How might we deliver rapid insights to 12+ PSS teams?

  • Type: Multi-year rapid research program (current project)

  • Client: Large tech company

  • Responsibilities: Project scoping and execution, administration of two-researcher program tracks, liaising with direct client requestors and program POCs, UX Research

  • Team: 2 UXRs (including self), Program Manager, Research Manager, 12+ client POCs (requestors)

  • Topics: Privacy, Security, Safety and Identity (B2B, B2C, and internal technical research)

  • Methods: Qualitative research (mix of concept-testing, foundational in-depth interviews (IDIs), usability testing, card sorting, and subject-matter expert (SME) interviews)

Context

While at AnswerLab, I was responsible for leading and administering a rapid-research program for a large technology company offering both software and hardware products, as well as research duties. We worked with 12+ stakeholders across multiple product areas to deliver rapid reports; typically this included a mix of one-off projects and repeat multiphase rolling research.

This included:

  • Maintaining intake trackers and assigning projects

  • Scoping rapid weekly research projects

  • Conducting qualitative research and reporting

  • Socializing findings with stakeholders

  • Liaising with program-level POCs

  • Directing larger-scale projects to appropriate research venues

Sample projects

Note: Specific research project results and client under NDA.

B2B

  • Identifying improvements to internal developer dashboards for tracking GDPR and DMA 5(2) compliance

  • Foundational research into how developers and program managers troubleshoot alerts stemming from security policy enforcement

  • Understand how software engineers (SWEs) troubleshoot privacy-focused data annotation issues

  • Identify usability issues in internal security-control browser extensions used for extended workforce employees

B2C

  • Understand how populations in the UK/Ireland vs. US interpret legal language surrounding data privacy and processing

  • Understand how users conceptualize alternate profiles and associated features (rolling research, from card-sort to evaluative stages)

  • Identify opportunities for improvement in surfacing people-focused contextual data in email sidebars

Commentary

The RIG research program highlights my flexibility as a researcher – I’m comfortable working in environments of high ambiguity, and have the research chops to conduct technical research with engineering stakeholders, despite not having an engineering background. My teams trust me to provide evidence-based recommendations for modifying high-stakes internal development tools – especially notable, since errors have the potential for high-dollar legal ramifications.