Amplinate

Beauty comes to us in many forms...

We're conducting a Research study in the USA Beauty Industry and looking for participants! If you or someone you know uses a tool like Vargo, Square, or Mindbody in a Salon and are part of the decision-making team on software products, come apply. We're compensating $125 for 1 hours' worth of participant's time. Apply at https://bit.ly/AmpSalon

Amplinate We help tech companies save millions by building the right product for the right people.

The 2023 Researcher's Prayer

Our Luminary, Jakob Nielsen, who art in UX,
Hallowed be Thy heuristics.
Thy user-centered research come,
Thy best practices be done,
On mobile as it is on desktop.
Give us this day our daily insights,
And forgive us our over-reliance on machines,
As we forgive those who underestimate human ingenuity.
Lead us not into cognitive bias or consensus Design,
But deliver us from hubris,
For Thine is the path to clarity, Business Impact,
And enduring relevance, from sprint to sprint.
So say we all!

Earlier this week, I spoke about the transforming power that comes when you adjust your lenses from COST to VALUE...

So how does Amplinate bring you more VALUE?

I'm glad you asked, dear reader!

🌐 International Expertise: Working in a global landscape demands insights beyond borders. Our international team brings together the best of the best from the countries we operate in, providing you with cross-culturally nuanced research findings and recommendations.

🌍 Diversity and Inclusion Focus: We believe in the power of diversity. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn't just a buzzword; it's the foundation of our approach, allowing us to provide solutions that resonate with diverse audiences around the world.

📈 ROI that Resonates: The success stories of our clients are a testament to the ROI we deliver. While our offerings might require a higher initial investment, the results and impact you'll experience are far-reaching and enduring.

🌟 Unparalleled Quality: Amplinate stands for excellence. Our commitment to delivering top-notch cultural insight permeates everything we do, from the caliber of our international team to the precision of our research findings.

💼 Partnering for Global Success: Beyond purchasing a service, when you choose Amplinate, you're partnering with a team dedicated to your international success. Our remote capabilities allow us to bridge geographical boundaries seamlessly.

💬 Ready to Amplify Your Global Impact? Let's Connect!



Photo by DALL-E

My latest article on Medium :)

Speaking English so non-native colleagues understand International team collaboration.

The more I use ChatGPT, the less "afraid" I feel about singularity.

The issue right now is how ChatGPT presents ideas.

Here's the answer to your question!

But when you get a response that you're unsure of,

Or know is blatantly wrong,

And you say so...

It says, "You're right! I'm sorry I was wrong."

And of course the problem is that if you don't know that,

It's easy to just believe whatever ChatGPT tells you.

But this is a HUMAN problem, not an AI problem

As humans, we need to do better about discernment.

About fact finding.

Source checking.

Looking out for Fake News.

And determining whether or not a source is credible.

If AI could help us with discernment, citing sources, and confidence in its response,

That would be awesome.

But until then, the onus is on us humans to figure it out for ourselves.

AI is amazing and it can help us a lot.

But the real revolution is Social.



Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

If you aren't thinking about Ethics in Research and Design,

You're doing it wrong.

Every new product, feature, and technology has a significant impact on society as a whole.

Not considering the ethical implications is a disservice:

- To ourselves-because we can be better
- To others-the people whom we are building for in the first place

Design has the power to shape our world in profound ways,

And designing inclusively has a stronger impact for the betterment of others.

So, how do we begin to think ethically?

1. Be mindful of the consequences of our work.

Ask questions about how your product or feature might be used or misused.

Who might be affected by it?

Who might be unintentionally excluded by it?

2. Asking questions is a good start, but it's not enough.

We have to be proactive in addressing even potential ethical concerns.

This is where Inclusive Research and Design can truly help.

By seeking out diverse perspectives on your product or feature, you're able to learn more and gain insight that you might not otherwise have seen.

Lean on your team to help - if you have a diverse team, even better.

At the end of the day, ethical considerations shouldn't be an afterthought -

They should be integrated into every step of the process.

By doing so, this is how we help our clients ensure their products are not only innovative and effective,

But also responsible and beneficial for everyone involved.



Photo by Paulina Milde-Jachowska on Unsplash

ChatGPT is (just) a tool.

Technically, all of Technology is a tool.

Tools are used by humans to help them accomplish a task.

What task a tool is applied to is up to the human.

And this is why it doesn't make sense to talk about Technology (or Tools) as moral.

Humans can make ethical decisions about how they use a tool (or, how they use your personal data, for that matter),

Which is why we have regulations in place such as GDPR.

To ensure that people have control over their data and not corporations.

So all this talk of ChatGPT and ethics misses the point

ChatGPT is an extremely powerful tool

That can be applied to a number of interesting scenarios

Some of which can be done ethnically

And others perhaps questionably

But it's up to every one of us to make that decision.

It's not up to a non-thinking tool to make human judgements.

Only humans can do that.

And, if you aren't already using ChatGPT to help you out (*within reason, while still fact checking your results)

You really should try it out.

It's amazing.

But it's not a human.


Photo by Moritz Mentges on Unsplash

We have been on a journey of growth and evolution. What started off as a married couple of UX Research freelancers has grown throughout our 2 years as a company to something so much more. As we've grown over the past year, we:

- Expanded our service to include Design and Market Research
- Converted our research contractors to full time employees
- Hired a CFO
- Offer Health Insurance and 401k to our employees
- Updated our website and brand design
- Created a collaborative work culture of highly skilled researchers

The next step in our journey is to update our name.

