Conversations in Tech: UX Research and Anthropology

UX research and anthropology are similar in that they both seek to further our understanding of people.

So it’s wonderful that our guest speaker has experience working in both fields. (She holds a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. :grinning: :+1:)

Join us as we chat with Crystal Tan, UX Researcher at Seedly, to learn more about her journey, her approach, and her work.

  • How does anthropology inform her UX research work?
  • How can we practice UX research to improve our design and products?
  • What skills/tools do we need?

You also get to ask her your own burning questions!

Conversations in Tech: UX research and anthropology

Crystal’s bio:

I’ve been in the craft of understanding humans for as long as I can remember. This took me down a path of human sciences, where I fell in love with sociology (BSc), specialized in social anthropology (MSc), and finally wound up here as a UX Researcher in tech. Back then, I was so sure I wanted to become a full-time anthropologist, alternating between field sites and lecture halls. But here I am, as a UX Researcher, both feet in and loving it.

Everything and yet nothing has changed. Be it doing ethnography in a homeless shelter, or building trust on a personal finance website, the focus remains the same: to make sense of people’s lived experiences, elicit thoughts behind their actions, and uncover their aspirations.

Ultimately, UX Research is more than a set of techniques. It is a craft; a way of seeing things, that places people and their very real needs at the center of what we do. Under this gaze, we bring inanimate objects to life, making them meaningful-in-context — and under the right conditions, indispensable. All we need to start is curiosity and willingness, to be an apprentice of others’ realities and an advocate for its continuous discovery. Come walk with me!


Conversations in Tech is a live podcast featuring professionals in the tech industry. We chat with them to answer your burning questions. Learn about their work, personal experiences, and the thought processes behind their craft.

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