Building a UX Research Practice
“I just really like the future in which UX research is talked about, it’s considered to be valuable, it’s created opportunities within companies for people...”
How do you build a UX Research Practice?
In this episode of Beyond Aesthetics, we talk to Basim Al-Baker, a UX research consultant who has worked with Soundcloud and Blinkist.
We talk about:
How he became a UX researcher
Best practices for setting up a research practice
What he hopes to see in the future of UX research.
Transcript
Hannah Baker 2:04
We're here to talk about a little bit more about you and your career path. And how you became a UX researcher consultant. Is that what you would handle yourself as?
Basim Al-Baker 2:14
Yeah, so So I would, I would call myself a consultant, coach, mentor, educator. But that doesn't fit on one line. So I'm sticking with consultant for the time being.
Hannah Baker 2:28
Could you tell us a little bit more about like your path to becoming a UX? Researcher consultant?
Basim Al-Baker 2:35
Yeah. So I mean, I guess the first sort of like, couple of years of my UX research career was exclusively working within product companies with a team of UX researchers or as a solo UX researcher for a little bit as well. And my path to even getting into UX research in the first place was was quite an interesting one. I, my first job out of university was selling air conditioners for my father's company, grandfather's company, rather. And let's just say I, my heart wasn't really in it, just couldn't really get excited about selling air conditioners. So I took a couple of months to figure out what it is that I actually wanted from a career and got really excited about the creative and tech industries. And after a short stint as a account manager in a digital agency, I got to be exposed to UX from other colleagues and teammates that I'd work with regularly. And I felt really good about it. So I retrained in UX design initially, and then just so happened to come across a UX research internship here in Berlin, working for Sound Cloud, which was back in the summer of 2015. So yeah, that's a condensed version.
Hannah Baker 4:05
Yeah, I'm curious what um, what Where did you do your training in the UX? Was it like, because this was after? University time for you?
Basim Al-Baker 4:15
Correct? Yeah. So So I did it in London. It was a like, on site, part time UX design program, with General Assembly, and that was back in 2014. May, maybe early 2015.
Hannah Baker 4:34
Yeah. You said it was an internship at SoundCloud. As a UX researcher, was that like your actual first job as like in the UX field? In general?
Basim Al-Baker 4:44
Yes, yes, it was. It was. So prior to that I had worked for some time in this digital agency. So we were working with quite a few interesting clients. But when it comes to UX and dedicating my my day to day to that my internship at SoundCloud was the first time I really got, you know, in the thick of it. And that was initially supposed to be just for six months. I was also only initially supposed to be in Berlin for six months. But lo and behold that six months became around two and a half years at SoundCloud and fully fledged career with close to six years in Berlin. No.
Hannah Baker 5:27
Six months turned into six years.
Basim Al-Baker 5:30
Yeah, that's the that's the short version. Yeah,
Jeff Humble 5:34
but was there something that was really surprising when you started your first day as a UX researcher, since it was kind of a new thing for you?
Basim Al-Baker 5:42
Yes, it's funny that you asked that, like I, you know, I was fresh out of this General Assembly course, which, you know, taught us quite a lot of the principles of UX research, but because UX design in terms of focus, that was more of like, you know, not, I wouldn't say like an afterthought, but it definitely didn't give me everything that I needed to feel confident in UX research. And I remember within my first hour of sitting with my manager, after getting like, you know, on boarded to the company and getting an office tour, he was like, we're going to revamp our knowledge base for, you know, user research findings. Do you have any ideas for what we could do? And I just sat there with like, like a deer in the headlights with absolutely no ideas. And I think the imposter syndrome was at like, an all time high on that first day. So I'm happy to say that it kind of decreased from that point. And once I actually got actively involved with UX research, like interviews, as a note, taker, observer, and eventually interviewer, I started to feel a little bit more at home.
Hannah Baker 6:59
Yeah, that's pretty intense. It's like the first hour on the job. But I kind of like that approach in a way to like, it feels like they're like, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but there's some sort of, like, putting, or like, giving you trust and or like your authority in a way, like right off the bat, which is an interesting, I think, if it wasn't approach, it's an interesting approach to like a new hire intern.
