Sam Ladner
Sociologist and Researcher
Sam Ladner (she/her) is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of software projects at Microsoft, Amazon, and many other client companies. She recently retired from Workday, an enterprise software company, as a Senior Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosenverse talks by Sam:
" Every story has multiple perspectives; there’s a story before me and a story after me. "
Methodological toolkit for unique research impact
March 11, 2026
" Allow space for participants to demonstrate expertise before digging deeper in interviews. "
Methodologies: Beyond the interview [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 4, 2024
" Sometimes you’re too early. Don’t fear. File this away and keep your powder dry. "
How Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight
March 9, 2022
" I’ve started giving up on product management and focusing more on product strategy and senior executives. "
The Future of Research: Bridging the Gaps
July 29, 2021
" The quick pop over to check on a file actually leads to a whole bunch of ancillary benefits, like social bonds. "
Data Exhaust and Personal Data: Learning from Consumer Products to Enhance Enterprise UX
June 8, 2016
" Start with yourself. It’s a great place to get a hypothesis, and then prove yourself wrong or right. "
Discussion
June 8, 2016
