QRCA hosted a jam-packed day providing an amazing opportunity for the research community to exercise our User Experience (UX) Research muscles!
We brought together the entire research community — across industries and roles — to connect, educate, and advance our UX skills.
What does it mean to "Flex your UX?"
In these sessions, you will work out new ways of thinking, ways to grow in your career, new skills and tools, inclusive research practices, connections with the research community, and so much more.
| How to work with stakeholders in a UX Research Project (2.34 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| QRCA-UX-Summit-No_Assumptions_Handout (5.48 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| QRCA-UX-Summit-Assumptions-Mapping-Handout (1.1 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Patrick Bennett is a Senior UX Researcher in the FinTech Product Group at HubSpot. In this role he leads research initiatives related to pricing and packaging, the buying experience, and account billing and administration. Prior to his role at HubSpot, Patrick worked in UX research for Toast Inc. and Zipcar. Patrick got his start in UX research as an independent UX research consultant for educational publishers while working as a full-time associate professor of psychology at Indiana State University. Patrick loved his time in academia but has found a wonderful new home in UX and enjoys working to mentor others as they navigate similar career transitions.
Molly Bloom, PhD is an inclusive design researcher at Adobe, focusing on accessibility for disabled people in creation apps. Her research at Adobe is part of her passion for understanding and strengthening disability communities. Her approach is inspired by anthropology and disability studies and centers ethnography.
Tim is a Senior UX Researcher at Blink passionate about practicing empathy and curiosity, uncovering insights, collaborating to create meaningful experiences, and utilizing technology all along the way. You can read about his passion for UX and helping those pursuing a thriving career in UX at his site (https://www.uxpursuit.com/) or on his podcast UX Pursuit. Tim holds a degree from Washington State University with an emphasis in Business, Communications, and Psychology. He also holds a User-Centered Design Certificate from the University of Washington.
Nannearl Brown is a User Experience Researcher who journeyed into the field by way of systems engineering and the social impact space. Currently, she works at Figma, doing research on the growth team. She cares greatly about creating a shared understanding of the tech industry with all, most especially with Black people and other marginalized groups. Nannearl has shared her knowledge by leading design workshops, serving as a mentor and design educator for online UX/UI bootcamps, and through her YouTube channel, Unpacked Angles. She’s also the creator of the largest UX club on Clubhouse, UX Research Corner, where she and six other women host and facilitate discussions on UX research topics with people from all around the world. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Virginia in engineering science and systems engineering (respectively) in addition to a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in nonprofit leadership and management (focused in social entrepreneurship). In her spare time she enjoys creative projects, practicing the violin, hiking, and volunteering as a technical instructor for Black Girls Code.
Rosie Emerson works as a Research Lead at HubSpot. For over a decade, Rosie worked as a research and program evaluation professional, helping organizations such as the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, United Nations, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and several others to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and to make data-driven decisions. She then transitioned to user experience research where she helps companies to create products that people love. In her spare time, Rosie teaches a graduate-level survey research course at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. She is passionate about using qualitative and quantitative research to help organizations uncover deep insights that will enable them to achieve their objectives. Rosie earned a BA in economics and French from Wellesley College, an MA in public policy from Harvard University, and a PhD in education from the University of Massachusetts in Lowe.
Nanako Era (she/her) leads inclusive research for Anti-discrimination (and formerly also In-home Accessibility) at Airbnb. She works to uncover and diminish inequities that exist for Airbnb hosts and travelers, while also creating and evangelizing inclusive practices within the company.
Research can save the world. If we can humanely apply what we understand about people's lives to service and product design the world begins to change. Funded to provide anthropological understanding of the NYC startup ecosystem in the early 2000s, Sekai parlayed that experience into working with businesses to translate user knowledge into actionable product direction. Her insights have straightened out wayward roadmaps at your favorite companies. Sekai Farai relies on ethnographic and experimental methodology to uncover hard-to-know insights from hard-to-reach users for global clients across tech, CPG, manufacturing and social impact. With domain depth in community, education, artificial intelligence, health and finance, Sekai Farai respects no tradition. Every tradition is due an investigation. Her new research venture studio, humankind, is on a mission to include everyone in designing a world that meets their needs. And she means everyone.
