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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com Skills are an essential part of actually making AI feel useful and integrating it into your workflow in a effective and more efficient way. In this video, I walk through three of my UXR skills and the exact components in each of them. I run Introduction to Claude Skills for User Research as a live workshop, and the next one is on September 22nd. We go th…

The difference between being a researcher people rely on and a researcher people build with I have spent a lot of my career being the person who shows up to the meeting, sits at the table, and somehow still feels like a guest at it. You know the version of this, where everyone is aware research exists, they will happily call you when something needs validating, and yet none of the actual product decisions seem to happen anywhere near you. I have come to think this is one of the quietest career traps in our field, and I do not think we talk about it enough, so I sat down with Priyanka Kuvalekar, a Senior UX Researcher at Microsoft who leads research for Teams Calling and agentic AI experiences, to get into the part of the job that has nothing to do with method and everything to do with people. Priyanka has eight years in the field, a background as an architect before tech, and a way of describing cross-functional work that made me nod so hard I almost knocked the mic. This one is for anyone who has ever felt like the team’s resident data nerd and wanted to be something more than that. What we get into: * A relationship means people know you are available, a partnership means people build with you. This was the line that organized the whole conversation for me. Priyanka draws the distinction cleanly by defining how a relationship is the PM passively knowing research exists and reaching for you when they want more of it, and a partnership is being invited into the room where the decisions actually happen, from the small “there’s a bug, we need feedback” moments all the way up to “we have a brand new idea, where does research fit.” The shift she describes is from waiting to be invited to proactively shaping where the product is going, and I think a huge number of researchers are sitting in the relationship box right now without realizing there is another box entirely. * Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is act like a therapist. Priyanka said she will literally sit with her cross-functional partners and work to understand what motivates them, what they are worried about, what keeps them up at night, where they see the product going, and what risks they genuinely want answers on. She called herself a therapist at one point, and I loved that, since the listening she is describing is not soft or passive, it is reconnaissance. When you actually know what your PM is afraid of and what your designers are carrying in terms of product history, you can position your research where it will land hardest, and you stop guessing at where to make an impact. * You get proactive by questioning the decision, not just delivering the study. The move Priyanka described that I want every researcher to steal is using the five whys on your own stakeholders. When a PM brings a decision built on generally available knowledge rather than verified sources, she asks why they are taking it, where the data came from, and what the consequences of being wrong actually are. She asks for the roadmap, the six-month plan, the reasoning behind the sequencing, and what comes out of that is the context you genuinely cannot make good calls without. The reframe here is knowing what your team is building for, not just what they have asked you to test. * The data does not change, the translation does. This is the one Priyanka named as her core takeaway, and it is the difference between a report that lands in a deck and a report that moves a decision. The same finding gets framed in tradeoffs and risk for PMs, in feasibility for engineers, and in business vision and risk-of-inaction for executive leadership, all without diluting what the research actually says. She pairs this with a research point of view in every report, where the insight comes with a recommendation, a severity rating, and a clear justification of why a high is a high and what happens if the team ignores it. Translating is not softening, it is meeting each person in the language they already think in. * Tell people how NOT to use your research, out loud, every time. This is the bit I have rarely heard anyone articulate as clearly as Priyanka did. She has watched teams take one insight out of an entire study and bend it into whatever they already wanted to do, and she has seen people pull inspiration from unrelated reports in other departments and treat it as evidence for their own product. Her answer is to keep evangelizing after the readout, give a clear TLDR of what the research says, and then state plainly what the research does not say. Disclaimers on how not to use the data sound almost paranoid until you have had a stakeholder cheerfully misquote you in a leadership meeting, and then they sound like the most reasonable thing in the world. * You can say no without saying no, and you can stay visible without becoming a yes-researcher. We both confessed to the same arc, going from reactive to overcommitted to burnt out, and Priyanka had the most practical fix I have heard for it. When her team was packed for four months on foundational work and the usability and “does this button work” requests kept coming, she opened a 30-minute weekly research office hour where designers could bring quick questions and she would help launch something low-lift