A bit of backstory
Grounded research is the foundation of everything I do (whether that’s writing an e-book, editing a documentary, or organizing a film festival in the Arctic).
It is also a goal in itself. An innate curiosity for the world around me and a desire to understand why people do the things they do have led me, somewhat non-linearly, to the field of UX research.
How did I end up here? While humans rarely travel straight paths, in my mind, my journey from my undergraduate degree, in anthropology and film studies, to my present exploits in user research couldn’t be more straightforward. User research can arguably be understood as a modern-day extension of classic anthropology.
And still, it took me over 5 years to make my way to this field. I have excuses, of course (UX research wasn’t even a thing when I first graduated!), but I also know that humans rarely travel straight paths. The journey that brought me from point A to point B helped me uncover and explore different aspects of myself. These aspects make me now a more patient and grounded researcher.
How do I research?
⤳ Patience and empathy are key elements of my practice. Research should be more than just a questionnaire for participants—it should offer respite and the right frame of mind to encourage reflection.
⤳ Ethnography is my main area of expertise. What is ethnography?
Historically, the process of recording and understanding different cultural phenomena, from the perspective of the indigene. Nowadays, the practice has evolved and can be applied in corporate skyscrapers just as successfully as it used to be applied within non-Western communities by problematic 19th century anthropologists.
The key takeaways: holism, immersion in the studied environment, participant observation.
Additionally, I’m pretty handy with:
- Structured Interviews and Fluid Dialogues that allow for a more open-ended exploration of topics
- Remote usability testing
- Persona building
- Surveys
- Diary Studies
Some of my projects
I also collaborate with
