Become wildly confident. Turn stakeholders into user research superfans who obsess over your insights.

For the user researcher ready to grab that next level of your career by the horns, my mentorship is the program where you get ME in your pocket* to help you through every single impostor syndrome-filled moment, terrifying presentation, unrealistic research project, unheard-of recruitment, frustrating stakeholder venting session, resume-wrangling journey, knee-shaking workshop…and everything in between so that you can be the most confident and awesome researcher you deserve to be.

*Literally, people have described it as me being their colleague / always there for them / wondering when I sleep or take holiday / obsessed with their work more than they are

Does your research process look like a puzzle that just got hit by a tornado? (and you’re like, haha, jokes on you, I don’t even have a research process)

Trying to define a research process at an organization can feel like mission impossible — without the big screen and popcorn 🍿 — especially if you’re trying to pretend to be uber-confident like James Bond while you juggle conducting research, educating stakeholders, reviewing (sh*tty) research plans, running workshops, and answering the big ol’ scary monster of a question:

AM I EVEN DOING THIS RIGHT?!*

*a completely normal question to ask

If this is you, wave that unread insight report in the air like you just don’t care that it died unread in a dusty Google Drive folder

📣 The whole pitching the value of research at your organization thing comes out like a 30-minute ramble of doom, leaving stakeholders staring blindly at you

😳 You’ve spent hours trying to figure out the perfect way to invite stakeholders to research / workshops / literally any meeting so they will actually come but end up alone

😱 If you have to beg your manager - who knows little to nothing about user research - for feedback, a promotion, or a pay rise one more time, you might scream (or maybe you already have)

😵‍💫 You sometimes stare at a blank page for hours, wondering how you will muster up the motivation to write another report that no one will read. (Or wonder if you will ever write a report because no one includes you in the process - like it’s back in school when we got picked for dodgeball)

🙅🏼‍♀️ You’ve tried to set up process after process but either everyone at your company is a rebel & rulebreaker or the process falls so flat you ignore it too

😰 You’re totally overwhelmed by perfection paralysis when it comes to any kind of research deliverable - from big reports to even the smallest slack message

🤬 Despite being the ONLY one with experience in research (actual experience), colleagues do their best to ignore your advice or, better yet, recommend their approach instead of yours

🦗 You would rather eat a cricket (maybe a chocolate-covered one, at least) than tackle this whole democratization of user research thing that everyone wants you to do, but you know no one is actually interested in putting the effort in

⁉️ And the worst part is the crippling self-doubt from impostor syndrome. The insecurities about your process and skills (what level am I after all?!) keep mounting up, and you question yourself on each decision, deliverable, method, interview session, and if you should even be a researcher to begin with because this seems way too difficult

A Cohesive, Brilliant Process Will Rev Your Confidence, Crank Research Up to 90mph & Make Stakeholders Line Up Around the Block—But Without Guidance & Feedback, the Same Person Doing the Same Work, With the Same Level of Talent, Will S-t-r-u-g-g-l-e 😾

Isn’t that a terrible truth?

Having consistent feedback and guidance is often the missing piece of the puzzle: it doesn’t matter what you do and how many million times you do it; if you aren’t sure how to improve, you’ll get on that hamster wheel for years — I’m still dizzy from my three-year rollercoaster ride without any guidance.

There are thousands of other researchers in your sphere who do the same thing as you, but do you know who will attract jobs, pay raises, shout-outs, promotions, and stakeholders?

The researcher who knows how to & continuously improves across their career.

When you have a process that you can get constant feedback on so that you can creatively experiment on, iterate, and improve, it produces an instant chain reaction: you gain more trust in your organization, you get stakeholders coming to you with requests, you get listened to and consulted for your expertise, you get more people attending research, you get your research turned from insights into beautiful solutions, you turn heads with your strategic impact, you get recognition for the work you do.

Your process does the heavy lifting for you🏋️‍♀️, but you need the feedback, support, and guidance to continue experimenting, iterating, and improving on that.

And you know what happens when you get that feedback?