Basim Al-Baker 7:24
Yeah, and I really think that that is, I think that that's a really, really good approach to, you know, bring someone on board. So I mean, from the onset, I was involved with some things that I didn't really feel that comfortable with. But it definitely put me in a sort of like stretch zone. And the fact that I was being given this this trust, as you mentioned, and they actually did want my input and my assistance. That was that was really great. And I learned so much on that job. I think the first, like six months, the growth that I experienced in that time was fantastic. So kudos to rob, if he's listening to this episode, probably gonna send him the link after this.
Jeff Humble 8:12
So it sounds like with with that, that growing, there might have been some mistakes that you made. And we really like to have people talk about the mistakes, and what are some mistakes you made early in your research career?
Basim Al-Baker 8:24
Yeah, like all the time. I think the thing the mistake that I keep bringing up in this kind of context, or when I'm speaking to people trying to get into UX is that I was really, really obsessed with the idea of coming up with a credible report. So something that was, like all encompassing and had all of the information and, you know, by, you know, by unfortunate design, I would say the first report that I really put out there was around 40 pages long. And let's just say that that obsession with credibility gotten in the way of actually creating something actionable and readable and memorable for my stakeholders. So I put in two months to make this amazing in my eyes report that was absolutely perfect. And then when I when I brought it to the team, they were like, Yeah, can you just give us the highlights, please? We're not going to read a 50 page report. And that was a really, that was a really good lesson and probably my mistake that still sneaks up on me in terms of like, you know, the occasional dream or nightmare.
Jeff Humble 9:40
If you could give advice to a UX researcher now like, how would you recommend that they present their research?
Basim Al-Baker 9:46
Yeah, I would recommend. Like I would recommend that you present your research in a way where people can get like the highlights and get the key information at a glance, doesn't mean it has to just be that but make sure that there's a section in your research report for that. I would also say, try to avoid creating really dense text heavy reports, because that's not what people are going to be attracted to reading. And it's not exactly going to be very memorable at the end of the day. So I would recommend cutting down text as much as you can, making sure that you surface those like key findings and insights at a glance. And, of course, let the user speak for themselves with all the quotes, videos, and any sort of like rich imagery that you can put in there that supports any of the findings or sessions that you read.
Hannah Baker 10:47
Yeah, I think that, especially like, in the beginning of our careers, when we're feeling a little less confident in our abilities and or, like imposter syndrome, that we might feel like, we have to put so much in there to, like, prove that we know what we're doing. Or, like, there's also this feeling of making it feel like so precious and special, you take so long to like, do the best thing that you could do the best presentation or the best, like work where it's like, realizing I think later on that, like it's more about getting it out there faster, and getting feedback faster, and being able to like be quick about things and not feeling so precious about these reports, but also about being able to communicate them and people can
Basim Al-Baker 11:31
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you touched on a really important part there actually, this, this whole idea of getting, you know, this report out two months later, even if I had structured the report in, you know, a way that's more, you know, insightful and easy to read for, for stakeholders, if it comes after the, you know, time window has passed, and, you know, past the point where they were actually making decisions based on those findings, then that's also not a great, you know, outcome. So definitely agree that you should know your audience and know when they need the findings and what they need out of the report to, you know, make decisions and actually benefit the end user, right? Because those changes are for them at the end of the
Hannah Baker 12:22
day. Yeah, I think that's really interesting, what you said of like, knowing what it is that like somebody like what is like, what do they need out of it? Like, what are they looking for out of it? Because, first of all, who are they? And what is it but like, you know, what you might find interesting might not be what is most helpful for the project are helpful for like, what means that like questions that need to be answered? I think it's really interesting.
