UX Research Chat: Researching Across Cultures

Culture shapes how people think, what they trust, and how they make decisions — yet in research, it's one of the most nuanced challenges we face. Whether you work across global markets, lead diverse teams, or are simply curious about how to do better research, this conversation is for you.

In this edition of UX Research Chat, we're exploring what it really means to do research across cultures — from making the business case for cultural sensitivity, to building teams that can do global research well, and what AI gets right and wrong when it comes to cultural context.

Join our panel to hear real stories and practical insights from three practitioners who have navigated cross-cultural research across industries, markets and organisational levels. After the panel, each speaker will host their own intimate roundtable discussion — a smaller, more focused conversation where you can go deeper on the topics that matter most to you.

SPEAKERS
Jeremy Raider-Hoàng — Senior UX Design Researcher at IKEA Retail (Ingka Group)
Jeremy helps inform thoughtful and impactful design solutions through understanding customers and co-workers. From home transformations to everyday improvements, his work focuses on alleviating challenges to make better living spaces more attainable, no matter where home is. Previously, he worked at companies like IDEO, and with clients like the City of Utrecht, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Soma Ray – Founding Researcher and Service Designer at Manthan UX
With experience spanning B2B and B2C research across global markets, Soma has worked across organisations, including Booking and IBM Design, where cross-cultural context has always sat at the heart of her commercial research practice. Outside of her work, Soma is the founder of Masala Curious - a community concept that brings people together through food, culture and conversation, exploring what we can learn about each other when we share a meal.

Emmanuelle Savarit, PhD — Executive Advisor, AI Strategy, Governance & UX Research Leadership
With over 20 years of experience across global organisations including Just Eat Takeaway, Facebook, and London Stock Exchange Group, Dr Emmanuelle advises leadership teams on the strategic integration of AI and UX research to support responsible innovation and business impact. She is the author of Practical User Research (Springer Nature) and The UX Research Powerhouse trilogy, and hosts the UX Research Club podcast.

Interested in getting a signed copy of The UX Research Powerhouse at the event? Get 15% off by pre-ordering your copy here — Dr Emmanuelle will bring it along on the night.

HOST
IKEA Retail (Ingka Group) operates through two main groups: Ingka Group and Inter IKEA Group. Inter IKEA owns and develops the IKEA concept and brand, while Ingka Group is the largest franchisee of the IKEA brand. At this meetup, you’ll be visiting Ingka Group, which operates IKEA retail across many countries and is responsible for running, developing, and growing the business globally in line with the IKEA vision.

PROGRAM
18:00 Doors open, snacks & drinks
18:30 Panel Discussion
19:00 Round Table Discussions
19:30 Drinks & networking

📸 Please keep in mind there will be pictures taken at the event. They will be uploaded to the meetup page and might be used on social media.

ABOUT UX RESEARCH CHATS
UX Research Chat is a series of discussions sessions for researchers focusing on the most important and unconventional topics.