How do you navigate the intricacies of UX research across different environments? What are the best practices for thriving in this dynamic field and how can you maintain your passion in a challenging job market?
Basim Al-Baker, a seasoned UX practitioner with nine years of experience leading qualitative research teams and projects at SoundCloud, Zalando, Blinkist, Dance, and Wolt, joins us to share his insights.In this Q&A session, Basim discusses his career journey, offers valuable lessons from his work in music streaming, micro-mobility, and beyond. With a passion for education and mentorship, he has guided budding UX students to establish successful careers in tech. This interview provides you with practical advice on navigating research across various environments, best practices for UX, and tips to keep your passion alive.
Summary
Career Experiences and learning: Emphasis on how each experience has contributed to understanding UX, overall improving the approach.
Differences Across Companies and Industries: UX researcher varies significantly according to the company’s size, maturity and the researcher's experience level. Larger companies contain more specialized and strategic roles while smaller companies place multiple roles on the researcher.
Value of Research in UX Careers: Research helps bridge the gap between ideas and actual user needs, crucial for successful product development.
Challenges with User Experience Metrics: Evolving service models leads to user dissatisfaction, understanding the context behind user feedback is essential for improving experiences.
Understanding User Feedback: Addressing both negative experiences and reasons for users detachment from product, which helps with broader issues that are beyond immediate complaints.
Stakeholder and Team challenges: Effective collaboration requires clear expectations, aligning the objectives and goals of the project.
Career Advice: Pursue your passions which guide career decisions and job satisfaction. Authentic interests and proactiveness makes significant difference in job opportunities.
Lessons from a Decade in UX Research
Early career
Ferran: (0:08-1:52)
To start, how have your various experiences shaped your learning in UX?
Basim: (2:02-3:48)
Thanks for the warm welcome! Each experience, whether challenging or not, has been valuable. From my early days selling air conditioners to leading UX teams in diverse industries, every role has taught me something. I’ve learned more from the teams and processes than just the field itself. Each experience, even the tough ones, contributed to my growth.
Ferran: (3:54-3:59)
Reflecting on your journey, what advice would you give your intern self compared to now?
Basim: (4:11- 5:43)
I’d tell my intern self to be proactive, seek feedback, and take care of work-life balance. Your well-being is crucial—work is not worth sacrificing your health and happiness
Your worth is the moments that give you life. Work is not worth, in my opinion. I'm happy to discuss that later on.
But yeah, if I were looking back, I would say, "Hey, close that laptop and go enjoy the sun," which is very ironic because it is sunny right now and I'm on my laptop. But let's ignore that for now.
The role of UX Researcher
Ferran: (5:50- 6:09)
How does the role of a UX researcher vary across different companies and industries?
Basim: (6:16- 8:30)
A dedicated UX researcher focuses on understanding user needs and collaborating with stakeholders. In smaller companies, you might handle everything yourself, while in larger ones, you might focus on broader aspects like planning and high-level strategy. The role evolves with experience and company size.
When you're starting off as a UX researcher, learning how to create impact in this field, you are mostly executing tasks. You're conducting interviews, running user tests, creating reports—boom, next thing, next thing, next thing. It changes as you become more established within the industry because then you're running a function.
So maybe you're actually looking at the overall big picture of a feature or the entire product end-to-end. You're also enabling these conversations at a higher level. You're not just looking after the execution of projects but also the planning of projects, making sure those insights live on beyond the lifecycle of the project.
So, yeah, it absolutely changes depending on the size of the team. If you're a UX research team of one, you're going to face different challenges compared to a larger user research team that can cover different subjects and points of the user journey.
Ferran:(8:30-8:42)
Did your role as a senior researcher influence your decision-making compared to being a mid-level researcher?
Basim: (8:51- 10:23)
As you advance, you gain more confidence and can make more strategic decisions. Senior roles involve more big-picture thinking and less fear of saying no. The ability to ask the right questions and get alignment becomes more important.
Ferran: (10:24- 10:39)
How crucial are research skills at the start of a UX career?
Basim: (10:40- 12:08)
Research skills are essential. Early on, it's about asking the right questions, listening, and presenting findings clearly. Practical experience is key, and understanding how your skills impact your work and colleagues is crucial.
The role of research in a UX career
Ferran: (12:09-12:26)
Is research a key element in developing a successful UX career?
Basim: (12:30-13:36)
Absolutely. Understanding user needs is fundamental in UX, product design, and management. Even if you’re working on your own project, knowing what your customers want is crucial.
Ferran: (13:39-13:49)
Can you walk us through your research process to ensure the best user experience?
Basim:(13:55-17:00)
Creating a welcoming environment for participants is crucial. Set clear expectations, ensure privacy, and focus on gathering detailed, honest feedback. Test your interview scripts and surveys to ensure they're effective and engaging.
Ferran: (17:03-17:10)
How often do you encounter a situation where a metric doesn’t clearly indicate a bad user experience?
