The Material of Teaching

Starting from a Question

This series began with a question I couldn’t yet answer: If I were to teach UX research, how would I do it?

I’ve never taught formally. But I’ve spent years listening—to users, to teams, to friction. I’ve followed intuition through unfinished methods and found structure in failure. This isn’t a curriculum built from mastery. It’s shaped by a desire to keep learning through proximity, attention, and shared inquiry.

Method as Material

I’m not interested in reducing research to methods. I want to show how method becomes material—and how material resists being finalised.

The model I imagine is closer to a bottega—the working studio of a craftsperson, where knowledge flows not from instruction, but from practice observed. Where teaching happens not in steps, but in gestures. Not through simplification, but through what Aquinas called vital contact—the slow warming of intelligence through presence.

Discipline Through Juxtaposition

Each of these six lessons begins with a foundational UX principle—often drawn from sources like the Nielsen Norman Group—and pairs it with a contrasting artistic reference: a film, a score, a gesture, or a photographic grammar. These juxtapositions aren’t decorative. They are part of the method.

Students will not be given a process. They will be asked to develop a discipline.

Each lesson includes reflective prompts designed to guide without instructing. These are not assignments—they are openings. Because research is not the application of fixed steps. It’s the development of a particular way of seeing.

Workshops

These workshops support both academic programs and professional development by cultivating critical thinking, interdisciplinary insight, and research fluency—skills essential for navigating today’s complex, collaborative work environments.

They respond to an industry shift: UX teams increasingly value researchers who can manage ambiguity, think systemically, and influence beyond the method.

Unlike standard UX training, these sessions draw on methods from art, cinema, and music to deepen analytical and interpretive practice.

The result is not just technical ability, but reflective, strategic thinkers—whether they are students preparing to enter the field or professionals sharpening their leadership capacity.

Listening Across Surfaces

Ideal for: Students new to UX research, early-career professionals, or teams in organisations with low-to-moderate UX maturity.

This workshop develops foundational qualitative research skills by emphasising presence, observational acuity, and the interpretation of non-verbal cues.

Participants learn to tune into subtleties—silence, gesture, emotion—often overlooked in structured methods. Especially valuable for those seeking to build trust with users and deepen empathic inquiry.

Mapping What Can’t Be Seen

Ideal for: Advanced students, mid-level researchers, or professionals in growing teams with moderate-to-high UX maturity.

Focused on enhancing analytical and representational abilities, this workshop helps participants map the invisible forces within user experience—such as contradiction, resistance, or ambiguity.

It introduces non-linear frameworks and diagrammatic thinking to structure complexity without reduction. Perfect for those ready to challenge flat journey maps or surface-level synthesis.

Conducting the Invisible

Ideal for: Senior researchers, team leads, or professionals working in high-stakes, cross-functional environments. Suitable for organisations with advanced UX maturity or those undergoing transformation.

This workshop explores research leadership beyond method—through presence, orchestration, and the unseen work of alignment.

Participants will experience simulated team dynamics, engage in silent planning rounds, and navigate misalignment with awareness and restraint. It’s a practicum in leading research without dominating it.