Getting to Know Christine Morino

Can you explain your job to me like I’m a 5 year old?

I ask people questions all day long. It’s sort of like I’m a detective trying to solve a mystery, but the mystery is, ‘how do we make technology and experiences that real people will actually like and use?’ I get to talk to a bunch of different kinds of people too! Some of them are in different places around the world, like in the UK and Mexico, others are different ages like kids, parents, and seniors, and others have different jobs and interests, like restaurant staff, credit card users, and people working at both really big and really small tech companies. Each project I work on is different, but what remains the same is that I stay curious and really practice using my listening skills.

What did you do before you came to Sutherland?

In my professional life, I’ve always been a researcher, but there have been a few different iterations of that while I’ve been figuring out my career path. Most recently before joining the Labs, I was working at a non-profit education research agency. I spent my days working on research and providing technical assistance to improve experiences for kids, parents, teachers, and the other people and systems that support them. That job really reaffirmed my love for a few things and, ultimately, led me to the Labs:

1) Working with kids. This passion originally stemmed from working at summer camps and a teen center through my local Parks and Recreation department, and then later when I working as a research assistant in a cognitive development lab when I was still in college. Now I’ve got 8 years and counting of experience working directly with kids!

2) Doing research in an agency setting. I learned that I loved the ability to work with clients outside of my org, learn about a wide range of topics, and move on to a new project every few months. As an example, I learned A LOT about the American education system and equitable research practices in that time, and I also had deep-dives into a bunch of different topics: edu tech, math, social-emotional learning, services for children with disabilities, etc. You also get the opportunity to develop a lot of different skills in an agency; one of which is the delicate dance of client management.

Prior to education research and while I was still in school, I was also a UXR at a voice AI company, supporting the development of some of their consumer apps. That’s where I confirmed that UX research would be a good long-term career path for me!

I’m a detective trying to solve a mystery, but the mystery is, “how do we make technology and experiences that real people will actually like and use?”

What would the ten year old version of you say that they wanted to be when they grew up?

A million different things but I’ve always been very creative and crafty, so many of my dream jobs had some aspect of art or design in them. Growing up, I watched HGTV religiously, so I wanted to be an interior designer for a long time. On the other hand, I also watched a lot of Law and Order SVU and thought that Olivia Benson was such a badass that I was determined to be a detective. There was also a few years stint, where I was convinced I would be president of the United States. And can’t forget — at one point I thought I was going to be all of those things plus an Olypmic figure skater and soccer player.

What has been your best experience while working with Sutherland so far?

I got to go behind-the-scenes of some popular Bay Area restaurants for a project last year! It was our team’s first in-person research since COVID began, so it was exciting to re-enter in-person research via food! Seeing how their teams prepped for service was like watching a well-oiled machine, and the menus made it clear that these were places worth revisiting for a meal. Now, I have a long list of restaurants that I need to visit on an upcoming Friday night!

What inspires you?

Unknowns and complex problems! I love the challenge of figuring out what the best research questions are, especially on topics where there is little background knowledge. That’s why I love generative and exploratory research projects. The problem to tackle is more fuzzy than in evaluative work, and it really requires you to be creative, put yourselves in other’s shoes, and be open to a wide range of methods and possible findings.

How do you see the UX industry changing in the next few years?

I see it continuing to grow, especially as more of life goes digital. I also see it as an industry that is well-positioned to be advocates for designing for the public good and wellbeing of our society. Call me a cynic, or dare I say it “old-fashioned,” but sometimes I see glimpses of the movie Wall-e in present day and get a little worried… Does anyone else think that remote workers resorting to buying under-desk treadmills in order to get movement in their day is getting a bit too close for comfort to the idea of a hamster on a hamster wheel? Or maybe endless scroll and continuously shortening the length of popular content were not the best ideas, but I digress.

Obviously, there are many positives that have come from digital innovation, but as we rely more and more on devices and tech in our daily lives (e.g. remote work, reliance on social media for connection, algorithms controlling the sharing of information, etc.), I see more and more of the need for people stepping in to make sure that both individual and societal health are prioritized above profit and corporate gain. Those working in UX research are well-positioned to be those advocates because we talk to real people all day long, we learn about their actual needs, desires, and challenges, and we can make recommendations that help HUMANS, not users.

Do you have any pets?

I don’t have any pets at the moment, but my plants are basically my pets! I have a (mostly) thriving indoor garden in my office. If you are ever on a Zoom call with me, you might catch a peek of them behind me. I’m particularly happy that my money tree is sprouting new branches, and I am successfully growing another tree from a cutting. Let’s hope that new growth translates into good luck and prosperity, as the Feng Shui principles say. I also have a flower garden on my balcony that’s been doing pretty well and I’m always open to receiving any gardening tips, as my green thumb is still developing!