Research Practice

When Gregg reached out to me about this project in 2017, he had an outline—a seed of a book that sprouted from a popular talk he gave at conferences. We were strangers then, but he had worked with people I trusted and had spent time with my work before reaching out. Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have taken a freelance project back then. I was early on in my parenting journey, grappling with political upheaval at work, and in the middle of uprooting from New York. I mentioned my wobbly toddler and unpredictable availability, but he hired me anyway, so we started collaborating on the book.

When I asked him what he was looking for in an editor, he said: “Someone who can alert me to areas I need to explore, keep me from going into the weeds, and read with sharp eyes.” He brought a hearty seedling and I brought a knife. Luckily, the timing worked out for both of us.

We talked about book shapes, book goals, and what he did and didn’t like about books that would sit on the shelf beside his. I knew he wanted to be less prescriptive than other titles—there’s not one right way to do user research. We met regularly, monthly at first and more frequently as time went on. The outline changed and changed again. By the end of the first year, I decided to apply to Vox Media where Gregg and other friends worked at the time. I didn’t plan it this way, but what a gift it was to be peers and advisors for each other for 2.5 years. I got to advise Gregg on the book, and he leveled up my research skills on every project.

As part of developmental editing, Gregg decided to bring more voices and perspectives into the book. He interviewed other researchers, posted a survey to the community, and collected essays from contributors. I reviewed the questions and contributions, and then honed in on the arc and flow of the chapters. My goal was to honor the diversity of voices and perspectives from the UX community without losing sight of Gregg’s invaluable insights, warmth, and narrative style. We worked closely through structural editing, line editing, and proofreading, and put the finishing touches on the book.