The Optimal Path is a podcast about user research and product decision-making, brought to you by Maze. Explore how today's leading organizations leverage user r...
Mastering product decisions through risk and reversibility with Dalia El-Shimy | Wise
Dalia El-Shimy, Director of UX Research at Wise, presents a framework for navigating product decision-making with confidence—from daily product decisions to the most complex and high-risk scenarios. Dalia shares how to classify decisions based on their level of risk and reversibility, along with questions and tactics to help determine the type of research or insights needed to better inform those decisions.About Dalia:Dalia is an engineer-turned-academic-turned-user-researcher. She is the Director of UX Research at Wise and the former Head of UX Research at Miro, where she helped build the team and discipline from the ground up. She started her career as a human-computer interaction researcher, then joined Shopify, where she helped scale the UX Research practice from a few researchers to a team of 60+ strong and co-led the craft across the entire organization. When she’s not busy asking too many questions, she enjoys baking, eating, reading, and obsessing over all things David Bowie.Connect with Dalia:You can follow Dalia on LinkedIn or check out her website.Resources: Make Better Decisions by Thomas H. DavenportThis Is How Successful People Make Such Smart Decisions by Jeff HadenBrand Chu on MediumGamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo Follow Maze on Social Media:X: @mazedesignHQInstagram: @mazedesignHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesignTo get notified when new episodes air, subscribe at maze.co/podcast.See you next time!
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46:30
Accelerate learning and build the right products with Michael Margolis | Google Ventures
Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at Google Ventures, breaks down the Bullseye Customer Sprint methodology and how it helps startups quickly identify what to build and who to target. Learn how to use the “5 and 3 in 1 formula”—five bullseye customers, three prototypes, in one day—to accelerate learning and de-risk product decision-making.Gain practical strategies for streamlining customer discovery so you can build the right products, faster. Michael shares how to define your bullseye customers, prioritize the key questions to focus on, and avoid common pitfalls in early product development.About Michael: Michael Margolis joined Google Ventures in 2010 as the venture industry’s first UX research partner. With over 30 years of experience, he's conducted 300 research sprints with GV portfolio companies across diverse sectors. His work has helped hundreds of companies boost conversions, test new concepts, streamline workflows, and define bullseye customers. Michael joined Google as a staff user experience researcher, where he conducted research for Gmail, led the UX research team for Google Apps, and managed Google’s UX team in Seattle. Before Google, he spearheaded user research at Walmart.com and produced educational software at Electronic Arts. Michael earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology from Stanford University and is the author of Learn More Faster.Connect with Michael:You can follow Michael on LinkedIn or check out his articles on Medium.Resources: Learn More Faster by Michael MargolisConduct stellar user research even faster by Michael MargolisResearch Practice by Gregg BernsteinDisco Conf 2024, the global research and discovery conference by MazeUnpacking User Interviews: Turning Conversations into Insight by Maze Follow Maze on Social Media:X: @mazedesignHQInstagram: @mazedesignHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesignTo get notified when new episodes air, subscribe at maze.co/podcast.See you next time!