on a testing platform, which built real goodwill without blowing up her roadmap. She pairs that with weekly check-ins where she shares even tiny progress, so the question her team asks shifts from “what is that researcher even doing” to “what is coming next from them,” and that small reframe is what buys her the time to do thorough work without disappearing for eight weeks at a stretch. None of this works as a one-time performance. The therapist conversations, the office hours, the weekly progress updates, the disclaimers on every readout, all of it is maintenance work that you have to keep doing even on the weeks you are slammed and would rather hide behind a study. Priyanka has been sharing weekly updates for over a year, and I think that consistency is the actual product, not any single clever framing. If you take one thing from this episode, take the relationship-to-partnership distinction, and then go do the unglamorous, repeated work that earns the second one. Watch or listen to the full conversation above. Priyanka is genuinely lovely and far more generous with her hard-won lessons than she needed to be, so go give her a follow. Find Priyanka: * LinkedIn * Instagram Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Sarah Doody is a UX Researcher & Product Designer with 22 years of experience. She is also the founder and CEO of Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search and career coaching company where she helps UX and product people get hired or promoted with average 5-figure salary increases. She is also the host of the podcast, Career Strategy Podcast that offers weekly tips and case studies about what’s working in the UX job market and hiring right now. Sarah also speaks at conferences worldwide including UXLX, UX London, AIGA, Productized, Front, Industry, and more. In our conversation, we discuss: * How Sarah used research practices to pivot from product work into career strategy, and what nearly a decade of data has taught her about getting hired and promoted. * Why most job searches fall apart when people skip self-research and jump straight into resumes and portfolios. * A simple career “journey map” exercise that helps surface patterns across roles, managers, projects, and personal energy. * How a career roadmap creates focus, reduces rejection fatigue, and shapes better job decisions over time. * The role of a clear compass statement in shaping resumes, portfolios, interviews, and confidence during a search. Major takeaways from the episode * Sarah frames career growth using the same structure teams use to build products: research, synthesis, direction, and iteration. When people skip this step, job searches turn reactive and exhausting. A roadmap restores clarity and control by anchoring decisions to what actually works for you. * Resumes and portfolios break down when they’re built without context. Sarah explains how a simple highs-and-lows timeline across the past year can surface repeat signals around team fit, management style, project type, and energy. Those signals matter more than any formatting tweak. * Applying to hundreds of roles creates rejection loops that drain momentum and self-trust. Sarah links this pattern to panic behavior and short-term thinking. Fewer, better-aligned applications often lead to stronger interviews and better outcomes. * Career decisions ripple into mental health, relationships, time, and identity. Sarah urges people to layer real-life constraints and goals into their roadmap so work supports the life they want, rather than consuming it. * A strong compass statement acts like a thesis for your career. It guides which roles you pursue, how you frame your experience, and how you talk about your strengths. This clarity shortens resume cycles, sharpens interviews, and restores confidence under pressure. Where to find Sarah: * Website: www.careerstrategylab.com and www.sarahdoody.com * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdoody * Youtube: www.youtube.com/sarahdoody * Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahdoody * Career Strategy Podcast Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Berkay is a UX researcher with over eight years of experience, mostly in e-commerce and banking, working across both B2B and B2C. He has a bachelor's and a master's degree in product design and design research. His focus is on turning research into actionable insights, improving research processes and helping teams make user-centered decisions. Basically, reducing uncertainty. He also co-founded UXR Playground, Turkey’s leading UX platform, where he runs trainings, workshops and mentorship programs. In a past role, he built and led a ResearchOps team, creating systems to make research more efficient and scalable. In our conversation, we discuss: * The eight-step framework Berkay uses for smooth, ethical participant recruitment, built from actual interviews and field work. * Why many researchers are flying blind with recruitment and how junior researchers often end up as accidental call center reps. * The most common screw-ups in screener surveys and how to write questions that don’t sabotage your study before it starts. * How Berkay built a participant panel inside a 30-million-user company without a budget, and with legal breathing down his neck. * Why most panels fall apart after setup, and what to actually prioritize if you want yours to last longer than three studies. Some takeaways: * Ethics aren’t optional. If you’re collecting personal data, you’re responsible for what happens to it. Berkay shares how one company got sued after leaking participant emails. It’s not a footnote, it’s a risk. Build ethics and legal compliance into your process from day