20-Mar-2024
Last year I got the opportunity to be coached by the incredible Amit Das aka Godgeez.
We were to work together to build a muscle on presenting sharp, articulate & opinionated research. We further broke it down to 6 specific skills that wanted to work on as noted below.
This blog covers the third of six assignments in the coaching program. Networking.
The Assignment
Yes, you read it correctly. This was an assignment. This assignment turned out to be both daunting and, surprisingly, my favorite one of all. Here's how it unfolded.
The reachout
I began this assignment by reaching out to Chandra. Why Chandra? Well, during our time at Srishti, we co-chaired events for our ACM SIGCHI student chapter, which gave us a solid foundation in event organization. We brainstormed on the overall approach, and then I started contacting everyone. I reached out to research groups like INsights, led by Devika, who generously endorsed the meetup. I also spread the word on Twitter and reached out through friends of friends.
Before I knew it, my inboxes were overflowing. It was astonishing to discover that there were far more researchers in Bangalore than I had ever imagined.
The event
The turnout
As you can see, the turnout for the event was truly remarkable. It took place on Saturday, July 16th, 2023. We were honored to have researchers from companies such as Microsoft, Gojek, Dunzo, Cashfree Payments, and many others in attendance. We were also pleasantly surprised to have designers and product managers who interested in research join the meet.
The agenda
The plan for the event was straightforward: we allocated ample time for participants to engage in conversations among themselves, allowing them to interact and exchange ideas freely. Additionally, we incorporated some enjoyable elements such as an office tour and snacks, both scheduled before and after the main discussions, to ensure that everyone remained entertained and energized throughout the event.
The quest
This was the meat of the meet-up ! 😛
The "Quest" was a game I devised to spark engaging discussions on specific topics among the participants. Here's how it worked:
In the scenario I created, the world was on the brink of destruction, and the individuals in the room were humanity's last hope for salvation. The key to saving the world lay in answering the questions contained within a bowl.
Here are the rules for the "Quest" game:
The room collectively nominates a candidate to answer a question from the bowl
The chosen candidate draws a question from the bowl and decides if they have the relevant experience to answer it
If the candidate feels they are not the best person to answer the question, they can use any recruiting method (such as raising hands) to nominate someone else in the room to tackle that specific question.
Each question answered contributes to expanding the reach of our assistance to the world in need. The more questions answered, the greater our impact in saving the world.
Sharing some examples of the questions used.
My takeaway
Very often, UX researchers often find themselves outnumbered by designers and product managers, which can lead to the habit of working in silos. However, meet-ups like the one we organized are specifically designed to break down these silos and foster collaboration. By bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds and expertise, such events enable the sharing of real, actionable learnings. This collaboration allows us to tap into the tribal knowledge within the domain, leading to more effective problem-solving approaches.
Thank you!
I'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Kareen George, Ananya Rane and the administrative team at Urban Company for their unwavering enthusiasm and support in hosting this event alongside me.
A big thank you as well to everyone who attended; your presence made the event truly special. Keep an eye out for the second version of the meet-up coming your way soon!
Sharing some photos of the lively chitter-chatter and other memorable moments from the event.
