What would Emmy Noether Do? Math, Models and Mulling in UX Research
Summary
If you look across all disciplines, the one person whose achievements got to the heart of a behavior in nature was the 20th century mathematician Emmy Noether. While geniuses in physics received accolades for figuring out conservation laws in physics, she went an extra step, and this was a step most people didn't even know was there. She figured out where conservation laws came from. In this presentation, we are going to look at where Emmy would fit in high tech today. Today, our world is filled with a plethora of templates, one day courses, agile and lean approaches, blogs on how to get "quick wins" and many other forms of content directly or indirectly trying to satisfy our appetite for speed in high tech. This is reflected in a desire to get to key takeaways or insights as quickly as possible. Many times, these "lean" approaches can be incredibly useful, but not always. Sometimes in the rush to answer or iterate, something fundamental is missed. Insights that could have been discovered with just a little more up front thought and formalism of the problem space. Asking one more "why" question. And asking it like the kick*ss 20th century mathematician Emmy Noether.
Key Insights
-
•
Emmy Noether solved a major problem in Einstein's theory by zooming out to understand broader system behavior rather than focusing narrowly.
-
•
Noether's breakthrough linked conservation laws to symmetries of nature, foundational for physics and mathematics.
-
•
Stepping back to see the whole system is critical for deep insight, as emphasized by Jennifer Fraser.
-
•
Bridging different disciplines—math and physics in Noether’s case—can lead to breakthroughs not possible within silos.
-
•
Ecosystem mapping visualizes relationships and exchanges between system components, making invisible connections visible.
-
•
Ecosystem maps differ from journey maps by focusing on system-wide relationships rather than sequential flows.
-
•
Co-creating ecosystem maps with stakeholders helps reveal overlooked roles and fosters alignment.
-
•
In a youth entrepreneurship program, ecosystem mapping revealed the crucial mentor role missing from existing support networks.
-
•
Every analyst or researcher builds models to understand systems, but models must be shared and challenged to improve.
-
•
UX research and data science often work in silos despite sharing the fundamental activity of modeling complex systems.
Notable Quotes
"Energy might not be conserved locally in a smaller patch of space but everything works out when the space is sufficiently large."
"Noether’s breakthrough came because she was able to step back from the problem at hand and look at the broader system."
"The bridge was made between math and physics in a way that hadn’t been done before."
"In our haste to get answers quickly, we often ignore what system we’re working within and why."
"Everything everyone knows is only a model. It’s important to get our models out there where they can be challenged."
"Visualizing the ecosystem helps get alignment among stakeholders and provides insights into strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities."
"An ecosystem map depicts relationships between animate and inanimate objects in a system representing value exchanges."
"Journey maps and service design blueprints focus on flows within parts of a system; ecosystem maps focus on relationships across the system."
"We are all just modeling. UX researchers and data scientists differ more in language than in practice."
"What system are you trying to understand and impact? What’s the bridge between different ways of modeling it?"
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Awareness leads to feeling stuck because we don’t know what to do or don’t feel empowered to act."
Victor UdoewaBeyond Methods and Diversity: The Roots of Inclusion
March 26, 2024
"Most categories are fuzzy; there’s no clear boundary between what’s in or out."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"Ask yourself, who is not included in this future? Be self-reflexive to reduce bias."
Sam LadnerHow Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight
March 9, 2022
"Over a third of the company signed in shortly after launch, which felt like a great success."
Michelle Bejian Lotia Anne-Marie MorellRolling Out a Repository: How Zapier Centralizes Insights from Across their Organization
March 28, 2023
"My kids know everything. If you listen to conversations with them, they say I know, Ma, I know."
Leisa ReicheltOpening Keynote: Operating in Context
November 7, 2018
"Every parent we talked to had some variation of the question: this exists, can I use it right now? Where was this when I needed to apply?"
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"The system is live now analyzing audience-submitted tasks and producing results in minutes."
Joerg Beringer Thomas GeisScaling User Research with AI: Continuous Discovery of User Needs in Minutes
September 10, 2025
"Organize your product managers, designers, and engineers around customers, not features or code repositories."
Peter MerholzCustomer-Centered Design Organizations
June 8, 2017
"Telling the right story means creating a memorable shorthand that leaders can reference when they're at other tables."
Dalia El-ShimySo You've Got a Seat at the Table. Now What?
March 31, 2020
