April 27, 2022
1 min read

Making a difference: ideas from UX New Zealand 2022

Making a difference through UX was a shared passion among an impressive line-up of 7 researchers, strategists, and designers from the global UX community at this year’s 100% virtual 3-day UX New Zealand conference.

1. From bombs to bots: the evolving landscape of frontline research

These days Darya Pilram, Senior Researcher at Twitter, spends her days trying to understand the motivation and techniques of groups who ‘hire’ technology to spread harmful narratives.  The desert of Mogadishu and the urban conflicts of South Africa are just some of the unlikely places she’s leveraged the power of frontline research to create change.

"I realized the only way to influence change was by bringing folks along with me - and so I did.  I bought them right into the field with me."

2. Beautifully accessible: why embracing inclusive design shouldn’t hold back your creativity

Experience Designer Beth McPhail refuses to buy into the mindset that ‘accessibility is a creativity killer’. She challenges her peers to view accessibility as an opportunity to grow creatively while making technology more inclusive.

“Accessibility is making it possible for someone to attend the party…and lose themselves in the music.”

3. Innovating within the Justice sector | Part 2: For a fairer start - design’s role in shaping mana enhancing social & systemic change.

Kelsey Gee is back challenging designers across all levels to think differently about how design can be used across different mediums and constraints to generate meaningful experiences and meaningful change.  In this session, she explores design’s role in creating empowering experiences that break both cycles of crime and institutional racism. (If you missed Part 1 from Mini Con head over here)

"I truly believe that our superpower lies in our ability to redesign society, especially for our whanau and our most vulnerable communities…and once again explore design’s role in creating equal opportunities across safe, seamless, and healing public services."

4. First do no harm: make your designs more trauma-informed and survivor sensitive

In 1985, a researcher botched an interview question which led to a new understanding of trauma and its long-term effects. It grew awareness of the need to be trauma-informed in your work but what’s it actually mean?  UX Researcher Melissa Eggleston explores what it means to be trauma-informed and shares practical advice on how to achieve it.

"Trauma is everywhere and something for us to think about…regardless of whether we’re working with people we know are dealing with traumatic events…it’s really all over the place."

5. Changing the way we design high-risk products to make meaningful impact

One in five people experiences “mental illness or significant mental distress” in New Zealand.  It’s a problem the Government knows needs to be addressed but how? In her powerful presentation, Rachael Reeves reveals what’s involved in balancing the complexities of Government with the need to rethink the way we design health products.

"Be warned you can’t please everyone and it can be tough to keep product vision aligned when you’re talking about serious consequences for people."

6. Remote research with new internet users (yes you can!)

One billion new internet users (NIU) will come online for the first time over the next 5 years. These NIU's are using their first smartphones, with most of their online activities focused on communication, maintaining social connections, and entertainment. Tiane Lee, UX Research Lead at Google outlines the challenges and considerations behind adapting research for varying levels of digital literacy, including practical ideas for planning and conducting remote research with NIU.

"NIU’s are typically less digitally literate, they may show lower confidence in digital capability, and they may perceive lower value of the internet for things like chatting and entertainment.”

7. Conditions Design: weaving the invisible threads of service design, value orchestration, and culture building  

Michael Tam introduces us to the niche field of conditions design and cites a purpose built high diving board on Wellington city’s busy waterfront in New Zealand as a good example of conditions design.  Find out why in this fascinating talk.

"What really impressed me here…hats off to the council because they didn’t design an experience that would discourage people from doing it. It’s designed for people to have fun (vs Hong Kong where public spaces are designed for Tai Chi not fun like this). The design allows it to happen by influencing human behavior to stay safe but encouraging fun and exploration.”

For a taste of what even more speakers from UX New Zealand 2022 had to share, head over to our highlights reel

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UXDX Dublin 2024: Where Chocolate Meets UX Innovation

What happens when you mix New Zealand's finest chocolate with 870 of Europe's brightest UX minds? Pure magic, as we discovered at UXDX Dublin 2024!