one, or you’ll learn the hard way. * Most companies are bad at recruitment and fixing it takes more than tools. Berkay got so fed up with watching junior researchers waste hours cold-calling participants that he turned the whole thing into a research study. The findings? A total lack of structure, zero shared frameworks, and a ton of internal guesswork pretending to be process. * Bad screener surveys kill good research. Asking “Do you use this app?” is a great way to recruit liars. Berkay shares simple but smart ways to avoid bias in screeners like using multi-select questions, hiding the research topic, and adding duplicate questions to sniff out lazy responses. * Building a panel sounds smart until you have to maintain it. Setting up a panel is the easy part. The real challenge is keeping the data clean, staying GDPR-compliant, and making participants feel like they’re still part of something. Regular outreach (like quarterly surveys) and strong ties to your data team are non-negotiable. * A good panel is a cross-team operation. Berkay didn’t just build a landing page and hope for the best. He brought in product, customer support, PMs, and data science from the start. If you want a panel that works across research needs and methods, it has to be owned across the company too. Where to find Berkay: * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Brittany is a mid-career research leader based out of Portland, Oregon. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the University of Oregon and a Masters in Information Science from the University of Michigan. She has worked with startups, nonprofits, mid-size and Fortune 100 companies as an independent contributor as well as a manager of research teams. Currently, you can find her building a research practice (and team) at Chorus Innovations, a startup working to provide innovative behavioral healthcare solutions to agencies, counties, and states across the U.S.A. Before Chorus, she managed a large research team in an agency environment supporting topics related to consumer trust and privacy for big tech clients. She firmly believes research and collaborative teams are at the heart of every successful business, and that everyone’s life story would make a great movie. When she isn’t working, she enjoys outdoor adventures and wellness activities, and spending time with loved ones. In our conversation, we discuss: * How strategic research actually plays out in early-stage companies, and why researchers shouldn’t wait for perfect briefs. * Moving from research receiver to research requester and how that shift changes your role entirely. * Coaching ICs to trust their instincts when they’re the only ones seeing a gap. * What makes something “strategic,” and how to avoid wasting time on low-impact requests. * How Brittany and her team adapt when projects get shelved, priorities flip, or research gets ignored. Some takeaways: * No one will ask for what they don’t know exists. Waiting for research requests is a trap. If you’re seeing patterns, pain points, or opportunities, you might need to be the one raising your hand. The best projects often start when researchers pitch work that no one else thought to ask for. * Gut checks are data points too. If a product decision feels off, or you’re thinking “we should probably look into this,” that’s reason enough to pause and dig deeper. The instinct to question is part of the job. Lean into it instead of waiting for someone else to validate it. * Strategic research doesn’t always mean big projects. It can be a one-question survey. A reused screener. A short desk research doc. What matters is that it moves things forward, not that it looks impressive in a deck. * Blocked ≠ Wasted. Brittany’s team logs blocked work in a “vault” and revisits it later. When projects get paused or dropped, they reflect on what caused the stall. Sometimes it’s organizational. Sometimes it’s a signal that previous research wasn’t shared well enough. Either way, it’s fuel for doing better next time. * Every team needs a vision even if it only lasts six months. In startup settings, long-term planning is a luxury. Brittany meets with her team every 3-6 months to reset direction, recheck learning goals, and match priorities to what’s actually happening across product and design. It keeps the team from floating aimlessly when the org shifts. Where to find Brittany: * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Hi, I’m Nikki. I run Drop In Research, where I help teams stop launching “meh” and start shipping what customers really need. I write about the conversations that change a roadmap, the questions that shake loose real insight, and the moves that get leadership leaning in. Bring me to your team. Paid subscribers get the power tools: the UXR Tools Bundle with a full year of four top platforms free, plus all my Substack content, and a bangin’ Slack community where you can ask questions 24/7. Subscribe if you want your work to create change people can feel. Learn exactly how I’ve set up many a repository in Notion — I use this set up for in-house, consultancy, and advisory clients. It’s one of my most popular set-ups and I highly recommend trying it and getting feedback from your stakeholders. Let me know if you have any questions! Link to the Notion page Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Reach out to me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Wolfram is a Senior UX Designer and Researcher and has been working at TeamViewer for eight years.He has been driving and advancing UX Research at the company for nearly two years, developing it further together with a young but highly talented and motivated team. He has been deeply involved with