#Weeknotes 106 (10 Jan) — Good research isn’t ‘What did we learn?’ but ‘Why does it matter?’
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Work wise:
After a few weeks of my biggest conundrum being, “How can I make more space for [insert Christmas food of choice] in my belly?” I’m happy to resume the good old routines and let my body rest from overindulgence.
This first week back to work hasn’t been as tough as I imagined. I knew I had a user research report deadline at the end of the week, so before I signed off for the year, I drafted a playback structure based on the research findings. Thanks to that, I was able to pick up where I left off without too much effort. I like taking care of my future self this way. :)
If you ask me to share research findings from the top of my head, I would be confident that I can do a fairly good job. This is because I was there conducting research and analysing all the data output. I know the existing challenges of the website that I’m helping to improve as I’ve witnessed and heard struggles from those key site users. But to then put it all into a structured format and present it in a way that is coherent, engaging, and clearly draws out the ‘so what?’ factor, ..well, it takes ages!
Since a report is inevitable, I could only lean into it.
As a user experience design researcher, I learned over the years that the key to a good user research playback isn’t ‘What did we learn?’ but ‘Why does it matter?’. Too much research gets shelved and not acted upon. What’s valuable at the end of the day is being able to link findings to impactful outcomes. Good research output should set a vision and also facilitate the doing to get there. I always try to include a view of possible futures as part of the opportunities and recommendations section of the research findings report. This helps people to grasp something that feels tangible and relatable, even if it’s not achievable in the short term, the potential value is communicated.
So how did the playback go today? “Clearly presented” and “Brilliantly done!” were used by those who commissioned the work. Yes, I’m allowed to toot my own horn! One client enjoyed the visioning section and even asked me to incorporate another one into the report so they could use it as a means to get more buy-in and funding for future work. Win-win!
Life wise:
I spent 2 weeks in Berlin over the holidays with my partner’s family. We had a lovely time and it’s always nice to have more adults around paying attention to our 3yo who’s always full of energy.
The days were calm and relaxing with lots of family time and eating. I forgot what it was like to feel hungry.
On the days when we had no plans, I would panic. Doing nothing sounded more like a punishment than relaxation to me. But I’m committed to enjoying my holiday break and striving to be more present. I decided to turn off roaming for the entire trip. This means outside of wifi zones like the family apartment, I won’t have access to the internet. I made this decision partly because I don’t want to pay for the surcharges (ok fine, mostly), but also because I want to see how I fare with less connectivity. I want to know how I’d cope with not having access to the internet wherever and whenever I want, as I do in London. Perhaps this will help lessen my addiction and reliance on my smartphone.
Well, two weeks later, I did manage. But I can’t say I’m more independent of my phone. There’s something about knowing I won’t have connectivity, that makes it easy to not reach for the phone, as compared to always having access to the network and then needing to actively prevent myself from unlocking that screen. It’s clear that developing good habits takes intentionally, effort, and persistence. All of these are things I can use a lot more of. Thanks to all the ‘free’ time, I found myself doing things I enjoyed but never gave myself time for. When my son took out his Play-Doh set, I went along and made all sorts of things even after he got bored and moved on to other toys. It was the same when he asked me to build him a big marble run tower. I got really into it and all because I had loads of time.
2025 is a new year which means a new slate for many of us. A friend asked me what my New Year’s resolutions are and I had to think for a moment. I haven’t thought much about it this year and am not sure that I will make any. In previous years, I always made resolutions, from reading a certain number of books to losing weight. They were all things that were measurable and achievable within a year…with a fair amount of effort. While I was able to stick to a good number of those resolutions, I did find them stressful. It feels silly to add more ‘stress’ into my life when the ultimate goal is to reduce it. Of course, there are things I strive for, but those are not things that can be checked off in a year: be more present and intentional, develop more patience and mindfulness, and deepen my connections with family and friends. They’re all things that require constant work and there isn’t an ‘end’. So, I will refrain from New Year resolutions and resign to such life work. A slower but steadier pace may be just the way to go.
Things I came across:
I watched several films over the holiday. Most evenings, after putting the toddler to bed, the adults would crack open a bottle of wine, and watch a film in German with English subtitles on Netflix. I like that I am subconsciously learning while being entertained.
One film stuck with me and it was an Italian film called “Still Time” in English. Spoiler alert! With each waking day after his 40th birthday, a year would pass, and the protagonist would freak out at the changes happening so rapidly and feel helpless to do anything about it. Before he had time to process, he became a father, disconnected from his wife, nearly lost his best friend to cancer, and became a person he had been chasing but no longer recognised. I love how the film conveyed something that happens to many of us. How often we let time pass us by, chasing the future at the expense of the present.
I know I write a lot about my desire to be more present and live intentionally, but gosh darn it, it’s so hard to do!
Photo of the week:
