Sam Ladner
Sociologist and Researcher
Sam Ladner (she/her) is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of software projects at Microsoft, Amazon, and many other client companies. She recently retired from Workday, an enterprise software company, as a Senior Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosenverse talks by Sam:
" Every story has multiple perspectives; there’s a story before me and a story after me. "
Methodological toolkit for unique research impact
March 11, 2026
" If you don’t have researchers to shadow, lean on communities, data scientists, or industry organizations. "
Methodologies: Beyond the interview [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 4, 2024
" Ask yourself, who is not included in this future? Be self-reflexive to reduce bias. "
How Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight
March 9, 2022
" Research tells stories data alone cannot, helping stakeholders understand customer feelings. "
The Future of Research: Bridging the Gaps
July 29, 2021
" The quick pop over to check on a file actually leads to a whole bunch of ancillary benefits, like social bonds. "
Data Exhaust and Personal Data: Learning from Consumer Products to Enhance Enterprise UX
June 8, 2016
" Building a distribution list of user-centered design success stories created a groundswell with 1,200 subscribers hungry for more. "
Discussion
June 8, 2016
