#177 - From Informing to Influencing with Shalin Pei & Natalie Golub of Coinbase

#177 - From Informing to Influencing with Shalin Pei & Natalie Golub of Coinbase

Author: User Interviews November 25, 2025 Duration: 52:46

Ben is joined by Shalin Pei, Head of Design and Research and Natalie Golub, Head of UXR , both from Coinbase's Base product. Base is part of the crypto space, functioning as a network that offers secure and low cost ways to build decentralized apps, essentially helping create what they call the new internet.

The conversation reveals how their small but mighty teams operate in one of the fastest moving industries. Shalin and Natalie share how they've weaved internal stakeholders with customers, played with their structure to maximize visibility and effectiveness, and enabled partners to get more involved. It's a practical conversation on the value of experimentation, cooperation, and building influence.

Highlights

  • 14:00 Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in New Industries
  • 25:37 Embedded Research in Live Design Sprints
  • 32:33 The Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • 36:21 Documentation Challenges in Fast-Moving Industries
  • 40:39 Partner-Led Research Methodology
  • 43:33 Future of AI in Design and Research

Resources


Awkward Silences is a conversation about the human side of building things. Hosts Erin May and Carol Guest, both VPs at User Interviews, don't just talk about theory-they get into the messy, real-world practice of talking to users and making sense of what they say. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the craft of user research, featuring candid chats with the practitioners who do this work every day. You'll hear stories about navigating tricky interviews, the weight of interpreting qualitative data, and how genuine understanding directly shapes better products and smarter business decisions. This isn't a dry lecture; it's a geeky, relatable dive into the questions and quiet moments that define UX research. The Awkward Silences podcast lives in the intersection of technology and business, focusing on the people and processes that connect them. Listen for practical insights, empathetic strategies, and the occasional shared laugh about the inevitable fumbles that come with trying to understand anyone. It’s for anyone who believes that building effectively starts with listening well.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Awkward Silences
Podcast Episodes
#182 - The Future of Research (In a Moment of Change) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:40
Ben sits down with Basel Fakhoury, CEO and Co-founder of User Interviews, and Baran Erkel, Chief Strategy Officer at UserTesting, for a conversation about the research industry's evolution. With AI reshaping customer beh…
#181 - Why We Need Design Now More Than Ever with Karl Randay of 383 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:19
Ben Wiedmaier sits with Karl Randay, Experience Director at 383, to explore how designers can stay relevant in an increasingly automated world. Karl shares insights from working with major brands like Hilton and Jaguar o…
#179 - The Future of Research Operations with Kate Towsey LIVE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:28
Erin May sits down with Kate Towsey, founder of Cha Cha Club and author of Research That Scales, for Research Ops Appreciation Week. Kate shares insights from producing an audio documentary series on the future of resear…
#178 - How to Measure What Matters with Lyndsi Lee of Turnitin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:12
Ben talks with Lyndsi Lee, UX Manager at Turnitin, about moving beyond traditional metrics like NPS and CSAT to measure user experiences more effectively. The conversation centers on outcome-based assessment, a framework…
Research Ops 2.0, Episode 5: The People of ResearchOps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:03
In just ten years, ResearchOps has transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley speciality into a vibrant global profession. Despite economic headwinds, ResearchOps roles are emerging across industries far beyond tech, and…