The right amount of rapport

This week from People Nerds: We discuss how to keep participants engaged in interviews and Intuit walks us through their recent project.

Balance is key Respond with "Great answer!" 😄 = Participant doesn't want to disappoint you. Respond with "Okay. Next question." 😐 = Participant doesn't feel comfortable. Learn how to keep participants engaged, without skewing the way they engage. SHOUTOUT TO LIBRAS This week's community poll Answer with a click this week, see the results in next week's newsletter.   Which interview bad habit is the hardest to break?   1. Being too enthusiastic (leading to skewed, overly positive results) 2. Being not enthusiastic enough (leading to uncomfortable participants) 3. Being too focused on note taking (not interacting with participant enough) 4. Not taking enough notes (making analysis a challenge) A look inside small businesses with Intuit Erin Duncan (Manager of Design Research and Insights at Intuit) shows us how her team used dscout to better understand the lives of small business employees. Their learnings showcase the value of a combined moderated/unmoderated design.   SEE THE IMPACT We have to be honest about our assumptions. Many of the ideas we have about design come loaded with all sorts of biases, and we need to start by explicitly acknowledging them. SENONGO AKPEM Author of Cross-Cultural Design and VP of Creative at Nava READ MORE More we're discussing: Cooking classes and coffee chats? I'm in. Molly Malsam shares strategies for keeping your remote research team connected. "It's on the roadmap." "What are the actionable insights?" Janelle Ward breaks down some of the UX nuances she learned after switching from academia. What we're hearing: Feel like a UX imposter? Melanie Polkosky explains why this feeling is prominent in our industry and how to feel secure in your work. Being observed is intimidating for anyone, but this is especially true during research sessions. Maria Rosala shares tips for observer management. (BTW: dscout's observer feature offers stakeholders a chance to sit in on sessions. They're invisible to users, but can chat with you).  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

Level up your team bonding

This week from People Nerds: Molly Malsam shares unique team activities and Janelle Ward highlights key differences between UX and academia.

UX trivia? Sign me up When working from home, we miss out on casual office chats over lunch or at someone's desk. While seasoned employees likely have coworkers to turn to, new remote hires often struggle to meet people. Use these strategies to keep your team connected (and having fun!) from afar.   COFFEE CHATS AND CREPES Results from last week's community poll (n = 74) The stakeholder scenario I troubleshoot most often involves stakeholders who are... 37.8% | Under-involved 13.5% | Over-involved 33.8% | Misinformed 12.2% | Absent   2.7% | None of the above Wait...we can ITERATE?! Switching from academia to UX involves more than just researching new topics. How you plan, collaborate, and share projects changes to match both your users' and stakeholders' needs. Plus, there's some new lingo to get used to.   BRING IT ON As we push innovation, we're watching technology become about the haves and the have nots. DR. CHRISTINA HARRINGTON Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University READ MORE More we're discussing:  NEW VIDEO ALERT! Nikki and Ben discuss three common stakeholder scenarios and how to improve those relationships.  So you've heard of TEDW, but what happens when asking "why?" continuously gets you nowhere with your participant? You bring in ACV laddering. An engaged user panel, informed stakeholders, AND re-usable templates? Fjord shows us how it's done. What we're hearing: Inclusive design is more than just a buzzword. Zariah Cameron explains how inclusivity can be applied during every stage of the design process. Is your UX team storming, norming, or performing? Tanner Kohler walks through the five phases of team development to ensure better collaboration. If you've ever gotten a vague research request, Lawton Pybus has you covered. Take a look at the questions you can ask to clarify their need.  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