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43:20
Connecting research impact to business outcomes with Devin Harold | Ex-Capital One
Devin Harold, former Head of Design Research for Financial Services at Capital One, joins host Ash Oliver to discuss the challenges of connecting user research to business outcomes, how to effectively track and communicate the value of research, and why the future of the industry lies in driving customer-centricity across the entire business.Discover practical frameworks for prioritizing and presenting research, such as the “two-by-two prioritization” and "what, so what, now what" frameworks. Learn how to involve cross-functional teams and tailor communications to stakeholders to enhance the visibility and influence of your work, and transform UX research into a strategic asset for the business.About Devin:Devin Harold is a Design Research Leader with over twelve years of experience in the UX space, starting his career journey first as an interaction designer before shifting into research. He recently worked as Director - Head of Design Research for Financial Services at Capital One, where he led the talented team and research practice to drive business decisions within the $1.4 trillion auto lending industry. Outside of work, Devin is a hobby egyptologist and photographer, and loves to travel the world with his husband, Montgomery.Connect with Devin:You can connect with Devin on LinkedIn, or check out his personal site.Resources:Leading Through Change: Embracing the Evolving Role of User Research by MazeMarketers Turn To Metrics to Measure the Impact of Their InitiativesThe research “impact” problem by Josh LaMarA framework to measure UX research impact by MazeUsability Engineering by Jakob NielsenDesigning for the Digital Age by Kim Goodwin and Alan CooperA Beautiful Constraint by Adam MorganDisco Conf 2024, the global research and discovery conference by MazeFollow Maze on Social Media:X: @mazedesignHQInstagram: @mazedesignHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesignTo get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast.See you next time!
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47:48
Becoming a customer-centric, experience-led organization with Jehad Affoneh | Toast
In this episode of The Optimal Path, Jehad Affoneh joins host Ash Oliver to discuss what it means to be customer-centric at Toast, the difference between being design-led and experience-led, and the role of UX research in shaping customer-centric cultures and experiences.The conversation covers cultural shifts towards empathy and curiosity, mechanisms to foster a customer-centric culture, and how Toast integrates research into everyday operations. Discover how Toast encourages everyone across the company to consistently engage with customers and empowers them with easy-to-use methods to make these interactions more effective—ultimately driving better outcomes for customers, the business, and the team.About Jehad:Jehad is a design and product leader who's led design, product, and engineering teams most recently at VMware and Splunk. He is currently Chief Design Officer at Toast where he leads the product, customer, and end-to-end experience that empowers tens of thousands of restaurants to delight their guests, do what they love, and thrive. He lives with his wife and one year old son in Redwood City, California.Connect with Jehad:You can connect with Jehad on LinkedIn, Twitter, or check out his articles here.Resources:Google’s HEART Framework for Measuring UXPrinciples: Life and Work by Ray DalioSwitch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan HeathFollow Maze on Social Media:X: @mazedesignHQInstagram: @mazedesignHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesignTo get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast.See you next time!
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42:52
The role of qualitative research in product innovation with Hannah Anokye | Intuit
In this episode of The Optimal Path, Hannah Anokye joins host Ash Oliver to discuss her work on the Intuit Futures Team and the role of qualitative research in exploring emerging technologies, understanding users' needs, and identifying opportunities for new product developments.Hannah shares best practices for conducting moderated user interviews and how to generate insights that spark ideas and drive growth. Discover how integrating user-centric approaches in qualitative research nurtures innovation and redefines mental models, leading to more resonant and effective product solutionsAbout Hannah:Hannah is a product innovation practitioner with a unique background. Through a career with titles in product marketing, user research, and now product management, her through line has been user-centered experiences that drive meaningful impact.Most recently as a Senior User Experience Researcher on Intuit's Futures team, Hannah explored how Generative AI technology could be responsibly and meaningfully integrated across the Intuit product ecosystem.She recently transitioned into a product management role, focused on building the next generation of AI-driven products for Intuit’s future customers.Connect with Hannah:You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.Resources:Interviewing users by Steve PortigalDesigning Your Life - How to Build a Well-Lived Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave EvanUnpacking User Interviews: Turning Conversations into Insights by MazeFollow Maze on Social Media:X: @mazedesignHQInstagram: @mazedesignHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazedesignTo get notified when new episodes come out, subscribe at maze.co/podcast.See you next time!
The Optimal Path is a podcast about user research and product decision-making, brought to you by Maze. Explore how today's leading organizations leverage user research to inform better product decisions. Each episode uncovers the ideas and approaches used to unlock continuous insights—and the optimal path for product success.
Subscribe to The Optimal Path newsletter to be the first to know when new episodes launch: https://maze.co/podcast/.
South Africa