The Optimal Path

Dalia El-Shimy, Director of UX Research at Wise, presents a framework for navigating product decision-making with confidence—from daily product decisions to the most complex and high-risk scenarios. Dalia shares how to classify decisions based on their level of risk and reversibility, along with questions and tactics to help determine the type of research or insights needed to better inform those decisions.

About Dalia:

Dalia is an engineer-turned-academic-turned-user-researcher. She is the Director of UX Research at Wise and the former Head of UX Research at Miro, where she helped build the team and discipline from the ground up. She started her career as a human-computer interaction researcher, then joined Shopify, where she helped scale the UX Research practice from a few researchers to a team of 60+ strong and co-led the craft across the entire organization. When she’s not busy asking too many questions, she enjoys baking, eating, reading, and obsessing over all things David Bowie.

Connect with Dalia:

You can follow Dalia on LinkedIn or check out her website.

Resources: 

• Make Better Decisions by Thomas H. Davenport
• This Is How Successful People Make Such Smart Decisions by Jeff Haden
• Brand Chu on Medium
• Gamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
   

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Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at Google Ventures, breaks down the Bullseye Customer Sprint methodology and how it helps startups quickly identify what to build and who to target. Learn how to use the “5 and 3 in 1 formula”—five bullseye customers, three prototypes, in one day—to accelerate learning and de-risk product decision-making.

Gain practical strategies for streamlining customer discovery so you can build the right products, faster. Michael shares how to define your bullseye customers, prioritize the key questions to focus on, and avoid common pitfalls in early product development.

About Michael: 

Michael Margolis joined Google Ventures in 2010 as the venture industry’s first UX research partner. With over 30 years of experience, he's conducted 300 research sprints with GV portfolio companies across diverse sectors. His work has helped hundreds of companies boost conversions, test new concepts, streamline workflows, and define bullseye customers. 

Michael joined Google as a staff user experience researcher, where he conducted research for Gmail, led the UX research team for Google Apps, and managed Google’s UX team in Seattle. Before Google, he spearheaded user research at Walmart.com and produced educational software at Electronic Arts. Michael earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology from Stanford University and is the author of Learn More Faster.

Connect with Michael:

You can follow Michael on LinkedIn or check out his articles on Medium.

Resources: 

• Learn More Faster by Michael Margolis
• Conduct stellar user research even faster by Michael Margolis
• Research Practice by Gregg Bernstein
• Disco Conf 2024, the global research and discovery conference by Maze
• Unpacking User Interviews: Turning Conversations into Insight by Maze
   

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Devin Harold, former Head of Design Research for Financial Services at Capital One, joins host Ash Oliver to discuss the challenges of connecting user research to business outcomes, how to effectively track and communicate the value of research, and why the future of the industry lies in driving customer-centricity across the entire business.

Discover practical frameworks for prioritizing and presenting research, such as the “two-by-two prioritization” and "what, so what, now what" frameworks. Learn how to involve cross-functional teams and tailor communications to stakeholders to enhance the visibility and influence of your work, and transform UX research into a strategic asset for the business.

About Devin:

Devin Harold is a Design Research Leader with over twelve years of experience in the UX space, starting his career journey first as an interaction designer before shifting into research. He recently worked as Director - Head of Design Research for Financial Services at Capital One, where he led the talented team and research practice to drive business decisions within the $1.4 trillion auto lending industry. Outside of work, Devin is a hobby egyptologist and photographer, and loves to travel the world with his husband, Montgomery.

Connect with Devin:

You can connect with Devin on LinkedIn, or check out his personal site.

Resources:

• Leading Through Change: Embracing the Evolving Role of User Research by Maze
• Marketers Turn To Metrics to Measure the Impact of Their Initiatives
• The research “impact” problem by Josh LaMar
• A framework to measure UX research impact by Maze
• Usability Engineering by Jakob Nielsen
• Designing for the Digital Age by Kim Goodwin and Alan Cooper
• A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan
• Disco Conf 2024, the global research and discovery conference by Maze

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, Jehad Affoneh joins host Ash Oliver to discuss what it means to be customer-centric at Toast, the difference between being design-led and experience-led, and the role of UX research in shaping customer-centric cultures and experiences.

The conversation covers cultural shifts towards empathy and curiosity, mechanisms to foster a customer-centric culture, and how Toast integrates research into everyday operations. Discover how Toast encourages everyone across the company to consistently engage with customers and empowers them with easy-to-use methods to make these interactions more effective—ultimately driving better outcomes for customers, the business, and the team.

About Jehad:

Jehad is a design and product leader who's led design, product, and engineering teams most recently at VMware and Splunk. He is currently Chief Design Officer at Toast where he leads the product, customer, and end-to-end experience that empowers tens of thousands of restaurants to delight their guests, do what they love, and thrive. He lives with his wife and one year old son in Redwood City, California.