Basim Al-Baker 12:49
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I make a habit of making sure that I don't try to create like a one size fits all deliverable for everybody. Because you know, what your, you know, C level and VP kind of level staff at your company might be looking for would be very different to what you might present in like a five to 10 minute demo in front of the entire company. So knowing your audience and tailoring your deliverables and presentations to them. Also super crucial
Hannah Baker 13:25
Yeah, I think that's something that we also think about a lot with, how do you communicate? And how do you present or get people on board, like at all stages of the I mean, design process, but for sure research process as well of like, before, when you're trying to get approval for or after, when you're trying to give people like what the findings are, it's like, you have to like, speak with them, not at them, too. Buy and also curious. So like, we're talking a little bit more about like the details of like, what happens before after and stuff like that. But I'm wondering if you could maybe like for people tell us what your experience has been like of being like somebody who specifically does research, like in an in house position, like what does that actually look like? Like, what are you doing there?
Basim Al-Baker 14:17
That's a great question. So I think there is, there's a lot to do as a UX researcher, typically, especially if you're I think in my mind, the when a company gets to the point that they need to hire a dedicated UX researcher. That means that they are either maintaining or building a product that's calm, that's complex, that has many different stakeholders, maybe the organizational size is quite large. So I think on a day to day basis, you are kind of keeping track of all the different projects that are in various differences. stages, whether they're at the very early stage or just a request, then you are also perhaps planning that you know, that interview or scheduling that participant in for that upcoming project. A lot of meetings, of course, to understand stakeholder needs. And then, you know, a day in the week or a month of a UX researcher is really, really varied. And there's a lot of coordination, project management, presenting and communicating at the heart of it.
Jeff Humble 15:35
I'm curious a little bit about your background, because it sounds like a lot of the things you're doing is that communication design or designing presentations? How did you how did you get better at that? How did you learn how to do those things?
Basim Al-Baker 15:48
Yeah, that's a great question. So one of the key learnings from my master's program back in the day was learning how to receive and give feedback. And I think that that's super, super crucial to actually highlighting a sort of, let's say, blind spots, and areas that you can improve in. So one way that I got better was, you know, receiving and soliciting feedback very often. I would, I was also told at some point to, you know, practice my presentations so that I know what I'm going to say, and have like a script memorized, and all that sort of stuff. But that actually didn't work. For me, that worked against me, because I was trying to memorize that perfect way that I worded it in the script. So I think also, don't just listen to what other people tell you, because what you might, what might work for them won't work for you. But getting feedback is certainly one way that I got better at it. And yeah, it's, it's really helpful if you're familiar with what you're presenting or talking about. So I try to avoid presenting somebody else's work as well. Not sure not sure how often that might happen. But yeah, that's that's those are kind of the the things that are top of mind for me.
Jeff Humble 17:16
Yeah, it's interesting when I'm, when I'm asking about presentations, like you're not talking about slide design, you're not talking about the mix of text and imagery. I hear you're talking a lot about practice and understand the audience.
Basim Al-Baker 17:28
Yeah, I think it's, yeah, I think, I think for me, that's kind of the space that I feel most comfortable and confident in. I could, I could show you some my slides. And you might actually like, wait, you know, wince a little bit, because my design skills are not really that great. But in terms of actually talking to an audience and engaging with them, and doing, like, a good mix of not just, you know, lecturing them, but also getting, you know, getting their input and getting them to be engaging with you. I think that that's like, some of the core tenets of a successful presentation. Because, you know, especially now, you know, Zoom fatigue is real. And if you're, if you're not, like, you know, calling back to the people in the room and getting their voices at, you know, junctures of your presentation, then they're just going to zone out and start folding laundry.
Hannah Baker 18:26
Yeah, for sure. I mean, you touched on to like big topics that I'm super passionate and interested in, which is like feedback and facilitation. And I think I mean, we weren't planning on going here. But it's an interesting topic, I think. And some, I'm curious, so you said you didn't what it was the masters that you got that you said, you were talking
Basim Al-Baker 18:46
about. So it was so Hyper Island is a it's a Swedish school, but they have outfits in many different countries and parts of the world. And they are like, I guess they provide courses for a wide range of like, creative and tech related topics. So back when I did my masters, it was called Digital Media Management. But I guess you could kind of think of it as like almost like a digital master's degree, where we talked a lot about the different roles in the digital and creative industries. We talked about various different topics, like creative problem solving data, and inside, I think we also did project management. So it was a really good overview of all of the different roles and accountabilities within product startups and agencies. But because it was it was also I think, maybe the Nordic influence was really seen in this whole like feedback and reflection and learning about the different ways to give and deliver feedback and reflect on What has gone past?
