Bridging Bytes and Behavior: Fatimah’s Path to UX Excellence
Brandon: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. This will be a recording for the Black UXR blog, and your insights will be incredibly valuable. But I want to start with your background. So, how did you first get into UX research?
Fatimah: As a Computer Science undergraduate at Tuskegee University, my only exposure to usability was within the realm of Web Development. At that time, User Experience (UX) was not as recognized or defined as it is today. Once I graduated I started to explore the nuanced roles in Software Development, and a good friend, a student in Graphic Design introduced me to a 'new’ field called Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the study of how people interact with technology. I knew this was for me, it reminded me of the futuristic technology careers I imagined as a geeky kid studying computer science in high school.
Fortunately, Tuskegee University appointed its first HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) professor, Dr. Cynthia Lester. As an African American woman with a background in software and design at IBM, she has previously introduced HCI and Ethical Software Development at multiple academic institutions. This appointment was not merely an introduction to HCI in formal studies; it was also a gateway to understanding the hard work and discipline required for an African American woman to succeed in a STEM field. This is something I'll forever be grateful for, both on a personal and professional level.
Pictured below. Dr. Cynthia Y. Lester, now Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Georgia State University.
From there I studied on my own, entered a graduate program and it’s been a match made in heaven ever since! So I credit my good friend for introducing me to the “career love of my life” (laughs), and Dr. Lester for refining my academic pursuits.
Brandon: Very cool. So was it just your personal interest in humans and being a geeky kid? I'm sure, I'm sure most of the people reading this can relate to being geeky kids. Lord knows I was. Were there any specific experiences with human computer interaction that really sparked
your interest?
Fatimah: I felt constrained following a set of software requirements without thinking critically about its impact. So I went on an academic and personal journey to critically reflect on my interest, and professional abilities. It was during my graduate studies in Human Factors, Applied Anthropology and Ethnography that really sparked an interest in the “human” side of computers. By this time, User Experience (UX) or Usability started to emerge, and I found it afforded me the ability to evaluate complex questions and apply that to software development.
Brandon: I’d love to hear about your early experiences in UXR. So can you tell me about the first projects you were on, or the first companies you worked with? Because a lot of people reading this are looking to get their start into UXR and try to understand what it's going to be like when they actually start doing the work.
Fatimah: My first 2 projects were my primary role in web development / database management, and a secondary role I created and advocated for - an apprenticeship role in HCI.
The database project was a traditional programming job after obtaining a Computer Science degree.
The second role I created. I identified the founder of the Usability Labs at Lockheed Martin Dr. Bob Remington. Turns out he was retiring, and needed a research assistant and began an “apprenticeship” role. My activities included:
setting up, monitoring lab equipment
editing tasks for usability protocols, executing introduction, and building rapport.
note-taking.
It was fascinating and fun to see as a newbie in the field, especially because at that point i’d only experienced traditional computer programming perspectives. Having that lab training also gave me a deep appreciation for Research & Lab Operations needed to enable research studies. The apprenticeship approach turned out to be much more valuable in the long run as a pragmatic way to gain experience with research methods.
Pictured below. Me and Dr Robert Remington in the Usability Lab at Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
Brandon: You mentioned that a more experienced researcher gave you some books. Do you have any specific books, articles, or any other resources that you found particularly helpful?
Fatimah: The books most gifted to me and ones I discovered on my own focus on both the craft of user research, and also user advocacy and stakeholder management.
HCI/User Research Craft Books:
“Handbook of Human Computer Interaction” comprehensive overview of the field of HCI.
“Understanding Your Users” It breaks down the entire process of some major methods, with a timeline and materials needed.
“Designing with the Mind '' It gives a good overview of the psychology principles and how they apply to design.
101 Design Methods and 125 Universal Design Methods: I often joke that researchers have over 100+ methods. These method books include one pagers that organize methods across the UX lifecycle, research and team activities.
User advocacy and stakeholder management books:
Influence without Authority: you’ll constantly be influencing stakeholders to plan and respond to research.
Product Roadmap Relaunched: This is actually a book I give to others, it’s about breaking up with bad product roadmaps, and tactics to build better ones.
Building for Everyone: This is a pivotal book by Google’s Product Inclusion Director at Google, Annie Jean-Baptiste. Ultimately as a UXR you’re on the front line of making the development lifecycle less biased, this is the case and practical guidance for doing that.
Brandon: Speaking of bias, have you experienced any, and how has your identity as a black researcher shaped your career path and experiences?
Fatimah: Unfortunately, my story is no different than those you read in articles from other employees who identify as black; it shows up as being undervalued, poor or inappropriate feedback, contempt and double standards. At its worst it can be traumatizing. I commend everyone who courageously speaks up about their experiences in the workplace, it may feel like a professional risk. Bias is a part of being human, but so is being hurt by it. I think it’s important to note that, and to also note that I've experienced bias from different types of people - it’s a mindset and character issue,, as I began to take on more Senior and leadership roles this appeared to heighten in a violent way.
Personally I learned quickly in my career to navigate the unique, yet frequent experiences by focusing on what I can control:
improving my mental and emotional health. Healthy coping mechanisms and character building go a long way.
discerning between petty chatter, not every battle is worthy of my time, and constructive criticism. Check out the following article Find the Gold in Toxic Feedback
get to know my company policies and formal HR support.
Humor - it’s one of my favorite coping mechanisms, it works for me (laughs).
