#53 - Everything in Context: Anthropology and User Research with Vanessa Whatley
Awkward Silences
English - November 10, 2020 15:09 - 41 minutes - 75.8 MB - ★★★★★ - 73 ratingsTechnology research product ux design product management research ops uxr ethnography customer interviews Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
User research and anthropology have more in common that you may realize. Both involve studying the way people interact with their surroundings and make critical decisions, though anthropologists focus on the cultures and societies that shape behavior. This week on Awkward Silences, Erin and JH chatted with Vanessa Whatley—a Senior UX Researcher at Google—about what researchers can learn from anthropology.
Vanessa talked about…
How anthropology can teach user researchers to look more closely at the context of participants’ decisions and behaviorsThe benefits of a diverse research team,And how she puts insights into perspective for stakeholders.
Highlights
About our Guest
Vanessa Whatley is the UX Director - Research & Documentation at Twilio (previously at Google). Her background in Anthropology has inspired her to think about ways in which companies can prioritize user/customer needs when building products and executing business strategy. She seeks to promote humanistic/people based solutions to the challenges that institutions and individuals face.