Sam Ladner
Sociologist and Researcher
Sam Ladner (she/her) is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of software projects at Microsoft, Amazon, and many other client companies. She recently retired from Workday, an enterprise software company, as a Senior Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosenverse talks by Sam:
" Stories require no learning to understand, but you really have to work to make sense of statistics. "
Methodological toolkit for unique research impact
March 11, 2026
" Asking for help and humbling yourself is one of the most powerful ways to grow as a researcher. "
Methodologies: Beyond the interview [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 4, 2024
" Some of the most mundane objects can signal change. "
How Research Can Drive Strategic Foresight
March 9, 2022
" We have to figure out the strategic, unique value to our clients, stakeholders, and customers. "
The Future of Research: Bridging the Gaps
July 29, 2021
" The quick pop over to check on a file actually leads to a whole bunch of ancillary benefits, like social bonds. "
Data Exhaust and Personal Data: Learning from Consumer Products to Enhance Enterprise UX
June 8, 2016
" Building a distribution list of user-centered design success stories created a groundswell with 1,200 subscribers hungry for more. "
Discussion
June 8, 2016
