Dscout

We've been named a Leader in G2's User Research Report for the sixth consecutive quarter. 🌟 Here's a peek at what our customers are saying: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴." "𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴." "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤—𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵." Check out all of our reviews ➡️ https://bit.ly/3PNOBD9

"I can't wait to put a budget together for this project!" Said no researcher ever... Calculating and proposing a budget for your work isn't always fun, but it can be stress-free. This handy template breaks down how to run numbers based on methodology, tools, hiring, scaling, and more. Check out the included sample, plug in your own data, and keep everything on schedule in 2025 without having to cut corners. ⤵️

Avoid this mistake when writing usability testing tasks: ❌ Using words from the interface It might take a little practice but if you're trying to get users to do an action and those words are in your interface, don't include them in your task. Instead, use synonyms of the words. For example, let's say you're trying to get someone to subscribe to your newsletter. If there's a *Subscribe* button in your interface, avoid asking: 👎 "How would you subscribe to our newsletter?" Instead, ask something like: 👍 "How would you sign up for more information via email?" This way, you aren't inadvertently making tasks easier for participants by leading them to the correct answer.

The language stakeholders use when answering your follow-up questions can help you figure out what kind of research a project needs. ▶️ Evaluative research keywords = much more action-focused. ▶️ Generative research keywords = more focused on achieving high-level understand. There are common keywords that associate themselves with generative research vs. the more tactical evaluative research. Use your innate curiosity to read between the lines and push past the surface level.

If you're a researcher who feels: ☑️ like you work in a vacuum ☑️ like all you do is react to shallow research requests ☑️ sick of usability testing ☑️ a desire to do more high-impact, efficient research ☑️ some combo of all of the above It's time to get you unstuck from that rut in 2025 with a question-gathering workshop. This guide (and template) will equip you with everything you need to run one. ⤵️

If you’re following along, this series celebrates the inspiring individuals I’ve connected with (and in this case - reconnected with) this year. It’s a reflection on the power of meaningful connections and the incredible impact people can have on our personal and professional journeys—especially when those connections are forged in v unique circumstances. 🎄 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀, 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲… 𝗪𝗛𝗢? Dana Budzyn ✨ Dana is a true visionary. She is Lead Product Manager at Dscout, she uses psychology, data, and user-centered design to create products that are both ethical and impactful. She’s also the former Founder and CEO of UBDI, the first people-powered data marketplace, which she led to acquisition. Whether giving a TEDx talk on “Owning Your Digital Self” (Sorry not sorry for sharing this with so many people, because you are a boss and this talk is SO DAMN GOOD - linked in the comments 🔗 ) or leading with clarity and empathy, Dana exemplifies what it means to combine purpose and innovation. 𝗛𝗢𝗪? 3 Different Destinations. 3 Different Years. 2 Signature Colours. 🩷💛 Dana and I first met in 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲 in New Zealand while hiking the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing (bottom photo). What a way to start a friendship! Bonding over the Devil’s Staircase, Mount Doom and one of the most breathtaking 20-kilometre trails in the world. Fast-forward to 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮, I visited Dana in San Diego, where we recreated our original 2016 photo together - a full-circle moment that reminded me of how far we’ve come (literally and figuratively). We also went to an LA Dodgers and SD Padres baseball game, but I was recovering from Covid and couldn't taste ANYTHING the whole trip!! 🥹 Jump to October 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 (when my tastebuds had returned), Dana visited me in Spain, where we did what we do best - lots of exploring, sunsets and drinks 🍸 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧. Dana’s adventurous spirit mirrors her professional journey. She’s not only driven by a desire to create meaningful change in the world of tech, but also by a genuine curiousity and passion for life. Thank you Dana for being such a great friend, an innovator and a constant source of inspiration. I’m grateful for the adventures we’ve shared and can’t wait to see what mountains (literal or metaphorical) we climb next! Stay tuned for the next connection in my 12 Connections of Christmas series!

Remember this is anonymous, we won’t tell anyone 🤐

There are some questions you can't answer with user research: ▶ Do user prefer this or that design? ▶ Do people find value in the product? And then there are poorly-worded questions that simply need to be reworded.👇

End of year JOB DROP! If you're in the market, hiring, or want to help out your network, give this a share. 🚀🚀🚀 Hiring still all a tizzy at Adobe with Eric Snowden and team: https://lnkd.in/gcfB7j2k? Amanda Litman is hiring a Sr Director, Comms & Marketing AND Director of Digital Comms at Run for Something: https://lnkd.in/gi2-cgPu? Marlene Rosner at HelloFresh is seeking a Staff UX Writer (NY or Toronto): https://lnkd.in/g8nv9DXc? Hannah Spring is hiring a UXR 2 Grow Therapy (US Remote): https://lnkd.in/ga-iPinv? Elizabeth Aadland is hiring a Content Strategist for the state of MN (MN or nearby): https://lnkd.in/g653aQCh? May-Li ✨ Khoe joined Handshake and is hiring Design Directors, Staff Designers, Senior Designers, a User Researcher: https://lnkd.in/g7TrNhaC? Lauren Madura is hiring a Sr Product Designer Dscout (US Remote): https://lnkd.in/gC-2at3Y? Mews is looking for a Content Designer/UX Writer (via Michael Lahoda 🇺🇦): https://lnkd.in/gjFpGTC6? Katie Potochney is seeking a Head of Creative Operations for Intuit (Mtn View, CA (DM Shannon McGrath): https://lnkd.in/gWE4aWEJ Senior Design Manager at Apple (Cupertino, CA) via Enzo Pavia: https://lnkd.in/gybbgCNm? Sean Madden is hiring a Director, Design Enablement AND a Sr Director, Exp Design at Best Buy (hybrid MN): https://lnkd.in/gFZkRg2J? https://lnkd.in/g5HdwTyw? Katie Szymanski & team is seeking a Design Director Constructive: https://lnkd.in/gg5d7kRh -- Hey, I'm Alison Gretz, a Coach and Trainer for rising Leaders in Design-ish fields. January courses filling up fast: designbydesign.co

Whether you’re a designer or researcher, being able to tie your deliverables to the bigger business picture can make or break your ability to get funding and expand your practice. Enter the UX-as-a-Business-Model framework, specifically designed to help you grow your business chops and apply them to UX teams. Learn from Devin Harold on how to strengthen your influence and prove your team's ROI. ⤵️