RESEARCH THAT DEFINES ME

Many youth researchers are fascinated by spectacular and rebellious subcultures. My focus was on the mainstream young people. I spent 5 years researching Czech Millennials and wrote a book about their consumer lifestyles. My book Reconceptualising 'Mainstream' Youth challenges the stereotype of passive mainstream youth culture.

Ethnography is one of my favourite research methods.The Future of the Czech Republic is a nationwide research project that enabled me to dive really deep into this technique. I spent 5 months visiting Czech families at their homes trying to get into their shoes and understand how the economic crisis influenced their consumer lifestyles and their relationship towards brands and institutions.

I believe that research is a powerful tool to increase well being in society. In 2013 I co-founded the Center for Social Marketing in Prague - a research center that focuses on solving societal issues through research and academic knowledge.

Site Title

Hi, I'm Michaela.

I am mixed method researcher with 10+ years of experience in consumer, advertising, media and academic research.

I love transforming insights from user-centered research into social impact.

I moved recently from Europe to Silicon Valley and my focus is on creating social impact through UX research.

M Researcher, Writer, Sociologist and Co-Founder

EDUCATION

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California

Project Management

Design Implementation: Getting to Market

Drawing: Mixed Media

2016-2017

Continuing Studies Program

2006-2011

Ph.D. in Sociology

MASARYK UNIVERSITY, Brno, Czech Republic

2003-2006

M.A. in Sociology

MASARYK UNIVERSITY, Brno, Czech Republic

South Bay Product & User Experience Design

UXPA: Bay Area User Experience Professionals Association

Palo Alto Design Thinking

AFFILIATIONS

SKILLS

Ethnography

Participatory Observation

Focus Groups

In-Depth Interviews

Mixed method approach

A/B Testing

METHODS

Content Analysis

Quantitative Surveys

Qualitative Usability Testing

SPSS

Dedoose.com

Atlas.ti

SOFTWARE

GMI Qstudio

SurveyMonkey.com

UserTesting.com

MEDALLIA, San Mateo, California

Analyzing qualitative data from online customer feedback such as open comments in surveys, blog posts, social networks, emails

Identified, built and analyzed over 60 themes for 5 clients from 4 countries

Collaborating with Project Management, Product Management and Engineering to improve a machine learning text analytics tool

CENTER FOR SOCIAL MARKETING, Prague, Czech Republic

Designed, executed and analyzed research projects that focused on social issues using ethnography, and quantitative surveys.

Conducted workshops with the clients to determine how to achieve strategic goals and positive social impact through research.

Designed and conducted a nationwide mixed method research for the Czech Social Security Administration. User-friendly recommendations were implemented into new conception for redesigning Administration´s website interface.

OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP, Prague, Czech Republic

Designed and conducted research on digital, TV and print ad campaigns and product concepts using focus groups, interviews, online surveys and usability testing method.

Initiated, designed and conducted a nationwide ethnographic research The Future of the Czech Republic.

Initiated an ethnographic research unit and established ethnography as a part of company´s research service.

Developed post economic crisis consumer segmentation. Designed and conducted UX research for Hospodarske Noviny news app.

GfK, Prague, Czech Republic

Designed and executed online quantitative surveys.

MASARYK UNIVERSITY, Brno, Czech Republic

Specialized in researching young people and their consumer lifestyles using focus groups, interviews, participant observation, and surveys.

Author of a book Reconceptualising Mainstream Youth, which raised an academic and public debate by challenging the stereotype of passive mainstream youth culture.

Initiated and managed a cross-disciplinary research team - psychology, marketing research, and sociology.

Published results in recognized research journals and presented them at international conferences in Hungary, Great Britain, Czech Republic, and Denmark.

Successfully applied for 2 research grants and received financing to extend the research.

Participated in research projects European Value Study (Czech Science Foundation), Patterns of intergenerational conflict (Czech Science Foundation), Cultural Encounters in the European Economy and Society (EU).

2017-Current

Researcher at Text Analytics Team

2013-Current

Co-Founder

2014-2015

Researcher

2012-2014

Research Executive at Insight Team

2005-2010

Researcher

2011-2012

Project Executive

KIVA, San Francisco, California

Designing surveys, conducting usability tests and qualitative user interviews with existing and potential Kiva lenders and Kiva lending teams/communities

Collaborating with Product and Marketing Teams to implement research findings into Kiva´s website

2018-Current

User Experiencee Researcher / Intern

2000-2003

B.A. in Sociology, Media Studies and Journalism

Site Title

RESEARCH THAT DEFINES ME

Many youth researchers are fascinated by spectacular and rebellious subcultures. My focus was on the mainstream. I spent 5 years researching Czech Millennials and wrote a book about their consumer lifestyles. My book Reconceptualising 'Mainstream' Youth challenges the stereotype of passive mainstream youth culture.

I love ethnography. Future of the Czech Republic is a nationwide project which allowed me to dive deep into this method. I spent 5 months visiting Czech families at their homes trying to get into their shoes to understand how the economic crisis influenced their consumer lifestyles and their relationship with brands and institutions. A new post-crisis consumer segmentation was created based on insights.

I believe that research is a powerful tool to increase well being in society. In 2013 I co-founded the Center for Social Marketing - a research center that focuses on social issues such as poverty, inequality or aging society and addresses them through research, academic knowledge and marketing campaigns.

Youth Research

More about book Mainstream Youth

More about Future of the Czech Republic

More about Center for Social Marketing

Ethnography

Societal Marketing

Concept Testing

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

My research focuses on young consumers in the Czech Republic. The mainstream, ordinary, normal teenagers and young adults. Based on qualitative research with 95 young people my publications discus and challenge many stereotypes associated with the mainstream such as passivelly conforming youth, sheep-like behaving consumers, or individualistic and materialistic hedonists.

Books

Hráčková Pyšňáková, Michaela. 2012. Reconceptualising Mainstream Youth: An Examination of Young People´s Consumer

Lifestyles in the Czech Republic. Mezinárodní politologický ústav, Brno.

BUY

Read selected chapters

Pyšňáková, Michaela, Miles, Steven. 2013. “The post-revolutionary consumer generation: mainstream youth and the paradox of choice in the Czech Republic.“ Pp. 14 - 28 in Youth and Social Change in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, Charles Walker, Svetlana Stephenson (eds). Routledge.

Hráčková Pyšňáková, Michaela. 2013. „Understanding the Meaning of Consumption in Everyday Lives of Mainstream Youth in the Czech Republic.“ Pp. 39 - 77 in New Perspectives on Consumer Culture Theory and Research. Pavel Zahrádka and Renata Sedláková (eds). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Pyšňáková, Michaela. 2011. “The Discovery of the ‘Mainstream’: The Value of Using Grounded Theory Method in Contemporary

Research on ‘Post-revolutionary’ Consumer Generation in the Czech Republic.” Pp. 194 -196 in Social Research: An Introduction.

2nd ed., David, M. and C. Sutton (eds). London: Sage. ISBN 978-1-84787-012-4.

Articles in Academic Journals

Pyšňáková, Michaela, Miles, Steven. 2010. “The post-revolutionary consumer generation: mainstream youth and the paradox of choice in the Czech Republic.“ Journal of Youth Studies, Routledge, 13(5): 533-547. ISSN 1367-6261.

Pyšňáková, Michaela, Hohnová, Barbora. 2010. “Od monolitické masy k neomezenému individualismu? Význam spotřeby v každodenním životě ‘mainstreamové‘ mládeže”. Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, Praha: Sociologický ústav AVČR, 46(2):257-280. ISSN 0038-0288.

Book Chapters

EXPERIENCES

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