You know growing up in Atlanta, there is a confidence in our culture. You know, you're a Morehouse man, right? You know exactly what I'm talking about (laughs). There is a fierce unapologetic existence, our black identity is empowered from birth! I also grew up with brothers in the military, and learned a lot from their bravery. I never see it as a disadvantage to me, as much as a reflection of someone else’s character and weakness. As long as I can keep making sure I check in with myself to heal, cultivate the right mindset and the right support system, I've always recovered quickly and felt very empowered by my Black Identity. When you remain focused, faithful and fierce, the nonsense starts to become background noise.
Brandon: I completely resonate with you, especially when you talk about the background because yes, I went to Morehouse, and I'm from Baltimore originally so I’m very used to Black spaces where I felt empowered and also supported. I feel like I have that superpower too because no matter what people may say to me or how they may treat me as a Black man, I have that innate pride in myself. They can’t take that away from me. But I also wanted to ask you about moving to the Bay Area, and especially to San Jose. It was a big culture shock from me because I moved from DC to San Jose, which is 2% Black. So on top of just having the struggle of being the only Black researcher, I would leave work and still barely see any other Black people. A lot more companies around the area hire a lot of UX researchers, and more and more of these companies have returned to in office work. For Black researchers, moving to Silicon Valley might be necessary for their careers. Do you have any suggestions for people who may have to move there and adjust to that environment?
Fatimah: Yeah, you actually described it just right. It is definitely a major culture shock from Atlanta and DC. There, it would be so silly to question us about our hair, our voice, you know - our existence because we’re so plentiful and varied in those environments. So getting those silly questions initially was annoying like, like 4-5 years to get over (laughs) yes, 5 years.
Here are few things I did to help me adapt and transition:
Joined the local groups with similar interest, alumni groups.
Embraced Oakland and its diverse culture of activism.
Leaned on the black church for community. It has that unique purpose, still in the black community and I grew so much.
Being in graduate school, and constantly taking courses, especially local community courses.
Joined hiking clubs focused on Black folks outdoors, exploring California's natural beauty.
Stopped comparing California to Atlanta (laughs)
After a while I learned to turn some things into a learning experience for me and for others, not everyone, and there’ still boundaries, and everyone’s boundaries are different. I wrote a poetry book inspired by this journey and California's natural beauty, titled “Wildflowers” - if you’re into poetry.
Brandon: Support is so key to adaptation. Speaking of which, in your view, what can the UX research field do better in supporting Black practitioners?
Fatimah: I feel like the UX industry puts a lot of analytical thinking into really, really complex problems and complex user issues. We do this well with users, so we already have the tools.
First, Understanding is a key part of the UX process, but how much of that process are we applying to our interactions with teammates from diverse backgrounds, and why does it become a complex task to support another human?
Second, Leaders incentivize the behavior you want to see. So if the culture needs to improve supporting team members, create workplace routines that reinforce that.
Again, we already have the tools.
Brandon: So, right now, the job market in UXR is not great. What advice would you have for young or more junior black professionals who are interested in getting into UX research?
Fatimah: When I started, UX was not defined, but now it’s a saturated market. Networking is key. You know, having forums like this one, I imagine you see it as starting to build a community as well. These forums will start to bring all of us to this area. Like The Yard at HBCUs (laughs). So Connect! Connect! The reason why I love platforms like LinkedIn is because now it's cool to professionally go find and reach out to people. You just click on people, you get inspiration about career paths, career strategies, and who knows maybe an opportunity. However, caution, don’t ask people to do the work for you when you’re a complete stranger. Build reasonable, appropriate, professional relationships.
Look at your research toolkit beyond UX and design roles. In the future, I think user research will need to broaden our view of user research projects. Look beyond design and product but enablement, operations, business and analyst roles. UX Outloud has a lot of great career strategies! I recently joined Eniola Abioye for a fireside chat on Transitioning into UXR, with Jasmine Williams, Ph.D.
Consider emerging tech to help with creative brainstorming alongside your career strategy. Don’t look at just the skills you’ve acquired thus far, also imagine what you want to become, and understand the career strategy at that level too - to ensure you’re developing a growth mindset.
Brandon: So what changes would you like to see companies make to better attract support and then retain Black UXR talent?
Fatimah: I think experts are needed in this space to help everyone who cares to broaden the lens on how they’re viewing strategies to retain Black UXR, and I'm no expert. I do want to amplify a recent expert, Dr. Jen Wells, Her team shared an infographic that went viral on Black Women Employee Lifecycle. It’s a great visual strategy for the employee experience and building on it, ideation, and solutions. Also, a really great way of informing a company on how to support different identities. UXR leadership could look to these experts and life cycles to create more meaningful people strategies. Awareness goes a long way toward action, and ultimately results.
Brandon: Is there anything else that you'd like to share about your experiences or perspectives on making UX research more inclusive?
Fatimah: You know Anaïs Nin said: “We are going to the moon that is not very far. Man has so much farther to go within himself.” This reminds me of how us humans can solve complex technical problems like sending humans to the moon while ignoring humanity at the same time. Inclusion is about humanity, and even if it's a complex, difficult topic that’s never stopped humans from accomplishing extraordinary achievements before.
Brandon: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. Just as a note for people reading this Fatimah will definitely be doing more for the blog, so look forward to her continued support!
Disclaimer: Please note that this article has been updated from an earlier version. The comments and opinions expressed herein are solely those of Fatimah, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any companies or organizations with which Fatimah is affiliated.
