I spent 10 years building the user research function into forward-thinking product organizations. It forced me to understand and adapt how teams work so the research could work. Along with the technical craft of research, I took a deep look into design, operations, product, and strategy. Now I consult on how it all fits together, helping product orgs change how they work and tackle strategic challenges.
Personally, I'm fascinated by the creative process and the notion of skill, individually and collectively.
- How do we make good things?
- How does that work when groups of people are involved?
- What does it mean to master a craft?
- How do we teach and share our understanding well?
My perspective is built on a background of cognitive science, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practice, wide-ranging reading, and continual inspiration from architect Christopher Alexander's approach to complexity.
I write about what I learn in Loops and Cycles, or longer-form articles. Each year I hold time for a craft-sabbatical — the wine harvest or sake season — and a good, long walk.
Talk and Workshop Index:
- Rethinking Interviews: Two Perspectives on Navigating Conversations Talk with Dr Lisa Koeman — April 2025, UXInsight Festival
- The Future of UX Research Podcast with Judd Antin and Christiana Lackner — June 2024, Awkward Silences
- The evolution of user research Podcast — April 2024, The Optimal Path
- Navigating the future of UX research Podcast — April 2024, Insights Ulocked
- Our Discomfort with Research Democratization Podcast — October 2023, Scaling Research
- Re-integrating Research into Product and Design — Miro Design Talk (private), August, 2023
- Research That Influences Workshop — Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research, March 2023
- Advice for Establishing Research — December 2022, Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research
- Research Ops: Research Skills Framework Workshop— May 2022, UX LX Conference
- A Research Skills Evolution — March 2021, Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research
- The Research Skills We Need to Succeed — February 2021, UXRConf Anywhere
- The Power of Pattern Language — September 2020, EuroIA Conference
- Working with the Research Skills Framework workshop — September 2020, UXinsight Festival (with Tomomi Sasaki)
- Tools for the Trek — February 2020, Interaction 20 Milan (w/ Tomomi Sasaki)
- Shaping Effective Research — October 2019, IXDA Berlin
- Elevating Design: Create a strategic plan to increase your impact — September 2019, EuroIA 19 (w/ Alissa Briggs)
- Considering Research: function & impact — June 2019, User Research London
- Research: Goal, role, having an impact — June 2019, Strive UX Research
- Lean Learning: Applied UX Research — October 2018, Develop Denver
- "Maps & Markers: enacting a strategy to transform your design team" — August 2018, Adaptive Path UX Week (w/ Alissa Briggs)
- Lean Learning: Applied Product Research — May 2017, NASDAQ's "The Center"
- UX Research for Live Products — January 2015, ConveyUX