How can UX researchers enable other teams to do research? Show, don’t tell.
According to Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, upskilling product people to do research means letting them observe, sit in, and be present during each stage of a research project—not just being told what to do.
Helen went from doing scrappy research with 0 researchers to supporting 50 product people at The Economist to conduct great research with the help of 2 other UX researchers.
Tune into this episode to learn how she established UX research as a valued discipline at The Economist, plus how to balance developing research as a craft while supporting non-researchers at the same time.
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Highlights:
[00:04:11] From 0 researchers to 3 UXRs and 50 product people
[00:13:30] The art of observation and note-taking during moderated interviews
[00:18:59] Generative research? Bring in a pro researcher
[00:24:34] Helen’s biggest wins in instructing others on how to do research better
[0:31:07] Researchers develop the craft, but they don’t own it.
[00:33:54] Actionable tips on setting guardrails for non-researchers’ research
Sources mentioned in the episode:
About Our Guest
Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, is a user-focused research expert with experience in insight, ethnography, design, and user research across commercial, government, and non-profit sectors. Her current role involves telling user stories that uncover opportunities and inspire action across the organization’s portfolio of digital properties. Before joining The Economist, Helen has had an illustrious career involving positions at The Guardian, a housing and homeless charity shelter, Lloyds Banking Group, and Asda. Recently she spoke at the Insight Innovation Exchange 2023.
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# 26 - Cross Cultural Research in Action with Elsa Ho
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#23 - How to Interview Customers Continuously with Teresa Torres of Product Talk
#22 - Stop Freaking Out About the Evils of Personas with Andy Budd of Clearleft
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#20 - Why Being Wrong is Right with Alec Levin of Learners
#19 - What UX Researchers Can Learn From Children with Noam Segal of Wealthfront
#18 - Juggling Hardware and Software (and Service Design) Research with Susan Rice of Toast
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#16 - How to Facilitate User Research in Any Team with Nicola Rushton
#15 - Starting a ResearchOps Practice with Kate Towsey
#14 - How to Make a Potentially Awkward User Interview Less Awkward with Adam Sigel of Hometap
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#10 - Give Us Your Feedback and Reviews (Retro #1) - with Erin & JH
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#8 - Continuously Delivering and Discovering with James Aylward of Pluralsight
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