Week 21: Going with the lateral flow
Hiya, my name is Theone Johnson
I joined Made Tech last week as a user researcher and am currently undergoing my onboarding, getting to know the company and all the amazing people that work here ️
For those who might already be wondering about my name, you say it like Theon (silent e) and yes like Theon Greyjoy.
About Me
I graduated from Southampton University in 2019 after studying BA Human Geography. I have heard enough colouring in-jokes to last a lifetime but annoyingly it was probably my only skill for a good chunk of my childhood.
A lot of the work I did was research-based across various modules like Sexuality in the City, Evolutionary Economics and I even dabbled in a bit of maritime archaeology.
I think my real love for the research came from when I studied in Australia for 6 months and carried out an Ethnography with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders for my dissertation. My aim was to unpack the power of political discourse which works to maintain this idea of ‘Indigenous Disadvantage’ within a Western narrative.
My experience of UR in government
I started my User Research experience as an Intern at the Home Office Digital, Data and Technology department. I spent 2 years there with my final year as a Junior working on various projects spanning from the EU settlement scheme to the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register in Policing.
Working in Digital, in a government setting, comes with its advantages and challenges. For instance, it never fails to amaze me the volume of UCD professionals within the Home Office. It was a real community of brainiacs who continuously support each other across portfolios. On the other hand, we were still faced with an uphill battle in advocating the value of user-centred design in traditional project environments.
My biggest lesson
I think my 3 biggest lessons working as a user researcher were:
Ethical & Inclusive research practice should ALWAYS be at the forefront of every project.
Systems should reflect the needs of people that use it not the people that create it.
Building relationships with stakeholders can be a defining factor in whether your project is successful or not
Not everyone knows what user research is and how it can influence a project so you have to know to be inventive in how you engage people
I’m really excited to put some of these lessons to the test at Made Tech and get stuck into it all !
Theone