Singular XQ Episode 19: Maggie Zhang and Scrappy Research
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jennifer-pierce28/episodes/2-19-Maggie-Zhang-and-Scrappy-Research-e26gcnb
Scrappy is a great word to describe Maggie Zheng.
Working as a UX team of one inside a start-up requires a certain degree of bootstrap strategy to form a go-to-market system. Unsurprisingly, start-ups underestimate the need for strong UX research and strategy and think of “UX” as UI design only. So the UX designer who knows better must have a little grit and a lot of strategy to deliver in such Spartan circumstances.
Fortunately, Maggie’s journey in the tech industry began in strategy consulting, so this intersection of strategy and design formed the foundation of her approach to user experience (UX) design. Today, she is a full-time product designer at Gig Wage, a start-up focusing on building a robust infrastructure for the rapidly growing gig economy. [Note: since this recording, Maggie has accepted a new role as a Product Designer at One Signal; congratulations, Maggie!]
Maggie highlights the importance of being ‘scrappy’ — building everything from scratch, from research practices to design systems. Wearing many hats is necessary, as is the ability to learn on the go. This scrappiness extends to conducting ‘scrappy’ research: utilizing existing processes to conduct research and gather insights.
Maggie also teaches us that embedding research within other functions is essential to start-up culture. For example, at Gig Wage, the sales team plays a significant role in product discovery and understanding product needs. Maggie spends much time in sales, gleaning valuable insights from customer conversations. This collaborative approach, coupled with a strong understanding of the business strategy, enables her to design a product that truly meets the needs of its users.
Maggie’s unique approach to design involves integrating design principles into every aspect of the product. It’s not just about the usability or where to put the button but about creating a differentiated experience specific to Gig Wage. The design decisions are guided by the underlying strategy that differentiates the product.
Maggie advises junior designers to be part of the design strategy, understand their user’s problems, and connect these pain points to business problems. She also emphasizes the importance of building strong visual design skills and developing a robust design system.
Finally, Maggie encourages designers to learn the language of all their collaborative partners. Understanding the business strategy, empathizing with all stakeholders, and aligning the design process with these insights is the key to effective design.
As HBR and other publications have exposed multiple times, most digital transformations fail, cost money, and destroy employee experience. We love a good framework at SXQ and build some of our own, but we know this: no framework can replace the wisdom individuals get from putting the time in with boots firmly on the ground. The Humans of Digital Transformation, the people closest to the work, are the ones who will pull us out of our current system of waste and mismanagement. Leverage knowledge capital and watch your business goals move within reach.
