WORKSHOP:

You can’t talk to me like that: How to Become a Better Interviewer

+ With Aras Bilgen                                                          + Language Turkish

Observing and talking to the users is the most fundamental practice for user research. Nothing creates more insights than observing actual users work on a task, hearing their feelings, needs, concerns first-hand, and experiencing a part of their world together right next to them.

From outside, interviewing looks like two people going over a list of questions. In reality, interviewing is like high-speed skiing on a high snowy peak – it requires constant attention of the interviewer, constant course correction, constant self-awareness, and it can quickly get out of control with disastrous results before you realize.

In this workshop we will cover basics of research planning and delve into detail about planning and executing interviews. We will talk about the conversational and emotional dynamics between the interviewer and the interviewee, and discuss cognitive biases, social roles and other factors that impede with clear understanding. We will go through a brief exercise to experience these dynamics first-hand, and share short-term and long-term development plans that will help you become a better interviewer.

Who is Aras Bilgen

Aras Bilgen leads the core UX team in Garanti Bank, a BBVA joint-venture in Turkey. His team of 30 designers and developers work on a broad range of areas from mobile apps, web sites, ATMs to enterprise software, discovery, and long-term strategic research.

Prior to joining Garanti, he was the product director for Çiçeksepeti, the largest flower and gifting site in the world. Before ÇiçekSepeti, Aras was a Product Development Group Manager at Monitise, where his team of product managers and designers delivered top-notch digital experiences for leading financial institutions and e-commerce sites, such as İşBank, Visa, eBay, Turkcell and Turkish Airlines. He was a UX planner at Intel where he led the UX planning for Tizen (with Samsung), worked on MeeGo (with Nokia) and adapted Intel’s brand identity system for the software products.

Previously, he was at Microsoft Research, where he developed a gestural system for interacting with displays remotely. He completed similar research efforts at the University of California, Irvine and Lancaster University, UK.

Aras holds a BS from Bilkent University and an MS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. He is an avid cook and drives his colleagues nuts by winning all food-related trivia games.