Jobs-to-Be-Done for over a decade and considers himself a pragmatic JTBD practitioner. Before joining TeamViewer, he spent almost ten years in the Enterprise Content Management space and have been focusing on Multi-Device Experiences since the mid-2010s. He is the author of “Multiscreen UX Design” and has been passionately engaged in UX and design for around 25 years. His expertise lies in Jobs-to-Be-Done, hands-on and pragmatic UX research, as well as content design and content management. He regularly and enthusiastically participates in webinars, meetups, and conferences. Beyond UX and design, he enjoys photography, particularly nature and bird photography, and loves spending time with his family. In the past, he was an avid groundhopper, traveling across Europe with friends to attend football matches. In our conversation, we discuss: * Why it helps to think of every user action as a “job” with a real outcome, not just a task or step. * The messy overlap between jobs, goals, use cases, and what stakeholders think they want. * Why most teams start in the solution space and how to bring Jobs thinking in without derailing the train. * What an actual “job” sounds like in the wild, and how to spot one inside complaints, workarounds, and feature requests. * Why Wolfram keeps outcome-driven language like “minimize the time it takes to…” as a rule and how it makes your findings way more usable. Some takeaways: * Jobs to Be Done is a lens. Wolfram doesn’t wait for permission to use JTBD thinking. Whether he’s asked for a usability test or feedback on a feature, he still pulls out the job behind it. Why? Because understanding the job gives you reusable insights that don’t die with the feature. * Stop obsessing over the perfect term. Stakeholders just need to get it. Wolfram avoids technical jargon like “JTBD” when introducing the concept. He uses terms they already know, like “use cases” or “problems,” so they’re not thrown off. The focus is clarity, not vocabulary. * Your users are already giving you jobs, you just have to listen for them. Complaints, feature requests, emails, even rants. All of these hold clues about what someone was trying to do. If you dig in with curiosity (and a few “tell me more”s), you can usually find the real goal underneath the noise. * Do it late if you must but do it anyway. Sometimes research doesn’t happen until the build is already underway. That doesn’t mean you skip the problem space. Wolfram brings in JTBD insights midstream, not to stop the train, but to nudge it toward stronger value delivery and set up better decisions next time. * Your feature might flop but your jobs research won’t go to waste. If the solution turns out to be unworkable or doesn’t land, you don’t have to throw away the research. JTBD insights stay valid. They’re reusable, solution-agnostic, and can fuel the next iteration or a totally new idea. Where to find Wolfram: * Multiscreen UX Design (book) * Website * LinkedIn * Twitter/X Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Ray is a designer-turned-researcher. He grew up in New Zealand but moved to the UK last year. His career started in graphic design and advertising, but he’s also studied art history and worked as a brand strategist and innovation consultant before moving into UX. He was a product designer before officially pivoting to UX research. He is passionate about the craft of UX research, so is naturally drawn towards rigour and detail. But there’s definitely a balance to be mindful of, so lately he’s been enjoying the challenge of taking a more pragmatic approach to cut through the noise at work and maximise impact. In our conversation, we discuss: * How Raymond moved from design to research and why his messy, creative path helps him make peace with constraints. * Why “just enough” research is often the most realistic (and still valuable) kind. * Dealing with stakeholders who want statistical significance and to act on N=1 quotes. * What makes a one-pager actually work (hint: it’s not cramming 14 bullet points into 10pt font). * How to reframe constraints as creative challenges, instead of just reasons to cry in a spreadsheet. Some takeaways: * Rigor isn’t one thing. There’s a difference between medical research and a usability test for a SaaS dashboard. Raymond reminds us to stop chasing perfection and start asking: What’s the risk? What’s the goal? What’s actually good enough here? * You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room to be the expert. Sometimes the best way to build trust is not to say “trust me, I’m the expert,” but to bring the right method to the table and explain why it fits. Raymond shares how he uses method knowledge to guide teams—without pulling rank. * Constraints aren’t the enemy, they’re the brief. That tight deadline or limited budget? Treat it like a design prompt. What can you strip away? What creative method still works? That shift in mindset changes everything from energy to output. * Scoping is where the real power is. Raymond shares a sharp approach to collaborative scoping: show a strawman plan and let stakeholders rip it apart. It builds alignment faster and helps surface hidden assumptions, risks, and trade-offs without ego wars. * Your research summary isn’t for you. Your one-pager should pass the 40-second CEO elevator ride test. Raymond breaks down his 3-column template and shares why the takeaways column matters more than your favorite quote or clever insight. It’s about what they need to do next. Where to find Raymond: * ADPList mentor profile page * LinkedIn * Medium Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Matt Thomas is a Design, Research, and Product leader at Motability Operations where he leads the Design