Tariq Rahman on Anthro to UX with Matt Artz

Anthro to UX with Matt Artz

In this Anthro to UX podcast episode, Tariq Rahman speaks with Matt Artz about his UX journey. He discusses his fieldwork in Pakistan's real estate market and how it allowed him to explore the intersection of anthropology and UX research. He also highlights his UX internships at Zameen.com and Nike and discusses how his strategy consulting internship at ReD Associates has also helped position him for a career in UX research.

About Tariq Rahman

Tariq Rahman is currently finishing his PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, where he studied the role of social media and proptech in Pakistan’s emerging $1 trillion real estate market. He recently completed a UX Research internship at Nike and a Strategy Consulting internship at ReD Associates. His expertise lies in using ethnography to better understand the relationship between technology and culture, and leveraging these insights to inform product innovations and strategy.

Key Moments

• 00:03:00 - Fieldwork in Pakistan on real estate market
• 00:06:00 - First internship at Zameen.com, a property portal
• 00:12:05 - Opportunity to work with companies in emerging markets during field work
• 00:13:48 - Making the case for UX research and its impact in Pakistan
• 00:15:00 - Lack of practical advice from department, self-learning UX research
• 00:18:00 - Introduction to UX during Nike internship, bottom-up experimental approach
• 00:22:23 - Importance of learning and seeking help during internships
• 00:23:00 - Internship at Red Associates
• 00:23:35 - Field work on generative AI use cases
• 00:24:27 - Collaborative research process and analysis at Red Associates
• 00:25:15 - Team dynamics in a project team
• 00:26:00 - Differences in ownership and decision-making in UX and strategy consulting
• 00:26:51 - Learning to speak to business interests in strategy consulting
• 00:27:44 - Applying strategy consulting skills to make UX research impactful
• 00:29:44 - Starting early with UX research and internships

Recommended Links

• Tariq Rahman on LinkedIn
• Landscapes of rizq: Mediating worldly and otherworldly in Lahore's speculative real estate market