Research The Researcher S1C1 feat Harini Karthik
In this debut episode of Research The Researcher (RTR), I have Harini Karthik who is leading UX Research at Flipkart (which Walmart acquired for $20 billion).
For this Season which has 12 episodes, incidentally, Harini was the only person whom I got to meet in person (as we both stay in the same city) for this project over some fantastic cold coffee at the massive campus of Flipkart in Bangalore.
Name and a brief intro about yourself…
Harini Karthik, started in Film-making, as a cinematographer, then did a 2nd Master’s in Design from UK and then entered the field of UX and Research.
Current place of work
Flipkart, Bangalore, India
Designation/role/title
UX Research Manager
How and Why did you get into User Research?
I had explored a few carrier options as cinematographer and interned at AD/Media agencies before I did my second Masters (MSc Design).
Once I passed out I realised that UX Research was one job where I could put all my skills of design research, communication, presentation, photo/video documentation and storytelling to use.
Also while at university, in all my projects my Research stood out consistently and realized maybe that's my calling. It also happened to be my first job after my Design graduation. :)
One book recommendation for those who want to get started in User Research (can also be a book which you often refer to)
A lot of my learning was hands-on, on the job learning, online resources like Nielson Norman group, etc
What skills do you look for when hiring Researchers? (or what skills you think Researchers should have)
Most important for a researcher is to drive clarity.
This is what a researcher is assessed for in interviews at Flipkart. Other 2 most important qualities are to be data-driven and ability to triangulate data obtained from different methods and lately, we also try to asses research integrity which involves how they would handle critical user data and yet deliver impactful findings and analysis both internally and externally when shared in meets/events.
What value does User Research add to Product Design & Development? (if any examples where User Research created an impact, that would be great)
Research and Design work as counterparts.
Both Design and Research roll up into the Product leaders directly. This way we work towards providing value to the Product, Business and Design. This has helped us initiate a lot of foundational and generative studies at the beginning of the product life-cycle which influences product along with supporting Design through evaluative studies. This way research is becoming an integral part of most product functions at Flipkart.
How is User Research structured at your place of work? (is it that researchers are embedded into products or called for as and when the demand arises)
We are structured in what could be called Matrix UX structure or de-centralized centralized team. I was fortunate to be given with an opportunity to put together this team ground up. We scaled from 1 to a 10 Member team in less than a year. My researchers have dedicated areas that they work with and hence are plugged into specific product groups.
Having a central team allows them to feel at home since they are seated together and this allows for easy collaboration, sharing and learning.
This also ensures that all the team members are supported with right resources, process, and investments and hence can focus on bringing value through research insights to the teams/products there are working on.
How do you grow as a Researcher? (what should Researchers do to stay valuable)
At the very fundamental level I feel UX Researchers work towards bringing more data points (sometimes identify where to find them too), drive for clarity in decision making and are able to provide recommendations to achieve both short and long term goals.
While doing all of this, it is also important to keep the information flowing at all times through communication to get continuous visibility, research can be very rigors but that need not reflect in the way the research deliverables are created. Understand the audience and keep it consumable.
On personal growth front:
It’s important for Researchers to identify where they are in the career and where they want to head.
What you focus on each stage is unique and needs to be thought through. Early on is gaining expertise, then explore different types of companies — consulting/product, explore domains, once you are done all this then you kind of know where you want to be, and while on the path of being a thought leader: start exploring both IC and managerial paths to understand which one is your calling!
Thanks, Harini for your time and for your insights!