and Research efforts for a range of products, from a commerce platform for selling used cars to colleague-facing tools that support that website. His team also designs for a vehicle refurbishment workshop, a completely different challenge with a unique set of users, which keeps things interesting. They work closely with Product and Technology teams to bring these products to life, always focusing on learning from the people who use them. He is super passionate about broadening where the team gathers insights and making research more accessible, so teams can make better product decisions. In our conversation, we discuss: * How Matt defines “broadening research” and why it starts outside of formal studies. * Real-world examples of overlooked insight sources like sales calls, account managers, and field teams. * The internal system Matt’s team uses to collect, tag, and feed sales feedback into their repository every day. * Why traditional research reports don’t always land and what to try instead. * Tactics for building trust and buy-in, even when you’re blocked from direct customer access. Some takeaways: * Matt encourages researchers to stop thinking of research as only formal studies. Some of the richest data comes from support calls, onboarding conversations, and field visits. These sources already exist in most companies but often get ignored because they don’t look like traditional research. When you tap into them, you’re bringing context into the room that would otherwise stay invisible. * It’s tempting to jump straight into tagging or setting up automations, but Matt suggests beginning with a conversation. Ask a customer-facing teammate what they’re hearing. Offer to sit with them for an hour or buy them coffee. Building trust first, then showing how their insights feed into decisions, opens more doors long-term than asking for data access right away. * Matt’s team gets sales feedback emailed to them daily and loads it into their repository in batches. But even without automation, he recommends reviewing 20 feedback items a day which is just enough to build a habit and gather useful patterns. That creates a log of real impact you can use later to justify hiring or tooling decisions. Don’t aim to boil the ocean; aim to show traction. * The goal isn’t to create a polished report. It’s to influence a decision. Matt’s team shares snippets via Slack or email, hosts research gallery walk-throughs, and tests lightweight formats like social-style insight posts. Different stakeholders need different communication and just because a report is well-written doesn’t mean it will be read. * From usability bingo nights to Iron Man-style gallery sessions, Matt embraces experimentation in how research is shared. Some people need a sticky note wall. Some need a voice clip in their inbox. If one format doesn’t land, try another. The most impactful insights often come wrapped in something a little unexpected but perfectly timed. Where to find Matt: * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Brett Krajewski is the Vice President of Research & Growth at Accelerant Research, where he leads the research and client solutions teams, delivering innovative insights to empower businesses and many fortune 500 companies. He was most recently featured on an episode of Awkward Silences Podcast, and has some upcoming webinars. With a career spanning both in-house industry roles and consulting/agency leadership, Brett has built and led high-performing, multi-method research teams for Fortune 50 companies. His past roles include Head of Design Research: Customer at Walmart and Lead of Product Research at Lowe’s, where he drove customer-focused innovation and strategy. Beyond professionally, Brett has trained Seeing Eye dogs for the past 25 years, combining his love of service and animals, and is also a licensed pilot who enjoys navigating the skies somewhere new whenever possible. Brett’s unique blend of professional expertise and personal passions reflects his curiosity, drive, and commitment to making an impact. In our conversation, we discuss: * How Brett discovered triangulation only later in his career and why it changed everything about how he approached impact. * What meta-analysis actually means in practice, and why it’s an underrated starting point for faster, smarter research. * Why researchers need to stop acting like lone wolves and start working like strategic collaborators. * How to balance qualitative and quantitative data without waiting for things to be perfect. * The small, consistent actions that build trust and how they differ when you’re in-house versus agency-side. Some takeaways: * Early in his career, Brett saw research as “the answer.” Later, he realized that data triangulation, pulling from primary research, internal metrics, heuristics, and third-party sources, helped him tell richer, more balanced stories that actually got traction. It wasn’t about perfection or overloading people with data. It was about showing how user needs and business goals intersect, and building stories from multiple truths rather than a single source. * Rather than constantly commissioning new work, Brett champions meta-analysis, which involves reviewing what’s already been done across different departments. That might include past research, customer insights, agency data, or marketing reports. Doing this upfront reveals known truths, uncovers gaps, and often means you only need to research 2 out of 10 questions, not all 10. It makes you faster, more relevant, and a better partner to the business. * Trying to solve everything at once kills momentum. Brett advises researchers to start with small, tangible wins, like answering two key questions fast with an