🧠 How Your Brain Chooses to See + How Anybody Can Do "Research" is a bad idea...

Why the Idea that ‘Anyone Can Do User Research’ Is a Bad One, Blue Cars, Robots, and How Your Brain Chooses to See, Phenomenology in User Research & Service Design, and Generative AI Is Coming for Analysts. Plus a People of Research member interview from 🇧🇷 Brazil and our latest podcasts, videos, and job opportunities for the week.

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People of Research
November 12, 2024

📢 Announcements

🫂 Last week, we hosted our People of Research community social in 🇬🇧 London, England.

🥳 It was fantastic to see so many of you there, engaging in lively conversations with fellow researchers from London and beyond. Our community socials provide a relaxed setting for members to connect, chat, and meet new people. 🙏 A huge thank you goes out to all our members, our sponsor Great Question, and our co-hosts and supporters for making this event possible.

People of Research Community Social in 🇬🇧 London

www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7260201149247406081

2025 Calling! We’re looking for volunteers for in-person events!

Since our launch in July 2024, our community has grown to over 1,400 researchers across 65+ countries. This year, we’re hosting three in-person events and next year, we plan to expand with events in 12 new cities - and we need your help to make it happen!

So far, we’ve hosted events in 🇬🇧 London and 🇵🇹 Lisbon, with 🇧🇷 São Paulo (sponsor this event with a reply!) on the calendar for next month. If you’d like to help co-host an event in your city, just reply to this newsletter to get involved!

🔬 People of Research Member Interview

People of Research Interview with Lilyth Ester Grove

We’re excited to open up opportunities for readers to feature in our “People of Research” interview series. This is a fantastic chance to share your career story, promote your work, and engage with our global community. Each story is a source of inspiration and learning, reaching over 1,400 newsletter subscribers, and +2,900 LinkedIn followers across +60 countries.

📰 Article Picks

This week’s article picks:

🔗 Blue Cars, Robots, and How Your Brain Chooses to See: Preeti Kotamarthi explores how our brains decide what to notice and ignore in her enlightening article. Kotamarthi explains the dynamics of ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ attention, illustrating how both mechanisms shape our perception and interaction with digital environments. She uses vivid examples like finding a specific car color or encountering a giant robot to demonstrate these concepts. For researchers, designers, and product managers, understanding these attentional processes is crucial to creating compelling and effective user interfaces that harmonize with how users process information. Kotamarthi’s insights encourage a balance between directive elements and sensory stimuli, ensuring users can navigate digital spaces efficiently without feeling overwhelmed.

🔗 Why the Idea that ‘Anyone Can Do User Research’ Is a Bad One: Lesley Crane tackles the misconception that user research (UR) can be performed by just about anyone without formal training. Crane argues that quality UR demands specialized skills and a scientific approach, much like any other research discipline. She uses the concept of the ‘Research Onion’—a framework she adapted from academic research—to emphasize the complexity and necessity of rigorous research methodologies. Lesley Crane advises against the dilution of UR’s role in strategic decision-making and emphasizes that devaluing professional UR risks significant business consequences, advocating for a trained and experienced approach to uphold the integrity and impact of user research.

🔗 The power of user narratives: phenomenology in user research and service design: Dr. Urvashi Sharma delves into how phenomenology can deeply enrich user research and service design. Sharma illustrates this through the story of Judith, a mother using the NHS app to manage her child’s health crisis, highlighting the practical application of phenomenological concepts in everyday situations. Sharma encourages designers to embrace the chaos of real life in their work, to uncover hidden user needs and intentions, and to challenge and understand biases. She stresses the importance of designing with empathy and deep insight into users’ lived experiences, making a strong case for the transformative power of phenomenology in design.

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📹 Video Pick

Don’t Trick Users: 2 Ways to Avoid Deceptive Design Patterns (Video)

Deceptive patterns harm your organization’s long-term goals. Ask yourself these 2 questions to proactively avoid deceiving or tricking users.

www.nngroup.com/videos/avoid-deceptive-patterns

🎙️ Podcast Pick

#257: Analyst Use Cases for Generative AI

The Analytics Power Hour · In the latest episode, the discussion centers on whether AI will replace analysts. Guest Martin Broadhurst shares insights on integrating generative AI into analytics, dissecting the complexities and potential improvements AI offers.

open.spotify.com/episode/0RFqD5Z9Lxol6uLVbBKCOY

💼 Jobs Picks

If you’re a hiring manager and interested in sharing opportunities in research that reach +1300 researchers across +60 countries? ✉️ Email us!

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👋 About us

We’re People of Research - a global hybrid community uniting researchers across the tech industry, from UX Research to Behavioural Science. We connect, collab and grow:

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