In a world where businesses are often fixated on delivering products and services, Shipra Bhutada stands out as a visionary entrepreneur who recognized the transformative potential of user research. With over 18 years of experience in the user-research field, Shipra’s journey from being a part of established systems such as Microsoft, Honeywell, and D-Labs at ISB to becoming the Founder & Director of Research at User Connect Consultancy (UCC) is a testament to her passion for decoding user behavior and integrating it into critical business and product strategies.
Embarking on the Entrepreneurial Journey
Shipra’s entrepreneurial journey began with a clear vision. At a time when user researchers were perceived solely as fixers of poorly designed products, she aspired to contribute to business and product strategies by harnessing the full potential of research. Fueled by this vision, Shipra founded UCC in 2019, a 100% user-research boutique agency that stands out in India for its dedication to decoding user behavior to achieve business success.
“In the melody of entrepreneurship, success is the harmonious blend of innovation, self-belief, and the courage to turn challenges into opportunities.” – Shipra Bhutada
UCC’s uniqueness lies in its commitment to providing end-to-end user research services. Unlike other agencies, 100% of UCC’s business is driven from user research, showcasing their expertise in analyzing human behavior and delivering precise interpretations of user expectations. The agency’s reach extends beyond India, having worked in markets like the USA, UK, and Southeast Asian countries.
UCC’s Offerings: Decoding User Behavior for Success
UCC’s mission is to work with business leaders, offering bold, honest, and uncompromising insights about consumers. The agency assists clients in building meaningful strategies, next-gen products, services, and improvised solutions. UCC’s services cover the entire spectrum of user research, from validating concepts to evaluating user-friendliness and usability before product launches. The agency employs methods such as ethnography, diary studies, concept evaluation, contextual enquiry, and job shadowing to ensure comprehensive insights.
SAGE: Nurturing a User Research Community
Shipra’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop with UCC. She founded SAGE, a knowledge-sharing, collaborative space, that brings together innovative minds focused on designing superior products, shaping exceptional businesses, and enriching people’s lives. SAGE serves as an advocate for user research, providing guidance and support to individuals embarking on their journey to learn and leverage the power of user research for product and business success.
To kickstart their initiative, SAGE established a User Research Community at T-Hub, Hyderabad. This community aims to assist startup founders in understanding the value of user research and integrating it into their thought processes to create world-class products.
Unparalleled User Research Expertise:
Distinguishing itself from others, UCC’s exclusive focus on decoding user behavior propels businesses towards unparalleled product and business success. With a niche expertise in analyzing human behavior, the agency brings forth precise interpretations of user expectations through integrated research methodologies. This unique approach empowers businesses to unearth untapped markets and seize opportunities, fostering the creation of innovative products and offerings.
Navigating Challenges as a Female Entrepreneur:
Shipra, a female entrepreneur, has successfully navigated the challenges of being a woman in entrepreneurship. She draws inspiration from her gender-neutral upbringing and her mother’s bold business decisions while managing home and family. Shipra believes that more women in entrepreneurship will contribute to India’s growth by creating opportunities and financial advancement.
She encourages women to prioritize excellence, showcase strengths, and thrive in their fields. Shipra has not faced gender discrimination and believes women in leadership roles contribute to economic growth and also emphasizes the importance of embracing strengths, building networks, challenging biases, advocating for equal opportunities, and staying resilient. These strategies help women entrepreneurs overcome challenges and succeed.
Work-Life Integration and Leadership Qualities:
For Shipra, work and life are inseparable. When passions become one’s profession, work seamlessly integrates into everyday life. She attributes her work-life balance to effective time management, prioritization, and a supportive ecosystem at home. As a leader, Shipra values empowering her team to celebrate ideas, learn from mistakes, and take on new challenges. She emphasizes qualities such as power, balance, grace, empathy, and collaboration as key to effective leadership.
Mentorship and Support System:
Shipra, a successful entrepreneur, values the support she receives from various well-wishers and her network of friends in the industry. Her partner empowers her to make autonomous decisions and take risks. Shipra leverages her connections with industry leaders for expertise.
As the Founder and Director of Research at UCC and the visionary behind SAGE, Shipra has ambitious plans for both organizations. UCC aims to become a global leader in strategic user research, driving positive transformations for clients through innovative methods. Her leadership extends to SAGE, where she highlights the importance of user research. She educates startup founders about its power, enabling them to thrive in competitive markets. SAGE aims to empower startups towards remarkable success.
Her commitment to global leadership, fostering innovation, and strategic user research is evident in her plans for UCC and SAGE. She values support and leverages her network to drive positive transformations in the industry.
A Message for Rising Entrepreneurs:
To rising entrepreneurs, Shipra offers valuable advice: have a vision, believe in yourself, surround yourself with a supportive network, embrace failures as learning opportunities, keep learning and stay curious, dream big, take calculated risks, trust in yourself, and never give up on your dreams.
Legacy Aspiration:
Shipra’s legacy aspiration is to pioneer strategic user research in India. She wants UCC to be known for its bold, honest, and uncompromised user research, empowering clients to make impactful decisions. Her goal is to shape the industry’s perception of user research and leave a lasting mark.
Final Words:
Reflecting on her entrepreneurial journey, Shipra offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. She emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision, self-belief, and a supportive network. Learning from failures, staying curious, and taking calculated risks are keys to success. Shipra’s journey demonstrates her commitment to dreams, continuous learning, and resilience, inspiring others in the entrepreneurial landscape.
