Best GV FUNCTION Productions Podcasts (2025)

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#167 - Summer Throwback: Teresa Torres on Continuous Discovery Methods 42:26

11d ago42:26

42:26

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. This week brings back an evergreen conversation with Product Talk's Teresa Torres on continuous discovery methods. Since this episode first aired, more companies have brought non-researchers (such as Product Managers, Designers, and Developers) into th…

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#166 - Summer Throwback: Erika Hall on Why Surveys (Almost Always) Suck 43:35

25d ago43:35

43:35

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. This week features a conversation with Erika Hall on the misuses of surveys. They're overused, often shoddily designed, and can get in the way of a better approach for the question (which might include not doing research at all). This topic has only gr…

1
#165 - High Impact Research on Embedded Teams with Hannah Ghidey of Etsy 35:16

2M ago35:16

35:16

Embedded research teams—where UXRs are dedicated to a single product area—are popular. The proximity to design, product, and engineering stakeholders increases subject-matter expertise and user insight integration. But how can those working in this structure balance deep diving product-specific work with longer-term strategic opportunities? Hannah …

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#164 - UX Lessons from a Decade Researching AI with Jess Holbrook of Microsoft 49:29

2M ago49:29

49:29

Much of the conversation around AI in UX involves how it will shape and change researchers' work. Today's guest, Jess Holbrook, who leads UX research for Microsoft AI, has been thinking a lot about how this technology can be improved with design and UX best practices. Jess has spent over a decade working on the UX of AI at companies like Meta and G…

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#163 - Creating Mindful Product Experiences with Jay Vidyarthi of Still Ape 48:46

3M ago48:46

48:46

In this episode, Erin and Ben chat with Jay Vidyarthi, designer, author, and founder at Still Ape. Jay is a leading thinker around designing mindful product experiences. He's also published a new book, RECLAIM YOUR MIND, which examines the balance of technology use and mindfulness in our everyday lives. Jay shares his journey to working in the mind…

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#162 - Empowering PwDR Using Research Education with Daniel Gottlieb of Microsoft 48:37

3M ago48:37

48:37

Many research activities are completed by non-researchers, but whose work is benefited from user insights. Generally, these folks—designers, PMs, developers, among others—are called "PwDR" or "people who do research." In addition to their own work, many UX researchers and operations specialists are focusing on educating and empowering this group. W…

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#161 - Learn More Faster About Customers with Michael Margolis of GV 51:09

3M ago51:09

51:09

This episode is all about learning from customers...early and often. Our guest, Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), has made a career of helping teams do this successfully. He joins to share his Bullseye Customer Method, which is the result of his experience (it's also the subject of his latest book, "Learn More …

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#160 - Where Design Thinking Went Wrong with Brett Krajewski of Accelerant Research 44:12

4M ago44:12

44:12

In 2022, the UX community experienced a series of convulsions: layoffs, reorgs, and reduced budgets. A common thread throughout was accountability: user researchers faced frequent questions about their direct impact on and importance for the business. "Doing" UX research and "being" a design thinker was no longer enough. Today's guest believes thes…

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#159 - Building Cross-Functional Research Impact with Judy Xu of Salesforce 33:31

4M ago33:31

33:31

Creating strong stakeholder relationships is important for UX researchers at any company. Doing this at "enterprise" companies—large organizations with many products and an international footprint—can feel daunting. Our guest, Judy Xu, has successfully navigated the scale of enterprises like Hubspot, Meta, and Salesforce, where they work as a Senio…

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#158 - Leading Design as a Researcher with Emily Wurgler of McDonald's 44:17

5M ago44:17

44:17

Erin and Carol are joined by Emily Wurgler, Global Director of Experience Design at McDonald's, whose journey has had many moments of evolution and iteration. She started as an academic researcher in sociology, transitioned to innovation research at growth stage companies, and ultimately to her leading enterprise research and design teams. Emily ta…

