CASE STUDY
Bringing UX Research to WebMD
How I introduced UX research practices at WebMD, moving teams from biased feedback and assumptions to evidence-based design.
I can't find anything​
Why are there 2 of these?
What should I do first??
This feels clunky
The Problem:
Lack of Research
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WebMD Health Services had a great design team but little structured UX research or process.
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Teams often relied on stakeholder opinions, client requests, reactions to sales losses, or assumptions instead of user insights.
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Effects on Product Direction
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This gap led to unclear product direction, duplicated efforts, and features that often missed the mark. Including feedback like:
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it's hard to find things
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there's too much duplication
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it's hard to use
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the UI is clunky
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Introduced Methods:
I started with lightweight, approachable methods—primarily usability testing through remote surveys utilizing tools we already had, like Survey Monkey. Later we we able to use usertesting.com, a tool made specifically for UX research..
Growing and AI:
What started with just me running surveys has grown into a true research practice. Today we have a dedicated UX Researcher, two UX Designers who conduct more complex studies, and five other designers who regularly run usability testing. Research has become part of our team’s DNA—you won’t hear “I prefer…” anymore, but instead, “Has this been tested?”
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We’ve also evolved from UserTesting to Dscout for higher-quality participants and AI-assisted tagging. We’re experimenting with AI to support synthesis from in-person interviews and increasingly use FigJam’s AI for affinity mapping. The accuracy isn’t perfect—it saves us minutes, not hours—but it’s a promising tool we continue to refine and monitor.
The Outcome:
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Teams shifted from guesswork to user-centered decision-making.
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Designers gained confidence in presenting evidence-backed recommendations.
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Research insights informed major projects (e.g., behavior change tools, gamification models).
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Product teams began treating UX research as a standard part of product development.