Earlier this week, Centercode hosted its first in-person event since before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Like a family reunion, the evening was abuzz with a blend of new acquaintances, long-time customer-partners, and loyal friends of Centercode. Our team was overflowing with gratitude for the incredible and engaging group of attendees and the insights they shared.
Taco Tuesday + Testing
The event kicked off with made-to-order tacos (it was Taco Tuesday after all), refreshing drinks, and lively conversation between new and old friends. After some networking, Jenna Deutsch from iRobot graciously presented some user testing insights from her previous experience with well-known tech companies like FitBit, Bose, and Peloton. She emphasized the importance of becoming an invaluable resource to not just product development teams but to marketing, user research, customer care, and other teams who might not realize the value they could be receiving from user testing insights.
Continuing this theme, Luke Freiler, Centercode co-founder and CEO, highlighted five key ways that user testing could help secure your role especially in a turbulent economy.
5 Tactics to Secure Your Role with the Help of User Testing
Level-setting on user testing and the current state of the economy, Luke focused on the imperative to stand out and bring unique value to your organization especially in times like these. In tough economic environments, many of us are being asked to do more with less (sometimes a lot less). Identifying ways that you can save time and money while also bringing increased value to your team and company will make you an invaluable rockstar in the eyes of leadership.
Since his message was so timely, I wanted to make sure those that weren’t able to attend could still benefit from Luke’s wisdom and insight. Here are five ways to secure your role with the help of user testing:
1. Scale by Electricity (and Volunteers)
User testing is akin to a ‘force multiplier’ in military parlance. It’s the weapon that amplifies your output, making one successful user test with a small army of volunteer testers equivalent to the exhaustive efforts of numerous QA professionals. The fruits are multifold - bridging quality gaps, unveiling fresh UX insights, and revealing delights.
2. Be the Smartest Person in the Room
Knowledge is power, and in the realm of product management, it’s your badge of authority. Being a maestro of your product, business, and customer landscape not only positions you as an invaluable asset but makes you the go-to sage in the room. User testing is the vehicle to such stature, furnishing not just broad coverage but profound insights into the trinity of product success.
3. Be the Voice of the Customer
In an age where the customer is king, being their voice is being the harbinger of value. User testing equips you with a unique perspective and invaluable data that, when shared, sets you apart. Take ownership, share your learnings far and wide, and recognition will follow.
4. Spearhead a Dogfooding Program
Dogfooding, the practice of employees testing pre-release products, is a fertile ground for nurturing product quality and employee engagement. It’s a cost-effective strategy that also serves as a conduit for internal networking and building a culture of quality ownership. Owning such a program not only elevates product quality but also puts you on the map as a proactive value-bringer.
5. Become a Public "Face" of the Company
In the theater of business, always being “on stage” is key. Brand yourself, exhibit empathy, and engage in a way that your sudden absence would trigger conversations among customers. Being a public face is about creating a presence that’s intertwined with the company’s image, making your departure a loss too significant to bear.
Looking to the Future
As we reminisce about this October’s event, we are fueled by the enthusiasm and the newfound knowledge shared among the old and new members of the Centercode family. The map is drawn; now, it’s time to navigate through the turbulent tides, with user testing as our compass.
Planning is already underway for some upcoming in-person events including a user group and a national roadshow to further the discourse and camaraderie that blossomed during this enlightening evening. The journey of networking and education continues, stay tuned for more Centercode events in Q1 2024!
