#189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex

#189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex

Author: User Interviews May 12, 2026 Duration: 47:44

This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This episode welcomed Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design.

This episode gets into what it means to demonstrate the "business value" of one's work, specifically how researchers can and should quantify their impact in terms that are tangible to the company. Ruby shared ways to score early wins, build momentum, and overcome communication frictions to find shared value.

Episode Highlights

  • 03:14 - UX researcher impact: insights, optimization, prioritization, strategy
  • 09:14 - Understanding organizational structures and strategy development collaboration
  • 20:22 - Challenge of quantifying impact and strategic level
  • 21:33 - Measuring strategy impact: challenges and indicators
  • 30:04 - Prioritizing investments based on strong market indicators
  • 38:51 - Stakeholders prioritize growth, revenue, and cost reduction

About Our Guest
Ruby Pryor is the founder of Rex, a service design and UX research consulting firm. Her previous roles include UX research at Grab, strategic design at Boston Consulting Group and management consulting at Nous Group. She has taught courses on increasing the impact of UX to learners from 5 continents and has spoken about design and UX at conferences in Asia and Europe.

Resources on UX Research Impact


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: 100

Awkward Silences
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