Saturn’s Post

Next Tuesday, July 23, I'll be joining User Interviews to talk about their most recent State of User Research report. Between layoffs, the rise of AI, and the ongoing challenges of communicating impact, it's been a rough year for researchers, but I see tons of opportunity ahead as we navigate these changes. Join us for what I imagine will be an animated discussion of the year in review as well as the ones we have ahead of us! Katryna Balboni, Sara Riedel, and I will get into the topics that are at the top of everyone's minds and share what we see coming in the months and years ahead. https://lnkd.in/gvS4eneQ

Meet Thomas Stokes and Lawton Pybus, Co-Founders of Drill Bit Labs. With a wealth of data from nearly 1,400 job descriptions, Thomas and Lawton have developed the first data-driven career ladder for UX researchers. They’ve discovered key insights (and some surprising findings!) that will help both researchers and hiring managers navigate the complexities of UX research careers. 👉 Join us at our upcoming webinar on October 23rd at 11AM PST/2PM EST, joined by Thomas & Lawton to discuss their research and findings. Save your spot at the link below! #UXResearchCareer #CareerDevelopment #UXResearchWebinar

#HotJobs for #jobseekers Available Now! If you think the job market has slowed due to Q4, think again. Are you #opentowork? Were you part of a recent #layoff, part of a #reductioninworkforce, #laidoff? Check out this new #jobposting with Jessica Hartley! I can help you navigate your search with my 20 years of experience in the industry and as a #resumewriter. I can prepare a strong ATS friendly resume to get you results and get you back to work QUICKLY! There is a lot more competition with the recent #layoffs, so it’s even more important you stand out from the competition, and you have a proven job search strategy. How I can help you: • Customized resume preparation- taking the time to thoroughly understand your expertise, not just providing a basic questionnaire or mass-produced “cookie-cutter” resume template. • LinkedIn profile preparation/optimization. • Job search coaching to walk you step-by-step through the process so you aren’t aimlessly applying to jobs and not getting responses. • Freelance Recruiter with a vast network of hiring manager/recruiter contacts to connect you to. 90 of my clients have accepted offers in 2024, 106 accepted offers for new jobs in 2023, 124 in 2021 and 112 in 2022! One obtained a $70K increase in her previous salary, one DOUBLED his salary, THREE a $50K increase, one a $55K increase and another a $35K increase! Visit my 120+ LinkedIn recommendations of success stories. Two recent client’s success stories: “I went from constant rejection to averaging 6 interviews a week almost overnight.” “I wanted to thank you for all of your help and assistance in this process. I am going on to start my dream job thanks to you and your guidance. I wouldn't have gotten my foot in the door without your reach and connections. Again thank you so much for everything you have done for me and for others. I am blessed to have come across you in this vast network of people." Please take advantage of my FREE RESUME REVIEW offer on my website. https://lnkd.in/g-4bcFV “Remember you only get one chance to make a first impression, make it a Professional Impression!!” Benefits of hiring a Professional Resume Writer https://lnkd.in/gWpHBdBR   #careercoach #resumewriter #ono #nowhiring #gethired

"I was a Lead UXR at a startup, now I'm a Researcher III at BigTechCo." 😥 "How is it that someone with only one year of product research experience (and 8 years of academic experience) has a Senior Researcher title?" 🤔 "What's up with those weird "VP of UXR" titles in the banking sector?" 🧐 A lack of standardized definitions for UX research roles and levels across companies presents a challenge for job searches, hiring, promotions, and career planning. In my latest podcast episode, I talk with researchers-of-researchers and co-founding principals of Drill Bit Labs, Lawton Pybus and Thomas Stokes, about their research on the state of UXR job leveling, qualifications, responsibilities, and compensation for IC and manager roles. Join us for a fun discussion of what they learned and actionable recommendations for how you use their new data-driven leveling framework to design a more effective and efficient job search, hiring process, team leveling infrastructure, and UXR career plan. Come for the insights, stay for the research nerdery. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you love the show, please let us know with a rating/review! https://lnkd.in/gw94SNuU

Researchers are outnumbered. When a company decides to hire their first researcher, there are usually several designers, PMs and engineers already in the team. Then, going from the first to the second research hire may take ages. Especially when we're constantly asked to prove our value. Researchers, especially those first ones or those in tiny teams, need to default to a scarcity mindset and play their cards wisely. They cannot afford spreading themselves too thin, but if they only pick a handful of things they risk becoming irrelevant quickly. That's why I always recommend increasing the surface of the impact by getting involved in projects in different ways. Instead of undertaking as much research as you can, try to identify where you need to be hands-on and where you can leverage other people's skills and capacity. Are X or Y teams conducting research-like activities? Help them be better at that and most importantly: help them make sense of what they find. Your impact doesn't have to be lineal, you can actually impact so many decisions across the board by helping people collect better data and synthesize it properly. #uxr #uxresearch