Chris Geison is a Senior Research Strategist at Workday where he is focused on enabling research that doesn't just inform design, but drives strategy. He is also the founder of the Research Strategy Community, a collective that seeks to advance this work throughout our practice. Prior to Workday, Chris was a Principal UX Researcher at AnswerLab, a Director of market strategy at Schwab Charitable, and a counselor at a mental health facility. He has presented his work at Advancing Research, UXRC, UXPA, Radical Research, and Forrester CXSF. A graduate of Brown University, Chris lives in San Francisco with his wife, their 2-year old daughter, and an imaginary panther named Winston.
Aaron Hatley is a mixed methods UX Researcher based in Boston, MA. He’s presented conference talks and tutorials on UX topics such as participatory design and the advantages of unstructured interviews. Beyond the software industry, Aaron has worked in or for nonprofits, think tanks, and higher education teaching and consulting. Aaron received a Ph.D. in American Studies from Harvard University in 2015.
Laura Herman (she/her) is a User Experience Research Lead for Creative Cloud & Emerging Products at Adobe, and she is also affiliated with the Oxford Internet Institute. With a background in cognitive neuropsychology, Laura aims to bring an inclusive approach to researching and designing the next generation of creative affordances.
Brittney is a Chicago-based product designer currently building B2B IT solutions at CDW. She’s passionate about creating holistic solutions across design disciplines while still remaining grounded in cultural awareness, ethical values, and inclusive design.
After stumbling into a design thinking workshop while working in healthcare IT, Margot found her passion in the field of UX and design research. Since that happy accident, she's gone on to complete my Master’s in Human Factors and Information Design at Bentley University and currently work as a Research Lead for HubSpot’s Growth team. She is happiest when working with others to explore challenging white space design problems. Ask her about: UX research, what books she's been reading lately, and whether single purpose kitchen tools are a waste of space.
Deb has a BA in Sociology and an MSW in Social Welfare from Berkeley and is currently a User Researcher at Spotify conducting qualitative research with listeners to strengthen the connective tissue between the listeners, and those who design and build audio experiences for them. Before joining Spotify in 2018, Deb was the founder of SayWhat Consumer Research in 2001. Her talent for listening and observing, coupled with her ability to synthesize qualitative data, are at the core of her success. In addition to pioneering methods for usability testing in the late 1990’s when online retail took-off, she was also early to develop online communities, an outgrowth of the crowd sourcing movement of 2007. In 2010 she was at the forefront of consumer research on the iPad. Deb’s consistent focus on consumers was nurtured by her academic work in social science research at UC Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Master’s in Social Welfare, Management and Planning. After completing her graduate studies, she worked in the field of public health research, specifically the epidemiology of substance abuse.
Liza Meckler is currently a Senior Manager on the Research & Insights team at Salesforce. She manages a Research Operations team that helps deliver and scale research across the company. She was formerly at DoorDash where she managed the research operations function and prior to that she worked at Airbnb for 6 years starting as a research operations team of 1 and growing to a team of 14 by 2020. It was at Airbnb where Liza became passionate about inclusive research and helped form and then ran an inclusive research working group that included both UX researchers and UX designers. Liza lives in San Francisco.
For 18 years Amanda has led research across a wide range of industries, including advertising (Grey, Foote Cone & Belding, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners), global product innovation and strategy agencies (Flamingo, Kelton Global), as well as leading her own consultancy. Her global clients have spanned categories, including Uber, Google, Apple, Facebook, Nike, Heineken, Pepsi, Target and Sephora. In 2019, Amanda transitioned to working client-side and is currently the X-Product Research Lead at Dropbox. She is the winner of two David Ogilvy Awards for Excellence in Advertising Research.
Gillian Miller is a moderator and notetaker for the UX Research Corner on Clubhouse. Currently based in the Austin area, she works as a Research Analyst at Figma and a Content Specialist at Splashtop. While she’s new to the UX world, she’s no stranger to qualitative research. Gillian studied Sociology at Concordia College, Moorhead where she conducted ethnographic research, surveys, and more. Her insatiable curiosity led her to study abroad in Ireland, work with an NGO in Croatia, and hop from country to country as a digital nomad. She’s a story gatherer, an excellent listener and an explorer.