Connect with Jehad:

You can connect with Jehad on LinkedIn, Twitter, or check out his articles here.

Resources:

• Google’s HEART Framework for Measuring UX
• Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, Hannah Anokye joins host Ash Oliver to discuss her work on the Intuit Futures Team and the role of qualitative research in exploring emerging technologies, understanding users' needs, and identifying opportunities for new product developments.

Hannah shares best practices for conducting moderated user interviews and how to generate insights that spark ideas and drive growth. Discover how integrating user-centric approaches in qualitative research nurtures innovation and redefines mental models, leading to more resonant and effective product solutions

About Hannah:

Hannah is a product innovation practitioner with a unique background. Through a career with titles in product marketing, user research, and now product management, her through line has been user-centered experiences that drive meaningful impact.

Most recently as a Senior User Experience Researcher on Intuit's Futures team, Hannah explored how Generative AI technology could be responsibly and meaningfully integrated across the Intuit product ecosystem.

She recently transitioned into a product management role, focused on building the next generation of AI-driven products for Intuit’s future customers.

Connect with Hannah:

You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.

Resources:

• Interviewing users by Steve Portigal
• Designing Your Life - How to Build a Well-Lived Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evan
• Unpacking User Interviews: Turning Conversations into Insights by Maze

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Nick Stiles, User Researcher at IBM, discusses the power of secondary research, also known as desk research, in making informed decisions, and why it is the “unsung hero” of research.

Nick shares strategies for synthesizing secondary research findings into actionable insights for product teams and emphasizes the importance of storytelling and journalistic techniques in driving research impact.

About Nick:

First trained as an academic psychologist, Nick Stiles is now a passionate user researcher at IBM. With a BA in Psychology and experience in both academic psych labs and the software industry, Nick uses human behavior research to make interactions between people and tools more harmonious. He is driven by a love of learning, collaboration, and making a real-world impact through research.

Connect with Nick:

You can connect with Nick on Linkedin.

Resources:

• Immersion and influence—the work of the modern UX researcher by Nick Stiles
• Think Like a UX Researcher: How to Observe Users, Influence Design, and Shape Business Strategy by David Travis, Philip Hodgson
• How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times by Roy Peter Clark

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, Ravi Mehta talks to Maze about connecting user research to product strategy and integrating effective product decision-making frameworks.

Ravi outlines the importance of visualizing product strategy—from the company's mission to defining specific product goals—and how to balance intuition, analytics, and user feedback to make confident product decisions.

Discover how these methodologies can refine your strategy and product development approach, setting a clear path for product success.

About Ravi:

Ravi Mehta is a visionary product strategist known for crafting innovative strategies that transform industries. He has held several prominent roles, including Chief Executive Officer of Outpace, and is an active angel investor and advisor in consumer tech companies. His past positions include Executive in Residence at Reforge, Chief Product Officer at Tinder, and product leadership roles at Meta, TripAdvisor, and Xbox. Ravi champions a human-centered approach to building products that has notably influenced the tech sector. He continues to help shape the industry by sharing his experience and frameworks aimed at improving product strategy and execution.

Connect with Ravi

You can connect with Ravi on Linkedin, follow him on X, or visit his website.

Resources:

• The Three Pillars of Product Decision Making by Ravi Mehta
• Reforge - Travel Hub Product Strategy at Tripadvisor
• Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
• The Product Strategy Stack by Ravi Mehta
• slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte
• Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, Reggie Murphy joins host Ash Oliver to discuss how Zendesk scaled UX research, elevating the practice from a supporting function to a strategic partner to the business.

Reggie shares how he led the development of training programs, automated processes, and ResearchOps to enable cross-functional teams to conduct research independently. Discover how democratizing research creates a more customer-centric culture and how these changes have shifted UX research from a gatekeeping role to a more collaborative, strategic position.

About Reggie:

Reggie Murphy is a seasoned strategic research and insights leader with over 20 years of experience leading teams to understand human behavior and create innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of their users. He has a proven track record of success across various industries, including technology, media, finance, and healthcare. He's currently a Senior Director and Head of UX Research at Zendesk. Prior to his current role, Reggie has built and led research teams at USA TODAY, Facebook, Vanguard, and Twitter.

Connect with Reggie:

You can connect with Reggie on LinkedIn or get mentored by him on ADPList

Resources:

• Democratize Research: Elevate UX Research Practice
• How our product design framework guides UX research by Jen Cardello
• Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Malone Scott
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy C. Edmondson
• How to get stakeholder buy-in: From skeptic to research advocate by Maze
• UX Leadership Playbook: Democratizing Research to Deliver Impact at Scale

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, Ash Oliver discusses the future of user research with expert Dave Hora. From his beginnings in research back in 2011 to his key roles at companies like Plangrid and Instacart, Dave has been at the forefront of driving innovation through research. Now, he's here to share his thoughts on what’s next for user research—discussing the growing demand for user insights, how to integrate research practices throughout the product lifecycle, and the opportunities of AI tools.

