This week’s newsletter highlights: Explore why Dr. Derek Austin agrees with Steve Jobs’ skepticism of user research! 👀 Learn from Ed Orozco’s guide to simple yet effective Strategic UX research, where recurring user conversations and lean systems drive product alignment. Scott Young shares how behavioral scientists can apply their skills across various industries to maximize impact and drive innovation - and our hand-picked jobs, podcasts and events for the Week.

Finally, our People of Research interview with 🇺🇸 Joseph Marcantano!

📢 Community Announcements

We’re thrilled to launch two new events this week, starting with our virtual 💨 Speed Networking event. Connect with four researchers globally through Zoom breakout rooms in a series of one-on-one, nine-minute chats. Each round pairs you with a different community member to chat and connect.

Why attend? Expand your network, exchange ideas, discover new opportunities, and potentially find mentors, collaborators, or new roles. 🎟️ RSVP Below!

We’re excited to invite our members in 🇬🇧 London and the surrounding areas to our member London Social event at the new ustwo studio in Shoreditch. Limited to 60 attendees, this event offers a fantastic opportunity to network with like-minded researchers, exchange ideas, and maybe even bag your next role! A big thank you to ustwo for hosting us in their incredible new space! Make sure to RSVP—remember, no ticket means no entry. We can’t wait to see you there!

🔬 People of Research Member Interview

• 🌎️ Past People of Research Interviews

📰 Article Picks

This week’s article picks!

🔗 Strategic UX Research Doesn’t Need Fancy Tools: In this insightful article, Ed Orozco explores the importance of strategic UX research for startups and argues that effective UX research doesn’t require complex tools. Orozco highlights that startups often avoid UX research due to misconceptions that it involves costly, elaborate setups. He emphasizes that simple, recurring user conversations can provide more valuable insights than over-reliance on tools like A/B tests or analytics. The author uses examples like recurring check-ins via Google Meet and note-taking in Notion to illustrate how startups can build an easy-to-maintain UX system. Orozco advises startups to focus on frequent user engagement, stressing that sharing user feedback with the entire team aligns the organization better with user needs and enhances product design decisions.

🔗 An Open Letter to Behavioral Science Graduates (& Enthusiasts): In this insightful article, Scott Young explores career advice for new graduates and enthusiasts entering the field of behavioral science. Young argues that rather than limiting themselves to traditional “behavioral roles,” graduates should apply behavioral science principles across various industries and positions. The author uses examples like integrating behavioral insights into HR or marketing roles to illustrate how these skills can create a competitive advantage. Young advises focusing on an organization’s specific challenges and demonstrating how behavioral science can drive key metrics, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, patience, and ethical considerations in applying these principles to real-world situations.

🔗 Steve Jobs Hated User Research. Here’s Why I Agree With Him: In this thought-provoking article, Dr. Derek Austin explores the drawbacks of user research and aligns with Steve Jobs’ philosophy on innovation. Dr. Austin argues that traditional user research, often involving overconfident and inaccurate predictions by users, is not only a waste of time but also misleading for product development. The author uses examples such as the overconfidence effect and historical failures like the New Coke experiment to illustrate why users are poor predictors of their own future behavior. Dr. Austin advises product managers to focus on writing detailed tickets for engineers rather than spending time on superficial user interviews, emphasizing the importance of performance and bug-free experiences as core elements of successful product development.

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🎟️ Event Pick

Join our free 🔥 Fireside Chat & AMA with the pioneer Kate Towsey on all things research, ReOps and Research That Scales. RSVP via Luma to get your spot!

🎙 Podcasts Pick

This week’s Podcast Pick: In this episode of The Future of UX, Patricia Reiners dives into how AI is transforming user research. Learn the pros and cons of using AI for market analysis, user interviews, and data synthesis—where it can save time and where it still needs human touch.

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💼 Jobs Picks

Explore the latest roles in our community, all posted within the past week and some just hours ago. With members from 55 countries and a range of seniority levels, whether you’re advancing your career or seeking new challenges, there’s always something new for everyone.

UK & Europe

• Senior UX Researcher, Moniepoint Group (London, Hybrid)

• User Researcher, NatWest Boxed (London, Hybrid)

• Behavioral Scientist, ŌURA (Helsinki, Hybrid)

• Product UX Researcher, PIN-UP GLOBAL (EU, Remote)

North America

• Principal UX Researcher, AI/ML, ServiceNow (Santa Clara, Hybrid)

• Senior UX Researcher, BetterUp (San Francisco, Hybrid)

• Senior UX Researcher, Monetization, TikTok (San Jose, On-site)

• Lead XD Researcher, Trane Technologies (Broomfield, CO)

Asia

• user researcher, MAY I HELP YOU (Bengaluru, India)

• Lead UX Researcher, APACr, Airbnb (Singapore, Remote)

• Lead Researcher, Crypto, BJAK (Jakarta, Remote)

Oceania

• Junior CX Researcher, MYOB (Melbourne, Hybrid)

• Lead Researcher, Crypto (Australia), BJAK (Sydney, Remote)

Latin America

• Staff Experience Researcher, LATAM, Airbnb (Brazil, Remote)

• Sr. User Experience Researcher, GlobalLogic (Chile, On-site)

• UX Researcher, GlobalLogic (Argentina, On-site)

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👋 About us

We’re People of Research - a global community uniting researchers across the tech industry, from UX Research to Behavioural Science. Our mission is to advance the field of research through connection, collaboration, and growth.

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