A sweet start

Our UXDX journey began with pre-event drinks (courtesy of yours truly, Optimal Workshop) and a special treat from down under - a truckload of Whittaker's chocolate that quickly became the talk of the conference. Our impromptu card sorting exercise with different Whittaker's flavors revealed some interesting preferences, with Coconut Slab emerging as the clear favorite among attendees!

Cross-Functional Collaboration: More Than Just a Buzzword

The conference's core theme of breaking down silos between design, product, and engineering teams resonated deeply with our mission at Optimal Workshop. Andrew Birgiolas from Sephora delivered what I call a "magical performance" on collaboration as a product, complete with an unforgettable moment where he used his shoe to demonstrate communication scenarios (now that's what we call thinking on your feet!).

Purpose-driven design

Frank Gaine's session on organizational purpose was a standout moment, emphasizing the importance of alignment at three crucial levels:

- Company purpose

- Team purpose

- Individual purpose

This multi-layered approach to purpose struck a chord with attendees, reminding us that effective UX research and design must be anchored in clear, meaningful objectives at every level.

The art of communication

One of the most practical takeaways came from Kelle Link's session on navigating enterprise ecosystems. Her candid discussion about the necessity of becoming proficient in deck creation sparked knowing laughter from the audience. As our CEO noted, it's a crucial skill for communicating with senior leadership, board members, and investors - even if it means becoming a "deck ninja" (to use a more family-friendly term).

Standardization meets innovation

Chris Grant's insights on standardization hit home: "You need to standardize everything so things are predictable for a team." This seemingly counterintuitive approach to fostering innovation resonated with our own experience at Optimal Workshop - when the basics are predictable, teams have more bandwidth for tackling the unpredictable challenges that drive real innovation.

Building impactful product teams

Matt Fenby-Taylor's discussion of the "pirate vs. worker bee" persona balance was particularly illuminating. Finding team members who can maintain that delicate equilibrium between creative disruption and methodical execution is crucial for building truly impactful product teams.

Research evolution

A key thread throughout the conference was the evolution of UX research methods. Nadine Piecha's "Beyond Interviews" session emphasized that research is truly a team sport, requiring involvement from designers, PMs, and other stakeholders. This aligns perfectly with our mission at Optimal Workshop to make research more accessible and actionable for everyone.

The AI conversation

The debate on AI's role in design and research between John Cleere and Kevin Hawkins sparked intense discussions. The consensus? AI will augment rather than replace human researchers, allowing us to focus more on strategic thinking and deeper insights - a perspective that aligns with our own approach to integrating AI capabilities.

Looking ahead

As we reflect on UXDX 2024, a few things are clear:

  1. The industry is evolving rapidly, but the fundamentals of human-centered design remain crucial

  1. Cross-functional collaboration isn't just nice to have - it's essential for delivering impactful products

  1. The future of UX research and design is bright, with teams becoming more integrated and methodologies more sophisticated

The power of community

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of UXDX wasn't just the formal sessions, but the connections made over coffee (which we were happy to provide!) and, yes, New Zealand chocolate. The mix of workshops, forums, and networking opportunities created an environment where ideas could flow freely and partnerships could form naturally.

What's next?

As we look forward to UXDX 2025, we're excited to see how these conversations evolve. Will AI transform how we approach UX research? How will cross-functional collaboration continue to develop? And most importantly, which Whittaker's chocolate flavor will reign supreme next year?

One thing's for certain - the UX community is more vibrant and collaborative than ever, and we're proud to be part of its evolution. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the industry has a very bright future. 

See you next year! We’ll remember to bring more Coconut Slab chocolate next time - it seems we've created quite a demand!

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Empowering UX Careers: Designlab Joins Forces with Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop is thrilled to welcome Designlab as our newest education partner. This collaboration merges our strengths to provide innovative learning opportunities for UX professionals looking to sharpen their design skills and elevate their careers. 

The Power of a Design-First Education Partner

What makes Designlab unique is its exclusive focus on design education. For more than a decade, they have dedicated themselves to providing hands-on learning experiences that  combine asynchronous, online lessons and projects with synchronous group sessions and expert mentorship. With a robust catalog of industry-relevant courses and an alumni network of over 20,000 professionals, Designlab is committed to empowering designers to make an impact at both individual and team levels.

