At the 2024 International Women’s Day Hackathon, UX&Why teamed-up with the Comeback CatZ Team to champion user-first app solutions that embolden women to overcome sexism and imposter syndrome. UX&Why is run by Rebeca Durán Stewart-an inspiring entrepreneur in tech. We sat down in an exclusive interview with her to learn about her journey in the field of Tech and her perspectives on building an app, including Comeback Catz.
Rebeca Durán Stewart, a seasoned Senior UX & Business Consultant, embarked on a journey to revolutionise user experiences by founding UX&Why, an independent startup focused on UX consulting and education. With over 15 years of experience, Rebeca brings a wealth of expertise in UX, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), digital marketing, and online business. This interview provides a glimpse into the innovative mindset and strategic vision of Rebeca Durán Stewart, highlighting her commitment to empowering businesses through user-centric experiences while paving the way for women entrepreneurs in the tech landscape. Let’s delve deeper into her vision, experiences, and insights.
- Can you tell us about the inspiration behind founding UX&Why after your tenure at Google? How did your experiences there shape your approach to UX and business consulting?
During my time at Google, one of the things I loved about my role was really listening to customers’ challenges and helping to solve them. Like any job, there is a particular scope that you work to, and sometimes this was limited to what I wanted to do and what customers needed.
When I left Google, I knew that I wanted to continue to support customers but in the ways that they wanted and needed to be supported. UX&Why is built on customers needs, similarly to the fundamental methodology that is user experience.
I also wanted independence to be creative and strategic and truly put the customer first. Additionally, on a personal level, I also wanted flexibility to live a work-life balance that worked for me and my family.
Working at Google taught me a lot about UX, business, and people. People work with people they trust, and this has had a big influence on shaping our approach to customer engagements and the development of our services. We consider ourselves to be a unique, agile, trustworthy, customer-first business that truly cares about our customer’s success.
- As a woman founder and director in the tech industry, what message or advice do you have for aspiring women entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in this space?
My entrepreneurial journey started as a young girl, seeing my mother set up her own business. I saw how challenging it was, but I also felt her excitement when she succeeded. Entrepreneurship run in my family, and after reaching out to a career coach in 2022, I began to realise the potential that I had and how I could create my own story.
The tech and design industry was something I was always interested in; however, I never felt “techie” enough or on top of the latest trends to be seen as innovative to be part of the industry. I realised as I went through my career that my approach with people was one of my biggest strengths, and innovation was something I could learn and grow into.
As I embarked in the tech industry, I felt that, as a woman, I was still competing for my voice to be heard. Not only as an entrepreneur but also as a service-based business. As I began to reach out to friends and networks, I realised how much support was out there already. I realised that I was focusing on those that didn’t listen, but there were many, many people out there that would listen and support you.
If you are an aspiring woman entrepreneur in the tech space and have an idea, go for it. It is scary; it is challenging, but you will find your tribe if you keep an open mind.
Women in the industry or aspiring to be part of it have often asked me about what skills you need, what challenges I’ve encountered and what learnings I can share. There are many, however what I will share is that no matter your skill set or the challenges you face, if you love what you do and believe in your idea, you will reach the right people.
Starting your own business is hard work; stay focused on the goal, meet lots of different people, be open, listen, and follow through.
Trust in your gut and believe in yourself.
- UX&Why emphasises putting the user at the centre of everything. How do you ensure this principle is integrated into your consulting services, and what impact does it have on business success?
We put our customer’s needs at the centre of what we do, and we do this in two ways.
Our service offering has been designed based on feedback received from 200+ customers, across different markets and industries. The current format and scope of these services are designed by customers, for customers. As we engage with customers, we adopt our own methodology of placing the user first by continuing to take on our customers’ feedback and refining our offering so it is best suited to their needs.
The second way we put customers’ needs at the centre of what we do is through the process in which we collaborate with our customers.
When starting a new collaboration, we begin with a discovery call with the customer. Here we deep dive into their UX challenges, business goals, optimisation strategies (if relevant), and more. This allows us to customise the right service offering that is best suited to their business.
The next steps of the UX audit, workshop, and implementation are all tailored to the customer’s needs and preferences, including historic research to be included, stakeholders to attend the workshop (we also give guidance here), and working alongside partners, developers, and marketing teams to best test or implement the UX optimisations.
All in all, we place the customer and their user at the heart of what we do. We do what we do to make our customers succeed.
Our customised offering has the potential of reaching a +10% impact on businesses conversion rates, alongside an increase in user engagement across digital products and services, as well as a reduction in bounce rate, exit rate, and churn.