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#157 - The Future of Design Collaboration with Andrew Hogan of Figma 41:09

5M ago41:09

41:09

Few companies are most closely associated with UX design right now than Figma, which not only helps designers get their work done, but serves as a bridge for others to get more involved in the process. Erin and Carol are joined by Andrew Hogan, Figma's Head of Insights, to explore the nature of collaboration today and how the structure of that coll…

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#156 - Change Management with Graham Gardner of U.S. Bank 35:44

6M ago35:44

35:44

Change is an important and inevitable part of developing as a user experience professional. But what does change look like when it happens at the organizational level? That is the focus of this episode, featuring Graham Gardner, VP of UX Design Research Operations at U.S. Bank. He joins Erin and Carol to talk about change management, which is the p…

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#155 - Exploratory Design Research with Will Notini of IDEO 40:17

6M ago40:17

40:17

The consulting firm IDEO helped pioneer "design thinking" as a way to create products that better solve customer wants and needs, creating fans. Over 30 years later, the interplay between design and research has never been more important. Will Notini joins to dig into that interplay—how research is at the heart of design and vice versa. In particul…

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#154 - Building the UX Team of Tomorrow with Brad Orego of Webflow 45:05

6M ago45:05

45:05

The craft of UX research is at an all-time high. How research leaders structure, staff, and scale their teams is more important than ever. Erin and Carol are joined by Brad Orego, Head of Research at Webflow, to talk all about the ways we can build better research teams. Brad shares their three-step process for creating a research practice that's r…

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#153 - Security-Minded UX with Caroline Morchio of Dashlane 33:55

11M ago33:55

33:55

In our Season 3 finale, Erin and Carol are joined by Caroline Morchio, Head of UX at Dashlane, a credential management platform. Their conversation explores UX research best practices at a security-minded organization like Dashlane, highlighting other what teams can bring to their own work. Caroline shares the ways she structures the UX team to sup…

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#152 - The Future of Research in Three Trends with Jo Widawski of Maze 43:05

11M ago43:05

43:05

Erin and Carol are joined by Jo Widawski, founder and CEO of Maze, to discuss the major findings from their "Future of User Research" report, which unearthed three trends animating researchers, PMs, and founders alike: 1) the demand for research is growing, 2) research democratization empowers stronger decision making, and 3) new technology—like ge…

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#151 - Improving Your UX Research Efficiency with Auzita Irani of AirBnB 54:47

12M ago54:47

54:47

Erin is joined by Auzita Irani, a research manager at AirBnB to discuss being a more efficient user experience researcher. In today's work world, resources—time, budget, headcount—always seem to be in limited supply. How can we balance these things along with other important elements of our research practices? Auzita has been thinking about "doing …

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#150 - The Future of UX Research with Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner 50:38

12M ago50:38

50:38

It's our 150th episode! To celebrate, we brought together three thought leaders for a discussion about UX research's future. Erin and Carol are joined by Judd Antin, Dave Hora, and Christiana Lackner, who bring over 40 years of combined experience in UX research, both as practitioners and leaders. This wide-ranging conversation combines our guests'…

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#149 - Research Tactics for Designers & PMs with Tyler Wanlass of CommandBar 51:26

1y ago51:26

51:26

In this episode, Erin and Carol sit down with Tyler Wanlass, lead product designer at CommandBar, to explore practical strategies for conducting user research without a dedicated research team. They dig into techniques that designers and product managers can use to gather valuable insights efficiently, especially in resource-constrained environment…

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#148 - Connecting Research to Revenue with Claudia Natasia of Riley AI 51:25

1y ago51:25

51:25

In this episode, Erin and Carol tackle one form of research impact growing in importance and necessity: revenue. Their guest is Claudia Natasia, co-founder and CEO of Riley AI. Before starting Riley, Claudia grew product teams at early-stage companies and worked in the financial industry. These experiences showed her the importance of linking user …

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#147 - UX Research in Healthcare with Nadyne Richmond 47:19

