►
From YouTube: Interview with GitLab UX Researcher Katherine Okpara
Description
Interview with GitLab UX Researcher Katherine Okpara shares her journey from a Psychology Major from UC Berkeley to a UX Researcher at GitLab.
B
A
A
B
B
So
if
a
product
manager
wants
to
learn
a
bit
more
about
the
demand
for
a
certain
feature
or
how
many
customers
are
impacted
by
a
challenge,
what
we'll
do
at
that
point
is
create
a
hypothesis
and
we'll
figure
out
who
we
need
to
speak
with
and
we
might
use
a
method
like
a
survey.
So
that
would
just
be
us
collecting
as
much
data
as
possible.
Answering
some
questions.
B
We
might
conduct
some
interviews
where
we
sit
one-on-one
with
with
customers
to
discuss
their
challenges,
their
workflows,
their
pain
points,
things
like
that
or
we
might
use
other
methods.
So
it's
kind
of
a
mixture
there's
often
times
where
I'm
doing
a
lot
of
interviews
and
it's
very
customer-facing.
B
A
B
A
So
so
give
me
an
idea
of
how
long
it
takes
to
identify
a
customer
right
and
say
all
right.
We
want
to
get
information
back
from
this
particular
customer.
Tell
me
how
long
that
process
is
from
start
to
finish,
and
what
are
some
of
the
things
that
you
have
to
do
to
ensure
that
that
data
is
actually
quality.
B
B
Once
we
have
some
criteria,
maybe
we
need
to
know
the
size
of
the
company,
the
people
that
are
using
the
features.
So
do
we
need
to
talk
to
software
developers
at
that
company
or
do
we
need
to
talk
to
executives?
We
kind
of
figure
out
who
we
need
to
speak
with,
and
then
we
might
connect
with
a
a
technical
account
manager
at
gitlab
if
to
see
if
they
have
some
connections
that
we
can
tap
into
directly.
A
B
If
that
doesn't
pan
out,
then
we
need
to
go
about
it.
The
typical
way,
which
is
to
use
our
mailing
list
to
reach
out
to
our
users.
So
at
that
point
we
would
just
go
into
our
mailing
database.
Look
up
the
potential
participants
based
off
of
the
criteria,
write
out
some
emails
and
hope
that
they
respond
and
once
they
respond
schedule,
some
calls
with
them.
A
B
Or
executives
that
could
take
that
could
take
a
couple
of
days.
So
what
the
actual
process
of
sending
the
email
will
be
very
quick,
maybe
five
to
ten
minutes,
but
we
might
have
to
wait
to
hear
back
from
them
and
then
we
might
take
more
time
to
do
the
scheduling
of
that.
So
I
would
say
anywhere
from
a
day
to
a
couple
of
days:
that's
how
long
it
would
typically
take.
B
In
the
best
case
scenario,
it's
going
to
tell
you:
what
can
you
do
next?
So
is
this
a
problem
worth
going
after?
Is
this
a
usability
issue
that
needs
to
be
fixed?
Is
it
severe
how
many
people
are
interested
in
a
certain
thing?
Should
we
build
it
it?
The
insights
from
that
research
will
give
you
confidence
or
sort
of
a
direction
to
take.
Next
is
the
overall
goal.
A
B
Yes,
so
at
gitlab
I've
been
doing
this
for
three
years.
It's
just
past
my
three-year
anniversary
at
gitlab
last
month.
Congratulations,
thank
you
and
it's.
It's
been
really
interesting
because
when
I
first
started
at
get
lab,
I
came
in
as
a
junior
ux
researcher
and
I
was
able
to
move
up
to
be
a
intermediate
ux
researcher
in
the
span
of
that
time.
So
when
I
first
came
in,
I
was
doing
a
lot
a
lot
less.
B
B
B
A
B
So
though
I
was
studying
psychology,
I
was
also
interested
in
courses
related
to
cognitive,
science,
design
and
data
science,
and
all
of
those
areas
tend
to
be
related
to
engineering
in
some
way
they
kind
of
bump
up
against
it
and
you
can
go
deeper
into
it
or
you
can
stay
more
on
the
information
side
of
things
and
not
get
as
much
hands-on
coding
practice.
