#129 - How to Upskill Product Teams in UX Research with Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist

How can UX researchers enable other teams to do research? Show, don’t tell.

According to Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, upskilling product people to do research means letting them observe, sit in, and be present during each stage of a research project—not just being told what to do.

Helen went from doing scrappy research with 0 researchers to supporting 50 product people at The Economist to conduct great research with the help of 2 other UX researchers.

Tune into this episode to learn how she established UX research as a valued discipline at The Economist, plus how to balance developing research as a craft while supporting non-researchers at the same time. 

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Highlights: 

[00:04:11] From 0 researchers to 3 UXRs and 50 product people 

[00:13:30] The art of observation and note-taking during moderated interviews 

[00:18:59] Generative research? Bring in a pro researcher

[00:24:34] Helen’s biggest wins in instructing others on how to do research better

[0:31:07] Researchers develop the craft, but they don’t own it. 

[00:33:54] Actionable tips on setting guardrails for non-researchers’ research

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• userinterviews.com/awkward
• userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey

About Our Guest

Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, is a user-focused research expert with experience in insight, ethnography, design, and user research across commercial, government, and non-profit sectors. Her current role involves telling user stories that uncover opportunities and inspire action across the organization’s portfolio of digital properties. Before joining The Economist, Helen has had an illustrious career involving positions at The Guardian, a housing and homeless charity shelter, Lloyds Banking Group, and Asda. Recently she spoke at the Insight Innovation Exchange 2023.