#100 - UXR Productivity Hacks with Michele Ronsen of Curiosity Tank

Work smarter, not harder with the right UXR productivity hacks. Michele Ronsen, founder of Curiosity Tank and our first repeat guest, joins us for our landmark 100th episode to tell us about the best user research hacks she’s learned to increase productivity, reduce cognitive load, and save time. Make your life a little easier with these pro UXR tips on scheduling, archiving, recruiting, screening, and more.

In this episode:

• What is a UXR productivity hack?
• UXR productivity hacks examples and tips
• Enhancing productivity

Highlights:

• [2:48] The stakeholder kickoff sheet
• [5:14] The right balance between setting up systems and doing research
• [8:08] Defining every section of your UX research plan template
• [11:55] Scheduling hacks
• [14:03] Core screening criteria
• [16:26] PII tips
• [19:01] Saving time for the archiving process
• [21:12] Files and folders
• [24:03] Reducing fraudulent participants
• [25:39] Making sure your participants are prepared
• [27:59] How to build your own pool of participants

Sources mentioned in the episode:

• UXR Productivity Hacks Bundle (Curiosity Tank)
• Sample Stakeholder Kickoff Questions (Curiosity Tank)
• Research Countdown Planner (Curiosity Tank)
• Participant Question Starters Template (Curiosity Tank)
• “Ask Like A Pro” User research workshop series (Curiosity Tank)
• ‍Team Training (Curiosity Tank)
• Note-Taking for UX Research: Templates and Methods (User Interviews)‍
• Google Workspace‍
• How to recruit qualified participants, fast (User Interviews)

About our guest

Michele Ronsen is the founder of Curiosity Tank, a consulting and education firm specializing in human-centered research, design development, and hands-on learning programs. Her clients include Slack, Zillow, Facebook, Microsoft, and others. Michele is also an Instructor, Content Creator, and Workshop Facilitator at General Assembly. Previously, she worked at Wells Fargo as the Vice President and Creative Director and the Senior Vice President and Creative Director and held two positions at the Bank of America.