Authenticity is still a huge part of who we are as a company and how we do our work. To connect with each other as humans and hold space for our research participants to share their lived experiences is key to our approach of ethical Design.

And yet, as our company has grown, we have expanded beyond the boundary of UX and it just seemed the right time to have a name that reflected that growth as well.

Taking inspiration from Simon Sinek's Start with Why, I've been doing some soul searching about why we exist and kept coming back to the idea of amplifying the voices of customers. Deep down, at our core, our job is to make Technology easier to use and to share the stories of what really matters to your customers.

This is what led me to our new name: Amplinate

To amplinate is to amplify what resonates with your customers.

To be the bridge between you and your customers.

To foster authentic connections and share their lived experiences and then to amplify those voices so you can refine your product strategy, differentiate your product in the marketplace, attract new customers, and save millions of dollars.

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Proud to be featured by Facebook Supplier Diversity! Happy Pride Month!!!

This month we’re celebrating #Pride by highlighting some of our LGBTQ+-owned businesses. Today we connected with Josh LaMar, CEO of Authentique UX, a firm that aims to bring diverse perspectives to inform the design and development of technology. Their team has conducted qualitative research to help Facebook connect with their users around the world. Speaking of connections, Josh shared how honored he was when he was starting the business and a former direct report left her corporate job to come work with his team. Josh also remarked on what he feels is the greatest lesson he’s learned in business thus far, which is all about managing expectations, skill and perspective. What’s been easy or difficult for you in running your business – let us know in the comments. #Pride #PrideMonth #SupplierDiversity #LGBTBE #LGBTQ

Job opportunity! We're looking for a Business Development Director. This is a US-based remote position.

Full Job Description and application instructions here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15jGmG4P7QInUzzz7tVSNyFznvqCKMOs9JYHWxdOHoYQ/edit?usp=sharing

Tomorrow, I'm giving a FREE talk followed by a panel discussion on User-Centered Culture. Would love to see you there!

https://techcircus.io/future_events/ux-crunch-at-home/

UX Crunch Panel: Defining a User Centred Culture - Tech Circus UX Crunch at Home is an online, virtual UX Meetup Event, exploring User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), & Design with a set of live streamed speakers!

I was recently interviewed on my role as a UX leader and came to this distinction that I think can be helpful for junior UXers interested in professional career growth. Thinking about how to lead vs. how to manage can help you decide which path is right for you. It may be just one or it could be both!

The difference between Management and Leadership in UX Management and Leadership are different things. When we tease apart how these roles interact, we learn how to be good at both.

Following up on my Medium article on Advantages of Remote Research, I'll be giving a webinar on Friday about it!

UX Crunch at Home: Advantages of Remote Research with Josh LaMar A live-streamed event covering Advantages of Remote Research with three speakers representing top industry brands. Engage with the UX community and learn from theoretical insights, case studies, interactivity and more! Following up on his research article, Advantages of remote research and why you s...

Super excited to announce that my article on Remote Research has been picked up by the UX Collective!

https://medium.com/topic/ux

UX - Medium UX on Medium: All about that user.

Remote Research 101: When, why, and how to use it... and a framework for how to think about the important questions to think through when conducting any research.

Advantages of Remote Research and Why You Should Already be Incorporating this Powerful Tool Remote research is not just a viable option, but an integral part of the process of doing good research with some important benefits.

I’ve often said that my background in Music Composition helped me become a better researcher and I’ve even given a talk in my former grad program on the creativity involved in creating research methods.

I love that this article also brings in the role of empathy. We have to relate and care for each other as humans first. Then, we can find ways to creatively solve human problems.

STEAM not STEM: Why scientists need arts training Universities must train scientists to engage with the ethics of emerging technologies, rather than functioning as cogs in the engine of economic development. Integrating the arts into STEM can help.

Really appreciated this article on Gender-Identity Inclusion:

https://dscout.com/people-nerds/4-design-principles-for-gender-identity-inclusion-and-how-to-get-them-implemented

4 Design Principles for Gender-Identity Inclusion (and How to Get Them Implemented) Meet the people that matter to you in the moments that matter to them. Qualitative research tools and services for product, innovation, CX, and brand.

This week, I went undercover in dscout to learn about the experience first hand. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about how to conduct better research!

Undercover in Dscout I went undercover on dscout to see the experience from the user side. I found lots of survey problems and learned first-hand how to create…

Authenticity starts with communication and is at the core of who I am and how I approach the world around me.

A Call for Authenticity in Online Communication Authenticity is a core part of who I am and how I approach the world around me. This is also why I put it in the name of my new company…

My latest blog post about risk taking in life... I hope you enjoy it... and Go Be Awesome.

5 Reasons to Jump off a Cliff The old adage is probably going through your head now too… “If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you?” No, obviously not because…

Hello world!

Marcelo and I are starting our research company, Authentique UX. Thanks for liking our page 🙂

We are a UX Research company based in Paris, but researching how humans interact with technology all over the world.

If you are looking to help understand your users better or test out your new ideas in the market, check us out!

http://www.authentiqueux.com