Building a UX Research Workshop Like a Study

Practice what you preach.

Today I run the first pilot of BUILD Like A Pro, and I'm treating it like a study.

The backstory: researchers spend years learning to decide what's worth building. Then we hand the recommendation off to be designed, interpreted, and prioritized by others. Three handoffs, three places for the recommendation to die a quiet, lonely, sad death.

This workshop removes two of those barriers. In one working session, each attendee takes a single recommendation and builds something they can show: a short video, a clickable mockup, or a working web page. My hunch is they'll build more than one. Why? Because I've tried every single one multiple times and timed myself. Because I piloted the pilots.

No code, no design background required. They leave having built out a recommendation instead of describing it ONE MORE TIME. And waiting for others to act on it.

The course design didn't come from a whiteboard. It came from months of testing, a recent UXR Guild event (recording and field guide link in the comments), and a lot of watching: where people freeze, what stops them from starting, what makes them quit, and what actually produces something worth sharing, again and again. The sample projects, the choose-your-own-adventure format, the three mediums, and the extensive Build prompt library are all built around those friction points.

And because I can't help myself, of course, I'm measuring it. Pre and post feedback from each attendee, so cohort two is sharper than cohort one. I'm already mapping out a more advanced course. I may need to join a "builders anonymous" group. My design-turned-research career is coming full circle in this merge, and I couldn't be more excited about it!

Researchers: what's the one recommendation you wish you could have just shown someone, instead of explaining it AGAIN and AGAIN?

Today's group is set, and two spots just opened for Thursday. Come join us and see what all the fuss is about. Learn more in the comments.