3:34 What makes a good UX Manager? 9:10 What has your experience been as a UX Research Manager? 12:06 What do you look for when hiring UX researchers? 17:29 What might raise a red flag when interviewing UX Research candidates? 21:34 What advice do you have for new graduates looking to get into UX research? 23:00 What should you do if you don't have real-world experience? 24:48 How does academia prepare you for the UX industry? 28:42 Conclusion & Final tips for aspiring UX badasses
Paula sounds like my dream UX Research Manager. Her philosophy around learning, focus on the work, not on hierarchies and titles. Such wisdom in this conversation on both sides. It's so great she is a mentor - how lucky. I hope I can find a Paula to work with someday!
Why does everyone start off with "Well I come from a strange backround" and proceeds to list their Academic phd and stuff? It seems 90% of UXR's today come from psyhology in academia. It's not strange, it's looking to be more of a requirement.
I think most of us psych folks had no idea UX existed, and when we transition into the field, we're not sure if we're doing it right. UX is a relatively new term, although the earlier manifestations of UX (human factors engineering, usability engineering etc...) had its roots in more formal task operations, rather than psychology. Take it as most of us UX folks still feel imposter syndrome doing this work! I think that'll change soon as we realize psychology is one of the major underpinnings of UX and design thinking.
@@thinkingaloud7925 There's two routes that have happened - human/computer interaction and human research and design. System access and information is separate from how people have interacted with specific devices. However, both are relatively unknown outside of the tech world. I'm sure it's hard to imagine, but lots of companies don't have or understand what any part of UX (or UI/HCI) has value add.
Kevin, this interview was EXTRAORDINARY! Packed to the gills with priceless insight, and I think it brought a hidden positive element due to the fact that you and Paula already have a fantastic working relationship. Thanks to the both of you for sitting down and chatting!
Thank you for your kind words and for watching, Erin! I'm glad it was helpful; Paula and I meet regularly and talk video ideas! She'll be back in the future ;) 💪
Thanks, Kevin! I'm an assistant prof who is actively seeking UXR opportunities at this moment. Hearing Paula's experience is just inspiring! I'm really grateful for this video. Big thanks!
Your channel has been incredibly insightful and useful to me. I have very few videos (less than 20) on my favorites list across a very wide array of topics. Your videos account for 2 of them. Thank you for posting these and good luck with their continued production!
Thank you for uploading this video, Kevin! Regardless of the unfocused video(lol), the talk is absolutely inspiring and educational! I really enjoy your videos! Great work!
Thanks for watching, Jay!! I think FAANG does it pretty well, but nothing is foolproof (depends on the people), so hopefully they've all got bias training!
I really enjoyed this video, it speaks to a lot of questions that I have as I am recently transitioning into design/UX research. Paula seems like an amazing manager who would challenge and at the same time encourage her team to succeed and work hard. I hope to find an environment like the one she described to initial work in. Fingers crossed.
The one thing I dont like is UX Snobs... especially the old heads. We cry Empathy.... but I still see egos. I try my best to maintain an ego free environment, transparency, empathy and humility, because we dont always get it 100%. Iterate and improve. Its refreshing to find other selfless UX Specialists and Managers.
Hi Kevin. This is a really insightful interview. But I have a doubt now. In your earlier videos about UX research portfolio, you explained that I should include my projects in my portfolio in the first person, saying that I did this or I did that. Here she is focusing on the collaborative nature of the researcher and looking if he/she does not take credit for everything and instead have a "we" mindset. Does that suggest that portfolio should be written as we instead of I then?
Hi Animesh! Great question, the best thing to do in a portfolio is to give credit where credit is due - and surface the things that you did for the process. It's not one or the other. More like, "we worked on this process together to be aligned on goals, but these are the parts that I had to create for research"
@@zerotoux Thank you, Kevin. That clarifies things for me. I am recently transitioning into UXR and your videos are the best things I have found on youtube ever. Thank you so much for your videos. Also, would you mind reviewing my portfolio once? I would really appreciate that.
