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PODCAST

Awkward Silences

User Interviews

Welcome to Awkward Silences by User Interviews, where we interview the people who interview people. Listen as we geek out on all things UX research, qualitative data, and the craft of understanding people to build better products and businesses. Hosted by Erin May and Carol Guest, VPs of growth/marketing and product at User Interviews. Take this survey and let us know what topics you want to hear next! userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey

technology

All Episodes

17:19

#111 - The 2022 UX Research Tools Map with Roberta...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/12/14

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

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44:10

#110 - Experience Design Research in Healthcare with...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/12/07

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

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40:49

#109 - The Challenges of Hybrid Work with Eduardo...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/11/30

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

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33:43

#108- Perfecting the UX of UX testing with Nicholas...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/11/23

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

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43:03

#107 - Making Research Ops Visible with Benson Low of...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/11/17

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

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42:10

#106 - Navigating gender, religion, and politics in...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/10/26

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

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19:51

#105 - Tacos and Tide Pods: Big plans, a product...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/10/19

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

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30:26

#104 - User Research Incentives with Nick Baum of...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/10/06

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

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42:40

#103 - Ethical Design and Respectful UX Research with...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/09/22

‘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

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12:04

#102 - Tacos and Tide Pods: Authenticity, Exciting...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/09/15

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

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34:21

#101 - Onboarding UX: How to Research and Design a...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/08/30

Onboarding is a customer’s first impression of your product. The way you research, design, and implement user onboarding can make or break the overall experience. So how do you refine this important aspect of your product’s UX?Pulkit Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO of Chameleon, joins us to discuss just that: How to optimize the user onboarding experience to get your customers off to a great start.In this episode:What is onboarding?Best practices for onboarding usersHow to integrate personality

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41:39

#100 - UXR Productivity Hacks with Michele Ronsen of...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/08/17

Work smarter, not harder with the right UXR productivity hacks. Michele Ronsen, founder of Curiosity Tank and our first repeat guest, joins us for our landmark 100th episode to tell us about the best user research hacks she’s learned to increase productivity, reduce cognitive load, and save time. Make your life a little easier with these pro UXR tips on scheduling, archiving, recruiting, screening, and more.In this episode:What is a UXR productivity hack?UXR productivity hacks examples and

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47:55

#99 - Leading UX Research for Healthcare Apps with...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/08/03

Healthcare in the U.S. is expensive—and as a result, some communities struggle to afford medical services. This inequity has become increasingly apparent as underserved communities are disproportionately affected by things like the pandemic. So, what can UXers do to help?Wendy Johansson, Co-Founder and Chief Product Experience Officer of MiSalud Health, believes the answer lies in health tech. In this episode, Wendy shares how the MiSalud app works and her approach to using qualitative

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35:36

#98 - Customer-Centricity in Practice with Ferdinand...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/07/21

Let’s face it… most companies these days say they are customer-centric, but the reality just doesn’t bear that out. Because in order to be truly center-centric (or even “customer-obsessed”), you need to obsessively (i.e. continuously) gather and use customer insights.Ferdinand Goetzen, CEO and Co-Founder of Reveall, joins us to explain how teams can start actually centering their customers by adopting certain practices that will help you collect, analyze, and interpret customer insights on

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15:45

#97 - Tacos and Tide Pods: House Cats, Research...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/07/13

Roberta Dombrowski, VP of UX Research at User Interviews, is back for the second instalment of Tacos and Tide Pods with Erin and JH. In this episode, they discuss the importance of an effective personal productivity process, overestimated expectations, and the (very Tide Pod-y) state of the global economy.In this episode:Creating a research repository at User InterviewsSetting up an effective personal productivity processOverestimated expectationsMeetings vs asynchronous collab

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50:42

#96 - Your UX Career Is a Product with Sarah Doody

Awkward Silences ·

2022/06/30

Most people—including product people—don't think of their career as a product. And even the best researchers often neglect to do the research to identify suitable roles and opportunities. The result? They stay in roles for too long, or accept one that simply doesn't align with their career goals, interest, or values. They burn out and feel stuck. Sarah Doody, Founder and CEO of Career Strategy Lab, joins us to share why you should start thinking of your User Research career as a product and

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39:44

#95 - UX Writing and Content Design with Yuval...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/06/17

In the world of product design, wordsmiths go by many names—UX writers, content strategists, product writers, and so on. But whatever you call them, these folks play an important role in developing seamless user experiences.Yuval Keshtcher is the Founder of the UX Writing Hub, an online education platform helping hundreds of people perfect their UX writing. He joins us to explain the difference between UX writing and content design, how the discipline is growing, and his favorite writing

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21:07

#94 - Tacos and Tide Pods: A New Series from Awkward...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/06/02

We’re changing things up a bit! Introducing a brand new series: Tacos and Tide Pods! Every month or so, Erin and JH will chat with User Interviews’s VP of Research, Roberta Dombrowski. They’ll talk about what’s going on behind the scenes at User Interviews, reflect on recent lessons learned, share their thoughts on the UXR space right now, and discuss what they're hoping to see more of in the future.

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43:26

#93 - Digital Ethnography and Real-World Context in...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/05/18

Context acts as the bridge between an abstract idea (’a comfortable user experience’) and a tangible design (‘cushioned, breathable running shoes’). Although gaining context through remote research can be tricky, our UXR friends with an anthropological background know the solution: Digital ethnography.This week, we’re joined by Megan McLean, User Researcher at Spotify. Megan shared the who-what-and-how of digital ethnography, what she’s learned about mapping the digital landscape, and how

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45:35

#92 - What Librarians Can Teach UXRs about Insights...

Awkward Silences ·

2022/05/05

Public libraries have been using insights repositories for decades—and it’s time user research teams catch up. This week, we’re joined by Nada Alnakeeb, Head of Design and Research Operations at DoorDash, and Joanna Perez, Sr. Taxonomy Strategist/Digital Archivist, Studio Production at Netflix. Nada and Joanna shared learnings from their experience building the insights repository at Meta, using familiar organizational patterns to reduce mental load, tips for effective taxonomies, and

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192 results

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