Hannah Baker 20:01
Yeah, yeah, I think it's not in my demands not kind of highlighted enough or taught enough in a variety because I think it's super helpful in so many industries or so many real world situations. And it's something that I feel like I was fortunate to understand and was taught in a fine arts practice, we just call it critique instead of feedback. And so it's something that I we really encourage and talk to, like, with designers at every level of like ways to get feedback at a like quicker rate, or not being so precious about it, and not feeling attached to it. And things like that. And it goes so hand in hand with facilitation, because the way that you can facilitate feedback is actually what, like the best way to move forward. And I think, like collaborate with people in a Yammer group.
Basim Al-Baker 21:03
I totally agree. And I think I think making that kind of natural like, you know, putting time aside as part of your design Sprint's or process, also, like working that into any sort of like, you know, manager and report kind of relationship and making sure that you're, you're really putting like cadence and thought behind it. I think that's so, so important. And I think, on the other hand, you know, feedback is a gift, but they are crafted of people's perceptions. And people might not have the right perception of an event or a moment, doesn't mean you have to defend yourself against something you don't agree with. But it also doesn't necessarily mean that everyone's feedback is going to be at helpful or that accurate. I think that was really helpful for me to understand as well.
Jeff Humble 22:03
It really sounds like you've got a lot of like generalist skills that you're bringing into UX research. Yeah, I'm curious, like, how that stuff in the past that you learned, filters down into a daily UX research practice, because I think a lot of UX designers might see UX research as a specialization within UX design. But it sounds a bit like you're more of a journalist overall.
Basim Al-Baker 22:31
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's a really, really great question. And I, I firmly believe that you're not starting from scratch or starting from zero when you decide to pursue a new career or a different career path or, you know, jump from being a UX designer to a UX researcher, I think that your experiences are so personal to you. And they're so important in terms of like your own development that, yeah, this some of the things that I learned on that air conditioning job? How many years ago was it? I don't even know, like, the things that I learned in my first job out of university that I honestly, I hated it. But some of the things I learned there are were are also still really useful, like the act of selling something, the act of like communicating and negotiating. I think that that is something that I still hold really, you know, dear and valuable today. So yeah, I in terms of the whole, like generalist versus, you know, specialists debate. I think there's always room for people to bring in their past experiences to what they do on a day to day level,
Hannah Baker 23:42
for sure. Yeah, I mean, absolutely. Like we are, we've talked a lot on this podcast about, like how the random past experiences you have will like leading direction or not leading but like have school support you in the direction. And kind of I like, we advocate for being especially when you're starting off at a younger age, or more junior level of like being okay with being a generalist and learning a variety of skills and not feeling like we need to jump into a specialization.
Hannah Baker 24:22
So we're just talking about, like the qualities of what a good researcher UX researcher are, and that they're actually pretty hard to define. And a lot of the qualities are in communication skills and facilitation skills and organization. And within a lot of larger companies, you're maybe able to have a sole UX design or UX researcher, but it's something that we hear a lot from all different levels, Junior mid senior, that they're wanting to add more research and more time into the discovery phase of their business. process and also trying to how they can can not convince but get the team members and the company on board. And so we're wondering if you had any suggestion or advice for designers out there who are trying to get more discovery phase into their process?