1y ago47:19

47:19

Erin and Carol explore the complexities of healthcare research with Nadyne Richmond, a healthcare design advisor with a background in big tech who pivoted to healthcare research a decade ago to tackle the pressing issues she saw in the system. Nadyne underscores the nuances of conducting user experience (UX) research within healthcare settings, unp…

1
#146 - Building a UX Research Team From Scratch with Julian Della Mattia of the180 49:10

1y ago49:10

49:10

Erin and special co-host Ben Wiedmaier are joined by Julian Della Mattia of the180 for a deep dive into being UX team-of-one. Julian has been the first user researcher at a number of companies and shares his top to-dos, milestones, and things to consider before accepting such a role. The episode digs into the ways a solo UXR can start making an imp…

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#145 - Kick-Start Creativity Using Desk Research with Victoria Sakal of Wonder 39:42

1y ago39:42

39:42

In this episode, Erin chats with Victoria Sakal, Head of Growth at Wonder, all about desk (or secondary) research—think web searches, checking internal resource libraries (like repositories), or interviewing colleagues. Desk research is a critical step when starting a new project. Victoria shares her framework for thinking about the differences bet…

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#144 - The Craft of Sample Sizes with Lauren Stern of WHOOP 46:46

1y ago46:46

46:46

In this episode, Carol and Erin dive into all things research sample sizes with Lauren Stern. No matter your experience with user research, you'll need to recruit folks, making this an evergreen topic. Lauren has coached both new-to-research and junior UXRs on this critical topic and she shares some of her best advice. Lauren shares importance cons…

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#143 - Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and FindOurView 40:40

1y ago40:40

40:40

Carol and Erin welcome George Whitfield, an expert in applying AI to the analysis of qualitative data. George discusses the intricate challenges of leveraging language models to interpret expansive open-ended data (like interview transcripts), emphasizing the importance of context and not just keyword or topic identification. They'll dig into the c…

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#142 - Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex 47:44

1+ y ago47:44

47:44

In this episode Carol and Erin are joined by Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design. They explore the world of measuring the impact of UX research. with Pryor introducing a four-level impact assessment framework. Ruby shares a four-level assessment framework and the conversation moves to prior…

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#141 - The Chaos Theory of Event Networking with Bryan Dosono of eBay 41:10

1+ y ago41:10

41:10

In this episode of Awkward Silences, Carol and Erin dive into the world of conference networking and planning with Bryan Dosono, a staff UX research lead at eBay known for his extensive experience curating and organizing conference programs. Bryan share insights on how to prepare for conferences such as using apps to schedule meetings and emphasizi…

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#140 - Should You Leave Academia? Advice for Researchers with Joe Stubenrauch 47:00

1+ y ago47:00

47:00

The decision to leave academia can be difficult. Often, it involves giving up a stable career path and a lifetime commitment to a particular field of study. But as Joe Stubenrauch explains, the move also offers researchers the opportunity to pursue new career paths, improve work-life balance and geographic flexibility, and reinvent their lives. And…

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#139 - Content Design and the Power of Simple Language with Erica Jorgensen 43:56

1+ y ago43:56

43:56

How often do you think about content design? The answer, most likely, is: “not enough”. The work of a Content Designer involves fitting the right words in the right places, understanding the nuances of things log in vs. sign in, and knowing the right words to use to engage customers. Content Design is an important part of the user experience—and th…

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#138 - Designers as Change Agents with Maria Giudice 43:26

1+ y ago43:26

43:26

“I realized that design is about helping people make sense of the world. And I looked at the world differently then… treating everything like a design problem that's solvable [...] [Design leaders today] don't use the power that we have to engage people, to activate people, to help them believe in something bigger than themselves.” Maria Guidice, a…

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#137 - Practical Strategies to Foster Customer Obsession with Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin 41:23

