🗞 User research is about telling stories

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😌 Humans of User Research with Daniel Pidcock

Hi Daniel, tell us a little about yourself!
I am a UX designer and researcher who started with graphic and web design before I knew that UX was a thing (it wasn’t really when I started) but always used research to guide my work. I’m best known for creating the research methodology called ‘Atomic UX Research’ and have worked with big names such as Just Eat, Clarks, and Royal Navy, with small startups and even founded and sold a few of my own companies.

What's a pressing challenge in today's user research landscape?
The last couple of years we've seen the UX industry wracked with redundancies. Some companies have even wiped out entire UX teams. We know that these companies need what we do, but the fact that businesses aren't understanding the value is our fault and we need to change that. My provocation is that we need to bring back the ego: Good UX people tend to be low ego and high empathy, as that helps us listen deeply without bias. But the problem is we’re not doing enough as an industry to show the value we bring to the table. We've spent so much time listening we're not shouting loud where we need to.

What’s one unconventional method you’ve used in your research that surprisingly worked well?
When leading accessibility at Just Eat I recognised that a great deal of our users suffered by situational self-afflicted impairments: They were ordering drunk. Of course this means they have impaired vision, cognitive ability, motor functions among many more.I wanted to start drunk testing our products but we couldn’t morally or legally get people deliberately sloshed. Instead we hit the streets in the evenings and found people who had a few jars and offered them free pizza or whatever they wanted to order in exchange for user testing. It was enlightening and a great deal of fun.

What would you like to talk about with other researchers and how can they find you?
Atomic UX Research is my particular passion: It is a synthesis method designed to help process research to make it possible to connect different sources of data and make knowledge management scalable in an organisation. I really believe it is incredibly simple but effective and I would encourage people to look up one of my talks or read an article on the subject.

Thank you, Daniel!

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📚 Articles of the Week.

To communicate user insights more effectively, use the framework of pain relief
Show, don’t tell, how your design relieves user pains to influence decision-makers. Christopher K Wong 10/02

5 UXR AI-ethicist theories
How can UX research shape AI and machine learning model creation and deployment? Ensure ecological validity by aligning models with real-world problems and collaborate with ML professionals throughout the process for effective outcomes. Dawn E. Procopio 10/06

User research is about telling stories: why it matters and how it works
How does user research parallel storytelling to enhance product design? Gather hidden user details, foster empathy to design for real-life contexts, and turn challenges into opportunities for innovation, all while using visual storytelling to convey insights effectively. Tannu Tanwar 10/03

Next week is Disco Conf 2024 🪩 (Sponsored)
DISCO CONF returns next week—dust off your dancing shoes and dive into a day of inspiration and energization. Hear how product experts shaped research, product, and design at orgs like Google, LinkedIn, Shopify, Dropbox, and more.
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🎥 Video of the Week.

AI's impact on the future of UX research: a conversation with Andrea Knight Dolan
What is AI's impact on UX research, and how can researchers integrate it effectively? Leverage AI tools for desk research, usability testing, and data analysis, but ensure ethical practices, data accuracy, and maintain human oversight and critical thinking. YouTube 09/30

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🔉 Audio of the Week.

Introducing SUPA: The service you should be offering
What is SUPA, and how can UX teams use it to influence project success? SUPA (Strategic User-Driven Project Assessment) evaluates projects early to prevent costly missteps, align with user needs, optimize resources, and improve ROI before major investments. Spotify Apple 10/03

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🗓 UserCalendar: Upcoming Events.

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October 17 All day
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