- Collaboration is key in the tech world. Can you share your experience collaborating and partnering with Rhiana Spring on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day Hackathon? How did this collaboration contribute to your company’s growth and mission?
The collaboration with Rhiana came about in the most curious of ways. One of the existing partners of the Hackathon was QTA, whom UX&Why was already collaborating with. As a result, QTA introduced us to Rhiana.
When Rhiana shared the vision of the hackathon with us, I connected with it on a deep personal and professional level. I knew we needed to support this important cause.
Our mission at UX&Why is to put the user at the centre of everything you do, and Comeback Catz was the perfect fit for this. An initiative that was centred on the user, their challenges, and a means to overcome them. Comeback Catz is also an innovative solution in the social good space that we are passionate about and looking forward to seeing its success.
- The Comeback CatZ app aims to combat sexism and imposter syndrome. How do you envision this app making a difference in society, and what role does UX play in addressing such societal challenges?
The Comeback Catz app will make a difference in society by helping women to have a tool in their pocket that they can reach out to when they need it the most. In my experience, women often encounter sexism when they are alone, and this gives them a partner to stand up to these injustices.
UX is a key ingredient to addressing social issues such as sexism, particularly when technology is a part of women’s support systems. In my own experience of sexism, an app like this would have given me the confidence to fight back but only if it was usable and quick to navigate so I could find what I needed efficiently and with ease.
Accessing these tools for women is essential; however, being able to use them easily, quickly, and with a sense of success and confidence, by having great UX, will truly make an impact on these societal challenges in the long term.
- With 15+ years of experience in UX, where do you see the future of UX&Why within the user experience market? Are there emerging trends or technologies that excite you in this space?
The user experience market is one that is constantly evolving based on the user’s needs and expectations. A simple example of this is GDPR: users wanted more privacy for their data, and the market responded.
The future of UX&Why will be the same; we will evolve as users’ needs and expectations change. Currently, there are many trends emerging in the UX space; however, UX&Why will focus on what is most helpful for our customers right now, and that is the strategic and regulatory changes towards sustainability and privacy.
With more companies than before embracing UX and CX (customer experience), this topic will reach C-levels on a more regular basis now. If done right, user experience will be understood more broadly as a strategic imperative that directly impacts business success as optimisations on growing digital outlets roll out.
A streamlined UX is no longer just a desirable attribute but a critical component to make the most out of every website visitor and advertising Euro. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) becomes more important than ever, demanding a laser-focused approach to a conversion-driven user experience.
In regards to Sustainability, in 2025, digital experiences will be redefined by Sustainability. Sustainable UX aims for digital experiences that have a reduced negative environmental and social impact while maximising long-term usability and value. It includes diverse aspects such as minimising resource consumption, adopting carbon neutrality, educating users, and enhancing data efficiency.
- AI integration is becoming more prevalent in UX/UI designs. How do you see AI shaping the future of user experiences, and what do you expect the impact of AI to be on digital products instead?
We believe that by embracing AI as a co-pilot and harnessing the creative potential of generative AI, digital products in 2025 will feature experiences that are not only efficient but also follow standards. User experiences will become deeply personalised, more creative and resonate with user expectations more than ever.
With our customers and in the market, we have seen the following impact on digital products:
- Content generation: Generative AI will take centre stage in 2025 as a standard to dynamically create textual and visual content. This evolution empowers small and large teams to explore new levels of creativity, spend more time on ideation, and create tailored concepts that elevate the overall user experience.
- Personalisation: The ability of AI to analyse user behaviour at scale will lead to unparalleled personalisation. By generating content and recommendations tailored to individual preferences, businesses can significantly improve user engagement and satisfaction.
- Chatbots and assistants: Generative AI fuels the next generation of chatbots and virtual assistants, providing users with 24/7 real-time support that is actually helpful. These AI-powered bots not only answer queries but also offer in-depth assistance and bite-sized information solving most common requests.
- Outside of your professional endeavours, what passions or hobbies do you pursue that contribute to your creativity and problem-solving abilities in the tech industry?
One of my all-time favourite hobbies is to dance. I have been dancing since I was 4 years old and now really enjoy latin and african dance styles such as salsa, bachata and kizomba. I’m also a certified Zumba instructor, which allows me to create body movements and choreographies that allow me to be creative.
My other passions include travelling to new places and finding little gems in hidden towns. Cooking new recipes and experimenting when I don’t have all the ingredients, as well as listening to psychology and UX podcasts on my walks to the park.
Connect with me here https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecauxconsultant/
Written by Simon Sundaraj Kühn
