Summary
In this talk, Steve recounts a difficult user research project for a financial technology client focused on small business owners. Recruiting participants proved frustrating due to poor internal communication and unreliable recruiting agencies. During interviews, a participant expressed confusion and discomfort about the process, forcing Steve into a vulnerable and uncertain position that challenged his usual rapport-building skills. Reflecting on this experience, Steve connects it to the concept of 'war stories'—personal, vulnerable accounts of research challenges that often involve failure or discomfort. Drawing on insights from Timoris Kino’s The Art of Gathering and George Dawes Green of The Moth, he explains how such stories foster empathy and learning beyond standard methodologies. Steve encourages researchers to share their own work stories, including failures, to normalize vulnerability, improve collective craft, and highlight the deeply human elements of research. He introduces three additional stories from Susan Simon Daniels, Randy Duke, and Tamara Hale, emphasizing that research is an evolving practice shaped by the imperfect, emotional nature of people—both researchers and participants.
Key Insights
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Recruiting participants internally can be unexpectedly difficult due to poor communication and organizational barriers.
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Using unfamiliar recruiting agencies adds complexity and stress to research projects.
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Participants’ confusion and discomfort during interviews often stems from unmet expectations and lack of clarity.
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Researcher vulnerability and uncertainty during difficult interviews can lead to overeager people-pleasing, which hurts rapport.
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War stories in research reveal the messy human reality of fieldwork where failures are inevitable and learning is continuous.
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Storytelling highlights researcher vulnerability and allows the community to empathize with challenges and failures.
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Reflecting on failure with empathy enables researchers to mitigate self-blame and improve practice.
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Failures in research provide valuable lessons and grant permission to expect further missteps as part of growth.
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Sharing stories publicly or within teams builds a culture of transparency and collective craft improvement.
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Research is more than methods—it requires grappling with human emotions, unpredictability, and change in both researchers and participants.
Notable Quotes
"Finding participants was particularly difficult for small business owners despite previous studies within the organization."
"The recruiting agency insisted they had made it clear there would be two of us at the interview, but the participant was never told."
"He abruptly stopped and asked Why were we asking these questions? Who do we represent? How will this information be used?"
"At the time, his stopping felt aggressive and angry, but looking back I see it was polite and understandable."
"It’d be nice if we had someone to blame, but often no one is truly at fault in these messy situations."
"War stories are personal tales where the storyteller often does not prevail but shares vulnerability."
"A story is about a decision you made, not just what happens to you."
"The messy human reality of research sometimes exceeds the best work you can do—and that’s okay."
"Empathy for the storyteller and oneself is how we safely acknowledge that failure comes for us all."
"Sharing stories of failure normalizes thoughtful and transparent consideration of the work we do."
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