unmoderated test. Showing up early with something useful, rather than disappearing and delivering a polished report weeks later, builds credibility. These quick contributions earn you the right to do deeper, more strategic work down the line. * Too many researchers say they want a seat at the table, then go off and work solo. Brett emphasizes bringing stakeholders along for the ride and letting them weigh in, see progress, and feel ownership. That doesn’t mean caving to their agenda. It means understanding what they care about, folding it into your framing, and using that shared language to build alignment and influence. * One of the most powerful habits Brett adopted: releasing insights in milestones. Whether you’re in-house or agency, think in chunks, such as sharing the competitive analysis while you’re still synthesizing interviews. Share directional trends while still in the field. Transparency builds trust, helps teams move faster, and reminds everyone that research is ongoing, not just a one-time delivery. Show them how the sausage is made, not just the final plate. Where to find Brett: * LinkedIn * Transforming Insights into Results: Advancing influence in Corporate landscapes from the bottom up * Innovate or Imitate: Redefining Design and Research on our Terms Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Mark Cox is a lead researcher and the Design Research and Service Design Agency Spotless in London. He’s been in research for about 7 years, and because he’s operated in an agency, he’s been lucky enough to work on all kinds of projects in different industries. The hat he currently wears is as a Games User Researcher. In our conversation, we discuss: * The early origins of games UXR and how it still leans on its Atari-era roots. * Why you can’t apply traditional UX timelines and methods to game development. * What “positive friction” means and when player frustration is part of the design. * How Mark tests narrative and art concepts with non-interactive prototypes. * Where aspiring games UXRs should actually start if they want to break in. Some takeaways: * Unlike traditional UX, games research isn’t focused on removing friction, it’s about shaping it. Some frustration is intentional, and part of the fun. Mark works with teams to understand when challenge adds value and when it tips into player drop-off. This means the researcher’s job is to trace the emotional arc of gameplay, not just catch bugs or confusion. * Narrative and concept testing often happens with no prototype in sight. Mark tests scripts, art, and design direction using static slides, paper wireframes, or storyboards. Focus groups are a big part of this phase, helping teams hear how players talk about characters and world-building. If the story isn’t landing early on, it rarely gets better by launch. * Mark outlined multiple types of playtesting: usability (can players navigate the UI?), appeal (do they value it?), and retention or engagement (will they come back?). These studies often include layered methods: observation, think-alouds, surveys triggered after specific in-game moments, and even eye-tracking. A good playtest doesn’t just show how players behave, it helps explain why they behave that way. * The “fun” question is real, but rarely useful. Teams often ask “Is this fun?” but the better question is “What kind of fun are we aiming for?” Is the goal mastery? Escape? Social chaos? Mark pushes for clarity on the player emotion the team is chasing, so the research can help track whether that’s happening and where it’s falling short. * Breaking into games UXR means doing the work before you get the job. Mark suggests joining Discords like the GamesUR SIG, getting involved in beta testing communities, and finding ways to observe or participate in amateur game design groups. Hiring managers want to see real curiosity and a strong grasp of the medium. That doesn’t mean you need a formal background in games, it means you’ve tried things, reflected on them, and learned. Researching games starts by showing you understand what makes them work. Where to find Mark: * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — In our conversation, we discuss: * Why traditional org charts and career ladders are breaking down and what that means for researchers and designers. * How AI and startup culture are reshaping roles, shrinking teams, and pushing senior-level decisions onto mid-level professionals. * Why most people feel unprepared for their new responsibilities and how to close the gap without waiting for formal mentorship. * How to build your own “board of directors” through small acts of generosity and curiosity. Some takeaways: * Org charts are collapsing and it’s changing everything. Many companies, especially in tech, are shrinking their teams while still aiming for scale. That means fewer senior leaders and more ICs making high-stakes decisions without traditional support. The result: mid-level professionals find themselves thrown into strategy roles they never trained for. This indicates a shift in how companies operate at their core. * There’s no playbook for where we’re headed. You can’t Google your way out of the complexity of hybrid roles. When someone’s a lead on paper but making director-level calls with no mentorship, the usual advice doesn’t cut it. People need better access to real conversations and fast feedback loops. Mindaugas recommends building your own crew of people to talk things through, not just reading another Medium post. * The people who navigate change best aren’t trying to be the smartest in the room. They’re collecting diverse perspectives, asking for honest takes, and updating their opinions as they learn. In a noisy world of LinkedIn