  • Peer recognition for your work in celebrations or company-wide events

  • Higher likelihood of pay rises

  • Promotions or moving closer to the next step in your career

  • You get invited to speak, contribute, be on podcasts, and write for different research organizations

  • Your reach at an organization explodes with far less effort

  • Jobs that never seemed so remote they were in another universe entirely become something you can touch

These are all outcomes my mentees have experienced.

Great! Yes! Count Me In! I Need Feedback & Guidance on My Juicy Research Process! (Once I Figure Out What That Is, Ahem.)

Chances are you may have struggled with creating a research process in the past because:

  • You lacked support from your manager and stakeholders — and, while you tried with that hulk-effort, nothing seemed to stick

  • You don’t have a ton of experience setting up processes (YET!) so you aren’t entirely sure what goes into a research process…like, is it the value of UXR? The methods? The what?

  • Someone ignored you (no, not when you were a child, but that might not help) when you tried to create something like a research intake form and your entire process feels like it did a big old belly flop

  • Stakeholders literally screamed when you say the word process because “omg, agile doesn’t have processes and we need to be LEAN because we are SCRUM and processes take SO LONG.”

  • You have no idea where to start and you end up in the hamster wheel of wanting a process but procrastinating on said process because it is too overwhelming

  • You sit in OKR/KPI meetings in a blank daze wondering what’s going on and how you’re meant to track impact in your research process so someone actually gives a damn

  • You’ve taken a million and three stabs already (and somehow haven’t yet murdered anyone at work) but now you just feel like you are going in circles and couldn’t even trust yourself to tell the police your own name

When You’ve Got Mentorship, You’ve Got 1,000x More Research Horsepower

A research mentorship gives you the feedback and guidance you need to get you confident in your research process — not only for your current organization but also to stand out among the other researchers in the industry.

It’s colleagues automatically wanting to work with you without constantly sound-guessing your work or expertise. It’s stakeholders getting excited about doing user research. It’s insights on a roadmap making a real difference to your teams and to users (because that’s what it’s really about).

It’s stakeholders sitting in on research and synthesis sessions. It’s successful workshops that lead to super cool designs. It’s getting invited to speak on stage at conferences or through microphones on podcasts. It’s looking around and realizing there is now a team of awesome UXRs you could hire.

It’s feeling valued.

It’s being confident.

It’s fulfillment in your career.

It’s becoming a thought leader.

It’s having fun with research again.

INTRODUCING

(Finally!) Nail Your Research Process With The Support You Need & Have Fun With User Research Again

This six-month user research mentorship program (if you want to ask already, yes, you can extend, and YES, 85% of my students do) is designed specifically to help you get all the guidance and feedback you need to create a user research process that lands. (And that you are excited about, too!)

The entire mentorship is focused solely on you and any goal you want to achieve within our six months together. I work closely with you EVERY SINGLE DAY (barring weekends because we BOTH gotta live a little ✌️) during our six months together to give you all the feedback, guidance, and support you need to gain confidence as a user researcher and stand out from the crowd.

That means you can ask me any question — no one too big or small —, run any situation by me, submit any piece of work (yup, we use NDAs) including plans, interviews, resumes, presentations, case studies, emails, slack messages, literally anything so that you get immediate feedback on whatever you need.

Whether you are a freelancer, working at a start-up, working at the biggest corp in the world, completely alone, or surrounded by research peers, I am here to help you evolve as a user researcher (catch that Pokemon reference?! 😜).

Through our mentorship, I share with you all my skills and knowledge so that you get step-by-step guidance to help you get clarity on the value you bring as a user researcher, get through any sticky situation with stakeholders (or participants), craft that amazing research process that gets you recognized in the industry, and, most importantly:

Feel like the confident, b@d@ss user researcher that you deserve to be!

If you’re struggling on that hamster wheel, feeling stagnant in your career, not knowing how to improve or being overwhelmed with everything you could improve if you had feedback, this is what you have been missing.

