It never ceases to amaze me how quick a year goes by; my daughters tell me it’s because I’m old! Another year flies by in the user research and user experience world, and the ever diverse and interesting projects we get to work on continue to grow.

I’ve attended some great design and user research conferences this year, and the range of topics and speakers has been hugely inspiring. Collaborate 2017 was one of note for me, especially as I was the only person with their hand up when it came to determining the older demographics in the audience! Hany Rizk delivered an excellent presentation focusing on what really matters in today’s hectic world, summed up in this great video created by Time Well Spent.

Another standout talk for me was the presentation by Sam Michael from Monzo Bank, all about building a bank together and disrupting the consumer banking world.

More focus on user research

However, my favourite event of the year was User Research London, a launch event organised by user experienced researchers and for user experience researchers. Unlike most UX events, its main thrust was about the practicalities of running user research, the trials and tribulations, the complexity and the horror stories of actually carrying out research in the general wild that is the marketplace! We are very excited to see what User Research London 2018 will offer.

We were fortunate enough to have been involved in an excellent project this year with Ben Cubbon and Nic Price from People Thinking, exploring the “participant journey” when getting involved in research sessions, focusing on the part leading up to the session itself. The study allowed us to gather insights that can only be described as fascinating by both Nick, Ben and our team. It’s a long held belief of mine that you get the best out of your research when the participants have been recruited in a respectful way and are fully engaged.

“With the right approach, insights start to appear way before the session itself takes place.”

It’s extremely satisfying to be involved in an industry that holds so much for the future and brings yet another fascinating project into the fold on a daily basis, as well as new challenges which myself and my team continue to look at so we can develop new and innovative ways to engage with all sectors of our PFR community.

Paul Gooding, Chief Executive Officer

If you would like to find out more about our in-house participant recruitment service for user testing or market research get in touch on 0117 921 0008 or info@peopleforresearch.co.uk.

At People for Research, we recruit participants for UX and usability testing and market research. We work with award winning UX agencies across the UK and partner up with a number of end clients who are leading the way with in-house user experience and insight.