Over the past fifteen years of my career, I’ve spent a lot of time interviewing UX researchers and designers. Last I checked, I have conducted over 180 interviews at Google. There are times when I find UX candidates get in the way of their own success. Here are five mistakes that I see UX candidates making over and over again:

1. Being rude to interviewers. At some point in my life, I learned that I needed to be on my best behavior during interviews (whether I’m a candidate or interviewer). Remarkably not everyone seems to have gotten this message! I know…

Over the past year, I’ve written a lot about preparing for interviews for UXR positions. Here’s one spot where you can find all that content:

• UX research interviews: what to expect (part 1)
• UX research interviews: what to expect (part 2)
• What to expect from technical UX research interview questions
• For the love of God PRACTICE your presentations!
• How to Put Together a UX Research Portfolio Presentation
• Slide Design Basics … for UX Researchers
• Top 5 UX interview mistakes

And if you’re new to UX research, here are some books I’d recommend you read to help you prepare for your…

Intern season is almost here! If you’ve managed to snag an internship for the summer, congrats! Internships are a great way to build experience when you’re new to the UX field. I’m grateful that I had an opportunity to intern at Xerox when I was in grad school. It was my first time working on a UX team and I learned a ton during the summer (including learning to love Los Angeles!). But other than getting practical UX experience, I didn’t really know how to make the most of my internship. …

One thing I’ve learned in the midst of trying to renovate a house in the middle of the pandemic in the Bay Area — all service providers in the construction/home renovation space are very very busy. With so many people spending more time at home, a lot of people are taking advantage of the time to renovate their homes.

While I have a vision for what I want in my house, I don’t know enough to execute that vision. Shortly after my offer was accepted, I attempted to hire a designer to help me with designing the renovations. …

Several weeks ago, a reader left a comment asking for advice. They wanted my perspective on whether they needed to get a PhD to pursue a career in UX research.

The short answer is: No.

The longer answer is much more complicated. For some odd reason, the answer to this question seems to always be a bit contentious and some UXRs get very emotional about it. I get the sense that for some UXRs the answer to this question gets very personal — almost as if the answer itself is a condemnation of their life choices. …

During my second summer living in the Bay Area (2007), I decided I wanted to try finding a place in San Francisco. I was in my late twenties and wanted a new experience. The tech economy was booming and lots of people were moving to San Francisco and the Bay Area in general. Trying to find an apartment in the city was ultra competitive. I’d show up to an open house early only to find 10 or 20 other young people standing outside the building waiting for an agent or landlord to let us in. Once you were let in…

It was a Saturday morning in September. I walked into my kitchen to find a steady stream of water leaking from the popcorn ceiling. The new air conditioner that my landlord had installed a month prior was leaking yet again. The HVAC installers had been out to my rental the day before and assured me that they had fixed the source of the leak.

It was their fourth visit to fix the leak.

And that was my breaking point and the moment when I decided I’m going to buy a house.

In Silicon Valley.

In the middle of a pandemic.

…