Nikki, a former clinical psychology student turned user experience researcher, was inspired by Esther Perel’s podcast “Where We Begin” to create her own Dear Nikki podcast. She was fascinated by the live counseling sessions Perel conducted with couples, but one day, Perel introduced a new format where people could call in and record a question for her, and she would give them live advice. This sparked an idea in Nikki’s mind to create a podcast where people could submit anonymous questions, and she could answer them in a more personal way.
Nikki realized that many people had similar questions, and creating a podcast where she could answer multiple questions at once would be a great way to spread her knowledge. Thus, “Dear Nikki” was born. The podcast has become a hit, providing a platform for people to seek advice and learn from Nikki’s experiences.
Nikki says she has received a wide range of questions. She enjoys the variety of tasks that user research involves and appreciates the diversity of inquiries she receives. Although she doesn’t get too many repeat questions, she has noticed a trend in questions related to stakeholder management and engagement, such as “how do I get my stakeholders to listen to me?” or “how do I better collaborate with stakeholders?”
The biggest hope for her podcast is to make user researchers feel less alone in their journey. The field of user research can be lonely, especially if you are a team of one. The podcast highlights that everyone is going through similar struggles, and that no one is alone in their experience.
Another key takeaway is to increase confidence and reduce imposter syndrome.