Basim: (17:11- 20:32)
It's common to see metrics that don’t directly reflect user experience issues. For instance, streaming services may seem fine at first glance but could be frustrating due to rising costs and fragmented content. Understanding user feedback and engagement trends is essential to addressing underlying issues.
To create value, it’s vital to understand why users are leaving, whether due to poor experiences or changing needs.
Handling challenges and conflicts
Ferran: (20:35- 20:49)
What are the main challenges in collaborating with stakeholders during user research?
Basim: (20:49-23:43)
When starting a new role, ask stakeholders how to collaborate effectively. Key challenges include lack of alignment, poorly defined goals, and unclear timelines. Clear expectations and communication are essential to avoid issues like last-minute demands. Collaboration should be a team effort, with a focus on aligning goals and understanding when insights will be used. Address disconnects and set better principles to prevent recurring problems.
Ferran: (23:46-24:00)
Have you experienced conflicts between design and product teams? How did you handle them?? And if so, how do you navigate these situations?
Basim: (24:08-26:56)
Yes, larger companies often experience silos between departments. Aligning goals and understanding the end objectives is crucial. Discuss why certain tasks are necessary and reflect on any issues to improve future collaboration. It’s important to set boundaries and improve working methods to better coordinate across teams
Ferran: (27:02-27:09)
In your experience, have you ever encountered a confrontation between the needs of the user and the needs of the company?
Basim: (27:11- 30:11)
Yes, balancing user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility is common. Decisions may not always align with the best interests of users, but it’s important to evaluate the impact of these decisions and challenge them if necessary. Use matrices or scoring systems to decide on the best course of action and keep stakeholders accountable.
The importance of design trends
Ferran:(30:29-30:40)
How important are design trends, and how should you approach them?
Basim: (30:44-33:40)
Trends are important but should be evaluated carefully. Don’t rush to adopt trends without assessing their benefits. Focus on what’s important to your audience rather than forcing trends into your work. For instance, some companies fail by replacing customer support with AI without proper user support.
Ferran: (33:40-33:48)
Which UX research techniques have you found most effective?
Basim: (33:51-37:07)
Yeah, I guess it’s kind of like asking what tool is right for the job. The choice of technique depends on the research goals and available resources. Avoid using methods like surveys unless they are well-crafted. Focus on understanding the problem and selecting the most suitable technique, rather than just picking an easy method.
Ferran: (37:09-37:20)
Can you describe a challenging project and how you tackled it?
Basim: (37:52-42:46)
A recurring challenge was balancing demands for frequent user interactions and maintaining a research repository. Starting with a manageable frequency and adjusting based on feedback helped. Conducting retrospectives after projects ensures continual improvement.
Empathy and advice for the future
Ferran: (42:48-43:02)
What advice do you have for finding the right target audience in user research?
Basim: (43:04-46:55)
For startups with limited data, target audience definitions may be aspirational. As products mature, leverage data and research to refine audience models. Avoid assumptions and base decisions on thorough understanding and feasibility.
Ferran: (46:55-47:03)
How does empathy enhance user engagement and accessibility?
Basim: (47:05-50:57)
Empathy should be actionable, not just a buzzword. It’s essential to embed understanding into processes and consider accessibility standards. Recognize limitations while striving to meet user needs and integrate empathy and inclusivity into product design and development.
Ferran: (50:58-51:11)
What's next for your career after Wolt? Any plans on the horizon?
Basim: (51:12- 54:28)
Yeah, so actually, I left Wolt in May. I've been doing a bit of soul searching since then. I think what's relevant for this group is that after nine years in this career, there were many times when I was ready to give up or call it quits, or just figure out something else. I also took a long break to explore what I wanted to do and what my passions are.
I don’t know; I think it’s really about returning to what I enjoy. I’m passionate about video games—I’m a huge gamer. I spend most of my time playing games, listening to content related to games, and watching those top 10 countdowns of the best games of 2023 on YouTube.
But then I was trying to find my passion in my work exclusively, and hoping that maybe a company or industry would align with that passion. I’m happy to announce that, while I can’t share specifics yet, I’ll be working on my passion starting in August. I’m joining a game studio, and it feels really good.
It feels great. I believe my passion for video games played a significant role in landing this job. Although I’ve never worked in games before and have only seen the industry from the outside, showcasing my enthusiasm was crucial. I wanted to make it clear that this is a big part of my purpose and identity.
For this group, I’d say that if you’re struggling to find your footing in your career or secure a job in this challenging market, consider what you’re passionate about. Those passions can be a guiding force.
Maybe those hobbies or passions change over time, but the way they make you feel as a person and the way you are when you’re immersed in your passion or talking about it is noticeable. People can see that. I’m still very humbled to have come this far in my career and to be joining a company that sees me for who I am outside of my workday.
You know, I can be myself, share my interests, and I truly hope that others can find and leverage their own passions as well. It’s easy to get demotivated during a job search, but bringing a bit of your passion into it can make a difference. People will notice—hopefully in the same way I was noticed.
