Some people avoid chaos. I like to run toward it—proton pack on my back and PKE meter in hand.
Over the past few months I’ve done a lot of reflecting on what I really enjoy about my job and what makes me really thrive in a big project.
When a product team's under pressure, deadlines are looming, an assessment is hiding around the corner, and user needs feel more like ghosts than facts; that's what psyches me up. Dropping into a team to solve messy, urgent research problems does feel a lot like Ghostbusting. It's exhilarating, a little chaotic, and all about solving a big, messy problem.
“Don’t Cross the Streams” — Avoiding Research Overload
In Ghostbusters, crossing the streams was "bad... very bad." In research, it's when teams try to do everything at once: endless surveys, competing priorities, and too many questions crammed into a single round. The result isn't clarity; it's a big, unanalyzable ball of noise.
Part of my job when I drop in is to be the voice of focus. I help teams un-cross the streams by scoping the work, keeping the methods clean, and making sure we get clear, actionable insights instead of a tangled mess of data. It's about asking the right questions, not all the questions.
Boiling down complicated workstreams into a single clear proposition with clear users, needs and problems to be solving. Fire everything at one problem and then the rest line up like little marshmallows waiting to be toasted.
“He Slimed Me” — Embracing the Mess
User research isn't always neat. Sometimes participants contradict themselves, tech fails mid-session, and a "simple" question reveals more confusion than clarity. It's a bit like getting slimed by Slimer: gross in the moment, but it's part of the job.
The key is not to panic. I’ve learned that messy data still contains the truth—it's just buried. My job is to get in there, clean it up, and find the patterns. Every "slime" is an opportunity to get closer to the real user pain points and uncover a new insight.
"Dogs and Cats Living Together, Mass Hysteria!” — Bringing Calm to Chaos
A few years ago, I joined the Air Quality team at DEFRA at a moment when everything was moving at a hundred miles an hour. There were questions everywhere, pressure from all sides, and a palpable sense of hysteria. My role wasn’t to add to the noise; it was to help understand what was going on.
Our team planned sharp, focused research, that helped us quickly map what was real, spot what was missing, and gave the team the data-driven confidence to move forward. Research done well doesn’t create more work or noise. It brings calm, provides clarity, and establishes a collective direction.
“Back Off, Man. I’m a Scientist.” — The Value of Evidence
Finding things out and sharing that insight is user research, it’s the whole damn point. We are scientists, we employ rigor, we use sample sizes, we test hypotheses. It’s science with words and data. I love working with teams to ground decisions in evidence rather than assumption. Tight deadlines don't mean skipping research; they mean asking sharper, more surgical questions to get to answers quickly, without losing rigor. My work is about helping teams replace a hunch with a fact.
“I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts” — Why I Seek Out This Work
Whether it's public sector, private sector, my current work, or the next project I'll jump into, I know these situations can feel scary from the inside. Unknowns everywhere. Stakeholders anxious. Delivery pressure is high. I didn’t initially choose this work, I just keep getting thrust into these situations, and I kinda like it.
But that’s why I love it. I enjoy showing up when things look uncertain, helping teams see their users more clearly, and turning confusion into clarity. Every time I do it, it makes me want to help more varied teams tackle their own "ghosts."
Because research isn’t about swooping in with a particle accelerator and stealing the show. It’s about collaboration, discovery, and shining a light on what matters most. The Ghostbusters weren’t heroes because of their gadgets. They were heroes because they showed up, worked together, and solved problems when things got messy. That’s how I see user research at its best.
So if your project feels haunted by unknowns, your deadlines are breathing down your neck, and your team just needs some clarity…
Who you gonna call? Jason, me. That's my pitch.
(Ps, I’m definitely more Stantz than Venkman)