Summary
User research war stories are stories about contextual user research and the inevitable mishaps that ensue. These stories are in turn bizarre, comic, tragic and generally astonishing. For a practice that is not always well-understood or trusted, there’s pressure for us to only speak to the successes, but examining the human messiness of this work can help develop our skills and our community. Steve Portigal will expand the always-growing collection of user research war stories by bringing three new stories to the Advancing Research stage.
Key Insights
-
•
Researchers often don't recognize a war story while living it; reflection after the fact reveals its significance.
-
•
Sharing war stories helps communicate the value and complexity of qualitative research to stakeholders focused on metrics.
-
•
Writing down war stories as narratives, even without immediate lessons, preserves valuable insights for future reflection.
-
•
The tension between the slow nature of research and the fast pace of business can create pressure but focusing on the human element helps.
-
•
Being present and adaptable during fieldwork is essential because plans frequently change once in the real world.
-
•
Asking about research failures in hiring interviews reveals candidates’ coping strategies and their ability to embrace vulnerability.
-
•
Sharing war stories professionally requires balancing authenticity with maintaining credibility and trust amongst peers.
-
•
Women and people of color may develop unique adaptive skills in research contexts due to their lived experiences of navigating challenges.
-
•
Research is an unpredictable, human-driven activity, far removed from clinical or rigid processes.
-
•
Documenting and sharing war stories builds a shared culture among researchers, emphasizing collective learning and support.
Notable Quotes
"Research is slow and business is fast. We have to be conscious of balancing that."
"I was very conscious of stakeholders watching and the ticking clock, but I had to quiet that and focus on humans."
"Writing war stories down brings back memories you might have buried deep in your research journey."
"There doesn’t have to be a big takeaway; just capture the story and the lesson may come later."
"You don’t know in the moment that something is going to become a war story."
"The richness of mixed methodologies is often lost on those who only value metrics and consistency."
"We’re humans working with other humans. Research is never a perfectly clinical test."
"To share these stories professionally, I needed to show that I couldn’t be lazy—I had to dig deep."
"Some minorities have had to develop flexibility and adaptability, which can be both a burden and a source of power."
"Sharing war stories helps build a culture where imperfect, unpredictable moments are valued and learned from."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Concept validation lets us objectively decide which features to build based on perceived usefulness and intent to use."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"Space has meaning in a map—if you move components around without reason, it’s no longer a map."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"Designing for the dominant default ignores people whose identities are marginalized or excluded."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"Taking responsibility starts with an apology and seeking regular feedback."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Using ChatGPT allowed me to elevate from a researcher to a strategist by increasing my visibility and trust in the company."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"Craft cultivates customer satisfaction, loyalty, and even forgiveness when functional issues arise."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"Experience vision is a powerful tool because it gives everyone a tangible goal to work towards."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"You won’t know what success looks like until you put something out there and see how it works in practice."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"We believe tracking design metrics aligned to business goals is important to demonstrate design’s impact."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