Priyanka Mohan is Lead UX Researcher and Strategist, working with innovation and product teams at Thomson Reuters. Priyanka strives to use her proactive research practices, to provide teams with strategic solutions for complex problems, that continuously center the user, within a product or service. Priyanka began her journey into UX as a full stack developer and fine artist. With 6+ in UX , Priyanka has worked with interdisciplinary and cross functional teams across a variety of industries including non-profits, higher education , and government. Priyanka is an active public speaker, educator, mentor, and an avid world traveler.
| Dr. Lisanne Norman is a passionate and highly curious learner who is always eager to explore new and interesting topics. She holds a PhD from Harvard University in African & African American Studies and Social Anthropology. Dr. Norman has over 20 years of working in corporate America, academia & the tech industry. In addition to educating folks about Black history, Dr. Norman has more recently been leading teams of user experience researchers for small consultancy agencies, startups & large enterprises such as Dell, Visa & currently Gusto Inc. Helping to create inclusive human-centred design solutions that have meaningful impact motivates her on a daily basis. In her free time, she likes to continue her study of Black history, travel, drink wine and craft beer, cook healthy delicious meals, and watch European detective dramas. |
Prabhas Pokharel brings together his background in Computer Science and Design Research to build human-centered technology. As co-founder & CEO of Reduct.Video, he helps qualitative researchers leverage the power of video storytelling to transform organizations—to put human needs first. Prabhas studied Design Thinking with David Kelley at the Stanford d.school, and was inspired to create Reduct while conducting ethnographically-inspired needs finding as a part of Stanford’s Design Thinking methodology. Before that, he worked with UNICEF, the Nigerian government, and the Indian rural health system to create human-centered technology in developing world contexts.
Samuel Proulx is the Accessibility Evangelist at Fable, a leading accessibility testing platform powered by people with disabilities. As a blind individual, Sam knows and values the importance of accessibility in all aspects of life and is a strong advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the digital world. Sam brings his previous experience as Fable’s community manager, plus life-long advocacy for himself and others, to his role as Evangelist.
Val Pucilowski is a researcher and strategist. She takes a collaborative, holistic approach: to ensure that business decisions are rooted in a deep understanding of human needs and behavior. At Clubhouse, Val partners with cross-functional teams to surface insights about a global community of product development teams. Previously, she conducted foundational research at Etsy + Spotify—to develop strategies, services and tools that help creative entrepreneurs start, grow, and manage their businesses. In her spare time, Val loves to make things and enjoy nature.
As an Artificial Intelligence User Experience (AIUX) Researcher at Compass, Morgan Ramsey utilizes her background in mixed-method research, ethnography and public policy to tackle complex systemic problems. She specializes in developing strategic research in order to elevate underrepresented users' narratives and build more holistic products. With 5+ years of experience, Morgan has shifted from HR Analyst to Product Research and driven holistic research strategies across Google, The Brennan Center and Compass within the US, Europe and Latin America. Morgan holds a bachelor's degree from Duke University in public policy and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.
| • Michele Ronsen is the Founder & CEO of Curiosity Tank, a user research consultancy based in San Francisco. • Michele is a user research executive, coach and educator. She teaches design and user research to people around the world. Her corporate training and workshops are inspired by her work with Fortune 500 firms and start-ups for more than 20 years. • In 2010, Michele founded Ronsen Consulting, a design and strategy firm specializing in human-centered research, design development and hands-on learning programs. Ten years later, she established Curiosity Tank to help more people ask better questions in order to make confident decisions. • Since 2020, Michele has taught over 5000 students how to ask better questions and make more informed business decisions. LinkedIn also honored her with a TopVoices award in the Technology category. |
With nearly 20 years of experience, Cassandra has a background in leading and shaping corporate strategy by leveraging qualitative and quantitative consumer market research. Throughout her career, Cassandra has focused on building and evolving brands, products and teams to best meet consumer needs. Today at Pinterest, Cassandra leads the Product Research and Content Strategy teams.
Kelsey Segaloff is a professional question-asker. Her question-asking has taken her all over the world: Toronto gaming bars with hardcore gamers, shopping malls in California with Gen Zers, and into the offices of HubSpot users everywhere.
Kelsey is the recipient of the 2019 QRCA Rising Star Award and the 2016 QRCA Young Professionals Grant. Kelsey currently serves on the Board of Directors of QRCA and is the board liaison to the QRCA Young Professionals Committee.
Anthony holds a joint PhD in Social Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. His PhD research was on miracle narratives among Coptic Christians in Egypt. Anthony also holds an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona where he conducted anthropological and historical research on the neo-Zapatista social movement in Mexico. He taught courses in Anthropology & Religious Studies before leaving academia to serve as a priest in the Coptic Church. For the last several years he has worked as a CX Researcher at REI and UX Researcher with AnswerLab where he conducted research for Instagram and Facebook. Anthony is currently a Senior UX Researcher at HubSpot where he leads research for the artificial intelligence (AI) teams.