1+ y ago41:23

41:23

What company isn’t “customer obsessed”? Well, a lot, as it turns out. That’s not for lack of caring—but building a customer-centric culture is easier said than done. And how you do this depends on whether you’re starting from square one or trying to change a company’s culture from the inside. According to Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin…

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#136 - Designing Generative AI at Notion with Linus Lee 45:29

1+ y ago45:29

45:29

AI is a big part of Notion's strategy for the future of knowledge work, and they're exploring ways to use AI to make people's lives easier. Linus Lee, a Research Engineer at Notion, spends his time researching and learning about AI—how users interact with it, the challenges of building trustworthy AI systems, and its - potential to help people work…

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#135 - How to Influence Stakeholders with Strategic Research with Andrea Amorós, Associate Principal Researcher at ADP 45:26

2y ago45:26

45:26

“I think people really connect when you are just genuine and not transactional. I think it's much more easy to get to those kind of opportunities because they just feel genuine.” According to Andrea Amorós, Associate Principal Research at ADP, giving research a seat at the big table is all about building meaningful connections with the people you’r…

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#134 - The End of an Era: A Fond Farewell to JH 22:53

2y ago22:53

22:53

134 episodes. That’s how long Awkward Silences has been going with Erin and JH as hosts. But now it’s time for something new. JH says goodbye to Awkward Silences as he kicks off a new chapter in his career. Today, he and Erin reflect on the years. They share a bit of the original background to the podcast, their favorite memories, and even some beh…

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#133 - Driving Actionable Decisions from Insights with Pejman Mirza-Babaei, UX Research Consultant 47:35

2y ago47:35

47:35

As a researcher, you know the value of using research to drive business decisions—but other stakeholders might not. In order to drive action from research, you need to create alignment with key decision-makers and the research you do. Pejman Mirza-Babaei joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss how to transform research insights into actionabl…

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#132 - Unveiling UX Insights with Competitive Research with Rachel Miles, Research Lead at IBM 41:55

2y ago41:55

41:55

Competition can be scary. But in UX, competitive research is insightful. You don’t want to chase your competitors, but you need to know what they are doing to know how you can improve. Rachel Miles joins the Awkward Silences podcast to discuss the value of competitive research in UX and design. As the UX research lead at IBM, Rachel integrated comp…

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#131 - Designing Beyond the Product: Systems Thinking with Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial 48:24

2y ago48:24

48:24

In design and UX research, context is king. Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s a part of a wider ecosystem of stakeholders, beneficiaries, and more. Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial, recognized a clear gap in design methods that only addressed the individual user and the immediate product benefits: designing beyond the pr…

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#130 - The Art of Great Facilitation for Better Collaboration with Marsha Acker, Founder and CEO of TeamCatapult 51:55

2y ago51:55

51:55

There are 6 key qualities for great facilitation: Starting with your core beliefs Maintaining neutrality Standing in the storm Honoring the wisdom of the group Upholding the agile mindset Honoring the group’s agenda According to Marsha Acker, Founder, and CEO of TeamCatapult, “The job of facilitator is not to become the agile process police that sa…

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#129 - How to Upskill Product Teams in UX Research with Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist 43:46

2y ago43:46

43:46

How can UX researchers enable other teams to do research? Show, don’t tell. According to Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist, upskilling product people to do research means letting them observe, sit in, and be present during each stage of a research project—not just being told what to do. Helen went from doing scrappy research with 0…

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#128 - The Value of “Scrappy” Research with Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder of Apple and Banana 40:28

2y ago40:28

40:28

What does good “scrappy” user research look like? According to Varun Murugesan, Co-founder of Apple and Banana, “You could throw anything at Jason Bourne and he would solve it... Would it be effective? [Yes—and] that's what I think about. I don't need all the fanciest tools or software.” Being good at scrappy user research is like being the Jason B…

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#127 - The Power of Failure with Kevin Kelly, Publisher and Founding Editor of Wired 45:22