Hi Kevin, great content!!!! Definitely inspiring. Could you do a video about mentorship please, eg. how to choose your mentor that match your needs, how the mentorship works between you two, what are the good questions to ask your mentor etc.
Hi Kevin, i just discovered your channel lemme just say its an eye opener... I have doubt. Im hoping you can clear it....well, if ive got a project and i dont want to give out too much info when doing user research, how can i go about it?
Hey Benzo! My bad for the late reply! One way you can do this is simply talk about it broadly. Example: "today we're going to be talking about everyday habits and behaviours around XYZ" or "we're interested in learning a bit about certain tools today" Totally okay to go broad. AFTER the session, you can debrief the participant on what it's actually about!
Hi Kevin, great video. Your manager mentions that first and foremost she looks for people who have a strong methodological skill set. What methodologies fall under this skillset (i.e is it enough to just know how to interview for example)? how do you know if you have enough or if you know enough? do you know how to plan a study from scratch? does she look for certain software knowledge (i.e. qualtrics etc). I am trying to learn from books and videos and build my own portfolio but not sure what kinds of methods to make sure I use in my study. She also said she looks for people with experience but how do we get applied industry experience if no one hires us without experience. Are our solo portfolio projects enough?? Thank you in advance for your help!
Great question! I would say you should know of, or have been exposed to, as many methods as possible. Just knowing how to interview would not be enough (or rather, I personally wouldn't hire someone who just knows this). This is because interviews won't work for all research questions, and you'll need to understand alternative approaches. Hiring managers will assess your problem solving skills on how to plan a study, what your process is from start to finish and involving stakeholders. Software knowledge is having a toolbelt, knowing what tools you can use if you had to (e.g. run an unmoderated study, but how will you do it? so you got to know of some tools). Yeeahhhhhh I totally get the catch-22. If you can't get a job, do solo projects, but also network and try and get projects. I know it'll be hard but just don't give up!
@@zerotoux So to start what would be some of the names of methodologies I could look into? Interviewing but what else comes to mind as methodologies to consider?
I appreciate your videos so much! How can we hone our technical skills? I have recently found UX and I'm absolutely enthralled. Do you think it would help to have design thinking as a minor in UX?
She mentioned working with industry partners like Dell when she was in academia! Her background is in psychology so that's a perfect blend to become a UXR. Industry experience + psych background, in Paula's case, translated to finding her roles in UXR
@@zerotoux yes I realized that after I re played a bit I think I had initially missed that part, multi tasking. I love this interview since I'm trying to break into UXR
Thanks for this very insightful interview. It made me more confident in job opportunities after my masters (i'm currently studying Human Technology Interaction). After my masters my goal is to get enough exposure to the work environment by first joining a larger company that already has an established UX culture and then look for smaller companies where I would probably have to take on multiple roles. Do you think this is a good idea or does UX culture not matter too much?
UX culture is super important! Try to look for a good manager/mentor you can click with and sometimes it will take several tries to land a good one :) I think starting out at a larger company is great for junior researchers because you can get the support and resources that a small company might not have. You'll likely develop more of your craft, whereas in a smaller company you'll develop more time management and leadership skills. Both are important!
3:34 What makes a good UX Manager?
9:10 What has your experience been as a UX Research Manager?
12:06 What do you look for when hiring UX researchers?
17:29 What might raise a red flag when interviewing UX Research candidates?
21:34 What advice do you have for new graduates looking to get into UX research?
23:00 What should you do if you don't have real-world experience?
24:48 How does academia prepare you for the UX industry?
28:42 Conclusion & Final tips for aspiring UX badasses
Paula sounds like my dream UX Research Manager. Her philosophy around learning, focus on the work, not on hierarchies and titles. Such wisdom in this conversation on both sides. It's so great she is a mentor - how lucky. I hope I can find a Paula to work with someday!
Why does everyone start off with "Well I come from a strange backround" and proceeds to list their Academic phd and stuff? It seems 90% of UXR's today come from psyhology in academia. It's not strange, it's looking to be more of a requirement.
