Leah Reich

Foundational research is critical to understanding users, their behaviors, and their needs. There’s no shortcut for it, and while it may seem like too much work up front, it can save time, money, and energy in the long run when teams are able to solve the right problems.

But foundational research isn’t just about gaining this deeper understanding. It’s also about thinking strategically: Why does the company need to understand this big question? How does it connect to other work? More importantly, foundational research should produce insights that are clearly actionable while still acknowledging a higher level set of product concerns.

In fact, foundational research is a way for cross-functional teams to build a shared language about their users – the best way to truly engage in user-driven development.

In her talk, Dr. Reich will provide an overview of strategic, foundational research that user researchers can incorporate into their own practice, bringing their cross-functional partners along with them.

Leah Reich, PhD is a user researcher and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She has over 15 years of experience in research and currently works at Instagram. Previously she worked at Spotify and before that was Slack’s first user researcher.

Leah is an accidental expert in podcast listener behavior despite not listening to many podcasts herself. She loves to tell a good story and cares deeply about helping people figure out better ways to communicate. Her cat has more followers on Instagram than she does.