UXR Spotlight: Katie John

I’m Katie John, I’m a User Researcher working at Caution Your Blast. We believe in using digital as a force for good.

Katie John

This spotlight was part of USERWEEKLY - a weekly email to understand what is happening in user research. It's the best way to keep up on trends, methodologies, insights across the industry, and meet new researchers. Each week, the newsletter captures the pulse of our community and answers a simple question: What mattered in User Research this week?

Katie, tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Katie John, I’m a User Researcher working at Caution Your Blast. We believe in using digital as a force for good. I use a range of research techniques to help teams learn about their users, uncover the biggest risk and opportunities within their problem space. When I’m not working, I spend most of my time walking my 2 year old spaniel, Otis. Both in my personal life and work, I like to try new things, whether it be going to a dance class (despite not being able to dance) or adopting a new tool within my practice. I believe new experiences keep life fun, but also help you continue to develop.

What’s the career highlight you’re most proud of?
My career highlight has to be helping to design a COVID response service. During the beginning of the pandemic, when borders were closing, flights were being cancelled, lots of people were stranded in countries, unsure of how and when they would get home. Caution Your Blast – the company I work for — helped a government department rapidly design and build a service that allowed people to get access to money while they waited to come home. Interviewing users after the launch, one user said “you saved my life” - hearing this first hand made all of the late nights worth it.

What was the weirdest experience you had in a user study?
The weirdest experience I had was during a usability testing session. This was during the height of the pandemic while running remote testing of service. I could hear in the background a chirping noise. The participant proceeded to take a little bird from her head. She explained that she’d befriended a pigeon that now lived in her house and sat on her head most of the day. It took all my effort not to use the remainder of the session to ask more questions about the pigeon.

How can people learn more about you and your work?
To learn more about my work: Connect with me on Linkedin. Subscribe to the CYB newsletter to read our latest blogposts. Follow CYB on Linkedin to see our latest updates.

Thank you, Katie!