Tune in to uncover how we can seize the moment and define what’s next.

About Dave:

Dave Hora is the founder of Dave's Research Co., where he helps product leaders launch new product lines with the right mix of data, insight, and common sense. He began professional research work in 2011, eventually starting the practice as the first research hire at six companies, including PlanGrid and Instacart. He now works with companies across the globe and writes extensively on the topic of research and its co-evolution with the product practice.

Connect with Dave:

You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn

Resources:

• The Future of User Research Report by Maze
• User Research and Its Inevitable Evolution by Dave Hora
• Whither UX Research? by Peter Merholz
• The UX Research Reckoning is Here by Judd Antin
• Empathy: The importance of how we speak about ourselves, Maze Disco Conf presentation by Kyle Osborne
• The next frontier for research: Building organizations that learn by Behzod Sirjani
• Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
• Bad research doesn’t stink by Carl Pearson, PhD
• The Mistake Almost Everyone Makes When Doing User Research by Behzod Sirjani
• Fostering a culture of organizational learning with Roy Opata Olende
• The Democratization of User Research is a Red Herring by Peter Merholz
• The Nature of Order by Christopher W. Alexander
• The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher W. Alexander
• A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
• Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights by Steve Portigal

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, host Ash Oliver and Senior User Research Manager Paige Bennett explore the vital role of workshops in product development. Paige shares her experience facilitating workshops in the fintech industry, plus best practices for measuring success and co-creating with cross-functional partners and customers.

Join us to learn how you can leverage this collaboration tool to drive stronger decision-making, build more impactful products, and grow your career as a product professional.

About Paige:

Paige Bennett is a Senior User Research Manager at Affirm. Prior to Affirm, Paige managed the Growth and Ecosystems research teams at Dropbox and has previous experience creating strategic research projects at Medium. She is well-versed in the world of workshop facilitation and user research, harnessing the two for big business impact.

Connect with Paige:

You can connect with Paige on X or Linkedin

Resources:

• Workshopping your way to impactful products by Paige Bennett at Disco Conf 2023
• Why Running Better Workshops Will Make You a Better Creative Leader by Alison Coward on Medium
• The Field Study Handbook by Jan Chipchase
• CEO Ideational Facilitation Leadership and Team Creativity: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing by Abraham Carmeli & Paul B. Paulus
• Wolff Olins Report

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, host Ash Oliver welcomes Sander Viegers, VP of Design at Rabobank, to discuss the pivotal role of research and design in the digital transformation journey at Rabobank. Sander shares the principles that guide Rabobank's cooperative approach to a customer-centric design process, as well as practical examples of how research powers more innovative solutions for the customer and the business.

About Sander:

As the VP of Design at Rabobank, Sander leads the design organization in creating comprehensive customer and employee experiences on a global scale. With prior experience leading design teams at Microsoft, Amazon, and Catawiki, Sander has a proven track record of successful design leadership. He holds a Master's degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Delft University of Technology and has been named inventor on multiple patents.

Connect with Sander:

You can connect with Sander on Linkedin

Resources:

• Flawless Consulting by Peter Block
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
• Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner
• The Future of Finance: Driving Digital Innovation Through Customer Insights by Maze

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, host Ash Oliver is joined by Amy Lima, formerly product designer at AMP @ Amazon Music and currently founder of Diversify Design. Together, they discuss the role of user research in building community products and how to start and scale a research practice inside design teams.

About Amy:

Amy Lima is a first-generation Brazilian-American product designer, and founder of Diversify Design.

Her global footprint growing up between cultures and across continents brings an innate appreciation for diverse perspectives and a fascination for the human experience. To honor these values, her design philosophy is deeply rooted in ethical and inclusive design practices, with her work focusing on fostering community and social expression in a 0-to-1 design process.

Beyond her 9 to 5, she’s an active member of the design community and is often found hosting panels, giving conference talks, and writing articles on her experience pivoting into design from the music industry as a minority in tech.

Connect with Amy:

You can connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

Resources:

• Mismatch by Kat Holmes
• Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, host Ash Oliver welcomes Marcus Brandford to discuss the transformative power of research in marketing and product development. Delving into how research can inform creative campaigns and marketing decisions, Marcus shares how Figma harnesses customer insights to understand its audience and build impactful brand connections that drive better business outcomes.

About Marcus:

Marcus Brandford uses research to power marketing decisions. His career began on the agency side at Known, a marketing strategy firm where he ran custom studies for many Google teams as well as Microsoft, Intel, Viacom and others. After leaving the field to pursue his MBA from UC Berkeley, he joined Figma in 2022 as a dedicated researcher for the Marketing function. Marcus works with the Brand, Growth, Editorial, and PMM teams to introduce the market perspective into the creative process, helping teams build with their audience in mind.

