One of the biggest lessons I've learned in UX research is that every project should change how you approach the next one.
Several years ago, I led readability research for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation website redesign. During customer service interviews, representatives repeatedly told me something that surprised me: Injured workers would call and ask customer service representatives to read letters to them over the phone. That comment stayed with me.
As I continued my research, I analyzed readability scores, survey results, customer service feedback, and literacy statistics. Together, they painted a clear picture. The website had significant usability challenges, but difficult language made those problems even harder for many users to overcome.
That project changed how I thought about UX.
I realized that usability problems and comprehension problems often work together. Improving navigation alone isn't enough if users still can't understand the content.
The research also gave me something I hadn't had before—evidence. The research also gave me something I hadn't had before—evidence. Readability scores, literacy statistics, customer service interviews, and survey data gave me the confidence to advocate for lowering reading levels across BWC letters, forms, and website content.
Several years later, while working with ETS on educational assessments, I reviewed and analyzed videos from student testing sessions. As I watched fourth-grade students work through assessment items, something felt familiar.
Some students weren't struggling because of the interface. They were struggling because they didn't understand the wording. I recognized the pattern because I had seen it before.
Drawing on what I had learned during the BWC project, I focused on the language, as well as, the interface. I created video clips showing the exact moments where students became confused so stakeholders could see the comprehension barriers for themselves.
Looking back, I realized the most valuable thing I took away from the BWC project wasn't the final report. It was learning what to look for.
Every research project teaches us something. If we're paying attention, the lessons from one project make us better researchers on the next.
Sometimes the greatest value of a project isn't only the improvements you make for that client. It's the experience that helps you recognize problems—and solve them—on every project that follows.
Open to contract UX research opportunities.
Email: theresaw@columbus.rr.com
LinkedIn: theresa-wilkinson