Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4gFlEVz ----------------------- Rate Insights Unlocked and write a review If you appreciate Insights Unlocked, please give it a rating and a review. Visit Apple Podcasts, pull up the Insights Unlocked show page and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Below the trailers, you'll find Ratings and Reviews. Click on a star rating. Scroll down past the highlighted review and click on "Write a Review." You'll make my day. ----------------------- Episode Summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Nathan Isaacs chats with Kuldeep Kelkar, partner at UXReactor, seasoned UX researcher, and author of Strengthen Your User Research Superpowers. Kuldeep shares his journey through 25+ years in user research, his experiences shaping the industry, and how his new book is designed to empower researchers to amplify their influence within organizations. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The evolution of user research from a niche function to a critical part of product development. Key challenges faced by UX researchers, including gaining influence, communicating value, and driving business impact. How Kuldeep’s book provides practical, actionable skills in the form of "superpowers" to help researchers navigate these challenges. Why addressing sample size questions can be an opportunity to educate and build credibility. Highlights: Kuldeep’s Career Journey: From being one of the first researchers at PayPal in 2004 to his leadership role at UX Reactor. About the Book: Kuldeep’s book is structured like a deck of 52 cards, each focused on strengthening specific "superpowers" researchers need to succeed. Favorite Superpower: Learn why "sample size" is a topic Kuldeep now approaches with confidence and excitement. AI in UX Research: Insights into how AI tools like ChatGPT are being integrated into research and design processes, and the current limitations of AI-driven efficiencies. Industry Trends: Discover how budget constraints and resource cuts are influencing organizations’ approaches to UX and the growing demand for outsourced expertise. Customer Feedback in Action: A surprising story of how Kuldeep’s advice helped a client rethink usability testing timelines. Rapid-Fire Fun: Kuldeep shares his favorite word ("research"), a dream career (astrophysicist), and what role he’d take in a restaurant (chef—despite not cooking!). Memorable Quote: "The biggest challenge for researchers isn’t conducting research—it’s gaining influence and driving outcomes within their organizations." – Kuldeep Kelkar
Full Episode
Welcome back to the Insights Unlocked podcast. In this episode, recorded live at the Human Insights Summit back in October, I sit down with Kaldib Kalkar, partner at UX Reactor and author of Strengthen Your User Research Superpowers. We explore Kaldib's journey in user research, how his book empowers researchers to drive real impact, and his take on the evolving role of AI in UX. Enjoy the show.
Welcome to Insights Unlocked, an original podcast from User Testing, where we bring you candid conversations and stories with the thinkers, doers, and builders behind some of the most successful digital products and experiences in the world, from concept to execution.
All right, we should get started, so we're going to run out of time otherwise. Okay. So, hey, welcome everyone. Thank you for attending. I am Nathan Isaacs. I'm a Senior Content Production Manager at User Testing. I produce our podcast, the Insights Unlocked. You can find it on your favorite podcast player. And with us today is Khaldip Kalkar.
Khaldip, can you tell us about who you are and what you do?
Yeah, so name is Kuldeep Kalkar. And as the book says, I recently published a book called Send Then Your User Research Superpowers. I'm a partner at a company, a boutique design and research agency called UX Reactor. Full disclaimer, I used to be part of UserZoom user testing for almost eight years. I left user testing UserZoom almost a year ago, took some time off, wrote the book.
I'm glad I got to finishing the book. I had thought about this for a long, long time. I was one of the first researchers at PayPal way back in 2004. Back when there was no user zone, there was no user testing, user research essentially meant research in the lab. That's pretty much it. Only a handful of companies had user researchers.
Interestingly, I was also told early on in my career that maybe only a handful of companies might have this user research thing. I'm glad I stuck around because that's clearly not the case. So amazing to see 500 people out here. And I got started as we were talking about in the field of user research through my master's program way back in 98 at Clemson University.
Still a Clemson Tigers fan and still follow college football. Well, we won't hold that against you. Tell me about the book too. So it's strengthening your user research superpowers. If I'm going to read the book, what am I getting out of the book?
Yeah. So in the last 25 years, I've seen researchers generally not struggle with conducting research. but struggle with influence, struggle with product or technology or getting a seat at the table or influencing the outcome of the product. And over and over and over and over again, I have heard researchers talk about these challenges. And so when I was thinking of writing a book,
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