145. Katie Johnson - The Art of User Research

Product Coffee

This week on Product Coffee, Katie Johnson, a lead UX researcher at Google, shares her insights on innovation and user research. She discusses the importance of understanding both end-users and cross-functional stakeholders, as well as their decision-making processes. To ensure relevance and value, Katie interviews all decision-makers on a team and conducts a 90-minute workshop to address misalignments.

She also explains how teams can develop a framework for innovation by identifying core competencies, industry orthodoxies, user needs, and megatrends. Teams should spend a quarter working on these areas and then combine their findings to create a "Lego kit" of innovation building blocks, ensuring user needs are at the heart of product development.

If a team lacks a dedicated UX researcher, Katie recommends utilizing product managers or UX designers who are comfortable talking to users. They can consult with experienced UX researchers to learn about different research methods and execution. This approach helps companies tap into the potential of UX research early in the product lifecycle, addressing users' needs from the beginning and fostering strategic innovation.

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