The Pizza Method

Paul Hershey
Prototypr
Published in
3 min readFeb 2, 2017

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A novel idea when hiring your next UX researcher.

The Importance of Confident Communication

UX researchers should, by nature, be communicators. Whether you’re facilitating a card-sorting exercise, conducting preference testing over Skype, or simply drafting an email, the majority of your interactions as a researcher are with people you’ve never met. It can feel invasive to ask a stranger to take time out of their day to participate in a study, even when they’ve volunteered and are being compensated. And during a test, this initial discomfort can be exacerbated by a timid or disinterested participant.

When a researcher appears to be uncomfortable, scatterbrained, or insecure, these feelings can transfer to the tester, affecting them emotionally. The tester may lose confidence in the study, making it artificially difficult for them to complete tasks; or they may end up feeling sympathetic toward the researcher, and therefore less willing to give honest and constructive feedback.

Bridging The Gap

These subtle emotional cues, present in all human-to-human communication, can be regulated in a planned situation (such as a job interview). However, researchers must be able to walk into nearly any conversation, quickly understand what’s going on, and contribute. The best in the field are expert improvisers. They enjoy speaking with new people and understanding what makes them tick.

Because user research has become such a high-demand (and highly lucrative) position in recent years, many people — from designers and developers to project managers — are picking up books in order to capitalize on this new opportunity. And what we’re seeing now is a great deal of intelligent people who understand the technical applications of UX research methodologies, but lack the hands-on experience or personal skills to simply strike up a conversation with a stranger.

Unfortunately, it can be tough as a hiring manager to distinguish a personable or seemingly qualified interviewee from someone who’s a genuinely good conversationalist out in the real world.

An Unexpected Task

To gauge a UX researcher candidate’s true ability to roll with the punches, we propose incorporating a simple, unexpected task into your next in-person interview: Ask them to order a pizza.

Conversation is going well? They seem personable and qualified, like a good fit for the team? Great! Before sending them on their way, hand them the number for a nearby pizza place, and request that they call and order lunch for the office.

(A few basics: Unless you want them to gather everyone’s topping preferences themselves, which would only work with a very small team, you’ll need to have the order ready for them when they ask for it. You should also have the preferred payment method readily available.)

The goal is not to see if they can remember a complex order; it’s to see how they respond to an unexpected, completely real-life interaction, and whether they can communicate clearly and easily with someone on the phone.

This idea works best for candidates you’re seriously considering hiring. In addition to providing a final look at their professional capabilities, it’s also a great way to invite them to eat lunch with the team and see if they’re a good culture fit.

Co-written and edited by Ali Datko

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I’m a Product Designer at Electronic Arts. I enjoy helping people create human-centered products that users will love.