But
in
my
case
I
I
took
a
couple
data
science
classes
and
that
started
to
teach
me
about
software
development
and
also
just
how
these
things
are
applied
in
real
life.
B
So
taking
those
classes
and
just
getting
exposure
to
different
subjects
is
how
I
I
ended
up
being
able
to
enter
the
tech
industry
and
getting
exposure
to
some
level
of
computer
science,
even
though
I
didn't
actively
do
it
in
my
day-to-day
work
has
been
helpful
in
terms
of
the
people
that
I
collaborate
with.
So
a
lot
of
technical
product
managers,
engineers
designers,
that
also
have
coding
experience
just
being
able
to
have
a
shared
knowledge
with
them
is
also
very
valuable.
A
B
A
B
So
what
happened
next
was
that
after
graduating,
I
attended
a
conference
that
was
just
about
elder
care.
So
the
purpose
of
the
conference
was
just
to
highlight
innovations
related
to
aging
in
fields
like
technology,
social
work,
medicine,
things
like
that.
It
was
a
very
interdisciplinary
conference
and
at
that
conference,
through
networking,
I
was
able
to
connect
with
an
early
stage
startup,
and
that's
where
I
got
the
the
opportunity
to
start
getting
hands-on
experience
so
at
that
startup,
which
was
creating
a
marketplace
app
for
that
would
connect
caregivers
to
seniors.
B
B
Yeah,
so,
basically,
after
that
point
of
the
the
conference,
what
I
saw
was
an
opportunity
to
use
that
experience
at
the
small
startup
to
start
building
up
my
portfolio
and
building
more
examples
of
how
I
work
in
industry
in
industry,
setting
versus
like
in
the
academic
setting.
So
at
that
small
startup,
you
know
how
they
are.
I
I
was
having
to
take
on
a
lot
more
work
and
wear
many
hats,
but
it
was
my
opportunity
to
show
hey.
I
know
a
little
bit
something
about
business
analysis.
I
also
know
a
little
bit
about
ux
design.
B
So
I
worked
at
that
startup
for
about
a
year,
and
that
was
for
me
to
basically
get
a
couple
examples
from
my
portfolio:
get
more
confidence
in
my
skills
and
also
along
the
way,
do
some
actual
more
learning
about
user
experience
itself.
So
that's
where
I
was
doing
a
lot
of
self-study
taking
online
courses.
Things
like
that.
That
would
teach
me
about
design
principles
working
in
a
startup
and
just
different
things
to
keep
in
mind
and
then
once
I
felt
like,
I
had
kind
of
gathered
enough
experience.
That's
when
I
decided
to
apply
to
gitlab.
B
Yeah,
so
just
to
to
talk
again
about
how
I
started
versus
where
I
am
now
when
I
came
into
get
lab
as
a
junior
ux
researcher,
I
was,
we
were
working
in
more
of
a
consultancy
model
as
the
research
team.
So
there
were
two
of
us
and
product
managers,
and
maybe
our
leaders
and
designers
would
bring
a
research
proposal
to
us
and
we'd
work
on
that
proposal.
B
Then
we'd
throw
the
insights
over
at
them
over
the
wall
and
they'd
kind
of
take
the
insights
in
and
go
away,
but
over
the
years
we've
evolved
to
a
more
collaborative
model
where
we're
empathizing,
more
mentorship
and
making
other
team
members
able
to
do
their
own
research
as
well,
so
teaching
them
how
research
is
done.
Why
why
research
is
important
and
kind
of
simplifying
the
process,
while
also
still
keeping
the
same
quality?
B
So
one
of
the
biggest
skills
that
I've
developed
over
the
years
is
the
skill
of
mentorship
and
teaching
other
other
researchers,
but
other
designers
and
product
managers
as
well
about
research
and
then
also
just
other
things
that
are
more
practical,
like
managing
a
larger
number
of
projects
simultaneously.
