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JUNE 09 2022 - 06:28 - SEASON 1 EPISODE 1

Joy Wambui Taracha 🧪 Antara Health


Episode Description

Joy Wambui Taracha, UX Researcher at Antara Health. She enjoys discovering various people's perspectives on how they see the world and consequently how they use products. Antara is the only virtual-first healthcare provider in Kenya. They brings its members' personalized care through health navigation. Members have an assigned healthcare professional and access to numerous specialists through the app that will walk them through every step of their healthcare journey.

Highlights, inspiration, & key learnings:

  • Research is about understanding users: Research should be focused on discovering user needs and obstacles rather than relying on personal assumptions. (00:23)
  • Preparation is crucial for research: Even experienced researchers need to prepare for user interviews to avoid missing key information. (00:53)
  • User research is a specialized skill: While anyone can contribute to research, user researchers bring unique expertise and should be valued for their skills. (01:42)
  • Strong research planning is essential: Effective research starts with careful planning and organization. (03:14)
  • Embrace flexibility in research: Researchers should be adaptable and willing to adjust their approach based on changing circumstances. (04:08)

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Where to find Joy Wambui Taracha:

Where to find the show:

Where to find Lewis Kang'ethe Ngugi:

The Full Transcript

Lewis Kang'ethe (00:00):

Joy Wambui, thank you so much for being available for these exclusive questions in our new podcast called The 7minute Product Master Series. And what I do is ask seven big questions to brilliant product people like you. In Question number one, give me a brief description or definition of research.

Joy Wambui (00:23):

So my definition of research: research means putting away personal assumptions and perceptions in order to have an open space to learn and discover for people what they need most and what prevents them from getting it.

Lewis Kang'ethe (00:38):

Thank you. Thank you very much. That's really deep. And so to the point, the second question is, what's the biggest research mistake you've ever made? And what did you learn?

Joy Wambui (00:53):

That's a good read. So going into a user interview unprepared, I've learned that no matter how long I've been in the industry, or how many times I've conducted research, there's never going to be a time where I don't need to prepare, because I can't just get into an interview and just bring it. So it will be a colossal failure. So I'll end up just like the key talking points, and generally not getting the information that I wanted at the end of the day. So yeah

Lewis Kang'ethe (01:25):

Yeah, that's true. People just need to be prepared before they talk to users. Yes. Yes. So question number three. So what's the one piece of common wisdom and common wisdom is in quotes, air quotes that you disagree with? And why?

Joy Wambui (01:42):

This is a tough word. And I also get interesting comments on this. The idea that absolutely anyone can do research. I think for me, I totally disagree with that. Okay, let me let me not say to you maybe kind of agree with that. Because I believe that there's a reason why we have user researchers, because user researchers are dedicated like They dedicate their careers to learning the ins and outs of doing proper research. So it's not just about talking to people or creating questionnaires. It's a whole discipline. We need to figure out the right questions to ask which research methods to use to answer those questions best, when to do research, and why we're doing research. So I believe we sort of cheapen the discipline when we think that absolutely anyone can do it. There are aspects that people, other people who are not researchers can get involved with. But it shouldn't completely negate the need to have a user researcher because there's a reason why they're there.

Lewis Kang'ethe (02:52):

Yeah. Well, yes. That's a really heavy one. Expect comments from that. But thank you for being honest about it. Yeah, so question number five. So what's working best in your research process right now?

Joy Wambui (03:14):

What's working best? I think my research planning has been pretty tight so far. Yeah, that's what I can say is worth investing in.

Lewis Kang'ethe (03:21):

Thank you. And so now what question number, I'm guessing six or five? I think most of the points that you mentioned. Not everyone can do research. But this next question. So what's the best research or business advice you've ever received? And why?

Joy Wambui (03:43):

Don't believe your Hi. It just helps to stay grounded and not be too comfortable in where we are mad. So just to keep learning and keep growing my craft. So yeah, don't believe your hype. Thank you.

Lewis Kang'ethe (04:01):

Let's try number six. What's the one thing every researcher should learn?

Joy Wambui (04:08):

How to Grow the floor? I think one of the things that I've realized is in this industry is that there's so many changing variables when it comes to user research, since we're always dealing with people, both users and stakeholders. So we can't afford to stay rigid. We always have to be willing to, you know, change the flow and just go with the flow.

Lewis Kang'ethe (04:33):

No, yeah, definitely people should be going with the flow. Thank you for that. And then now to the last question, what's the one thing you have learned about yourself recently that changed the way you work?

Joy Wambui (04:47):

I learned that I tend to just want to be a perfectionist, and it makes me procrastinate sharing, like documentation in front of Instant stakeholders because I wanted to be presentation ready. But I've learned that sometimes it's actually just easier and better to share whatever imperfect work that's still in progress. Knowing that there's room for iteration just saves time in case of any changes that need to be made. That will also help than just communicating those insights without having to wait for a grant meeting or unplanned events, like just sort of sharing as you go. It just helps get things moving. So yep.

Lewis Kang'ethe (05:40):

Wow. Thank you. Definitely. Yeah. I would say that's also a challenge for me as well there. Be a perfectionist. Yeah, but the most important thing is just having the first draft. Yeah. Well, Joey, thank you very much for answering these exclusive questions. You have really helped us into getting insights