I think most of us psych folks had no idea UX existed, and when we transition into the field, we're not sure if we're doing it right. UX is a relatively new term, although the earlier manifestations of UX (human factors engineering, usability engineering etc...) had its roots in more formal task operations, rather than psychology. Take it as most of us UX folks still feel imposter syndrome doing this work! I think that'll change soon as we realize psychology is one of the major underpinnings of UX and design thinking.
That's actually the best background to have
@@zerotoux human computer interface was what UX was initially known as
@@thinkingaloud7925 There's two routes that have happened - human/computer interaction and human research and design. System access and information is separate from how people have interacted with specific devices.
However, both are relatively unknown outside of the tech world. I'm sure it's hard to imagine, but lots of companies don't have or understand what any part of UX (or UI/HCI) has value add.
Kevin, this interview was EXTRAORDINARY! Packed to the gills with priceless insight, and I think it brought a hidden positive element due to the fact that you and Paula already have a fantastic working relationship. Thanks to the both of you for sitting down and chatting!
Thank you for your kind words and for watching, Erin! I'm glad it was helpful; Paula and I meet regularly and talk video ideas! She'll be back in the future ;) 💪
Thanks, Kevin! I'm an assistant prof who is actively seeking UXR opportunities at this moment. Hearing Paula's experience is just inspiring! I'm really grateful for this video. Big thanks!
Thanks, Austin! Good luck on your UX journey!
Nice interaction with your mentor and very inspiring dialogue, thanks for inviting Paula in this episode!
Your channel has been incredibly insightful and useful to me. I have very few videos (less than 20) on my favorites list across a very wide array of topics. Your videos account for 2 of them. Thank you for posting these and good luck with their continued production!
I'm honored to have made it to your "favorites" list! Thanks for watching and I'll continue making more later in 2022! 🥳🎉
Thank you so much Kevin! I appreciate all of your videos. Keep it going :)
Thanks, Camila!
Thank you for uploading this video, Kevin! Regardless of the unfocused video(lol), the talk is absolutely inspiring and educational! I really enjoy your videos! Great work!
Glad you liked it! Thank you !
Very insightful video! Great watch, and very informative. Thanks!
This gives me hope. Obviously there is no age bias with the FAANG hiring process！
Thanks for watching, Jay!! I think FAANG does it pretty well, but nothing is foolproof (depends on the people), so hopefully they've all got bias training!
I really enjoyed this video, it speaks to a lot of questions that I have as I am recently transitioning into design/UX research. Paula seems like an amazing manager who would challenge and at the same time encourage her team to succeed and work hard. I hope to find an environment like the one she described to initial work in. Fingers crossed.
Loved this interview Kevin! Paula seems like a great manager and you're so lucky that you got the opportunity to work with her.
Awesome information! Atm I am taking notes on how to become a UX designer/researcher and I planning to watch all your videos 😂
Kevin why you are not at million subs now
I know, I've been slacking on making those fake accounts to sub to myself 😂😂
Kevin Liang well you deserve the real ones
@@aniovakimyan3258 really appreciate that! 💪
The one thing I dont like is UX Snobs... especially the old heads. We cry Empathy.... but I still see egos. I try my best to maintain an ego free environment, transparency, empathy and humility, because we dont always get it 100%. Iterate and improve. Its refreshing to find other selfless UX Specialists and Managers.
Totally agree. Paula is one of the best managers/mentors I've ever had! We need more like her! Thanks for watching :)
This is very valuable 💎💎 thank you!!
Thank you ☺️☺️
Got a chance to attend the UXR strategy meet, it was a good experience.
super wholesome advice. awesome. thanks for posting!
Hi Kevin. This is a really insightful interview. But I have a doubt now. In your earlier videos about UX research portfolio, you explained that I should include my projects in my portfolio in the first person, saying that I did this or I did that. Here she is focusing on the collaborative nature of the researcher and looking if he/she does not take credit for everything and instead have a "we" mindset. Does that suggest that portfolio should be written as we instead of I then?
Hi Animesh! Great question, the best thing to do in a portfolio is to give credit where credit is due - and surface the things that you did for the process. It's not one or the other. More like, "we worked on this process together to be aligned on goals, but these are the parts that I had to create for research"
@@zerotoux Thank you, Kevin. That clarifies things for me. I am recently transitioning into UXR and your videos are the best things I have found on youtube ever. Thank you so much for your videos. Also, would you mind reviewing my portfolio once? I would really appreciate that.