What Designlab Offers for Experienced Designers

Designlab offers a range of advanced programs that support ongoing professional development. Some courses that might be interesting for our audience include:

  • Data-Driven Design: Gain confidence in your ability to collect and interpret data, justify design decisions with business impact, and win over stakeholders. 
  • Advanced Figma: Accelerate your design workflow and become a more efficient Figma user by learning tools like components, auto-layout, and design tokens. 
  • Strategic Business Acumen for Designers: Learn the foundational business knowledge and frameworks you need to influence strategy and get your design career to the next level.  
  • Advanced Usability and Accessibility: Strengthen your usability and accessibility skills, integrate universal design principles into your work, and improve advocacy for inclusivity in design.  

These courses ensure that experienced designers can enhance their technical and strategic skills to solve complex problems, lead projects, and design user-centered experiences.

Solutions for Design Teams

Designlab also offers solutions for design teams looking to upskill together. These solutions can range from multi-seat enrollments to their courses to custom facilitation and training programs, perfectly tailored to your teams’ needs. By partnering with Designlab, companies ensure their teams are equipped with practical skills and a forward-thinking mindset to tackle design challenges effectively.

READ: Designing for Accessibility with The Home Depot

Special Offer for the Optimal Workshop Community

To celebrate this partnership, Optimal Workshop users can take advantage of a special discount—$100 off any Designlab course with the code OPTIMAL. Whether you’re looking to refine your skills or explore new areas of expertise, Designlab’s programs offer the perfect opportunity to invest in your professional growth.

Explore how Designlab’s offerings can help you level up your design career—whether it’s through mastering advanced tools, leveraging data more, or becoming a more strategic thinker. With continuous learning at the heart of success in UX and product design, there’s no better time to start your journey with Designlab.

Unlock your potential and discover new possibilities with Designlab’s courses today. Use code OPTIMAL to save $100 on your next course and take the next step in your design career.

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Democratizing UX research: empowering cross-functional teams

In today's fast-paced product development landscape, the ability to quickly gather and act on user insights is more critical than ever. While dedicated UX researchers play a crucial role, there's a growing trend towards democratizing UX research – empowering team members across various functions to contribute to and benefit from user insights. Let's explore how this approach can transform your organization's approach to user-centered design.

Benefits of a democratized UXR approach 🙌

Democratizing UX research is a transformative approach that empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of user insights. By breaking down traditional barriers and involving a broader range of team members in the research process, companies can foster a culture of user-centricity, accelerate decision-making, and drive innovation. This inclusive strategy not only enhances the depth and breadth of user understanding but also aligns diverse perspectives to create more impactful, user-friendly products and services. Here are a few of the benefits of this movement:

Increased research velocity 🏎️

By enabling more team members to conduct basic research, organizations can gather insights more frequently and rapidly. This means that instead of waiting for dedicated UX researchers to be available, product managers, designers, or marketers can quickly run simple surveys or usability tests. For example, a product manager could use a user-friendly tool to get quick feedback on a new feature idea, allowing the team to iterate faster. This increased velocity helps organizations stay agile and responsive to user needs in a fast-paced market.

Broader perspective 👁️

Cross-functional participation brings diverse viewpoints to research, potentially uncovering insights that might be missed by specialized researchers alone. A developer might ask questions from a technical feasibility standpoint, while a marketer might focus on brand perception. This diversity in approach can lead to richer, more comprehensive insights. For instance, during a user interview, a sales team member might pick up on specific pain points related to competitor products that a UX researcher might not have thought to explore.

Enhanced user-centricity 🔥

When more team members engage directly with users, it fosters a culture of user-centricity across the organization. This direct exposure to user feedback and behaviors helps all team members develop empathy for the user. As a result, user needs and preferences become a central consideration in all decision-making processes, not just in UX design. For example, seeing users struggle with a feature firsthand might motivate a developer to champion user-friendly improvements in future sprints.

