Claudia Schönwälder joins us as a senior UX consultant

Claudia, where are you coming from, and where are you going?

I studied education, psychology, and sociology. I’ve always been interested in understanding people, their motivations, their reasons for acting, and their contexts. I entered the workforce in the late ’90s. The software industry was booming. At first, I developed and conducted training sessions for users; later, I wrote concepts for new software and handled project management. The focus there was on understanding and optimizing processes, rather than on understanding the people involved, the users. Back then, we were redesigning systems and making use of everything that was technically possible. It was an exciting time, especially because I always worked closely with the developers. 

I found requirements engineering and the question of how to structure processes in a way that involves users, ultimately ensuring that everyone involved is satisfied, to be fascinating. That’s why, after a few years, I made the move to user-centered design. Understanding and design came together in a new way, and I still feel right at home with this approach today. 

I want to do something meaningful, work alongside experienced people as equals, and have as much autonomy as possible. Someone advised me, “Get in touch with UX&I, you’d be a great fit.” And that’s how it all came about…

When do you enjoy your job the most?

I like it when things are tangible, when I go out and watch people physically experience something. I’ve always enjoyed being in labs or production facilities, seeing bioreactors and decaffeination plants in action, and visiting margarine production lines as well as sugar beet processing plants, the dpa news agency, and places where cattle “live” in databases. Beyond the variety of machines and questions (How do you actually weigh fleas? And what’s a mouse icon doing there?), it’s the people who are truly fascinating. They all have their motivations, their sense of humor, and their attitudes. And things that inspire them. We design products for clients and customers, but also for the people who will eventually use them.

It gives me tremendous motivation when people feel they’re being efficient while using a product, and even enjoy doing so. When you get that kind of feedback during a user test, it’s wonderful. 

It’s also great when clients say after working with us: “Yes, I want to work with UX people again and again. It was worth it, it was really good.”

What do you consider important when it comes to good consulting?

First and foremost: ensuring that the wrong thing isn’t developed. As an outsider, you often spot things that go unnoticed internally, for example, whether something is unnecessary. One particularly satisfying moment was when, based on user surveys, we were able to convince a product manager to drop his favorite, expensive feature from the new product version. This resulted in significant cost savings. Years later, the client confirmed that no one had ever missed that feature. 

Another aspect that’s central to me is finding and offering the right approaches (“What’s the smartest way to reach the goal?”) while expressing myself clearly. This requires empathy, which we traditionally apply to our users. In the run-up to a project, during workshops, and so on, however, it’s often our clients whose language we need to speak in order to engage them and support them in pursuing their goals.

You’re a veteran in the UX field, how has your job changed over time?

In the past, we often worked primarily with technical staff; UX was something that took place “in the engine room.” Today, that has shifted: Our points of contact are decision-makers at a different level, product managers, people in leadership roles, and a company’s C-suite.  

Another aspect that has changed quite fundamentally is how we collaborate. Design used to be more like a box: Clients were allowed to peek over our shoulders at designated times, but they were much less involved. Those big “Ta-da!” moments, when the box opens and the design is revealed, are long gone.

Despite all the benefits of remote work, there’s one thing we shouldn’t forget: Go to the users, go into their context. When working remotely, you can’t see what’s happening beyond the shared screen—for example, whether there’s a Post-it note stuck to the monitor, or what other objects and information are essential for completing a task. On-site, we can discover what’s going on around them and whether our entire approach is on the right track.

You’ve run 11 marathons. What appeals to you about it? And are there other areas where you’d like to improve?

In long-distance running, it’s a great feeling to be able to run for such a long time at a stretch, to be outside, and to do something you didn’t think was possible before. When preparing for a marathon, I always follow a training plan, because it just works. Setting a goal, sticking with it, and getting the reward afterward is what motivates me. When I run, I’m usually just by myself; I never listen to anything on my headphones. I like being in tune with myself, my surroundings, and my body, and being fully aware of everything around me. 

As for the second part of the question: I’ve been studying Spanish every day since early March, and it would be nice to be able to speak the language reasonably fluently at some point. I wouldn’t necessarily need it for work, though it would be pretty cool to talk about my favorite topic, the ROI of UX, in Spanish!