After our wonderful 6 month mentorship together, you will have:

  • Your process finally nailed in a way that makes stakeholders so thrilled to work with you and makes your days as a researcher more enjoyable

  • A brilliant new way of defining your work & instantly communicating your value—without stammering, shuffling, or second-guessing yourself silly ✨

  • A refreshing new perspective on your own value as a UXR that’ll breathe new life into your mission & completely re-energize your career — who knew you could be excited about whiteboard challenges

  • Confidence that negates the knee-shaking and heart-pounding, and throat-closing nervousness that comes with a research request, interview, presentation, or workshop

  • A methodology toolkit that helps you conduct stellar, Earth-shatteringly amazing research, no matter what the ask — surveys? no problemo! card sorting? check! participatory design? bring it on!

  • The brain of a user researcher — gone are the days of being afraid of research problems or obstacles; you’ll be ready to (be the best, the very best, like no one ever was) approach any problem with empathy and curiosity, knowing the trick of “no, but…”

  • A resume and case study that you want to brag about from the rooftops because it’s just so. damn. good. No one will question your impact, instead, jaws will drop 😮

  • Ways to speak to your manager that resonate, especially if your manager isn’t a researcher. We take that awkward 1x1 and turn it upside down to be a useful time spend

  • A mindset reframe on how to work with stakeholders to get them to actually care about what you’re doing — no begging or groveling necessary!

  • An understanding that as user researchers, we are here to serve the business and much as the users — complete with a run-down on OKRs/KPIs/metrics and how exactly to apply them to your work for maximum impact

  • The ability to build and manage a team of researchers that you can then share your knowledge with and positively impact (that’s a hamster wheel I can get behind)

  • Killer brand positioning that strategically differentiates you in the user research space

  • Complete, unshakeable clarity about who you are as a researcher and what makes you awesome so you can go forward with confidence & killer instinct

Join me behind the scenes 👀

Here’s the breakdown

  • 12 one-hour, bi-weekly calls over a six month period, recorded and available forever on Dropbox so that you never struggle with making decisions or insecurities about your process

  • Weekly support and feedback over Clickup. You submit up to 3 pieces of work every week (think: research plans, interviews, surveys, team structure, presentations), and I give you personalized, continuous feedback. I also answer all of your questions as soon as they pop into your head so that you are never alone on your journey

  • Weekly reviews and check-ins via Clickup, including wins, lessons, and anything that came up during your week, so you have constant guidance and support

  • Access to over thirty editable templates that I’ve created and updated over the past nine years that can save you all the guesswork and “where to start” questions that I faced

  • BONUS ONE: Lifetime access to all of my current and new self-paced courses, including: Execution to Planning, Job Prep, User Research Mastery, Whiteboard Challenges

  • BONUS TWO: A 6-month free subscription to my User Research Membership

  • Concrete and actionable steps, advice, and homework to enable you to gain confidence and agency over all aspects of your user research career.

Your investment for six months: £9000

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

I’m Nikki 👋🏻

I once entered a bar as a normal graduate student and emerged as an aspiring user researcher. 

I first heard about user research at an NYC bar party way back in 2015, the year we had the seemingly never-ended debate on whether that dress was #blackandblue or #whiteandgold and also the year Google changed its logo for the first time since 1999.

I’d love to say, since becoming a user researcher, I haven’t looked back, but there were quite a few times when I seriously considered quitting to be an interior decorator or open my own bookstore (which my husband still has to tell me is a financially irresponsible idea). 

What gave me self-crippling doubt about user research?

I was so lonely as a UXR team of one that I practiced my presentations in front of the bathroom mirror at work rather than with colleagues.

My fingers nearly broke from the hours I spent googling “how to build a persona,” “what is an executive summary,” or “how to write insights that stakeholders will actually listen to and care about that will also get me promoted because all I do is work?” (The last one didn’t yield great results.)

Luckily something told me to keep on keeping on, and now people call me an “expert in the field” - someone once even called me a “legend.” I have written over 250 articles - I am attempting to wrangle them into a book, stay tuned - on user research, spoken at dozens of conferences, and upwards of fifty podcasts and events with super cool people and organizations such as UXPA, dscout, UXInsight, and Dovetail. I also spoke one-on-one with my idol, Indi Young, during a conference tech check, so I’m pretty thrilled.

The point is, I don’t want you to experience the crippling self-doubt and impostor syndrome I did.

