Curiosity Tank

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New Events & The "Write" Stuff

michele ronsen

The answer is straightforward: writing skills are crucial as a researcher and even more so if you are an independent consultant because you need to wrote proposals, scope, and price your work in writing.

Many new and aspiring researchers often overlook the significance of succinctly communicating ideas, facts, and narratives. Writing is not just an asset but an indispensable skill that spans the entire spectrum of user research—from making a strong first impression during the hiring or proposal writing process to the nuanced articulation of research insights.

  • First Impressions Count: Your LinkedIn profile, resume, cover letter, and referral emails are your initial handshake with potential employers and clients. Make it firm and memorable.

  • Showcase Your Expertise: Case studies in your portfolio are laden with written narratives that highlight your analytical skill and storytelling ability.

  • Email Etiquette: From interview scheduling to thank you notes, your written correspondence reflects your professionalism and attention to detail.

  • Negotiating Your Offer: Often done in writing, this is where your ability to persuade and assert your value comes to the forefront.

  • Introducing Yourself: Imagine writing an email that your manager or client will send to your new team. It’s your first impression, encapsulated in a few paragraphs.

  • Leading with Clarity: Your first month as an employee and on a contract will involve corralling stakeholders and drafting plans for your inaugural study—tasks demanding clear, concise, and compelling writing.

Michele will talk about the importance of writing specifically as an independent user researcher in our upcoming event, “Freelance/Independent UX/UXR Consulting: Two hour interactive with Q&A.” She’ll share tips that helped her improve her writing skills overall as well as in the proposal phase.

PLEASE JOIN US! Register here. Registrants can attend live or watch the recorded replay. All registrants will receive the recorded replay, whether attending live or not, as well as some Curiosity Tank UX consulting resources.

Why an event on UX Consulting?

Over the past few months there has been a significant increase in queries about how to become an independent UX consultant! We'll chat about the FAQs, share experiences, and have candid discussions. How to make the transition, when, why, what we know now that we wish we new then, how to find clients, price our work, scope projects, and more.

Please join us on March 9th for "Freelance/Independent UX/UXR Consulting: Two hour interactive Q&A". Register on Eventbrite. Note: If you were recently impacted from layoffs and or the $35 USD event ticket price presents a hardship for you, please email hello@curiositytank.com for a discounted promo code.

​Maximize Your Impact: Strategic Personal Branding for UXers Workshop & Q&A​

Building on our theme of Independent UX/UXR consulting, we've invited Philip VanDusen, a luminary in branding and design, to lead a workshop on beginning, or building on, your personal branding goals. Learn to establish yourself as a distinguished and recognized thought leader in the tech industry. Join us for this specialized workshop to elevate the professional stature of UXers and beyond.
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Philip will cover the fundamentals and ROI of Personal Branding, introduce you to his proprietary “Personal Brand Wheel Framework” and in the workshop we’ll explore “Your Story, Purpose + Value” and how to get your brand out there.

Please join us on March 20th at 9am PT and recorded. Join us live, or not. Register and learn more here. Discounts are available for those impacted from the layoffs. Details are above.

​From Data to Difference: Purpose-Driven User Research​

If you're interested in broadening your user research skills or seeking job opportunities in social impact, this event is for you. Whether you're considering how to align your personal values with your research role or thinking about transitioning into the purpose-driven, social impact, or non-profit sectors, we've created this gathering with your goals in mind.

"From Data to Difference: Purpose-Driven User Research" isn't just an event; it's a networking opportunity for people eager to explore, learn more, and engage with like-minded researchers in this meaningful domain.

Please join us on April 2nd at 4pm PT and recorded. Join us live, or not. Register and learn more here. Discounts are available for those impacted from the layoffs. Details are above.

​UXR Fundamentals: Interactive workshop with tools, templates and Q&A​

Despite what many might think, getting to the heart of user experiences isn’t easy. It’s a cerebral adventure that requires preparation, innovative methods, artful interviewing skills, sharp analysis, and empathy.

This two-part workshop will show you the massive difference between customer and sales calls versus proper user research (ahem, PMs and Designers!), teach attendees about the primary tools and processes trained professional researchers employ, and why. We’ll also discuss what goes into effective research plans, why plans are critical, the key to crafting research questions that unearth meaningful insights, and much more.

This workshop uses a combination of engaging lectures. and interactive in-class exercises. Ample time for Q&As is incorporated and questions are strongly encouraged.

Michele taught this workshop at General Assembly over 50 times!

Please join us on April 9th! Registrants can attend live or watch the recorded replay. All registrants will receive the recorded replay, whether attending live or not, as well as some Curiosity Tank "Ask Like A Pro" resources. Discounts are available for those impacted from the layoffs. Details are above. Register and learn more here.

Speak up, get involved, and share the love!

And that’s a wrap!

We try to alternate between a theme and UX/UXR jobs, events, classes, articles, and other happenings every few weeks. Thank you for all of the feedback. Feedback is a gift, and we continue to receive very actionable input on how to make Fuel Your Curiosity more meaningful to you.

What do you think? We're constantly iterating and would love to hear your input.​

Stay curious,

- Michele and the Curiosity Tank team

PS: Don't forget to register for an upcoming Curiosity Tank event, here!