hot takes, this kind of thoughtful input often comes from quiet backchannels. Building those backchannels takes intention, not perfection. * Don’t start with the ask. Start with curiosity. One of the best ways to build strong professional relationships is to reach out with zero agenda. A quick note saying “I appreciated your talk/post/article” stands out precisely because nobody does it anymore. When you do that over time, you create a trail of goodwill so when the time comes for an ask, you’re not a stranger. Mindaugas shares how this approach helped him build a global network from scratch. * Mid-level is now the pressure point of modern orgs. Senior ICs are being handed business-critical decisions without context, coaching, or peers to learn from. Community matters as a practical scaffolding for decision-making and finding those people is the key to helping you get to your next level, and push through that mid-level ceiling Where to find Mindaugas: * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — John Fontenot has spent a decade in tech, working initially in software partnerships for Intel’s Software and Services Group where he was first introduced to the role of product management. In 2018 John made a pivot into a role as a UX Researcher to get his foot in the door of a product team for a small HRTech SaaS company and hasn’t looked back. John has worked in a variety of Sr. IC product manager roles, Director and Group Product Manager roles, and is now serving as VP of Product Management for Terlumina, an Enterprise SaaS startup focused on healthcare compliance management. John also runs a program called Path2Product where he helps aspiring PMs transition into their first product management role. John is a huge proponent and student of UX Research and truly believes that good product management can’t be done well without it. In our conversation, we discuss: * What “scrappy” product research really means and when it crosses the line into chaos. * Why PMs can (and should) learn research basics when they don’t have a dedicated partner. * How to build trust with researchers without stepping on their toes. * Creative recruitment strategies when incentives aren’t an option—and what that reveals about product-market fit. * The case against paying customers for interviews, and how to make people want to talk to you. Some takeaways: * Scrappy research isn’t an excuse to be sloppy. Scrappy doesn’t mean fast for the sake of speed, it means smart, efficient, and focused on risk. John outlines how some decisions call for deep, strategic research, especially when millions are on the line, while others don’t need to be tested to death. The key is knowing the stakes and picking the right level of investment. Scrappy research works best when it’s intentional, not reactionary. * John shares creative ways to reach users without incentives, like turning idea boards into interview leads or mining Facebook groups and Slack communities for warm outreach. In regulated industries where payments aren’t allowed, trust and thoughtful messaging become even more important. The best outreach comes from doing your homework, if you know what people care about, they’ll usually talk. Payment can create a transactional mindset; genuine interest creates better conversations. * With researchers often outnumbered 10 to 1, it’s unrealistic to gatekeep all research tasks. But that doesn’t mean PMs or designers should bulldoze their way in. John advocates for shared ownership with clear boundaries, where non-researchers offer support, not competition, by helping with smaller usability tasks or contributing to recruitment. Trust is built by asking first, showing competence, and being open to feedback. * Recruitment speed isn’t always the goal. Paying for participants might help with speed, but it can muddy your insight quality. If no one wants to talk about the feature you’re testing, that might be a signal it’s not worth building. Slower recruitment through organic methods forces you to get sharper on messaging, segmentation, and whether the problem actually matters. * John argues that researchers are most valuable when they go beyond testing buttons and start shaping product direction. Researchers who understand business priorities and speak the language of product are better able to influence decisions. Likewise, PMs who understand research can spot poor methods and ask sharper questions. Everyone benefits when the team invests in learning across roles and when researchers step confidently into strategic conversations. Where to find John: * Website * LinkedIn * Blog * Why you should never pay for customer interviews Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Alaine is an empathetic UX leader with a proven track record of driving user-centric strategies, adeptly managing teams, and delivering impactful research that drives business growth and strategic alignment. In her role as a Research Manager at Dext, she oversees research delivery, strategy, and operational functions. With 12 years of extensive experience in user research and design, she is deeply passionate about leading and inspiring individuals while ensuring that customer insights remain at the core of product development. In our conversation, we discuss: * What happens when a six-person research team shrinks to one and how Alaine rebuilt from there. * Why doing “more research” wasn’t the answer, and stepping back was the most strategic move. * How to spot the right people to advocate for research, even if it’s not your direct manager. * The messy reality of research democratization and what finally made it work. * What it really means to operate as a business partner rather than a user advocate. Some