Tariq Rahman on Anthro to UX with Matt Artz

In this Anthro to UX podcast episode, Tariq Rahman speaks with Matt Artz about his UX journey.  He discusses his fieldwork in Pakistan's real estate market and how it allowed him to explore the intersection of anthropology and UX research. He also highlights his UX internships at Zameen.com and Nike and discusses how his strategy consulting internship at ReD Associates has also helped position him for a career in UX research.
About Tariq Rahman
Tariq Rahman is currently finishing his PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, where he studied the role of social media and proptech in Pakistan’s emerging $1 trillion real estate market. He recently completed a UX Research internship at Nike and a Strategy Consulting internship at ReD Associates. His expertise lies in using ethnography to better understand the relationship between technology and culture, and leveraging these insights to inform product innovations and strategy.
Key Moments

00:03:00 - Fieldwork in Pakistan on real estate market
00:06:00 - First internship at Zameen.com, a property portal
00:12:05 - Opportunity to work with companies in emerging markets during field work
00:13:48 - Making the case for UX research and its impact in Pakistan
00:15:00 - Lack of practical advice from department, self-learning UX research
00:18:00 - Introduction to UX during Nike internship, bottom-up experimental approach
00:22:23 - Importance of learning and seeking help during internships
00:23:00 - Internship at Red Associat

In this Anthro to UX podcast episode, Tariq Rahman speaks with Matt Artz about his UX journey.  He discusses his fieldwork in Pakistan's real estate market and how it allowed him to explore the intersection of anthropology and UX research. He also highlights his UX internships at Zameen.com and Nike and discusses how his strategy consulting internship at ReD Associates has also helped position him for a career in UX research.
About Tariq Rahman
Tariq Rahman is currently finishing his PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, where he studied the role of social media and proptech in Pakistan’s emerging $1 trillion real estate market. He recently completed a UX Research internship at Nike and a Strategy Consulting internship at ReD Associates. His expertise lies in using ethnography to better understand the relationship between technology and culture, and leveraging these insights to inform product innovations and strategy.
Key Moments

00:03:00 - Fieldwork in Pakistan on real estate market
00:06:00 - First internship at Zameen.com, a property portal
00:12:05 - Opportunity to work with companies in emerging markets during field work
00:13:48 - Making the case for UX research and its impact in Pakistan
00:15:00 - Lack of practical advice from department, self-learning UX research
00:18:00 - Introduction to UX during Nike internship, bottom-up experimental approach
00:22:23 - Importance of learning and seeking help during internships
00:23:00 - Internship at Red Associates
00:23:35 - Field work on generative AI use cases
00:24:27 - Collaborative research process and analysis at Red Associates
00:25:15 - Team dynamics in a project team
00:26:00 - Differences in ownership and decision-making in UX and strategy consulting
00:26:51 - Learning to speak to business interests in strategy consulting
00:27:44 - Applying strategy consulting skills to make UX research impactful
00:29:44 - Starting early with UX research and internships

Recommended Links

Tariq Rahman on LinkedIn
Landscapes of rizq: Mediating worldly and otherworldly in Lahore's speculative real estate market