of their favorite UXR tools[00:07:30] Why we created the map and how it informs the tool optimization process[00:10:44] À la carte vs all-in-one, the challenge of choosing the best solution[00:12:24] Exciting new UX research tools and use cases for tools User Interviews relies on[00:15:59] Fun features, funny details, and easter eggsSources mentioned in the episode:userinterviews.com/awkwardhttps://sprig.comhttps://www.userinterviews.com/ux-research-tools-map-2022About our guestRoberta Dombrowski is the VP of User Research at User Interviews. She is also a Coach & Mindfulness Teacher at Learn Mindfully—her professional and personal development service that helps leaders and individuals reach their full potential. Roberta holds a Master of Science and Organizational Development Workplace Learning from Boise State University, a Level II Reiki Certification, and is a perennial lover of nature.

Healthcare organizations are responding to the UX design boom by focusing on the patient experience. What is driving this shift? Why did it take so long? How does quantitative research align with qualitative research?In this episode of Awkward Silences, Tiffany Mura, Senior Vice President of Health Practice Lead at Mad*Pow, and Erica Devine, Associate Director, Patient Experience Strategy and Support at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies (U.S.), discuss patient-centered design in healthcare research. They explore the complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and share key aspects of their research methodologies to help paint a picture of how research can help improve the overall patient experience.Highlights:  [00:03:48] Digital health companies are disrupting the industry[00:11:38] Erica shares data collection procedures and discusses research trends[00:14:28] How do healthcare researchers find the right people to talk to?[00:17:00] Tiffany explains standard healthcare research methodologies [00:26:39] Ethical considerations are central to planning and recruitment [00:37:02] How to use qualitative data to better understand the patient experience[00:40:21] New regulations will force companies to measure patient-reported outcomesSources mentioned in the episode:userinterviews.com/awkwardThe Experience Economy by Joseph PineUser Research for UX Designers: The Complete GuideAbout our guests  Human-centered design specialist Tiffany Mura is a senior-level brand marketing strategist with a range of experience in multiple healthcare sectors. She is currently the Strategic Lead of Healthcare at Stone Mantel (formerly Senior Vice President, Health Practice Lead at Mad*Pow). She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Penn State University.Erica Devine is a practicing pharmacist with over sixteen years of experience building and overseeing teams. She is currently the Associate Director of Patient Experience Strategy at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies. Her work centers around business development and customer experience strategy, among other things. Erica has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh, licensed to practice in NY and PA.

As teams look for effective ways to collaborate between in-person and remote work, hybrid meetings are a flexible solution to meet both needs. But how can teams strike a balance of both in-person and remote meetings in a hybrid setting? How can facilitators reimagine collaboration to make meetings more effective and productive?In this episode of Awkward Silences, Lead UX Research Manager at Miro, Eduardo Gomez Ruiz, is back to share his team’s insight from Miro’s latest research study on the advantages and challenges of hybrid meetings. He shares exactly how he secured stakeholder buy-ins, UX research methods, and surprising signals. As hybrid working models take hold, this study serves as a great starting point for understanding new paradigms, trends, and attitudes as we continue to navigate new ways of working.In this episode, we discuss:How UX is affected by the evolving hybrid work environmentEffective ways to gather collaborators and stakeholdersThe various UX research methods Eduardo and his team used for the study, and some surprising resultsThe role of inclusion in facilitating hybrid work environmentsBest tips and practices from successful hybrid meeting facilitatorsHighlights:[00:05:17] The project's hypothesis was to uncover the dynamics of the overlap between devices, environment, and culture[00:09:12] How Eduardo gained support from the CEO and the Chief Product Officer[00:13:50] The four-phase plan; observation, interviews, surveys, and a co-creation session[00:18:57] Revealing surprising insights about IRL vs. remote user research and inclusivity[00:21:27] Attending in-office meetings as if they were remote[00:25:29] The biggest challenge: maximizing hybrid meetings for both remote and in-person contributors[00:35:01] J.H. touches on emerging approaches to asynchronous communication in meetings[00:37:33] Helpful tips on inclusion and initiating collaboration during hybrid meetingsSources mentioned in the episode:userinterviews.com/awkwardhttps://miro.com/About our guestEduardo Gomez Ruiz is the Senior UX Research Manager at Miro, which develops cutting-edge collaboration software trusted by over forty million users. He has also served as a Design Thinking Associate Professor at IE Business School for nearly eight years. Since Eduardo joined Miro in 2020, he has been instrumental in the growth and development of the company’s UX research department. Prior to joining Miro, he held positions at Uber and several consulting agencies as a Global UX Researcher and UX Consultant 

