Day in the Life – Melissa Obleada, UX Researcher

From marketing graduate to PR intern to culture to product and engineering, Melissa’s journey at HubSpot has been one full of change, learning and growth. We caught up with Melissa to find out how they got to where they are, what they’ve learned along the way, and what they do outside of HubSpot. Sneak peek: They have an adorable puppy named Mango (shown below).

Come meet Melissa!

Can you tell us a little about your background and journey to HubSpot?

I am originally from central New Jersey and came to Boston to study marketing communications at Emerson College in Boston. I’ve been at HubSpot for so long, but I’ve never been in the same role for more than two to three years. I initially interned at HubSpot in the PR team. I mainly helped with graphic design needs for INBOUND 2014 and the first IPO (when we became a listed company).

When our chief people officer, Katie Burke, started the culture team, I moved there as an intern and then as the first full-time employee. I focused on many things but found that I was most passionate about DEI/DI&B work. I spent the next few years focusing on building the foundation of our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging programs and employee resource groups, like POCAH and the LGBTQIA+ Alliance. I had a lot of fun and worked super hard, then in 2020, I changed careers to join the UX team as an associate in our (discontinued) UX rotational program.

I went in thinking I would be a product designer, then during the 18 month program I realized I was drawn to research instead. I love talking to our customers, users and people who have never encountered our platform before. It’s always enlightening and I enjoy sharing insights with our product managers, designers, analysts and engineers.

Describe a typical day in your role.

I get up around 7, walk my dog, get caffeinated and get in at 8am. I work on a growth adoption team, and almost all of my team is in Ireland and Berlin, which are 5 and 6 hours ahead. Because of this, I take meetings and 1:1 in the morning so that I can have my afternoon – when the teams in Europe are offline – for work.

I meet with product managers and product designers from the teams I work with to align with their current work, future goals, and share what I’m currently working on from a research POV. If applicable, we talk about what support teams might need from me in current projects and research, or we talk about areas we have questions about and might want to explore in the future.

Every few weeks the researchers in my department meet to discuss current work and provide feedback and support to each other. I also occasionally participate in my team’s design review to stay close to what the teams are working on. Depending on what stage of the research I’m in, I might be designing a study, putting together a screening to recruit participants, conducting research by conducting interviews or tests, or synthesizing qualitative data to share with my teams. I work from home with my three-legged poodle, Mango, by my side.

Tell us about a challenge you’re working to solve right now.

HubSpot has a robust suite of free tools that are perfect for smaller businesses just starting out. My team, Growth Adoption, focuses on the adoption experience for those small (and very small) businesses that use our Free and Starter tools. My team and I are thinking about the best way to onboard a new free user who has little to no prior CRM experience so they are both told what CRM can do, while being able to use the product quickly to get started quickly.

How do you solve for the customer?

I see myself as the voice of the customer and the future user when it comes to the internal conversations we have within the product and engineering. I see myself as an unbiased messenger, with no specific solution in mind when I set out to do research. It helps me explore problematic spaces more freely, and also push back when I feel like we’ve lost the plot.

In your own words, what makes working at HubSpot special?

the people. The trust and autonomy we are given is possible because I feel HubSpotters are trustworthy people who are great at what they do. I also like that we are a larger technology company focused on the SMB space. I love knowing that smaller businesses are using our tools to make their day-to-day processes easier.

If you could go back to the beginning of your career and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t press! You are so young, and you have so much time and room to grow. In fact, you’ll never stop learning and growing—especially at HubSpot. Listen to people when they tell you what you are good at, and also take the time to find out what you enjoy doing. you will understand it.

Outside of HubSpot, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I like spending time with my girlfriend, the dog, traveling and being with friends and family. I’m all about sustainable shopping, so thrift stores (or Facebook Marketplace) are where you’ll find me on the weekends. I have to give a shout out to my gym, Innercity Weightlifting, a nonprofit that works with youth and formerly incarcerated people in Boston.

I am currently on the hunt for the perfect hobby because I tried woodworking and it just wasn’t it. I am thinking about sewing, so that I can alter and improve clothes that I have saved or that I need to breathe new life into. Also, food. I love food, whether it’s homemade or in a restaurant with loved ones.
What is something no one knew about you?
Growing up, I wanted to be a professional basketball player. No one knew that because today I’m only 5’2.

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