Hi, I’m Johanna Kollmann! I help product teams make better decisions.

I'm a senior UX consultant with 20+ years experience, who helps organisations connect the dots between user insight, product strategy, and decision-making. I specialise in insights-driven product strategy, turning findings into insights that actually shape what gets built, and shifting how teams think about evidence along the way.

I've led research programmes and built insights practices for organisations ranging from the Guardian and the BBC to government departments such as CDDO and startups like Snyk. Whether it's defining a metrics framework, scaling a research operation, or helping leadership make more evidence-led decisions, I bring both the rigour and the pragmatism to make it stick.

With a background that spans product management as well as research, I'm particularly drawn to roles where insight, analytics and strategy genuinely overlap.

Work

I started my company, Us And The Machines Ltd, in 2014. Most recently, I led user research at The Guardian. After starting my career in digital consultancies, I was Head of Product at security startup Snyk and contracted with corporate clients such as PwC and consultancies such as Pivotal Labs. My public sector experience includes several government departments, NHS projects, and several engagements with BBC R&D.

Head to Linkedin to see a full list of my clients over the years.

Public Speaking

I'm an experienced public speaker and workshop facilitator, and have spoken at over 40 events in 15 countries . Personal highlights include Mind The Product Engage, IA Summit, and the Lean Event. I have mentored at several events aimed at startups, including Lean UX Machine Tel Aviv, Lean Startup Machine, and taught workshops organised by UCL Advances, Mozilla, and at the London School of Economics.
You can find many of my presentations are up on Slideshare.