From tokens to testimonials: leveraging UXR to connect IRL w/ web3 through on-premise activations, app installs, and web experiences.
About 36 months ago, nearly every DTC brand we engaged with at The Stable—before our acquisition by Accenture—was focused on finding their proper footprint in the Metaverse.
They wanted to connect web activity, on-premise interactions, social media, and emerging web3 offerings in a way that was easy to explain to less tech-savvy stakeholders.
That’s where my role came in: leveraging user research processes and traditional UX artifacts to simplify these complex, interconnected experiences into clear relationships to build alignment across brand, content, and design teams.
One thing that still makes me smile is a custom skateboard builder we built to push kids from the web to the skateparks.
Leading UX within an agency demands seamlessly navigating roles—from salesperson and design manager to individual contributor and user experience researcher.
With days typically packed with at least two client calls, an internal project sync, and a 1:1 meeting, mastering the art of balancing execution on physical deliverables became essential.
I came to realize that every interaction, whether with a client or a customer, was more than just a chance to nurture relationships with brands or products.
Each touchpoint also presented a valuable opportunity to embed user research practices, continually fueling our UXR objectives while deepening those connections.
Agency work demands the highest level of fidelity and often features some of the most aggressive timelines. Our projects were typically segmented across brand and strategy, user experience, visual design, development, and QA plus UAT.
As a UX Director, I closely shadowed each project phase, bringing in individual designers as needed to ensure quality and consistency. It was common for me to jump into annotation mode during design handoffs, document UAT issues during QA weeks, or present UI concepts on behalf of teammates.