The dual nature of research on research is exciting in itself, especially for Senior UX Researcher Nicholas Aramouni. In this episode, things get meta as we address the UX of UX research. Nicholas discusses the importance of testing everything, testing early, and testing often. He elaborates on his approach to UX research from different angles and describes the beauty (and absurdity) of what it’s like when UX researchers become participants.In this episode, we discuss:Best practices for building better UXThe UX challenges UX researchers faceImportant factors that influence UX testingThe pros and cons of adopting new research toolsA walkthrough of Nicholas’ testing methodsHighlights:[00:01:52] The keys to designing a great UX test are flawlessness, simplicity, and making it intentional[00:05:42] Nicholas’ approach: test everything, test early, and test often to create the perfect test[00:06:53] Nicholas talks about staying focused on what matters and that empathy is a powerful research tool[00:10:42] The test is a valuable asset, and how tools affect the outcomes[00:23:17] Do researchers make good participants?[00:27:52] Tips for researchers using a new UX platform[00:31:39] More on researchers as participants. Nicholas shares his experience as a participant[00:33:04] Erin asks Nick how he got into user researchAbout our guestNicholas Aramouni is a Senior Communications Manager and UX Researcher at Userlytics who specializes in global UX practices. Nicholas has experience in various industries, including music, entertainment, media, and e-commerce. He is passionate about humanities, holds a B.Ed. in Social Studies from Mount Royal University, and was the former co-host of Mindspark. A learning podcast focused on K-12 education. 

Most people have no idea what UX researchers do. Even less known is what Research Ops Specialists do, which is why one of the Research Ops community’s main priorities is to shine a light on the people, mechanisms, and strategies that set research in motion.In this episode of Awkward Silences, Hosts Erin May and John-Henry Forster chat with research design leader Benson Low about why it’s time to bring attention to Research Ops. They discuss the emerging role of Research Ops specialists, and Benson provides several strategies that can help communicate the value of Research Ops to stakeholders. In this episode, we discuss:Ways to communicate the value of your work in Research OpsTactics and strategies to gain support in your organizationHow to leverage the power of the ReOps communityTips for Research Ops advocates on dealing with roadblocks Highlights:[00:02:32] What is Research Ops? What is the Research Ops community?[00:07:50] How to start advocating for Research Ops[00:14:49] Use ReOps community resources to create awareness[00:17:30] Stress the importance of research in the product development lifecycle[00:19:55] Communicating the impact and value your work to stakeholders[00:32:36 ] Advice on overcoming barriers during advocacy workAbout our guestBenson is leading and scaling the UX Research practice as the Head of Design Capability at REA Group. For over 20 years, he's led design and UX teams throughout Australia, across the emerging web, games development, start-ups, design consultancies, and enterprise product design teams. He is also a board member of the ResearchOps community, organizing workshops and meetups, and has been part of other global projects.

In this episode, we discuss:Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingWhy religion is an overlooked topic in UX researchAttitudes and behaviors related to religionTips for researchers on how to address inclusion from a UX perspectiveHighlights:[00:01:41] The ‘I’ in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)[00:04:05] Forget about equity, this episode is about diversity and inclusion[00:07:48] Applying inclusion to UX research[00:10:56] How to start difficult conversations around inclusion[00:13:25] Why Zoë is interested in UX research on religion[00:20:38] How to keep your bias in check as a researcher[00:25:09] Zoe shares how she addresses religion from a UX perspective[00:27:11] Why it’s so hard to talk about religion at workAbout our guestZoë Glas is a Senior UX Researcher at Google. She specializes in gathering and triangulating qualitative and quantitative data to improve amazing products. She has a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Social Science from Purdue University and a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. Zoe has been published extensively in several international journals, including Sage journals, Society & Natural Resources, and Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 

