Gabby Ciuteikis is a Chicago-based UX Researcher at tms who has influenced and improved services and digital experiences across several industries including technology, e-commerce, transit, and food.
She has been tackling UX challenges through a user-centric lens for over 5 years now
I remember my novice UX Researcher days when I thought the most important superpower a UX Researcher could possess were the technical research skills of owning end-to-end qualitative research initiatives to influence improvements of digital experiences.
While it is crucial to continue honing ux skills, confidence is as important to kick start influencing user experiences at your organization! In this article I’ll go down memory lane of how I learned to flip the script from Imposter Syndrome to Expert and share a few golden tips to ground yourself as the subject matter expert at your organization.
UXR findings are yours, so own them!
I’ll never forget a career-changing meeting I led early on in my career. I was leading a ux research findings meeting to a room full of mostly male software engineers, presenting meticulous findings and recommendations I had prepared. But standing there, I was suddenly gripped by imposter syndrome. Even though I had worked diligently on this project, I felt out of place and as if I’d walked into the wrong room. “I am presenting to a group of software engineers,” I thought to myself, “they must know more than me.” I doubted myself so much that these thoughts seeped into my presentation. As I walked through the findings, there were numerous questions that I did not have the confidence to back my findings, even though I knew they were correct. This led to instilling even more doubt in my audience. It was not until a senior UX researcher (you know who you are!) pointed out that I must show that I know the findings with the content and tone. This was my epiphany moment. I knew this was an opportunity for me to improve and grow from, and my colleague’s advice empowered me to understand that self-belief is vital for any role that involves consulting and collaboration. I worked with my senior UX Researcher colleague to build the confidence to own my work and stand behind it too. Ever since that very ‘memorable’ meeting, I have transformed how I lead meetings. Just remember that if you don’t stand behind your work, your findings will not have a pillar to lean on.
Gain trust from stakeholders + know your audience before presenting findings!
Audiences who may not be familiar with UXR or who collaborate with UXR infrequently, may need more details of the research to ‘trust’ the findings. Let’s rewind to the same findings share-out meeting I was leading to a mostly-male audience of software engineers. Not only did I instill doubt in myself as the only woman in the room, but I also assumed my audience. Several of the software engineers in the audience were new to the organization and I had not collaborated with them before, but I assumed they knew enough about UX Research, which was far from true. No wonder they were asking me all these questions! Starting your presentation with a question or having a quick 1:1 chat before your presentation will help you gauge your audience’s familiarity with UX Research. That brief chat will give you a good understanding of what information is relevant to your audience and any preferences they have for taking in information. I had a director that preferred presented information from a document rather than a presentation – glad I learned this preference early on! Building a rapport with your audience before presenting is not only a great way to learn more about them and their preferences, but it can boost your confidence too as you have a level of familiarity and connection.
Present with confidence!
Remember that a key part of a UX Researcher’s role is to influence and improve digital experiences through a user-centric lens while prioritizing business goals. This is done by confidently advocating for users and elucidating UXR findings to stakeholders. As a UX researcher, you are a conduit between the user and the experience, a spokesperson, the voice of the user within the company. Be bold and direct – state exactly where things are going right or wrong and how they can be improved while aligning with business goals. Just remember that without confidence, your audience is not listening to you, which may defeat the purpose of those findings.
I hope my personal story and tips inspire you to overcome your own Imposter Syndrome and confidence challenges at work. It’s okay to feel Imposter Syndrome deep down, we all feel it at some point in our careers. But it’s all about how you work at it and rise above it that will set you up for long-term success. As I reflect on my career, I am grateful to have had and overcome this challenge early on, as it made me a better UX Researcher, teammate, mentor to others. The confidence I have fostered throughout the years has blossomed into my own captivating style of presenting. The above tips will help you get comfortable in your own shoes and grow as a UX Researcher!
