Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

War Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
Gold
Monday, March 30, 2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Share the love for this talk
War Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
Speakers: Randolph Duke II
Link:

Summary

The speaker recounts their experience as lead researcher and designer assigned to improve an internal IT software tool under a tight deadline. Accompanied by Laura, an eager apprentice, they conducted office visits to understand user needs. Meeting Carol, a candid and critical employee, proved pivotal. Carol introduced them to "flat Carol," a cardboard cutout of herself used as a playful proxy when away from her desk. This surprising discovery derailed the planned software-focused interview, forcing the researcher to adapt and prioritize presence and open dialogue. Through embracing the unexpected, they gleaned deeper insights into workplace culture and user experience. Laura learned a vital lesson in research resilience and improvisation, while Carol appreciated the genuine engagement. The talk emphasizes the importance of flexibility, empathy, and valuing unplanned moments in ethnographic research and UX work.

Key Insights

  • Unexpected moments in research can reveal rich cultural and emotional insights beyond initial objectives.

  • Flexibility and presence are critical skills for researchers in the field when plans go off-track.

  • Apprentices like Laura benefit greatly from seeing experienced researchers adapt in real-time.

  • Direct, unfiltered feedback like Carol's is crucial but often challenges standard interview guides.

  • Physical artifacts, such as Carol's cardboard cutout, can become powerful symbols within workplace culture.

  • Building rapport by following where the conversation naturally leads can uncover unexpected user needs.

  • Researchers must balance guiding conversations and allowing participants freedom to express themselves.

  • An employee’s playful behaviors (e.g., flat Carol) can communicate attitudes about work presence and engagement.

  • Handling surprising behavior professionally models research composure and empathy for observers.

  • The most valuable research outcomes may emerge from organic, unscripted dialogue rather than strict questionnaires.

Notable Quotes

"I know who you are and I have opinions."

"I’m going to need to bring my A game."

"I warned her that fieldwork could go any which way and she should be ready for anything."

"Flat Carol was a nearly life-size cardboard cutout of Carol with a blank speech bubble."

"I put down my question guide and just talked with Carol."

"We occasionally spoke about the company processes connected to the software research, but that really wasn’t my priority."

"Laura let out a sigh of relief and said, I don’t think I could ever recover the way that you did."

"Research is about living up to the unexpected in the field."

"I needed to help Laura and myself understand why Carol felt the ways that she did so that we could do something about it later."

"We all walked away better for it."

Ask the Rosenbot
Savina Hawkins
Harnessing AI in UXR: Practical Strategies for Positive Impact
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Meredith Black
Building Community and Common Trends to Look for in 2021 (Videoconference)
2020 • DesignOps Community
Sarah Alvarado
How to make UX research leadership more effective [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series] (Videoconference)
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Sha Hwang
The First Fifty Years of Civic Design
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Nora Tejeda
Scaling Design Capabilities at BBVA Through a Self-service Design Model
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Jilanna Wilson
Distributed Design Operations Management
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Kristin Skinner
Five Years of DesignOps
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Chloe Amos-Edkins
A Cultural Approach: Research in the Context of Glocalisation
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Jen Crim
Culture, DIBS & Recruiting
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Shanti Mathew
Civic Design at Scale: Introducing the Public Policy Layer Cake
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Dan Hill
Designing for the infrastructures of everyday life
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Adam Cutler
People + Places + Practices = Outcomes
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Bria Alexander
Welcome
2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Gold
Dr. Jamika D. Burge
Advancing the Inclusion of Womxn in Research Practices (Videoconference)
2022 • Advancing Research Community
Rittika Basu
Age and Interfaces: Equipping Older Adults with Technological Tools (Videoconference)
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Chris Hammond
Embedding sustainability into enterprise design and development: A journey towards "sustainability consciousness"
2025 • Climate UX Interest Group (Rosenfeld Community)

More Videos

"You can’t just take an entire online world offline, switch it around, and turn it back on; ecosystems must regrow organically."

This Game is Never Done: Design Leadership Techniques from the Video Game World

November 6, 2017

Abby Covert

"When times are uncertain, transparency helps tremendously."

Abby Covert

Stuck? Diagrams Help (Videoconference)

October 27, 2022

Steve Portigal

"Writing war stories down brings back memories you might have buried deep in your research journey."

Steve Portigal Susan Simon-Daniels Tamara Hale Randolph Duke II

War Stories LIVE! Q&A-Discussion

March 30, 2020

Kara Kane

"We developed training in an agile way, iterating based on feedback and scaling by training other trainers."

Kara Kane

Communities of Practice for Civic Design (Videoconference)

April 7, 2022

Caroline Vize

"A huge proportion of decisions are being made without any user insights – based on assumptions."

Caroline Vize

The State of UX: Five Lessons from 2021 to Accelerate Digital Experience in 2022

March 9, 2022

Lada Gorlenko

"Design at scale is humanism scale."

Lada Gorlenko

Theme 3: Introduction

June 10, 2021

Jay Bustamante

"If you’re ensuring the right people are involved, asking the right questions, and focusing on ethics, you’re doing your part to prevent harms like Robert’s case."

Jay Bustamante

Navigating the Ethical Frontier: DesignOps Strategies for Responsible AI Innovation

October 2, 2023

Marjorie Stainback

"Remote, unmoderated usability studies provide feedback in less than a day and support geographically dispersed teams."

Marjorie Stainback Kelsey Kingman

Transforming Strategic Research Capacity through Democratization

October 24, 2019

Rachael Dietkus, LCSW

"Giving employees control over how and when they do their work is crucial in preventing burnout."

Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Uday Gajendar Dr. Dawn Emerick Dawn E. Shedrick, LCSW

Leading through the long tail of trauma (Videoconference)

July 13, 2022