Improved research adoption 🚀

Team members who participate in research are more likely to understand and act on the insights generated. When people are involved in gathering data, they have a deeper understanding of the context and nuances of the findings. This personal investment leads to greater buy-in and increases the likelihood that research insights will be applied in practical ways. For instance, a product manager who conducts user interviews is more likely to prioritize features based on actual user needs rather than assumptions.

Resource optimization ⚙️

Democratization allows dedicated researchers to focus on more complex, high-value research initiatives. By offloading simpler research tasks to other team members, professional UX researchers can dedicate their expertise to more challenging projects, such as longitudinal studies, complex usability evaluations, or strategic research initiatives. This optimization ensures that specialized skills are applied where they can have the most significant impact.

Our survey revealed that organizations with a more democratized approach to UXR tend to have higher levels of research maturity and integration into product development processes. This correlation suggests that democratization not only increases the quantity of research conducted but also enhances its quality and impact. Organizations that empower cross-functional teams to participate in UXR often develop more sophisticated research practices over time.

For example, these organizations might:

  • Have better-defined research processes and guidelines
  • Integrate user insights more consistently into decision-making at all levels
  • Develop more advanced metrics for measuring the impact of UXR
  • Foster a culture where challenging assumptions with user data is the norm
  • Create more opportunities for collaboration between different departments around user insights

By democratizing UXR, organizations can create a virtuous cycle where increased participation leads to better research practices, which in turn drives more value from UXR activities. This approach helps to embed user-centricity deeply into the organizational culture, leading to better products and services that truly meet user needs.

Strategies for upskilling people who do research (PWDRs) 🎯

To successfully democratize UXR, it's crucial to provide proper training and support:

1. UXR basics workshops 🧰

Offer regular training sessions on fundamental research methods and best practices. These workshops should cover a range of topics, including:

  • Introduction to user research methodologies (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing)
  • Basics of research design and planning
  • Participant recruitment strategies
  • Data analysis techniques
  • Ethical considerations in user research

For example, a monthly "UXR 101" workshop could be organized, where different aspects of UX research are covered in depth. These sessions could be led by experienced researchers and include practical exercises to reinforce learning.

Check out our 101 Guides

2. Mentorship programs 🎓

Pair non-researchers with experienced UX researchers for guidance and support. This one-on-one relationship allows for personalized learning and hands-on guidance. 

Mentors can:

  • Provide feedback on research plans
  • Offer advice on challenging research scenarios
  • Share best practices and personal experiences
  • Help mentees navigate the complexities of user research in their specific organizational context

A formal mentorship program could be established with clear goals, regular check-ins, and a defined duration (e.g., 6 months), after which mentees could become mentors themselves, scaling the program.

3. Research playbooks 📖

Develop standardized templates and guidelines for common research activities. These playbooks serve as go-to resources for non-researchers, ensuring consistency and quality across studies. 

They might include:

  • Step-by-step guides for different research methods
  • Templates for research plans, screeners, and report structures
  • Best practices for participant interaction
  • Guidelines for data privacy and ethical considerations
  • Tips for presenting and socializing research findings

For instance, a "Usability Testing Playbook" could walk a product manager through the entire process of planning, conducting, and reporting on a usability test.

Check out Optimal Playbooks

4. Collaborative research 🧠

Involve non-researchers in studies led by experienced UX professionals to provide hands-on learning opportunities.

This approach allows non-researchers to:

  • Observe best practices in action
  • Contribute to real research projects
  • Understand the nuances and challenges of UX research
  • Build confidence in their research skills under expert guidance

For example, a designer could assist in a series of user interviews, gradually taking on more responsibility with each session under the researcher's supervision.

5. Continuous learning resources 📚

Provide access to online courses, webinars, and industry events to foster ongoing skill development. This could include:

  • Subscriptions to UX research platforms and tools
  • Access to online course libraries (e.g., Coursera, LinkedIn Learning)
  • Budget for attending UX conferences and workshops
  • Internal knowledge sharing sessions where team members present on recent learnings or projects

An internal UX research resource hub could be created, curating relevant articles, videos, and courses for easy access by team members.

