What Is It Like To Be Part of The UX Team at Compass?
Summary
Join the moderator, Andreas Huebner (User Research Manager), as he runs a Q&A session with Amy Takata (User Researcher), and Craig Brookes (Staff Product Designer) to discuss life at Compass, the team culture, and the reasons for joining the Compass team.
Key Insights
-
•
Research and design at Compass operate as a tightly integrated partnership, collaborating daily and shaping product vision together.
-
•
Generative research during the pandemic employed virtual co-design sessions allowing users to interactively construct their journeys using online sketching tools.
-
•
Using low-fidelity sketches in research helps elicit honest user feedback without the pressure of polished mockups.
-
•
Compass’s UX team has grown from a few members to a diverse group with specialized expertise across data, processes, and information architecture.
-
•
Leadership at Compass champions research, enabling the team to focus on open-ended exploratory questions beyond tactical usability tests.
-
•
Research insights and design solutions form a continuous narrative, with learnings shared and explored across project stages.
-
•
Automation of marketing content for real estate agents is a complex challenge requiring personalization for different agent types and regional contexts.
-
•
Remote collaboration tools like Slack and video watching allow design and research to stay tightly linked despite physical distance.
-
•
Increased UX visibility at Compass has led to greater organizational curiosity and eagerness to incorporate research findings in decision-making.
-
•
There is excitement among UX team members about returning to the office to revive social bonding and in-person creative sessions.
Notable Quotes
"Design and research at Compass have become so integrated that we become these powerful partners driving the product vision."
"We used virtual sketching where users could move components into spaces representing their actual workflows on the platform."
"It’s really been helpful that research supports design not just in discovery but also in validating that what we build meets customer expectations."
"The pandemic pushed us to be creative, and it’s been fun for users to participate remotely in the design process."
"Leadership buy-in now means we get to focus on bigger, generative research questions instead of just tactical usability studies."
"The complexity of automating marketing content for agents varies because some want hyper-personalized brand content while others prefer general automation."
"Even though Craig and I work closely every day, we haven’t met in person yet, which shows how remote collaboration works well for us."
"Research and design together tell a continuous story that guides what problems we tackle and how we solve them."
"Our user base is really fun and complex, with different preferences that require nuanced automation approaches."
"I’m most excited to get back in the office because I miss that culture and feeling like I’m working with friends every day."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The act of naming, organizing, structuring information is itself a foundational design decision plan for the future."
Sean Baker Sara RomanoskiWeaving Knowledge Management into the Fabric of Our Design Practice
September 11, 2025
"The most transformative part of research is being involved in the work itself."
James Wieselman SchulmanResearch is a team sport: advancing the work when everyone does the research
March 11, 2026
"The best leaders lead so quietly they barely exist. When their work is done people say we did it ourselves."
John MaedaMaking Sense of Enterprise UX
June 9, 2016
"Validation is not just about asking whether the tool works. It’s about whether it works safely, realistically, and usefully."
Joy KendiMwitiDeciding when to automate: Integrating AI in high-stakes systems
June 9, 2026
"These crafted artifacts are quick, dirty, and temporary—they last just long enough to fuel the conversation and decisions."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"You want to check your motivations and your understanding of the situation before any conversation."
Joshua GravesWe Need To Talk: Managing Ludicrous Requests at Work (Part 3 of 3)
May 12, 2025
"We’re entering a world where design is going to be core to strategy and where making will become thinking."
Greg PetroffEverything is About to Change: Software as Material
June 8, 2016
"The red buttons are forbidden to reduce excessive engagement — that runs counter to typical design goals."
Niko LaitinenAdaptable Org Design for Resilient Times
June 10, 2021
"UXers are less satisfied because we have failed to set proper expectations about what the real work of UX is."
Peter MerholzThe Trials and Tribulations of Directors of UX
July 13, 2023
