From Zero to Hero: My Journey as a UX Researcher
As someone with many years of experience in digital business, I understand the importance of continuous learning and experimentation. In a constantly evolving digital landscape, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve and to be able to adapt to new technologies, trends and algorithms. The one thing that sets successful digital business leaders apart is their ability to learn and experiment continuously, even if it means stepping outside their comfort zone.
Growing my Instagram account, @surlemisanthrope, has been a journey that has transformed my career as a UX researcher, but not in the way you would expect. In just three years, I went from zero to over 100k followers by creating content, observing and learning about the algorithms and patterns of behaviour, and collaborating with other creators. This hands-on experience has been an invaluable tool in my work as a UX researcher.
One of the key takeaways from my experience was the importance of observation. Through observing my account and the accounts of other creators, I learned about the patterns of behaviour of Instagram users and how to create content that resonates with my audience. This observation has also given me a better understanding of the frustrations that clients face when managing their social media accounts.
I also learned the importance of communication and collaboration. Working with other creators, I gained insight into the various elements of a successful social media account, including content creation, audience engagement, and influencer marketing. This experience has also helped me understand the importance of creating mutual trust and understanding with clients and how to plan research for their target audience.
Another key takeaway from my experience is that it’s not enough to just claim expertise in a certain field. It’s essential to have hands-on experience and a proven track record of success. For example, I have seen many people who call themselves experts in social media marketing; we all did but have never successfully built our own social media accounts. Similarly, people who claim to be experts on new technologies often need more practical experience to back up their claims. AI-generated images come to mind.
Here are 5 points that I learned while growing my account:
- Understanding User Behavior and Needs: Growing a social media presence requires you to understand the behaviour and needs of your target audience. This understanding can be used to inform your UX research, helping you to design products and services that meet the specific needs of your users.
- Content Strategy: Developing a successful social media presence requires careful planning and strategy. It would help if you considered what content will resonate with your audience and how best to present it. This same process of planning and strategising can be applied to UX design, ensuring that your designs are user-centred and effective.
- User Engagement: Social media success is often measured by the level of user engagement. To increase engagement, you need to understand what motivates users and how to encourage them to interact with your content. This same understanding can be applied to UX design, helping you create more engaging designs and encouraging users to take action.
- A/B Testing: Social media platforms often allow you to test different content and strategies to see what resonates best with your audience. This same process of testing and experimentation can be applied to UX design, helping you to identify the most effective solutions and make informed decisions about design elements such as layouts, colours, and typography.
- Analytics: Social media platforms provide valuable analytics that can be used to understand user behaviour and measure the success of your content. This same data-driven approach can be applied to UX research, helping you to understand how users interact with your products and services and to identify areas for improvement.
My experience of growing my own Instagram account has taught me the importance of continuous learning and experimentation, as well as the value of observation, communication, and collaboration. These skills have helped me become a more effective leader in digital business, and I believe that everyone who works in this field should strive to improve and stay ahead of the curve continually.
Ready to level up your UX research and design skills? Let’s connect and make it happen! Get in touch with me today to discover the full potential of your digital business or career.
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