I often think about pivotal moments that shaped my career as a user researcher and entrepreneur. A particularly memorable experience occurred during my time at Zillow. It was a conversation that radically changed my understanding of my role in research reporting. I discovered that my practice of including recommendations in reports—something I never, ever thought twice about—was not as common as I had assumed. This realization was a complete wake-up call! Coming into research from design, going beyond beyond basic data collection was second nature to me. In this conversation, I learned that this was not the standard approach for all researchers. I can honestly say I was floored. Fast forward about seven years, it's clear that applied research has reached new highs and lows. On the high side, it's morphed from basic data collection to a crucial innovation and improvement driver. The field has substantially grown, not just in the number of researchers, variety of tools, and educational resources available, but in the expectations placed upon us. I’ve been conducting research consistently for 12 years through ups and downs in the economy, layoffs, Covid, and more. IMO today’s stakeholders are not just looking for data; they seek recommendations that can drive decisions and expedite action. This evolution underscores the need for our field to level up. Here’s why leveling up is crucial: > Moving Beyond Observation: By including thoughtful recommendations, we transition from passive observers to active influencers, capable of shaping strategy and vision. > Driving Decision-Making: Stakeholders rely on us for more than data, but for strategic guidance and clear directions that inform pivotal decisions. > Fostering Collaboration: When recommendations are part of our deliverables, we promote dialogue and teamwork, which are essential for nurturing a culture of innovation. > Elevating Impact: Our work does more than inform; it has the power to transform by influencing actions and outcomes significantly. I urge all researchers to integrate recommendations in their reporting. I organize them into two buckets: short-term recommendations and long-term considerations. This approach inspires dialog and action to drive meaningful change. By elevating our contributions, we can not only meet but exceed the growing expectations of our field and our stakeholders. #ux #uxr #userresearch #uxresearch #curiositytank image from freepik

We'll start doing Continuous Discovery next quarter. We need the right tools, the right setup. We might hire a UXR. Putting it off will make product discovery look harder and harder to do. Doing tiny steps today will make it look more approachable. That's why I stand behind the mantra "Just talk to users". You can worry about refining hypothesis, sample size and user cohorts later. So I'd urge you to talk to ONE user this week. Even without a plan. Just to get your feet wet. Just to do some form of product discovery at all. And if you are doing that already, then great: You are ready to dive into doing product discovery right. -------- I post 5x a week here in an attempt to get 1000 companies to iterate weekly. I'm at 15/1000. Which is one more than a two weeks ago. Follow along to see if I make it before turning 90 - and shoot me a message if you need a little help to get your Discovery rolling. #productmanagement #productdiscovery #uxresearch

Seems like it's time to remind you of the real job of the user researcher. Julian Della Mattia is posting about how we must define the job as more than data collection. But the user researcher job has been more the data collection since the Inception of the field as I know it which is a pretty long time:-) A good user researcher is an organizational master who knows how to bring people together to synthesize, see the implications of, and use the voice of the user in everyday product design and decisions. all of this comes after the data is collected. Take a listen. #userresearch #uxdesign #uxresearch https://lnkd.in/evdtVcbr

Exciting insights from User Interviews' Erin May and Auzita Irani, Research Manager at Airbnb, about the art of doing more with less. Here are some key takeaways: ➤ Balance Short-term and Long-term: It's crucial to secure quick wins to build trust while keeping an eye on future strategic goals. ➤ Resourcefulness Across Company Sizes: Whether at a startup or a tech giant like Facebook, the challenge remains the same. ➤ Sustainable Innovation: Maximizing resources shouldn't mean burning out. Sustainable practices and prioritizing well-being are vital. ➤ Leveraging Relationships and Tools: Strong partnerships and smart use of technology, including AI, can streamline research and enhance productivity. ➤ Continuous Feedback: Regularly seeking and incorporating feedback ensures alignment with stakeholders and maintains high-quality work. What’s your biggest challenge in doing more with less, and how are you overcoming it? https://lnkd.in/g9EsJuKC

I’m not just a "product designer". I build full-stack applications. I architect entire server infrastructures. I’ve developed AI systems, like the time I built a pneumonia and skin cancer detector to assist radiologists. Or back during COVID when I created an AI-powered mask detection system. If you think I’m just another designer, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’m the kind of unicorn you rarely find in tech—a true generalist who can do it all. And let’s get one thing straight: Being a generalist isn’t a weakness. The best CEOs and founders are generalists. They code, they design, they sell. They don’t box themselves into one role, and neither do I. So to the tech leads who think they’ve seen it all—wake up. Come find me when you’re ready to stop settling for one-dimensional talent. Until then, keep dreaming small. I’m busy building empires. #UnicornTech #GeneralistPower #FullStackMastery #TechLeadersOnly #NotYourAverageDesigner #CEOThinking