@@animeshtanwar wow that means a ton!! Best thing on RUclips??? 🙈🙈 There are some pretty dope cat videos though...😂
@@animeshtanwar and sure, send it to kevin@zerotoux.com and I'll try to take a look (I get a ton of requests, so please forgive me if I take a while!)
@@zerotoux haha I wish cat videos would help get a UX job
Your videos are incredibly helpful! Thank you so much
Hi Kevin, great content!!!! Definitely inspiring. Could you do a video about mentorship please, eg. how to choose your mentor that match your needs, how the mentorship works between you two, what are the good questions to ask your mentor etc.
Hi Kevin, i just discovered your channel lemme just say its an eye opener...
I have doubt. Im hoping you can clear it....well, if ive got a project and i dont want to give out too much info when doing user research, how can i go about it?
Hey Benzo! My bad for the late reply! One way you can do this is simply talk about it broadly.
Example: "today we're going to be talking about everyday habits and behaviours around XYZ"
or "we're interested in learning a bit about certain tools today"
Totally okay to go broad. AFTER the session, you can debrief the participant on what it's actually about!
Hi Kevin, great video. Your manager mentions that first and foremost she looks for people who have a strong methodological skill set. What methodologies fall under this skillset (i.e is it enough to just know how to interview for example)? how do you know if you have enough or if you know enough? do you know how to plan a study from scratch? does she look for certain software knowledge (i.e. qualtrics etc). I am trying to learn from books and videos and build my own portfolio but not sure what kinds of methods to make sure I use in my study.
She also said she looks for people with experience but how do we get applied industry experience if no one hires us without experience. Are our solo portfolio projects enough?? Thank you in advance for your help!
Great question! I would say you should know of, or have been exposed to, as many methods as possible. Just knowing how to interview would not be enough (or rather, I personally wouldn't hire someone who just knows this). This is because interviews won't work for all research questions, and you'll need to understand alternative approaches.
Hiring managers will assess your problem solving skills on how to plan a study, what your process is from start to finish and involving stakeholders. Software knowledge is having a toolbelt, knowing what tools you can use if you had to (e.g. run an unmoderated study, but how will you do it? so you got to know of some tools).
Yeeahhhhhh I totally get the catch-22. If you can't get a job, do solo projects, but also network and try and get projects. I know it'll be hard but just don't give up!
@@zerotoux So to start what would be some of the names of methodologies I could look into? Interviewing but what else comes to mind as methodologies to consider?
@@MessersMoony www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/
I appreciate your videos so much! How can we hone our technical skills? I have recently found UX and I'm absolutely enthralled. Do you think it would help to have design thinking as a minor in UX?
If your university offers it, totally! Design thinking, UX, human factors, ergonomics, they all overlap so it's a good skill to have.
Great talk!
She was a teacher prior you should ask her how did she make the jump from no experience in UX research to a UX researcher
She mentioned working with industry partners like Dell when she was in academia! Her background is in psychology so that's a perfect blend to become a UXR. Industry experience + psych background, in Paula's case, translated to finding her roles in UXR
@@zerotoux yes I realized that after I re played a bit I think I had initially missed that part, multi tasking. I love this interview since I'm trying to break into UXR
She sounds lovely.
the most lovely!
Thanks for this very insightful interview. It made me more confident in job opportunities after my masters (i'm currently studying Human Technology Interaction). After my masters my goal is to get enough exposure to the work environment by first joining a larger company that already has an established UX culture and then look for smaller companies where I would probably have to take on multiple roles. Do you think this is a good idea or does UX culture not matter too much?
UX culture is super important! Try to look for a good manager/mentor you can click with and sometimes it will take several tries to land a good one :) I think starting out at a larger company is great for junior researchers because you can get the support and resources that a small company might not have. You'll likely develop more of your craft, whereas in a smaller company you'll develop more time management and leadership skills. Both are important!