Introducing, Cherokee

With all the work we have been carrying out recently with user research and testing we decided it was time to bring on our own talent and we believe we have the best in the business. Everyone please say hi to Cherokee!

When I told Cherokee I wanted to write a blog about her and the work she does, she was far from amused! Which is very out of character for her as she is as bubbly as they come. It took us a while but eventually we convinced her to talk about herself and it has been great learning her and her journey to becoming our User Experience Researcher (UXR if you will!).

The first one is easy……describe yourself!

““Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”

As an individual I’d say I’m curious, open minded and open hearted with a crazy imagination and an endless hunger for knowledge. Curiosity might have killed the cat but it hasn’t got me yet…

I enjoy problem solving and my favourite thing about myself is my brain- I love the way it looks at a situation and connects dots on the fly, when I’m inspired and my imagination is going I’m at my happiest- especially if there’s a good chunk of research needed! I often find myself thinking of something and needing to research it further, then I look up and hours have passed and I’ve gone on a research loop… I (probably sadly) also enjoy figuring out how I got from looking into one thing and have ended up at the other side of the spectrum! A weird pastime of mine is to imagine insanely impossible scenarios, situations or objects and research if/how it could be at all possible and what circumstances would need to happen for it to be so.

I am also a massive cat lover, music enthusiast (particularly country but anything goes!) and will read everything and anything I can. I love superheroes and comics and figuring out how stuff works.”

What did you want to be when you ‘grew up’?!

“A mad scientist!

I was obsessed with science, superheroes and magic and once I realised I wasn’t going to get superpowers (and that Hogwarts letter never came…) I wanted to be someone who created superhuman formulas… One day… one day”

Tell me how you have ended up in a user research role, what other jobs/decisions led you to this type of job?

I’ve always been an advocate for the power of communities and people taking ownership of what they need…

I started a role in Town and Country Planning around 9 years ago now and found myself in a team that put huge emphasis on communities and community consultation rather than what most would consider typical planning, we were literally going out and asking people what they thought about their City and what they needed. As time went on I got involved in more community powered projects and I fell in love with planning- or at least I thought I did! From opening city data and getting digital to alternative ways of funding grassroots ideas and community projects, I was surrounded by examples of what empowering and listening to real people could really do.

My role slowly took on more of the core planning and I realised I was losing my love for it, which led me to take on side projects advocating the level of success that comes from real research - and real listening to people. I did a diploma in UX design to sense check what I was doing was right and found an amazing community of people all screaming the same thing. That’s when I knew I’d found where I fit and what I wanted to do!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

“I enjoy reading - anything! I love comic books, books, articles, reports… I also enjoy board games and computer games.
I love to sew and make my own clothes and also experiment with cooking. I also enjoy sea swimming and rock climbing.”

Do you have a favourite app at the moment? If yes, why is it your favourite?

“Kindle app - I normally read on my kindle but I love that if I want to continue a book on the go I can just open my app and BANG it’s there on the correct page and all. I am also disappointed in myself for loving the kindle app so much for its convenience when I don’t want to let go of real books!”

If you had to pick your favourite food, meal or cuisine, what would it be?

“At the moment I’m very into Caribbean food right now, but I’ll probably overdo it and have a new favourite next week!”

Once we got her talking Cherokee was happy to tell us about herself! Her bubbly and enthusiastic personality is what draws you to her but her inquisitive nature and mind is what makes her a fabulous UXR. She’s already working on some of our big projects and we can’t wait to get her working with more new clients.

If you have a project in the pipeline and want to see how we can help, don’t hesitate to get in touch!