As one UX leader in our study noted, "It's been exciting to see [UXR] evolve as a discipline and see where it is today, and to see the various backgrounds and research specialisms that [user] researchers have today is not something I'd have expected."

This quote highlights the dynamic nature of UX research and the diversity it now encompasses. The field has evolved to welcome practitioners from various backgrounds, each bringing unique perspectives and skills. This diversity enriches the discipline and makes it more adaptable to different organizational contexts.

For example:

  • A former teacher might excel at educational research for EdTech products
  • A psychologist could bring deep insights into user behavior and motivation
  • A data scientist might introduce advanced analytical techniques to UX research

By embracing this diversity and providing comprehensive support for skill development, organizations can create a rich ecosystem of UX research capabilities. This not only democratizes the practice but also elevates its overall quality and impact.

The key to successful democratization lies in balancing accessibility with rigor. While making UX research more widely practiced, it's crucial to maintain high standards and ethical practices. The strategies outlined above help achieve this balance by providing structure, guidance, and ongoing support to those new to UX research, while leveraging the expertise of experienced researchers to ensure quality and depth in the organization's overall research efforts.

Tools and platforms enabling broader participation 🛠️

The democratization of UXR has been greatly facilitated by comprehensive, user-friendly research platforms like Optimal Workshop. Our all-in-one solution offers a suite of tools designed to empower both seasoned researchers and non-researchers alike:

Surveys 📋

Our intuitive survey creation tool allows anyone in your organization to quickly design and distribute surveys. With customizable templates and an easy-to-use interface, gathering user feedback has never been simpler.

Tree Testing and Card Sorting ➤➤➤

These powerful tools simplify the process of conducting information architecture and card sorting studies. Non-researchers can easily set up and run tests to validate navigation structures and content organization.

Qualitative Insights 💥

Our powerful qualitative analysis tool enables team members across your organization to efficiently analyze and synthesize user interview data. With its user-friendly interface, our Qualitative Insights tool makes deriving meaningful insights from qualitative research accessible to researchers and non-researchers alike.

First-click Testing 👆🏻

This easy-to-use first-click testing tool empowers anyone in your team to quickly set up and run tests to evaluate the effectiveness of their designs. First-click Testing simplifies the process of gathering initial user impressions, allowing for rapid iteration and improvement of user interfaces.

These tools, integrated into a single, user-friendly platform, make it possible for non-researchers to conduct basic studies and contribute to the overall research effort without extensive training. The intuitive design of the Optimal Workshop UXR and insights platform ensures that team members across different functions can easily engage in user research activities, from planning and execution to analysis and sharing of insights.

By providing a comprehensive, accessible platform, Optimal Workshop plays a crucial role in democratizing UX research, enabling organizations to build a more user-centric culture and make data-driven decisions at all levels.

Balancing democratization with expertise ⚖️

While democratizing UXR offers numerous benefits, it's crucial to strike a balance with professional expertise. This balance involves establishing quality control measures, reserving complex research initiatives for trained professionals, maintaining strategic oversight by experienced researchers, providing clear guidelines on research ethics and data privacy, and leveraging dedicated researchers' expertise for insight synthesis. 

Our survey revealed that organizations successfully balancing democratization with expertise tend to see the highest impact from their UXR efforts. The goal of democratization is not to replace dedicated researchers but to expand the organization's capacity for generating user insights. By empowering cross-functional teams to participate in UXR, companies can foster a more user-centric culture, increase the velocity of insight generation, and ultimately create products that better meet user needs. 

As we look to the future, the trend towards democratization is likely to continue, and organizations that can effectively balance broad participation with professional expertise will be best positioned to thrive in an increasingly user-centric business landscape.

Ready to democratize your UX research? Optimal Workshop's platform empowers your entire team to contribute to user insights while maintaining professional quality. Our intuitive tools accelerate research velocity and foster a user-centric culture. 

Start your free trial today and transform your UXR practice. 

Seeing is believing

Explore our tools and see how Optimal makes gathering insights simple, powerful, and impactful.