Interviews?
I've had plenty of job interviews over time. Most of them involve variations on the questions you see below.
My answers usually run something like this:
Why am I interested in user research?
I am fascinated by human behavior. I spent ten years designing wireframes and prototypes for desktop and mobile use. I would share them with researchers and incorporate recommended changes. I became more and more curious about the research being done and began observing tests and eventually running them. I've been doing pure research now for ten years and I still get a rush when I discover something big about user behavior or system pain points. And to be able to make that recommendation that creates a better specific user experience is hard to beat.
What is my research process?
At the beginning of any project, my first step is always to listen. Then, where appropriate I ask questions, perform heuristic evals or competitive analysis and look at analytics for the site or device. I then work with the team to come up with an overall research plan based on needs and time allotted. I then create specific strategy briefs with much more detail including recruiting guidelines and screener questions. Once I've conducted the research and synthesized my findings I prepare reports for specific audiences as mentioned above. Hopefully, when the project is complete I can participate in some type of review to identify areas for improvement.
What do I like to do outside of work?
Number one would be travel. My wife and I own a condo in Costa Rica and visit whenever we can. I love to read for work and for fun. I also volunteer at BARC here in Houston. I spend most of my time there with dogs and puppies, walking them and feeding them and helping them find their forever homes.
What type of work environment do I prefer?
My ideal environment consists of working for a company that treats me as an adult, trusts that I will do my work, and does not micromanage me. I also enjoy working with a variety of people from all works of life. I just love learning about people and places.
How would my coworkers describe me?
My coworkers would consider me a good person and a friend. They would be impressed by my knowledge of UXR and how happy I am to share. Some find me to be witty or at least accidentally funny. Others are amazed at the amount of useless trivia I can call on at any given moment. The best and most common compliment I have received is that my coworkers enjoy working with me.
Which tools do I use?
My experience is my greatest tool. I often start with a heuristic evaluation or competitive analysis before deciding on the course of research to pursue. After that, I like to look at any analytics that are available. I have a GA4 certification and I believe that the best first step for any client's site is to create a robust analytical environment. Analytics help you find WHERE something is going wrong and user interviews and usability testing tell you WHY.
My favorite UX tools are Usertesting.com, GA, Qualtrics, Optimal Workshop for card sorting and tree testing, and usabilityhub.com for fast turn testing.
What motivates me?
Finding the things that no one else sees drives me. Whether its a typo or the seventh step in an e-commerce funnel, I recognize patterns that others fail to see. There is always something to find if you look hard enough.
What is my work style?
I am a fairly laid-back person in general and I bring that easy going nature to interviews and usability testing. I don't intimidate users or colleagues. I like to interject humor where I can but know when to be more serious. I don't like to assume anything about users or processes. I would much rather go by analytics or personal research.
How do I know when my research has made an impact?
In a few instances, I have seen an impact while conducting research. I have had users describe pain spots so well during an interview or usability test, I know I have made a breakthrough. More often than not, I only see the impact of my research when testing after changes have been made from an earlier test. But that impact can be very rewarding. When feedback improves and ratings soar, I see that as an impact.
On another level, when I share out findings with my team, management, and leadership and I see findings embraced and ideas carried forward, that is an observable impact as well.
What is my approach to sharing insights with stakeholders?
I base my UXR reports on my audience. With team members who have the context around the research I often share a spreadsheet or diagram directly outputted from a tool or from my own notes. With management and leadership, I take different approaches. Management often needs the most detailed reports I create. They need to understand the methodology, the recruiting, the tests, and the results while leadership is often only interested in the results or recommendations. For them I usually put together a PowerPoint presentation and use bullet points, charts and graphs to quickly get my points across.
How do I handle it when people are skeptical of the value of usability research?
In cases like this, I do my best to engage the skeptic in the research itself. I invite them to observe an interview or a usability test from the comfort of their own desk. If they can't participate in that fashion I will download and share audio or video clips of users sharing their feedback. I find that the more I can help a skeptic relate to the customer, the more they become open to that customer's feedback.
How do I know if I am asking the right research questions for a project?
It doesn't matter if I am preparing a survey to send out to 100 users or a task list for usability testing with ten users. I always run questions and tasks with a sample batch of users. For example, I may send a survey to ten users to see that their responses are in line with my questions. This helps me identify questions that need to be reworded, rearranged, or left out altogether. I do the same thing with a sample for usability tests. The advantage there is that I can ask the user questions if they appear confused. In the end, I have the right research questions for the right users.
If I could only ask one survey question, what question would I ask to evaluate how people feel about a product's entire experience?
"How would you describe your experience with the product?"
If I had two products and had to ask one question of users to determine which they preferred more, what would I ask?
"In your own words, can you please describe the pros and cons of both products?"
When do I know when my research is done?
Research is never really done. We can test and check boxes for sprints and MVPs, but our goal for an application should be continuous improvement that includes iterative design and research.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
832-293-9995