takeaways: * You can’t research your way out of a broken system. Alaine tried to do everything alone and quickly realized she was burning out while diminishing trust in research. The turning point came when she stepped back to understand what the business actually needed, then rebuilt with that in mind. * Get closer to product, not just users. Alaine shifted her focus toward building relationships with senior product leaders and learning how they think. Reporting into a VP of Product helped position research as part of the product org, not a separate function trying to fight for attention. * Strategic visibility creates pull, not push. Her first hires were two contractors focused on mission-critical work. Once stakeholders saw the quality and impact, demand for research grew naturally. From there, product teams started asking for more researchers, Alaine didn’t need to campaign again. * Democratization isn’t plug-and-play, it’s infrastructure. Initial attempts failed until she simplified tools, rewrote bloated processes, and treated it as a real change management project. Now, 30+ people can confidently run research with a central handbook and lightweight systems built around their needs. * Start with honesty, not idealism. The first step in rebuilding wasn’t a grand vision. It was getting brutally honest about how research was perceived across the company. Anonymous feedback and reflection helped clarify what role the business wanted research to play and that insight shaped every step forward. Where to find Alaine: * LinkedIn Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Filip Cicek is a seasoned researcher with a Master's degree in Sociology and over 15 years of diverse experience spanning academia, non-profit, and business realms. Proficient in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, Filip leads Ruthless Insights, a cutting-edge consultancy specializing in UX and market research. In our conversation, we discuss: * How physical product research forces rigor, patience, and multiple rounds of muddy discovery. * The invisible weight of decision-making when mistakes cost millions and can’t be undone. * What it takes to manage client expectations and stop pretending research can always be fast. * Why Filip left academia and started Ruthless Insights after getting fired and how he made it work. * The real challenges of agency work and how bad recruiting, rushed timelines, and AI shortcuts create sloppy insights. Some takeaways: * Physical product research demands rigor, not speed. When mistakes cost millions and there’s no going back post-launch, teams take research seriously. Filip explains how physical product work forces multiple rounds of exploratory studies, each more focused than the last, until real confidence is built. There’s no skipping the mess of qualitative research, no rapid sprints, no quick pivots, no AB tests. The trade-off? You get to do real, strategic work that actually gets used if you’re willing to sit in the mud for a while. * Filip and Nikki both agree: multiple rounds of generative research can feel like an existential crisis. You finish each round with more questions than answers, stuck in abstract insights your stakeholders don’t always want to hear. But those vague, frustrating truths are the only path to real product clarity, especially in high-stakes spaces. Researchers need to get comfortable with uncertainty and help clients understand that clarity takes time. * Many stakeholders just don’t know what good research actually takes. It’s your job to tell them. Filip’s advice: don’t agree to three-week timelines just to be helpful, push back with clarity. Clients don’t need speed, they need to not be wrong. And when researchers stop overpromising and start managing expectations, trust and repeat work follow. * Ruthless Insights was built on rejection and a bet on honesty. Filip started his agency after getting fired and being told to “bet on yourself” by a client. That same client helped him name Ruthless Insights, based on Filip’s refusal to sugarcoat tough findings. His whole model is built around doing the job well without padding the process or the price, no fancy office, no fluff, just clean, useful insight. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what keeps clients coming back. * Most people don’t understand how hard research is until they try it. From clients underestimating how long recruitment takes, to stakeholders clinging to a single quote from an interview, Filip has seen it all. He’s learned to pre-empt confusion by overcommunicating upfront, bringing recruiters in early, and walking stakeholders through the analysis process. He doesn’t try to move fast, he tries to be accurate. And that’s what builds a reputation that outlasts a slide deck. Where to find Filip: * Ruthless Insights * Statis-fact * LinkedIn Stop piecing it together. Start leading the work. The Everything UXR Bundle is for researchers who are tired of duct-taping free templates and second-guessing what good looks like. You get my complete set of toolkits, templates, and strategy guides. used by teams across Google, Spotify, , to run credible research, influence decisions, and actually grow in your role. It’s built to save you time, raise your game, and make you the person people turn to—not around. → Save 140+ hours a year with ready-to-use templates and frameworks → Boost productivity by 40% with tools that cut admin and sharpen your focus → Increase research adoption by 50% through clearer, faster, more strategic delivery Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Book a call or email me at [email protected] to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit userresearchacademy.substack.com