What happens when a top teacher turns her curiosity for human behavior into a career in UX research?

In this episode of Elevate Your UX Career, host Brittany Cates sits down with Heidi Austin, a Lead UX Researcher at SeatGeek and former Massachusetts Teacher of the Year nominee, to explore how her teaching background shaped her strategic approach to UX research and product design.

Heidi shares her inspiring journey from the classroom to tech, revealing how empathy, data, and a deep understanding of human behavior drive meaningful innovation.

She also dives into:

- How she built and scaled the UX research function at SeatGeek

- What strategic UX planning looks like for growing research teams

- The power of mixed methods research in influencing product direction

- How AI is transforming the future of UX research

If you’re a UX researcher, designer, or UX leader ready to take a more strategic, research-first approach to your work, this episode is packed with insights on how to connect human understanding with business impact.

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