The UX Life Chose Me Newsletter #42
April 2024
Hello
I hope this newsletter finds you well.
This month I start by reminiscing about my journey into UX, before a great list of articles for your perusal including, why its so hard to work out if research is good or not, how to improve the impact of our research, and how important knowledge management really is.
The book of the month is a little left field but very much worth a read.
Events include a talk from Nikki Anderson and a European conference.
And a little meme to finish, hopefully with a smile.
If you find the newsletter interesting or helpful, please do pass it on to your friends and colleagues. The more the merrier!
I hope you enjoy it.
Penny
From the Editors Keyboard
10 years ago I was working in a digital team as an admin, supporting colleagues adding content to the organisation’s website.
It was 2014 and I would have my mind blown by attending a 3 day conference all about UX. Wow this was something I needed to know more about. I read books, articles, blog posts and realised there were actual meetups in London where people talked about all this stuff. Wow.
So I talked to my manager and got permission to leave work early so I could attend these meetings as I didn’t work in London and had to get the train.
Finding that tickets sold out FAST, and train tickets and event tickets could get a bit costly, I started volunteering at a couple of different events, namely UXPA UK and LTUX London.
This meant it didn’t cost so much, I always got a ticket and I got to meet lots of new people as I ticked them off the attendance list and made sure they had a name badge.
These communities and events were integral to my UX journey. I learnt so much from speaking to the people at the events and listening to the amazing speakers.
I remember so clearly speaking to Sophie, the founder of LTUX London, in early 2015. They were running a CV clinic and as we waited for our turn I showed her my CV. Did she think I could make the move into UX? Of course, she said.
This encouragement, along with the stories others shared as we snacked on pizza before the speakers started, helped convince me that I could do it!
10 years on I’m a senior UX researcher, growing my own team and I’ve gone from standing on the door ticking people off the attendance list, to helping to organise the events themselves. I really love giving back to a community which helped me get started.
So it was really amazing to help organise and then attend the LTUX London 10th birthday last month.
We had two panels, one looking back at the past 10 years and one looking forward to the next, filled with brilliant ladies who’ve spoken before at our many events.
It was a sell out event with many faces from the past in attendance. It was a great event.
However, I’m very aware that many of the in-person events of the past didn’t survive the pandemic. And even those that made the switch to online seem to have reduced their cadence.
It feels to me like there is still a need for these events so why have they stopped?
Is it just that people are too busy? Or is it just too much work to run an event? Or maybe I’m wrong and there isn’t a need anymore, although the sell out LTUX London events suggest not.
What do you think? Are you missing events? Are you running or attending events? Are they still needed?
Interesting Stuff
Bad Research Doesn’t Stink
Carl J.Pearson, PhD, February 2024, 10 min read
This is a fabulous article explaining why it’s so hard for people to understand when research isn’t good. Definitely worth a read if you ever find yourself having to make a case for doing research ‘right’.
The Research “Impact” Problem
Josh LaMar, March 2024, 25 min read
This is a long read, but if you are at all interested in showing the impact of UX research it is worth your time. He makes some great points about how we often confuse business and research impact and how to fix this.
Knowledge Management Is More Important Than Your Repository
Emily DiLeo, February 2024, 2 min read
This is such a relevant piece! It doesn’t matter how great your repository is, if people aren’t using it. If you have good knowledge management then your repository will be better and its more likely people will be using it.
60 Ways To Understand User Needs That Aren’t Focus Groups Or Surveys
David Travis, April 2016, 7 min read
This piece is from 2016, so misses out a whole section on remote research, however if you are looking for some inspiration on how to change up your research this list is great.
Harnessing The Power Of AI To Supercharge Your Research Findings
Nick Russell, June 2023, 8 min read
This is an interesting list about how we can use AI to help us do better work. I particularly love the suggestion of using it to search for insights in your repository. How do I get me one of them? 🤔
Do We Need Humans For User Research?
Janelle Ward, April 2023, 8 min read
The debate continues. I can’t help thinking all the time we are designing for humans we should be testing with humans…
The 2024 UX Research Tool Buyer’s Guide
Jack Wolstenholm, February 2024, 12 min read
I’m not suggesting you buy any of the tools in this article, but it does include some really useful questions to think about when looking for your next tool. There are so many research tools out there we could do with all the help possible choosing.
Book of the Month
This months book isn’t anything to do with UX or digital. It’s How To Be An Explorer Of The World by Keri Smith. I re-found this book on my shelf this week and it reminded me how much I love Keri’s work. She really helps you to look at EVERYTHING in a different way. It’s great for the researcher who wants to remember that how we see things is different for everyone.
Events
Crafting Success: Strategies For Measuring User Research Impact
UX Research & Strategy, 15 April 2024
Nikki Anderson will be walking through the exact ways you can use external and internal metrics to demonstrate the impact of user research.
STRAT Europe
UX STRAT, 23–25 June 2024
With workshops and talks this looks like a super interesting conference focused on the latest methodologies and trends in product design strategy and innovation.
And Finally
I saw this on LinkedIn and it made me laugh, so I thought I’d share it. How many times have you heard this from product owners?
Seen something out in the wild you think other UX Researchers would be interested in or a new research related book perhaps? Send me the link and maybe I’ll include it in my next newsletter.
