The design teams work incredibly quickly. This means that there is a larger demand for quick, iterative testing. As there is one researcher for a few product teams, it is difficult for all the teams to get testing in a timely manner. Therefore there was an opportunity to start training the designers to set up and run their own studies.

This is something I owned for 2 out of the 3 teams in the Growth org.

Designer & Product Management Research Training

What we created

Process created

We decided to start with in-person training’s split into 3 different sessions.

Session 1: Objective setting and research plannings.
Session 2: Creating scripts and moderation.
Session 3: Synthesis

In-person purpose:

  • Relationship building

  • Focus on the training vs getting distracted with work

  • Ability to ask questions live

Separate sessions purpose:

  • Remove overwhelm

  • Focus on skills needed in each session

  • Smaller chunks of learning helps reduce disruption of workday

Engagement tactics

Step 1: Leadership Buy-in

  • Articulate the Value Proposition:

  • Business value: I focus on how UX research skills directly translate to better product decisions, reduced development rework, increased customer satisfaction, and ultimately, improved ROI.

  • For the Team: I illustrate how training empowers team members with new, highly valuable skills, fostering professional growth and a more holistic understanding of product development.

  • Secure Active Endorsement: Encouraged leadership to openly discuss and encourage participation

  • Identify Potential Champions: Work with leadership to identify specific individuals who can act as internal advocates for the training and potentially participate in a pilot program.

Step 2: Stakeholder collaboration

  • Work with a small group at a time, starting with champions

  • Work with the team to grab a time that suits the majority of the group

  • Give the team a preview of the ‘what‘ and the ‘why‘

Impact

Designers and product managers who have gone through training have had the opportunity to perform their own studies with confidence.

The leadership and stakeholder endorsements has enabled the process to be added to the official new hire training for all new product designers.

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PERSONA DEVELOPMENT