Now published: Research That Scales by Kate Towsey!

Enterprise UX Playbook (Videoconference)

Many of the most successful software development practices — like agile and UX — emerged in the consumer facing private sector. Think Airbnb, Spotify, Uber. But what happens when we try to map those practices onto large enterprises that typically serve internal employees rather than the public? For example, are UX’ers prepared to think about how large systems connect and interact? How about the challenges of HR and roles and responsibilities? Challenges such as these are highly relevant in enterprise spaces, and perhaps even more so in the public sector where systems are often quite old and ways of working have calcified. This talk focuses on “gaps” in Enterprise UX, and how we might seek to close them.

QuantQual Book Club: Small Data (Videoconference)

In a context dominated by conversations about AI and big data, it’s a great moment to revisit the concept of “small data,” and discuss the significance of small observations and intimate details in understanding consumer behavior and its impact on making successful business decisions. Martin Lindstrom’s classic book Small Data sheds a bright light on how sometimes big data and big decisions stand firm on small data nuggets. Join us for a discussion of Martin’s work—even if you’ve not yet read Small Data (but extra credit if you have!). Bring your questions and experiences to share.

Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences with Cheryl Platz

Cheryl Platz—Rosenfeld Media author, emcee of our Advancing Research and Enterprise Experience conferences, puppeteer, and Principal UX Designer at Gates Foundation—shares the inspiration that drove her new book Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences (published December 2020). If you’re an interaction designer, you’ll want to listen as Cheryl dramatically expands our understanding of one of interaction design’s final frontiers.

Trauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion (Videoconference)

The unfolding epidemics and crises of the last year and a half provide stark reminders that no person or setting is ever safe from the impacts of traumas. Now more than ever, it’s critical for us as researchers to anticipate and plan for the realities of trauma as it emerges in our work (and in ourselves). Join us for a discussion of how the panelists came to embrace trauma-informed practices and how they have led to changes in the way we approach our work. Being trauma-informed and -responsive is not a destination but rather a constant state of becoming. You’ll leave with the information you need to start this journey in your own practice.

A Framework for Enterprise Research Management

Join Sean McKay, founder and CEO of Handrail, as he shares a framework for scaling research at the enterprise level.

Watch the session recording

Beyond the Console: The rise of the Gamer Experience and how gaming will impact UX Research across industries (Videoconference)

In just fifty years, video gaming has transformed from a childhood hobby into a global $200 billion industry that is set to eclipse film and TV in both revenue and cultural impact. This meteoric rise has led The Economist to predict that “[w]hoever dominates gaming is going to wield clout in every form of communication.” Gaming franchises have expanded beyond just being popular products to become influential media brands that have cultural impact beyond the console. Legacy media firms and tech companies are responding by building gaming divisions or acquiring independent gaming studios in order to capture a piece of this new attention economy.

With gaming set to change how people consume media and engage with products and brands, what will this mean for the broader business landscape—and for UX researchers in particular? How should we think about understanding game players, their preferences, and habits?

Join Dane DeSutter and experts from leading gaming companies for an interactive discussion on how mixed-methods research and big data are shaping popular gaming products and company strategies and how we all might start to think about the gamer experience in our own industries.

Panelists: Natalie Gedeon, Deborah Hendersen, Cheryl Platz; Moderated by: Dane DeSutter

Theme 3: Research Impacts the Organization

Insight at Scale: Steve Portigal and Lou Rosenfeld discuss user research in the enterprise

Steve and Lou dig into the challenges of learning about people who engage with enterprises—how to gather data, and how to synthesize that data to get to something like true insight. Insight at Scale is a major theme at the upcoming Enterprise UX 2015 conference (San Antonio, May 13-15), where Steve will dig deeper into the subject along with Kelly Goto, Christian Rohrer, and Chris Chapo.

Unleash the Power and Fun of Creative Thinking in User Research (Part 2 of 3)

Designing Delightful Listening Experiences: Mixed Methods Research in the Age of Machine Learning

Millions of listeners around the world use Spotify to listen to audio experiences that are personalized to their taste, yet relevant in the broader cultural context. Spotify is a unique product because unlike many other eyes the first app, a majority of Spotify experience is phenomenological – it happens in listeners’ ears, minds and bodies, after they hit “Play”.

Why do people form Meaningful Connections™ with some type of audio content, but not all, and how do we ensure that our ML models respect the nuances of what makes listening to music and podcasts enjoyable? This talk will shed light on such topics and leave the audience with ideas, challenges and possible best practices for using Mixed Methods Research in the age of ML to build delightful product experiences.