2y ago45:22

45:22

“There’s a certain amount of forgetting that we need to do in order to learn something new.” – Kevin Kelly, Founding Editor of Wired magazine Whether you are designing a research project, prototyping a product, or carving out your career path, unlearning plays an important role in learning new things. But how do we embrace them in a practical way t…

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#126 - AI Anxiety: The Dangers (and Opportunities) of AI in Research with Mike Adams of Grain 39:49

2y ago39:49

39:49

AI has recently become hugely popular with the likes of ChatGPT becoming a staple in day to day life, and it looks like it is here to stay. Could it replace the job of a researcher completely? Mike Adams, CEO and Founder of Grain doesn’t think so. Join the conversation as they discuss the potential perks and limitations of utilizing AI in research …

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#125 - What is UX Business Coaching? with Sylvana Rochet of Elan Vital Coaching 42:40

2y ago42:40

42:40

Sylvana Rochet, Founder and Principal Coach at Elan Vital Coaching, visits the show to discuss what UX business coaching entails and how to maximize your professional growth opportunities with business coaching. Sylvana shares her past experiences coaching in the world of UX so you can learn what to expect from business coaching, how coaching works…

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#124 - Defining a Research Strategy with Devin Harold of Capital One 55:58

2y ago55:58

55:58

A solid UX research strategy serves as the compass that guides research ops and helps ensure repeatable success. But how do you envision, create, and execute a strategy that helps you achieve your goals in the most effective way possible? In this episode of Awkward Silences, Devin Harold, Director of Research at Capital One, unpacks how to craft an…

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#123 - The Power of Atomic Research with Daniel Pidcock of Glean.ly 43:36

2y ago43:36

43:36

Maintaining a huge insights repository can be overwhelming. It’s even more difficult to extract the right insights from research findings. Atomic research is an approach developed concurrently by Tomer Sharon and Daniel Pidcock to manage and break down research knowledge to their smallest modular form. This week on Awkward Silences, Daniel Pidcock,…

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#122- Exploring UX Research Career Options with Marieke McCloskey of LinkedIn 42:51

2y ago42:51

42:51

What are the best UX career options? How do you vet a potential employer to ensure it’s the right fit? Should you join a smaller firm that offers plenty of autonomy and flexibility, or does it make more sense to work for a larger company with a ton of resources? Erin, JH, and Marieke McClosky, Director of UX Research at LinkedIn, address these ques…

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#121 - The UX files: Top Moments from YouX 2023 35:06

2y ago35:06

35:06

YouX 2023 is a wrap! No big deal, just us and 3500 other UX-obsessed friends. The half-day virtual event featured breakout sessions and presentations conducted by some of the brightest minds in UX, who covered a number of topics from personal wellness and professional growth to work-life balance and community. We’d like to thank everyone who attend…

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#120- Building a Healthy Research Culture with Mike Oren of Klaviyo 41:20

2y ago41:20

41:20

Whether you are a team of one or one hundred, cultivating a healthy research culture starts with strong leadership. Strong leadership encourages UXR teams to promote better research practices across teams and manage healthy conflict. But what does a healthy company culture look like IRL? And how do you promote best practices throughout the organiza…

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#119 - It’s Not Research, It’s You! with Holly Hester-Reilly of H2R Product Science 53:34

2+ y ago53:34

53:34

In this episode of Awkward Silences, Erin May and John-Henry Forster are joined by Holly Hester-Reilly, CEO and Founder of H2R Product Science. They delve into how research can go wrong, how bad research processes can give research a bad reputation, and how the methodology and timeline of your research can complement each other. Holly also outlines…

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#118- The Product Launch Playbook with Derek Osgood 46:47

2+ y ago46:47

46:47

According to Derek Osgood, it takes a "great product and product marketing collaboration" to get people to adopt products. But with such a small window of opportunity and many moving parts, it's easy to get it wrong. So how do massively successful brands execute a winning product launch? Join Erin and JH as they welcome guest Derek Osgood, CEO of I…

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