Hillary Shar, FA21 Observer and WI22 All-In

"I realized how important it was to nail down the fundamentals and principles beforehand. For example, methodology. That’s not going to change. If anything it’s going to boost your strategic thinking. I also learned there are different perspectives when it comes to UXR. That was pretty eye opening. Some of what you're learning is based on preference and what will help people understand your work. But things like the research fundamentals, that's not gonna go away. That's really important to nail down."

Shelly Yichoy, WI22 All-In, FA21 Observer

"The value of the constant communication. I always felt I was a good communicator, but when you go into a new team and you're still trying to learn what your dynamic is, and potentially entry level, you don't wanna come in super strong... I've gone into this new contract with Google more confidently, a little bit more assertive. That’s already helped with my first project here. Tthat's an unexpected learning because I thought that was one of my strengths. I learned how to be stronger in that area, which is super valuable."

Serena Hu, WI22 Observer

"Learning that more data isn't necessarily better!! Instead, be very targeted about what you are getting from your surveys."

Faith Eno, WI22 Observer and FA22 All-In

"Learning how to set up a reasonable research hypothesis and assumptions with stakeholders. And how to connect the research plan to an impactful goal that can be learned through research."

Aesclinn Donohue, WI22 Observer and FA22 All-In

"I want to remember to pilot pilot pilot. I found the story arc piece really helpful in terms of thinking how to build the interview guide. And to remember the note taking frameworks."

Erin Greenfield, WI22 Observer

"One main takeaway is that research is a team sport -- speaks to the importance of stakeholder engagement and project team collaboration. Another is the difference between generative and evaluative research. I've done survey screeners before, but had not applied the level of detail and consideration that it requires. One thing that surprised me is how surveys render differently on desktop vs. mobile.It's certainly something I will keep in mind moving forward."

Susan Trevithick, WI22 Observer

"I will be much better prepared to write research plans in the future and/or provide worthwhile comments on plans I'm involved in with my employer."

Chaohong Pan, WI22 Observer

"Learning about communicating with stakeholders and getting them involved from the beginning stage. I'm a grad student and most of my works are solo, so this part is important to me."

Sam Vega, WI22 Observer

[Michele] dives deep into the structure of UX Research and how to approach a research project with a plan. The templates give you a framework that is simple to follow and allow you to organize your ideas in a meaningful, UXR specific way... a proven structure to come up [with] projects and execute on them… The skills you learn as a UXR are applicable to other tech roles that may have a lower barrier. Having this [series] under your belt will help you stand out and demonstrate to hiring managers that you're bringing many skills to the table.” - Sam Vega WI22 Observer

Miguel Castillo

My experience has been exceptional. Not only are you learning specifically about UX Research, but you’re actually putting into action what you’re learning with the sponsored research projects. The content is thoroughly delivered and there’s a ton of templates and resources to use after completing the program. But most importantly, you get to learn from a caring, true expert in the UXR field.

- Miguel C. WI22 All-In, FA21 Observer

Franklin Wagner

I got my first full-time UXR job part way through ALAP and I'm glad I've had the program as a resource. It really was being thrown in the deep end but being able to reference your videos and All-In's materials for my own education has been an amazing resource to ground myself when I have doubt. I'm still working through everything on the portal but I've already grown so much using the tips and knowledge I've gained in recruitment and stakeholder buy-in. I really hope I can do the All-In sometime in the future because I feel like my skills will only expand even more.

- Franklin W. WI22 Observer

Bobbie Albrecht

My interest in UXR is officially ignited!… Still processing the flood of facts, with an ocean of resources, and schools of bright and curious All-Ins to observe. I've been working to strengthen my customer insight-building skills and there is no better person to lead that discovery than the wise and patient Michele Ronsen. I'm off to a great start already using the methods I learned.

- Bobbie A. WI22 Observer

Margaret Green

My investment in the ALAP workshop series is already paid off. I have literally never written a research plan in my life. Simply having the examples provided has been so helpful... Your course is helping me lean into asking critical questions to help refine what was already created. Just seeing how things are laid out is helping me get out of analysis paralysis/fear of a blank page. The anxiety-reduction is worth every penny and then some. I'm so glad to be part of this!

- Margaret G. OnDemand FA21

Nepunnee Birondo

There is no right or wrong answer, especially in terms of different tools. I was thinking I’d have to master every different tool and there are so many you can use as a researcher. For this project, I tried different tools, and they all work. There’s no “best” or “right” tool. It’s all about the tool you like and what’s best for you. That was a great takeaway.

Reem Mehdoui

Knowing that I can do it from beginning to end, executing it and presenting the final deliverables. . . that was huge for me. It was one of the biggest things I wanted to get out of this program and I got that and much more.

Serena Berra

I gained a lot of value from the real-time, hands-on, and collaborative approach of the course. Not just new tools and perspectives, but also a new community to continue to learn from. Thank you Michele and my awesome cohort! #alwayslearning

Reynolds Richtor

This is the first time I’ve ever done a project like this from start to finish. I got more comfortable interacting with stakeholders, and that was really helpful. I got better at asking for things and leading discussions a bit more. I’m very used to working in a silo, or a light-free box, so being able to collaborate with others was a skill.

Emily (Mengyi) Zhang

Like everyone else, I really gained a lot of confidence in every single step. The process isn’t only how we present, but it’s also the back story, so in the future, I feel more confident, especially when you talk about the details. That’s gold for me.

Rob Rausch

Joining the Ask Like A Pro series was the best decision I ever made. I just want to tell anyone who is considering the program that I went from getting no interviews… to have five recruiter requests per day for companies like Deloitte Digital. Top of the food chain. This works. That's proof of concept. That's how powerful this was. Michele got me back in the game.

Geetanjali Khanna

I gained a lot of learnings and insights into how I could improve my practice as a researcher. I learnt the best practices of collaborating with stakeholders, the importance of piloting and screeners to improve efficiency and quality of the research process, and the art of asking the right questions and synthesizing the results to gain insights. Above all, the course helped me build confidence and faith in my instincts as a researcher. The journey was filled with its fair share of challenges as I balanced it with a demanding full-time Master's program. However, it was certainly worth it.