What It's Like To Be a User Researcher at Compass

Key Insights

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  Compass's research team grew from 3 to 15+ members in two years, enabling more foundational and cross-functional work.

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  Agents use multiple disjointed tools for buying/selling homes; Compass aims to consolidate these workflows.

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  Agents are entrepreneurs running their own businesses, often spread thin and scrappy in managing deals and relationships.

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  Remote onboarding during the pandemic posed challenges, particularly with technical support and childcare, but was eased by a supportive culture.

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  Transitioning from IC to management requires a different skill set and mindset; it often happens organically rather than by career desire alone.

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  Real estate data and terminology vary regionally, complicating standardization efforts within Compass's systems.

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  Cross-team collaboration among researchers sparks new perspectives, camaraderie, and improved approaches to shared problems.

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  Research at Compass supports agent financial and business management, a previously underexplored but impactful area.

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  The entrepreneurial spirit of agents opens opportunities to build tools that help them grow their brands and businesses.

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  Future plans include building research tools for workflows, better organizational support, and archiving mechanisms for shared knowledge.

Notable Quotes