So,
project
management
setting
expectations
with
stakeholders,
communicating
deadlines,
things
like
that
and
then
also
other
things
that
come
with
working
at
a
remote
company,
so
working
with
people
of
different
cultures
working
across
time
zones
being
a
manager
of
one
making
sure
that
I
keep
myself
on
track.
A
B
Oh,
that's
that's
a
good
question
because
when
I
was
first
leaving
it
was
a.
It
was
a
complicated
time
because
I
had
all
this
time
with
been
wandering
and
thinking
I'm
going
to
go
towards
academic
research.
I'm
going
to
go
do
my
phd
then
I
got
sidetracked
and
I
was
interested
in
something
else,
but
I
wasn't
really
sure
how
to
show
people
my
potential.
So
what
I
would
tell
myself
now
is
to
know
how
to
highlight
my
strength
and
tell
a
cohesive
story
so,
along
the
way
you
do
a
lot
of
different
experiences.
B
You
get
involved
in
different
extracurricular
activities,
take
different
courses.
You
gain
a
lot
of
great
skills
and
you
need
to
be
able
to
show
demonstrate
that
to
people
and
show
what
you
bring
to
the
table
so
knowing
how
to
communicate
the
value
of
your
skills
and
demonstrating
your
ability
to
kind
of
be
flexible
and
adapt
to
different
roles,
I
would
say
is
what
the
advice
I
give
myself.
A
B
So
I
would
say:
there's
a
lot
of
competition
in
the
job
market
right
now
and
and
always-
and
it's
a
very
difficult
time
in
general.
So
I
would
say
it's
very
important
to
research
the
industry
that
you're
interested
in
joining
and
understand
what
skills
are
kind
of
considered
the
minimum
requirements
and
what
are
the
ones
that
are
considered
kind
of
like
the
high
level
the
ones
that'll
make.
B
You
stand
out
because
you
kind
of
want
to
know
what
do
I
need
as
a
minimum,
the
core
areas
of
experience
that
I
need,
but
also
what
will
make
me
attractive
as
a
candidate.
What
will
stand
out
from
the
crowd
and
then
you
can
make
a
learning
plan
or
find
ways
to
gain
more
experience
to
get
those
skills
that
are
in
high
demand.
B
That's
a
great
question,
so
for
me
it's
it's
it's
harder
to
say
the
specifics,
but
I
would
say,
generally
speaking,
this
industry
is
going
to
continue
to
push
the
boundaries
of
what
we
know
and
strive
for
more
and
more
innovation,
so
bringing
in
new
technologies
and
kind
of
bridging.
I
see
a
lot
of
bridging
together
of
the
old
way
of
doing
things
with
adding
in
new
technologies
or
automation.
B
So
I
would
say
it's
important
for
young
people
to
prepare
themselves
to
be
adaptable
and
open
to
learning
new
skills
and
new
subject
matter,
because
the
more
that
you're
able
to
take
on
new
topics
or
take
on
new
skills
as
your
company
needs
it,
because
maybe
one
day
your
company
will
say
hey.
We
need
to
do
this
to
be
more
competitive
with
that
company.
Do
you
know
anything
about
that
instead
of
kind
of
shying
away
from
it?
B
You
might
say,
I
might
not
know
it
now,
but
I
can
learn
more
about
it
and
figuring
out
how
to
learn
those
new
skills,
I
think,
will
be
really
important,
because
the
industry
will
always
be
quickly
evolving
and
it's
kind
of
a
competition
to
keep
up
with
the
the
next
company
and
things
like
that.
So
having
those
core
areas
of
expertise,
but
also
being
able
to
learn
new
skills
and
keeping
on
top
of
what's
relevant
in
your
industry.
A
B
No,
I
would
just
say
you
know,
even
when
it's
discouraging,
if
you're
looking
into
a
new
position,
just
stay
focused
and
stay
excited
about
it,
because
that
will
that
will
shine
through
you
when
you're
in
your
interviews
and
when
you're
networking
and
things
like
that
people
can
see
the
passion
they
can
see
the
potential
in
you.
Even
if
you
don't
feel
like
you're
fully
there,
yet
they
can
see
the
potential
for
you
to
get
there.
So
that
would
be
my
advice.