Our VP of User Research, Roberta Dombrowski, talks about the fast-paced work behind the scenes of UX research and the excitement when things fall into place. We also examine how deeper insight drives strategy and informs long-term planning as research matures, and the reality of team collaboration.In this episode, we discuss:Our exciting plans and strategy for the futureHow we use research to inform planningProduct perspectives vs people perspectivesThe beauty of new insights and their impact on a big relaunchThe difference between healthy organizational tension and dysfunctionAbout our guestRoberta Dombrowski is the VP of User Research at User Interviews, as well as a career and life coach at Learn Mindfully. She has spent her career leading research teams and enabling researchers in various industries to better understand their customers. In addition to her work as a UX researcher, she is  known for being an excellent cat mom, gardener, and thought leader. Visit her profile to learn more. 

Incentives do more than just attract quality participants to your study. Ultimately, offering great incentives helps you collect great data.But if logistics aren’t your thing, managing and distributing incentives can be a nightmare. Nick Baum founded Tremendous, the payouts management platform, to take the pain out of that process. He joined us to chat about how Tremendous makes researchers’ lives easier, tips for managing research incentives, and how to choose the right type and amount of incentive.In this episode:How Tremendous helps UX researchers pay incentives simplyIn-person versus digital incentivesHow to choose the right amount of incentiveManaging incentive budgetsHighlights:[1:14] Why Tremendous?[1:57] How Tremendous helps UX researchers[5:06] Let the UX researcher research and not deal with incentives[6:24] What do UX researchers need to understand about incentives?[8:55] Incentive options[10:07] Choosing the right level of the incentive[11:41] In-person versus digital incentive[16:22] Managing incentive budgets[17:43] International incentive challenges[20:57] How can you make the incentive appealing?[24:41] Why should you set up authentic expectations for participants about incentives?Sources mentioned in the episode:The Ultimate Guide to User Research IncentivesThe User Research Incentive CalculatorRecruit qualified participants with User Interviews About our guestNick Baum is the Co-founder and CEO of Tremendous, a payouts platform enabling businesses to send money, pre-paid cards, and gift cards to people around the world. Before Tremendous, Nick was the Co-founder and CEO of GiftRocket and the Quantitative Equity Analyst of MDT Advisers. 

‘Ethical design’ is a term that encompasses a process of designing useful, empowering, and accessible products that do not harm, manipulate, or deceive people. It is, in essence, about treating people you design for with respect and consideration.That’s a deceptively simple goal, and many companies miss the mark. Kat Zhou joins us today to talk about the challenges, opportunities, and urgent need for ethical design and research.In this episode:Why is ethical design so critical for both users and companies?How to integrate ethics and respect in your UX researchHow ethical design empowers inclusive and equitable representationHighlights:[0:51] What is ethical design in UX?[2:35] Where can you learn about ethical design for UX?[4:38] Ethical design resources for researchers[5:29] What does it mean to treat people with respect?[8:33] Could we balance business goals with respect?[12:40] Pragmatism versus idealism[15:52] What does deceptive design imply?[17:40] Ethical design practices for UX researchers[24:28] Boosting inclusive representation[29:44] Changing the world for the better[34:11] UX regulations[43:00] Kat’s key takeaways on ethical design and researchSources mentioned in the episode:< Design Ethically >Race After Technology by Ruha BenjaminAlgorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja NobleThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi KleinThe UX Designer's Guide to User ResearchAbout our guestKat Zhou is a product developer and designer who focuses on integrating ethics into the design of AI systems. Currently, she is the Senior Product Designer at Epidemic Sound. Before that, Kat was the Creator of the < Design Ethically > project, a Member Of The Board Of Advisors at The YX Foundation, and a Product Designer at Spotify and IBM. Kat is also a strong advocate for more inclusive and privacy-friendly approaches to AI.

Tacos = the great. Tide Pods = the not-so-great. An honest chat about the (mostly really great) state of User Interviews.Roberta Dombrowski, VP of UX Research at User Interviews, is back for our third installment of Tacos and Tide Pods. She joins Erin and JH to talk about the 100th episode of Awkward Silences, the importance of prioritizing authenticity over patterns on LinkedIn, and Roberta's upcoming wedding.In this episode:The 100th episode of Awkward SilencesWhy you should focus on bigger thingsMaintaining LinkedIn content format while expressing authenticity