Sam is a UX researcher with background in design, product and the lean startup model. She's worked in early, mid to late stage startups as well as corporate. Her experience spans industries such as travel, hospitality, health & wellness, where she has conducted a variety of generative and evaluative research, contributed to and led product and design strategy. She strongly believes in iterative design and rapid prototyping and is all about teamwork. "Always talking with humans, I am on a quest to achieve the highest form of empathy that I possibly can."
Emma Siegel (they/she) is inclusive designer, researcher and illustrator who is passionate about building equitable, accessible and ethical experiences for people of all identities and lived experiences. They are currently an Experience Designer for Creative Cloud at Adobe previously founded the Inclusive Design team at Workday.
Mary Sorber is the founder of Practical Insights, a boutique research consultancy, and currently works in-house at Wells Fargo as a Principal XD Researcher. She specializes in insight generation through qualitative methods and has a particular passion for making technology useful for people. She has worked for leading technology companies including Cisco, Autodesk, Intuit and Google. The opinions expressed here are her own.
Janet Standen turns questions into directions fast - through bringing fresh qualitative insights to brands & businesses in an accelerated process that does not compromise depth of learning. As Co-Founder of Scoot Insights, she leverages over 30 years of consumer & B2B marketing experience to unearth insights that are relevant and actionable, to help management teams make more powerful decisions. Janet is a customer-driven innovation, brand positioning, communication & team facilitation specialist, with a breadth of research experience gained working in the US and in the UK/Europe across many categories and target audiences.
Janet served on the board of QRCA for 4 years and was the 2022 President’s Award recipient for outstanding service to the qualitative research industry and community. She is Co-Chair of the QRCA UX SIG. Janet is Co-Founder and remains actively involved in MRxPros.
Indi focuses data science that listens. She is a strategy researcher who makes tools that support inclusive and responsible solutions for a broader variety of thinking styles. She teaches courses online, writes books & essays, presents talks and does podcast appearances, and pens helpful posts on LinkedIn.
| Availability | Module Title | Speaker | Credits | Duration | Course Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sep 10, 2021 @ 10:15 AM (CDT) |
How UX Will Create a Better Future
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Michele Ronsen
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N/A | 45 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 11:15 AM (CDT) |
Changing Careers from Market Research Consulting to Your UX Dream Job
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Amanda Miller
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 11:15 AM (CDT) |
Panel: From Academia to UX Research
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 11:15 AM (CDT) |
What is Research Strategy?
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Chris Geison
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N/A | 30 minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 11:15 AM (CDT) |
What is Unique About Stakeholders in a UX Project and How to Work and Communicate with Them
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KATHLEEN AUBREY
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 11:15 AM (CDT) |
Leveling up in your UX Research Career
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Sam Shi
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 12:00 PM (CDT) |
No Assumptions: Embracing Human Complexity through Purposes and Patterns
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Indi Young
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N/A | 45 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 01:00 PM (CDT) |
Panel: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Research
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N/A | 35 Minutes | More info » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 01:40 PM (CDT) |
UX Research Corner Presents: Communication in Research
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N/A | 35 Minutes | More info » | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
Mixed Methods – Knit: the Power of Mixed Methods at Pinterest
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Cassandra Rowe
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
Sponsored Case Study: Reduct — Video, the Modern Researcher's New Secret Weapon
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Prabhas Pokharel
Lauren Isaacson
Tim Bridgham
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
Robots in Homes: A Case Study on Contextual Inquiry (CI) and How You Can Level Up Your CI Skills
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Gitanjali Stevens
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
From Users to Users: How Researching Substance Abuse Led me to Spotify
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Deb McDonald, MSW
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
Assumption Mapping in Discovery Research
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Mary Sorber
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Total Credits: .5 Advance Credits | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
Understanding Key Workflows
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Val Pucilowski
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 02:30 PM (CDT) |
How ACT Worked With Fable To Make Exams More Accessible
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Susan Hirch
Samuel Proulx
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 03:05 PM (CDT) |
Partner Spotlights
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Bob Granito
Irene Bocca
Ben Adosto
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N/A | 30 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sep 10, 2021 @ 03:45 PM (CDT) |
Empathetic Fitness: A Path to Delivering on Empathy
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Sekai Farai
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N/A | 45 Minutes | More info » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Program CE Credits Information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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