365: UX Research ft. Danae Holmes

365: UX Research ft. Danae Holmes

Author: Brian Lovin, Marshall Bock September 23, 2020 Duration: 1:09:31

This week, we sat down with Danae Holmes, a UX researcher at YouTube Gaming to talk about everything UX research. We dig into research methodologies, effective collaboration with design, tips to get better at user research, the future of the field, and so much more.


Golden Ratio Patrons:

Float
Float has been a lifeline for teams working remotely in 2020. It lets you keep track of who's working on what and plan your team's time, from anywhere! Float gives you an accurate view of your team's availability and capacity., allowing you to set custom work days and hours and schedule a status to let your team know where you're working from. Learn more at float.com/designdetails.

Hover
Hover has over 300 domain name extensions to choose from when building your brand online. No matter what area of the creative space you are in, there’s a domain name waiting for it - from .DESIGN, .ART to .INK, .PHOTO and so much more. Get 10% off your first purchase when you sign up at hover.com/designdetails.


Sponsors:

This week we're supported by Webflow! Webflow gives designers the power of code in a visual interface, allowing them to directly build whatever they have in mind without engineers.

Webflow helps you take that next step in your design process by bringing the power of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into a visual interface so designers can build completely custom designs without worrying about writing code. If you already know your HTML and CSS, you can drag in unstyled HTML elements for full control of your designs. If you’re not familiar with those languages yet, you can use pre-built pieces of interface for complex elements like sliders, tabs, background videos, and more.

If you’ve used Figma or Sketch in the past, you’re going to be instantly familiar with Webflow’s symbols feature, allowing you to define your own shared components so that changes propagate across all of your pages, all at once. And of course, your creation won’t be real until you have real content populating the page - Webflow has you covered here, too, allowing you to work directly with a CMS or e-commerce data to build a rich, high fidelity website.

Learn more at http://wfl.io/designdetails for 10% off annual plans on any new account.

Latest VIP Patrons:

  • Andrew Hong
  • Sara Kinell
  • Mariana Bricio
  • Mark McCullough
  • Andrew Pomeroy
  • Hugh Leoidsson
  • Andre Rodrigues
  • TheStevenOlmos
  • Zhuohui Li
  • Joseph Pearlman
  • Andreas Kaparos

The Sidebar:

The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to full episodes going forward! Sign up at https://patreon.com/designdetails.

In this week's Sidebar, as with all interview episodes, we ask bonus questions! This week we ask Danae:

  • What skill do you think researchers overvalue?
  • What skill do they undervalued?
  • Is your success mostly the result of luck or hard work?

Follow up:

  • @muffmasterflash aka Monica says: I am filled with nitpicky rage when I see things under Settings that aren't things you can actually set, like FAQ, Contact, About, or T&Cs. But what to call that stuff collectively? "Help"?
  • From now on, all new Sidebars will be posted separately on Patreon to make it easier for people to catch up on the backlog.

Interview:

This week we sat down with Danae Holmes, a UX researcher at YouTube, to talk all about user research in software design. We discuss the function of UX research in organizations, research methods (and how to choose one), the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, the pros and cons of using scripts, collaborating with product designers, and tips for anyone interested in learning more about research.


Cool Things:

  • Brian shared GitHub CLI, a simple but powerful new way to interact with GitHub from the command line. It's beginner-friendly, too, so if you're interested in learning more about git and GitHub, check it out!
  • Danae shared Glyph, a molecular spirit with a beautiful design, good taste, and environmentally-conscious creation.
  • Marshall shared all the neat new features in the latest AirPods Pro firmware update, including the magical spatial audio feature.

Design Details on the Web:


Bye bye bye!


Every week, Brian Lovin and Marshall Bock settle in for a thoughtful, often meandering chat that pulls back the curtain on how things are made. Their Design Details podcast lives in the rich space where technology and the arts intersect, focusing less on polished case studies and more on the real, sometimes messy, work of design. You’ll hear them dissect the nuances of product decisions, debate the evolving culture of creative teams, and share personal stories from their own experiences in the industry. It feels less like a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a conversation between two deeply knowledgeable friends. The discussions regularly venture into the philosophical side of craft, examining why certain choices resonate and how design shapes our daily interactions with the world. For anyone curious about the thinking behind the pixels and interfaces, this show offers a consistent, grounded perspective. Tuning in provides a sense of community and a candid look at the process, making it a staple for designers and creators who appreciate substance over flash.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Design Details
Podcast Episodes
464: AI Grab Bag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:27
This week, we talk about Open AI's GPTs-as-apps strategy, FigJam's AI tools, and our dreams for a future Jarvis-like experience.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can s…
463: Design Medley, Vol. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:13
This week, we talk about the delicate art of using animation in interface design, how to use button sizes, and managing margins in type styles.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon suppor…
462: Refactoring a Design System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:33
This week, Marshall breaks down his process, tips, and tricks to redesign a design system in Figma.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per m…
461: Config and WWDC 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:06
This week, we supply some cold (but thoughtful!) takes on everything released during last month's WWDC and Config 2023.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe…
460: Arc Boosts ft. Gabriel Valdivia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:21
This week, we dissect the recently-launched Arc Boosts to try and understand what they're for and where they're going.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe s…
459: What Is Humane? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:27
This week, we talk about Humane's latest product demo and what we think it means for the future of AI-powered personal devices.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can su…
458: How Do You Simplify a UI? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:18
This week, we share non-obvious tips and tricks for simplifying a UI.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per month for access to bonus conte…
457: How to Find Focus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:20
This week, we talk about finding focus when there are infinite things to learn to become a better designer.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at…
456: Should Designers Name Their Layers? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:53
This week, we fight about whether designers should name their layers (without saying "it depends").The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for our Patreon supporters. You can subscribe starting at $1 per m…
455: Shift Happens ft. Marcin Wichary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:06
This week, we talked with Marcin Wichary about Shift Happens, a book about keyboards. We dive into the details of the book, its publication, website, and more.The Sidebar:The Sidebar is an exclusive weekly segment for ou…