Basim Al-Baker 25:16
Yeah, and it's a it's a great question. And and I do, I do think the way I thought about this a few years ago was in a very kind of, like, numbers game kind of way. So I was really thinking about like, okay, so how do we actually share what return on investment on user research looks like? How can we actually get some numbers going? And I think now my answer would essentially be to treat it like a UX research exercise where, you know, if your manager or you know, the key decision making the maker there in terms of giving you research time or resources, you know, if they are not really, you know, if they are resistant, or if they're not really feeling like it's a valuable thing, there's always a reason behind it. So I think the first and foremost thing I would do is really understand why there is this level of resistance or why there is this hesitancy towards it. You know, these, there can be numerous reasons, maybe that person doesn't understand what user research is, maybe that person, you know, had a bad experience with user research in the past, or maybe they think that they've already done it by sending out a survey to 30 people. So I really would recommend that you try to understand the core like issue and why that is, and come up with some kind of approach or solution based off of that. I, I think that that's always a first good step. And I mean, you know, if there is a situation where that person is fully resistant, and says that there's absolutely no way and no time, then, you know, maybe it's time to do kind of proof of concept. So like just run a sort of like, you know, low effort, low impact, low cost, kind of research, study and research project, and present that back. Because research is possible without much of, and only a little bit of time, it's just not going to be the best thing that you can do.
Jeff Humble 27:38
Yeah, I think they just getting a little bit of user research done a little bit of your process and letting the team feel feel bad. Like, I always think it's good to bring in the other team members and non designers into the interviews. Does that something you do in your practice? Or do you share it with them? Like, how do you how do you get them kind of involved in that process?
Basim Al-Baker 27:59
Yeah, so even as a consultant, and definitely, as part of my work as a full time researcher, getting participation and having people actively involved in the research process was so important. And it was actually, one of the few things that I had a really strong opinion about when I started my first, let's say, week, or month as a UX researcher at blankest. In my previous job, my strong opinion was that the show doesn't, you know, show doesn't run without people actually being involved. So I think that that's really, really advisable to make sure that people actually jump on those calls, they observe interviews, they actively debrief with you. And I would argue that even the people that say that, Oh, you know, we don't have enough time to do this. Or oh, you know, I don't really see what my role would be like, just, you know, direct them and, and, you know, keep telling them about, like, opportunities where they can join sessions, spam Slack channels, if you have to, I've definitely done that in the past. And yeah, just, you know, you're, you're gonna get allies, and you're gonna get promoters of user research, once you get people in their room, that's for sure. And those are the people that you want in your organization.
Jeff Humble 29:34
But it's a nice segue into some of the work that you're doing today. You know, we are consulting with lots of different organizations, doing, you know, setting up a research practice as well as doing some research yourself. So can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Basim Al-Baker 29:49
Yeah, so I think the so the, the seed of this idea was planted earlier this year. Oh, wait, it's 2021 Sorry. It was planted earlier last year, I should say, in 2020, when there were these passion projects that I wanted to get off the ground. But you know, in sort of like typical startup fashion, or working in tech fashion, I just couldn't, couldn't really put the time or the energy behind some of those things. So I think it just reached a point where I saw that I wanted to do these things. And I also, you know, on a, maybe a selfish level, I wanted a little bit more variety in terms of like the problems and the clients and products that I'd be working with. So end up leaving in summer of 2020. And I didn't know how to, like actually set myself up as a consultant beyond the admin side of things like, you know, the tax side of things, and, you know, updating my LinkedIn headline and that kind of thing, but I was fortunate enough to actually have a lot of people come to me, so like previous colleagues, people in my network, discover that I had gone into consulting and us having a conversation and dialogue about how we could benefit each other. So yeah, it was, I think, I consider myself very lucky and fortunate to have such a big network. And I guess my advice to anyone wanting to go freelance or wanting to be a consultant is, be kind to the people who reach out to you, because maybe, you know, you'll be working with them in the future. Or maybe there'll be talking about you to, you know, a friend or another colleague that might need UX research support. So just, you know, you can't help everybody don't make it like detrimental to your own mental health or the time that you have. But certainly, you know, consider responding to somebody when they ask you a question on LinkedIn, or send you an email. That's how I think quite a lot of my work actually came about.
