By Philip Burgess - UX Research Leader Summary Philip Burgess led the creation and implementation of a structured UX research and optimization framework that translated user insights into measurable business outcomes. By connecting ROI modeling with a repeatable rollout process, this initiative empowered global teams to prioritize high-impact UX improvements, accelerate experimentation, and drive millions in revenue. Challenge Nu Skin’s digital teams needed a way to scale UX

Digital products often fail to meet user expectations because they focus on features rather than how people actually interact with technology. This case study explores how applying human-centered usability principles transformed a digital platform, resulting in a more intuitive, engaging, and effective user experience. User engaging with a touchscreen interface, demonstrating human-centered design Case Study: Understanding Human-Centered Usability Principles Human-centered us

By Philip Burgess - UX Research Leader Overview Asurion Insurance Services, the world’s largest provider of technology protection services, was facing a costly problem: its consumer-facing claims portal and customer service center claims application were slow, inconsistent, and frustrating to use. This friction resulted in high abandonment rates, long handle times for CSRs, and increased operational costs. By applying UX research, usability evaluation, and cognitive modeling

By Philip Burgess - UX Research Leader Overview The client’s legacy voice portal was creating friction in customer self-service, driving high call abandonment rates and unnecessary transfers to live agents. This not only reduced customer satisfaction but also increased operational costs. We conducted a UX-driven redesign of the voice portal  using human-centered design principles, usability testing, and ROI modeling. The result was a streamlined, intuitive self-service experi

By Philip Burgess - UX Research Leader Overview Nu Skin’s e-commerce platform was experiencing significant drop-off during critical purchase funnel steps—specifically the checkout and sign-up process . Our UX research identified multiple usability issues causing high abandonment rates, resulting in millions in lost potential revenue each year. By applying a structured UX ResearchOps framework  and ROI-focused design interventions, we transformed friction points into optimized

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Usability testing reveals how real users interact with a product, highlighting areas that need improvement. Choosing between moderated and unmoderated testing depends on your goals, resources, and timeline. Both methods offer unique advantages and challenges. Understanding best practices for each can help you gather meaningful insights that improve user experience. User participating in a moderated usability test session Understanding Mo

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Understanding your competitors’ user experience (UX) can reveal valuable insights that help improve your own product. Competitive analysis in UX research goes beyond just comparing features or pricing. It involves studying how users interact with competitor products, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and uncovering opportunities to create a better experience. This post outlines practical steps and best practices to conduct effective

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research is essential for creating products that truly meet user needs. Yet, as teams grow and projects multiply, managing research activities becomes complex. This is where UX ResearchOps comes in—organizing and supporting research processes to make them more efficient and impactful. But how do you know if your ResearchOps strategies are working? Measuring their effectiveness is key to improving design outcomes and

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Research projects often face challenges in maintaining consistency, saving time, and ensuring quality across multiple studies. One effective way to overcome these hurdles is by using standardized templates. These templates provide a clear framework that researchers can follow, reducing errors and speeding up the entire process. This post explores how standardized templates can help scale research efforts while improving efficiency and cl

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Building a research repository is a common challenge for many teams. Often, these repositories end up as cluttered archives that few people use. The goal is to create a space where research is easy to find, understand, and apply. When done right, a research repository becomes a valuable tool that supports decision-making and collaboration. Why Teams Struggle with Research Repositories Many teams collect valuable research but fail to orga

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Research teams often face a common challenge: managing incoming requests that vary widely in scope, urgency, and detail. Without a clear system, requests can become chaotic, leading to missed deadlines, unclear objectives, and wasted effort. Creating a structured research request intake process transforms this chaos into clarity, helping teams deliver better results efficiently. Organized research request board showing categorized tasks

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research is essential for creating products that truly meet user needs. Yet, managing UX research efficiently across teams and projects can be challenging. This is where UX ResearchOps comes in. It provides a framework to organize, support, and scale UX research activities. Understanding the eight pillars of UX ResearchOps helps teams deliver consistent, high-quality insights that improve design decisions. Organizing

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Servant leadership is a powerful approach that focuses on supporting and developing team members rather than controlling every detail. Yet, many leaders struggle to find the right balance between guiding their teams and stepping back enough to allow autonomy. Micromanagement can stifle creativity and motivation, while too little involvement may leave teams feeling unsupported. This post explores how leaders can empower their teams effect

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Leadership is often seen as a position of authority, where managers direct tasks and ensure goals are met. Yet, the most effective leaders go beyond managing—they mentor. Moving from a manager role to a mentor role means changing how you interact with your team, focusing on growth, guidance, and long-term success. This shift can transform your leadership style and create a more engaged, capable team. A leader mentoring an employee during

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Agile teams thrive when leadership focuses on supporting and enabling team members rather than directing them. Servant leadership fits naturally within Agile frameworks by putting the needs of the team first and helping individuals grow. This approach creates an environment where teams can deliver real impact through collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement. Team collaborating in an Agile workspace What Servant Leadership Me

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Leadership often brings to mind authority, control, and decision-making power. Yet, a different approach has gained attention for its focus on serving others first. Servant leadership flips traditional leadership on its head by prioritizing the growth and well-being of people and communities. This style creates environments where individuals feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute their best. Understanding the core principles

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research shapes how products and services meet real human needs. Yet, the success of UX research depends not only on methods and tools but also on how teams work together. Servant leadership offers a powerful way to support UX researchers and their teams, creating an environment where everyone can contribute fully and deliver meaningful results. Servant leadership focuses on serving the team first, helping members gr

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research leaders play a crucial role in shaping products that truly meet user needs. Their work goes beyond gathering data; it involves guiding teams, influencing stakeholders, and driving strategic decisions. To succeed, UX research leaders must develop a specific set of skills that balance technical expertise, leadership, and communication. This post explores the core competencies every UX research leader should bu

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Uncertainty challenges every part of product development, but it hits UX research especially hard. When user needs shift rapidly and data becomes less predictable, how can UX researchers guide teams toward meaningful insights? This post explores practical ways to lead UX research through ambiguous situations, helping teams stay focused and deliver value despite unclear conditions. Researcher reviewing diverse user feedback notes Understa

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research often gets judged by numbers: conversion rates, task completion times, or customer satisfaction scores. While these metrics are useful, they don’t tell the whole story. The true impact of UX research goes deeper, shaping product decisions, team culture, and long-term business success in ways that numbers alone cannot capture. This post explores how to measure the influence of UX research beyond traditional m