Connect with Marcus:

You can connect with Marcus on LinkedIn.

Resources:

• The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

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In this episode of The Optimal Path, host Ash Oliver sits down with Roy Opata Olende to delve into the complexities of UX research across organizational altitudes. They explore the different modalities of learning that take place inside organizations, the critical need for leadership buy-in, and the challenges of communicating research impact. Roy introduces the concept of a "menu of learning" along with his best practices for fostering a culture of curiosity within your own organization.

About Roy:

Roy Opata Olende has been involved in user research and service design since 2012. He currently leads the UX Research practice at Zapier, a SaaS automation company. Prior to this role, he led Research Operations at Zapier and UX Research at Buffer.

When not working or hanging out with his wife and three young boys, he can be found obsessing over football (soccer). Roy hails from Kenya and currently resides just outside of Toronto, Canada.

Connect with Roy:

You can connect with Roy on X or LinkedIn.

Resources:

• Research Maturity Model Report by Maze 

• How Zapier's Head of UX Research Organizes Projects 

• How to Build a High-Impact Learning Culture by Josh Bersin 

• Just Enough Research by Erika Hall 

• Research Practice by Gregg Bernstein

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

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The Optimal Path is a podcast about user research and product decision-making, brought to you by Maze.

The voices featured in this trailer are Ash Oliver, UX Research Advocate at Maze; Marcus Brandford, Figma; Roy Opata Olende, Zapier; Amy Lima, (formerly) Amp @ Amazon Music; and Benjamin Humphrey, Dovetail

New episodes drop every other week. Follow Maze and Ash Oliver on LinkedIn for updates, or visit maze.co/podcast and subscribe to be the first to know when we launch new episodes. See you soon!

The Optimal Path is a podcast about product decision-making from the team at Maze. Each episode brings in a product expert and looks at the stories, ideas, and frameworks they use to achieve better product decision-making—and how you can do the same.

You can connect with Jo on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Resources mentioned:

• Continuous Research Report: Trends to Watch in 2023 by Maze in partnership with Atlassian
• UX Leadership Playbook: Democratizing Research to Deliver Impact at Scale by Maze in partnership with ADPList
• Building organizations that learn by Behzod Sirjani
• The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
• The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

Follow Maze on social media:

• Twitter: @mazedesignHQ
• Instagram: @mazedesignHQ
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

To get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast. See you next time!

The Optimal Path is a podcast about product decision-making from the team at Maze. Each episode brings in a product expert and looks at the stories, ideas, and frameworks they use to achieve better product decision-making—and how you can do the same.

You can connect with Gabriel on Twitter (@gabrielvaldivia) or check out his website.

Resources mentioned:

• The Browser Company
• Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff
• How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

Follow Maze on social media:

• Twitter: @mazedesignHQ
• Instagram: @mazedesignHQ
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

To get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast. See you next time!

The Optimal Path is a podcast about product decision-making from the team at Maze. Each episode brings in a product expert and looks at the stories, ideas, and frameworks they use to achieve better product decision-making—and how you can do the same.

You can connect with Aiswarya on LinkedIn or check out her newsletter. 

Resources mentioned:

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
• Alan Design: Behind the screens by Aiswarya Kolisetty

Follow Maze on social media:

• Twitter: @mazedesignHQ
• Instagram: @mazedesignHQ
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

To get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast. See you next time!

The Optimal Path is a podcast about product decision-making from the team at Maze. Each episode brings in a product expert and looks at the stories, ideas, and frameworks they use to achieve better product decision-making—and how you can do the same.

You can connect with Jasmine on Twitter (@jazzy33ca) or check out her website.

Resources mentioned:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Undoing the Toxic Dogmatism of Digital Design by Lisa Angela
• Just Work by Kim Scott
• Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Follow Maze on social media:

• Twitter: @mazedesignHQ
• Instagram: @mazedesignHQ
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

To get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast. See you next time!

The Optimal Path is a podcast about product decision-making from the team at Maze. Each episode brings in a product expert and looks at the stories, ideas, and frameworks they use to achieve better product decision-making—and how you can do the same.

You can connect with Julian on LinkedIn. And if you'd like to discuss the episode with other listeners, socialize with guests, and find extended host notes with further resources—check out the Host Posts space inside the Maze Community.

Resources mentioned:

• Lightning Decision Jam by AJ&Smart
• Gamestorming: Faciliator resources
• Facilitator’s Guide by IDEO
• Crazy 8’s: Core Design Sprint method
• Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rule-breakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray
• Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
• Think Like a UX Researcher by David Travis

Follow Maze on social media:

• Twitter: @mazedesignHQ
• Instagram: @mazedesignHQ
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesign

To get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast. See you next time!