Meet Hannah Dean, a passionate researcher to the world of UX design, who has spent her first year at Babbel navigating the intricate landscape of language learning. Hannah’s journey has been marked by both challenges and triumphs, with each experience shaping her understanding of what it truly means to design with empathy and purpose.
In this article, we’ll dive into an interview-style conversation with Hannah, where she reflects on the twelve invaluable lessons she has learned throughout her first year at Babbel. From embracing failure as a stepping stone to fostering collaboration across diverse teams, Hannah’s insights resonate with anyone striving to enhance their skills in UX.
Can you tell us about your journey at Babbel, and what inspired your reflection on the past year?
Hannah: Ah, my journey into Babbel! It’s been a bit like learning to ride a bike—exciting, occasionally wobbly and with a few unexpected detours. As a passionate language enthusiast and former English teacher in Spain, I was determined to join and applied three times before finally being accepted. Now I’m thrilled to be part of the world’s leading language learning platform 🧡
I’m now an embedded UX Researcher for our Engagement cluster, where I empower four product teams focused on engaging users meaningfully in their language learning journey. In essence, my role is to deeply understand the wants, needs, and behaviours of our learners and share these insights in a way that empowers our designers and developers to craft more engaging learning experiences. I’m like a detective, without the trench coat 🕵️
Over the past year I’ve navigated new research tools, expanded my design thinking and collaborated with brilliant minds. I’ve grown a lot personally, and I wanted a way to capture the 12 months into 12 lessons learned—partly for my own reflection and partly to inspire juniors and product people to embrace the rollercoaster of UX research.
Sparkling water…get it?
You mentioned that “Empathy is Everything.” How has this lesson shaped your approach to UX research at Babbel?
Hannah: I consider empathy to be a core personal value of mine. My Mum urged me from a young age to ‘step into their shoes’ whenever I was teased at school, which taught me to make sense of the world from a place of compassion. My academic background in Psychology and Sociology fuelled my insatiable curiosity about the intricate and fascinating ways in which humans behave. That curiosity has enabled me to connect with others on a profound level to understand perspectives different from my own—one of the things I truly love about working with such multicultural colleagues at Babbel.
So moving into the world of UX Research was a completely logical step. At Babbel, we aim to understand our users beyond just their clicks and scrolls. By actively listening to our users’ needs, frustrations and quirky habits, I help to ensure our solutions are grounded in real experiences. Like that detective, forever digging to uncover golden insights. This empathetic approach helps us create better products and fosters a culture of understanding, which is essential for innovation.
Empathy is Everything 🧠
We are not our users. Solutions must start with problems. The more we empathise, the better we serve users, not egos.
-Hannah Dean
What does “Fail Fast, Learn Faster” mean to you, and can you share a specific instance where this principle was beneficial?
Hannah: “Fail Fast, Learn Faster” is my personal battle cry! It’s about embracing failure as a stepping stone to success. By taking bold risks and catching mistakes early, we can learn, adapt and improve more quickly—the faster we fail, the faster we get to success.
My journey into UX Research has been a series of failures that ultimately led to my greatest breakthrough. I tried different careers before I discovered UX, for instance, HR, yacht sales. One of my jobs was an English teacher, where I discovered my passion for people and languages. That passion sparked my transition into UX, and eventually brought me to Babbel, where I now blend my love for problem-solving with a deep connection to people.
To give a specific work example at Babbel, our user research shows that faster learners grow bored and frustrated easily. To combat this, we designed a feature to let them skip ahead in their learning journey but found surprisingly low adoption in AB testing. After conducting in-depth interviews, I revealed why: learners feared missing key content (FOMO). This insight led us to redesign, emphasising that learners could navigate flexibly without losing important lessons. By embracing “fail fast, learn faster,” we iterated quickly and are now developing a more dynamic, adaptable learning path. This proves that quick testing and iteration drive faster success than chasing the perfect solution—because perfection doesn’t exist.
Fail Fast, Learn Faster 🚀
Not every idea will work, but failings are learnings. The faster we find what doesn’t work, the quicker we get to what does.
-Hannah Dean
You emphasise the importance of data. How do you translate data into actionable insights for your team?
Hannah: A skill I’ve come to realise is essential in every job I’ve had is the ability to communicate effectively. It feels like such a nebulous skill, but the best data in the world is useless if nobody understands what to do with it.
My job is to turn raw data into actionable insights for the product teams; this can be quantitative data like statistics, charts and numbers or complex qualitative thoughts, feelings and emotions. Conducting thorough research is only half the battle; the real challenge lies in conveying my insights in a way that is accessible and impactful. Just as I prioritize understanding our users, I also treat my stakeholders as users in this process.
A framework I use which has personally helped to structure my work is ‘ACT’:
A – Anchor to Goals
| Connect insights to product or business goals to show their relevance. |
C – Clear Recommendations
| Provide straightforward, actionable steps for the product team to follow. |
T – Tell Stories
| Use relatable user stories or examples to bring data to life and make it memorable. Every UX Researcher should endeavour to be a great storyteller. |
A good rule of thumb I stand by—if it’s simple enough that my non-techy Dad could understand it, it’s probably clear and useful.
Data Talks, But Insights Sing 🎶
Collecting data is informative. Translating it into actionable insights is transformative.
– Hannah Dean
What advice do you have for anyone starting out in UX Research?
Hannah: If you’re starting out in UX research, my biggest piece of advice is to stay curious and embrace the journey of constant learning. Become obsessed with understanding people’s behaviours, needs, and motivations and don’t be afraid to ask questions, experiment and learn from mistakes—“Fail Fast, Learn Faster” is key. Remember that every misstep is an opportunity to learn and improve.
Don’t underestimate the importance of becoming a great storyteller. Effective communication is crucial in ensuring you bring value to your team. Finally, be patient and persistent. UX Research is a skill that takes time to develop, but the more you practice and refine your craft, the more impactful you’ll be in the teams you work and the users you serve. Keep pushing boundaries, stay open, and always, always keep learning.
