A day translating the customer’s voice into impact

A window into Senior User Researcher, Selena Kim’s empathy-driven role in the Voice of Customers team.

8am: My alarm rings and I take my time to get out of bed. Earlier this year, I started a new morning routine: a 20-minute yoga session to help me get through the Berlin winter. It stuck with me and now my weekdays begin with an energy kick, although some of it might come from a cup (or two) of cappuccino.

9am: Today is Wednesday which means I have a German language class sponsored by Zalando. I had no previous knowledge of German before moving to Berlin, but decided to give it a try as the classes were offered for free. Living in Berlin, I find learning German is a choice rather than a necessity because English is widely understood. Still, there’s joy in learning something new and using my brain in a different way.

10.30am: I need to prepare for an alignment meeting with my stakeholders in the Payments team this afternoon. My team, Voice of Customers, plays an enabling role in the organisation, meaning we provide customer research and insights for various teams across Zalando. I often work with product designers and product managers to understand what they want to find out through user research, and serve as a consultant to advise them on how best to get there. The Payments team wants to conduct research on how to make the payment experience at Zalando more flexible so people can pay when they want, the way they want. I review the intake document they kindly filled out, and note the parts that need to be clarified.

11.30am: Throughout the day, I use Google Chat as my main communication channel. I take some heads-down time to respond to messages, reach out, and share GIFs to help everyone get through hump day.

1pm: Lunch is here. Once or twice a week, I take the time to go for a run at Volkspark Hasenheide to combat the work-from-home fatigue. On my way back, I stop by my favourite cafe to pick up a dessert as my reward.

2pm: In the first alignment meeting with the Payments team, we discuss their research needs and I suggest a potential approach. As there are a lot of teams throughout the organisation to support, my team often has limited capacity. At Zalando one of the principles in Our Founding Mindset advises us to ‘Start with “yes”’, and while we aim to please, in situations like this we need to evaluate which project gets priority based on a few factors, such as: Is it related to any of the Company-level priority initiatives? What upcoming projects are in the pipeline? How urgent or time-sensitive is the request? Does it have a direct financial impact? I log the team’s answers to these questions to share at tomorrow’s weekly meeting when we discuss our pipeline and team capacity.

4pm: I join the monthly catch-up meeting between my Employee Resource Group (ERG) and the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) team. ERGs shape our company culture to be more inclusive. I’m one of the early members of the Asia Pacific Community Circle. We launched the ERG in March this year to create a safe space for, and amplify the voices of, colleagues across Zalando offices who identify as members of the Asia Pacific community. We’re currently collecting our members’ opinions on how we can best work with and advise our company D&I team. Our ERG is in the early foundational stages, but the sense of community runs deep. We have weekly meetings where we discuss agenda points, and more importantly, share our experiences in a safe environment. Topics range from how to find a therapist who can empathise with our backgrounds to where to find the best Jjajangmyeon place in town.

5pm: I provide my feedback on the interview moderation guide for an upcoming usability test by the Zalando Plus (our loyalty program) team. I show the shareholders how to create a new digital Consent & NDA form, as this is one way that we enable others and democratise user research at Zalando. I also check and respond to emails and check my calendar for tomorrow; there’s a candidate interview coming up so I block time in my calendar to review the application and prepare.

6.45pm: Time to go offline! It’s great that the sun is still high up in the sky. I change quickly and head out to meet a teammate for a beer and a walk in the neighborhood.

Along with other user researchers, Selena recently participated in a panel discussion on the topic of stakeholder management: