Steve Portigal: Improving your user research process

Steve Portigal is a veteran user research leader and consultant who helps companies mature their research practices. He’s the author of Interviewing Users, a classic in the field, and the host of the design leadership podcast Dollars to Donuts. In this conversation, we explore: • how to use creative practices to develop your voice as a leader and storyteller • how to be a smart consumer of research findings when you aren’t an expert in the craft of research • one simple question leaders can ask to set their organizations to make the most of research • and how to create the conditions for high-impact, effective creative work in your team — Topics discussed (10:21) Experimenting with writing and finding one's voice (15:47) Feedback model: GASP - goals, attempts, successes, possibilities (19:53) Workshops, creativity, and self-doubt (27:06) Embrace authenticity, find your unique facilitation style (28:10) Appreciating different approaches, understanding executives' skepticism (34:37) Engage with compassion (39:29) Research is essential for informed decision-making (49:01) Compassion and reflection are crucial for leaders (50:48) Create a safe learning space for engagement (56:03) Assessing code quality and marketing effectiveness (01:00:39) Research raises questions, timing and deployment important (01:10:31) Stay fascinated with the world around you — Links & resources mentioned • Send episode feedback on Twitter @askotzko , or via email • Steve Portigal: website, LinkedIn • Book: Interviewing Users • Podcast: Dollars to Donuts — Related episodes • #3 Christina Wodtke: Unleashing potential with extraordinary teams • #62 Sahil Lavingia: Independent Thinking & Pricing at Gumroad — Books • Interviewing Users • Don’t Make Me Think — Other resources • Great User Research (for Non-Researchers) • When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods • Nielsen: Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.makethingsthatmatter.com