100 participants on the foundations of trust

This week from People Nerds: We asked participants what leads them to trust, or distrust brands. Plus: Do you really need a cover letter?

Gaining trust Just as participant trust is critical for research success, buyer trust is critical for companies' success. What we learn about gaining the latter can help us gain the former. We asked 100 participants about the keys to building, or losing, brand trust.  READ MORE Demystifying the cover letter You have a portfolio, a resume—is the cover letter really "optional"? Here's what hiring managers are likely to look for in cover letters, plus an example of a successful one you can use as a jumping off point. GET IT WRITE More we're discussing: Sometimes, a "seat at the table" really means back-to-back (to-back) stakeholder meetings. Here are some tips for defending your time. How are you seeking and maintaining "balance" these days? We asked 100+ people to show us how they're creating balance—plus the brands helping and hindering their attempts. Jared Spool has worked in UX since 1978. He gave us his predictions for where the field might head, and how we might position ourselves best for growth alongside it. What we're hearing:  Delightful UX/UI designs often start from observing another delightful design. Adobe XD created a bookmark-worthy list of places to spark your work. Having trouble creating the same excitement abroad as your product does domestically? NN/g offer ways to add adaptability to your practice for global growth. UXRs are often pressed for time. The Room wonders about the space between agile and bad design, and how to advocate for outcomes within the need for speed.   dscout is excited to be hiring across our product, engineering, CXR, finance, sales, and marketing teams. Check out our open positions here.   dscout is a company composed of People Nerds working to make context-rich human insight an everyday habit across organizations. The dscout platform—Diary, Live, Recruit, and Express—enables remote qualitative research that brings researchers into the moments experienced and shared by real people. Curious about the platform or working with dscout? Talk to an account executive.  dscout, 222 North LaSalle St. Suite 650, Chicago, Illinois 60601, (312) 880-9715 Unsubscribe Manage preferences

On balance

This week from People Nerds: The past and future of UX, how we've found balance in a post-COVID world, and time management tips for UXRs.

A shifting contextual object When Jared Spool started in UX, computers were exclusively used by programmers. He talked with us about the inflection points provoking the field's shifts, where UX has room to grow, and how we can grow alongside it.  READ MORE What "balance" looks like—a year later With our old routines long up-ended, we asked 100 participants what behaviors they've adopted to find "balance." They gave us an honest look at the practices, products, and services that have helped and hindered them this year.  BALANCING ACT Everywhere at once Sometimes pushing for a "seat at the table" can leave you in an endless meeting room rotation. Here's some advice for prioritizing and defending your time as a user researcher—so you can extend your impact while setting constructive boundaries.     TAKE YOUR TIME More we're discussing: Templates have a host of benefits for UXRs, from scaling processes to ensuring rigor across needs. Here's a roundup with examples. Need a business case for mixing methods? Try a beta. We spoke with Abby Hoy Baylen about betas as methods playgrounds for lean UXR timelines. Looking back on our interview with Trisha Wang, and the ever-pressing need to compliment "big data with "thick data." What we're hearing:  Stephanie Wu, from Facebook Research, gave us these 10 rules for crafting an effective research narrative. Use them to tell clear, assertive, persuasive stories. This paper discusses "researcher introspection" as a tool for understanding experiences. As Raghav Agrawal (@impactology) mentioned, its novel in that the approach doesn't advocate for researchers discarding their lived experience. Great piece from A List Apart on inclusive content models and how modeling can be better used as a tool for harm reduction in design.   dscout is excited to be hiring across our product, engineering, CXR, finance, sales, and marketing teams. Check out our open positions here.   dscout is a company composed of People Nerds working to make context-rich human insight an everyday habit across organizations. The dscout platform—Diary, Live, Recruit, and Express—enables remote qualitative research that brings researchers into the moments experienced and shared by real people. Curious about the platform or working with dscout? Talk to an account executive.  dscout, 222 North LaSalle St. Suite 650, Chicago, Illinois 60601, (312) 880-9715 Unsubscribe Manage preferences

Steal these templates

This week from People Nerds: Community sourced research templates (and how to create your own). Plus a look at "mixed methods paradise."

A "mixed-methods paradise" Often, when orgs beta test, they lean on quant research and passive data collection. Abby Hoy Baylen, UX Researcher at Later, showed us a better way to look at betas; they're a true playground for inventive, mixed-methods studies.    MIX IT UP Research on repeat Here's how to develop templates that maximize your research efficiency, without sacrificing rigor. Plus, snag our community-sourced templates for insight readouts, intake forms, creative matrix brainstorming, and more.   TEMPLATIZE IT More we're discussing: UXRs' empathy can't stop at their users...look inward and use these strategies to identify (and start dealing with) burnout. Linking stakeholder needs to your work is often a matter of translation. Use this exercise to find the research question behind the business question. Is your UXR practice empowering participants? We asked five experts to share their advice for a more ethical management practice. What we're hearing:  Profit and person can seem at odds for UXRs, but don't have to be. UX Magazine explores balancing sales with user-first design. Situating your org's UX maturity can support advocating for (and advancing) your own practice. UX Planet offers this handy scale. The remote-first world means remote design sprints. UX Pin's Studio created a guide to ensure they're as smooth as can be. dscout is a company composed of People Nerds working to make context-rich human insight an everyday habit across organizations. The dscout platform—Diary, Live, Recruit, and Express—enables remote qualitative research that brings researchers into the moments experienced and shared by real people. Curious about the platform or working with dscout? Talk to an account executive.  dscout, 222 North LaSalle St. Suite 650, Chicago, Illinois 60601, (312) 880-9715 Unsubscribe Manage preferences