I want you to:

⭐️ Stroll into that 1x1 interview with confidence rather than crossing your fingers (toes and eyes) that the participant will cancel 

⭐️ Facilitate that workshop so well that everyone’s buzzing about your insights, rather than calling in sick for the next six months until someone forgets about it

⭐️ Grab that promotion/pay rise you’ve been wanting for what feels like the past five years by the horns

So you can fall head over heels for this beautiful craft we call user research and have a blast doing it.

I’ve rallied hundreds of user researchers together, cheering them on and supernova-ing their careers so they are happy doing what they love: researching users.


PS: In my spare time, I carry around something called a Pokeball Plus to walk around with some of my favorite Pokemon (Charizard, Gengar, and Growlithe, if I have to name a few) in real life. I can play with them, too, by shaking the ball. I live in Jersey (not the new one, the old one that’s off the coast of France but has a bunch of British people who speak funny-sounding English) with my dog and two cats.

I can’t sing or dance, so no Slim Shady here

FAQs

  • Oh there sure is! If you are looking for support from me and a community, I would highly recommend you check out my amazing User Research Membership, where we can hang out together a few times a month + in a private community!

    • To support you – I’m on your team and my passion is to see you succeed. I’ll champion you and support you every step of the way

    • To be honest – even if it’s difficult or uncomfortable, I will always be straight with you.

    • To curate and tailor the information – you’re an individual with individual needs and the last thing you need is more information, you need the right information and the right actions for you

    • To make it fun – it can feel so heavy for so long and I’m here to make the process fun, light, and as easy as I can

    • A commitment to change – just turning up to the sessions is not enough. You have to commit to yourself to do the work and take responsibility for the outcome of the coaching.

    • A commitment to the session – turn up on time, take the opportunities when we’re together seriously, and be present in each session.

    • A commitment to the homework – take responsibility for the mutually agreed upon actions each session. Often the greatest learnings come in between sessions.

    • To be honest – even if it’s difficult or uncomfortable because it’s in this space that the greatest changes happen.

    • To challenge yourself – you can play it safe sure, but if you really want to grow then up your game. You’ll be amazed at how small changes make a BIG difference.

    • To have fun – this is your life, your career, your dreams, your journey. Enjoy it, embrace it, and have fun with it. Not everything will be serious, nor should it. Plus, laughing is good for both of us

  • The most common topics I explore with other students include but aren’t limited to:

    • Becoming more confident and comfortable with conducting generative and evaluative research 

    • Reviewing documentation for feedback, such as research plans, recruitment strategies, reports, and portfolios 

    • Understanding how to manage and speak to stakeholders in a way that helps you gain their buy-in and provide them with actionable user research insights

    • Articulating the value of user research as a whole, as well as properly sharing research projects in a way that is valuable for an organization

    • Defining your philosophy as a leader and developing strategies to show up as that leader

    • Getting clarity around your career goals, including where you are, where you want to go, and clear actionable steps to get there

    • Building and nurturing a user research team, no matter the size and scale

  • I sign an NDA with all of my students. I will never discuss or share your work with others.

  • SO MUCH ACCESS!!! I’M IN YOUR POCKET IN THE LEAST CREEPIEST WAY POSSIBLE!

    I am here to support you Monday-Thursday during working hours (9:00 am - 5:00 pm London time), except for global and United Kingdom/Jersey holidays.

    We will use ClickUp, Loom, and email to collaborate and communicate between our sessions. Whenever you have a question or need something to be reviewed, we will use these channels to communicate and ensure your work gets looked at as soon as possible. Generally, I respond to feedback the same day, but if not, you will get feedback within 24 hours of submission.

  • If you need to cancel a call, please aim to do so 24 hours in advance. Refer to your contract for how long you have to utilize your sessions before they expire. I can only accommodate 1 call with each client per week so it is your responsibility to schedule your calls and space them out in advance.

  • If more than two people from one company want to start a mentor relationship, please contact me at hello@userresearchacademy.com for special prices. If more than eight people want to get mentored, I would recommend speaking about a company-based workshop that focuses more on your specific struggles or questions.

  • Feel free to contact us at nikki@userresearchacademy.com for any questions that are not listed here!