Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to learn Sketch, Figma, Photoshop etc.?
At some companies there are hybrid researcher/designer roles so this can be an important skill. At least in most Silicon Valley style companies, the trend is towards dedicated roles so most researchers are not required to learn these tools. If you are interested in design there is no harm (and it can be very useful if you need to tweak a prototype that you are testing), but if you have limited time and resources and you want to be a researcher this is relatively medium priority.
Do I need to learn how to code?
Again, at some companies they want “full-stack UX” or expect front end developers to be doing the design and research. The trend in Silicon Valley is that these are all separate skills. Building empathy and knowing how to communicate with engineers can be invaluable, but coding isn’t really expected.
Do I need to learn quantitative skills?
Tricky question. There are lots of successful UX Researchers with little or no quant skills. That said, this can be a huge asset on the job market and on the job. If you have any inclination there are lots of relatively affordable data science programs (e.g., DataCamp, DataQuest, on Coursera, etc.). These skills can help you in all kinds of ways so no harm in investing in these skills. Even if you focus on being a qualitative researcher, knowing how to be a collaborator with quant UXRs and data scientists can be really useful. There are times when mixed-methods approaches are extremely powerful.
We would say that all researchers would benefit from getting at least some basic survey expertise. Writing a good questionnaire is an essential skill and all the better if you can do some of the straightforward number crunching with the responses.
I don’t have an HCI/cognitive psych/etc. degree. Is there any hope?
Short answer: YES! There are amazing researchers that have come from all kinds of backgrounds. If anything the field has been made so much richer because people have come from different life and academic backgrounds. The transition can be a little more challenging for some, but if you are willing to put in the work you can have a good chance of landing a position.
How do you share a finding/recommendation that is unpopular or “bad news”?
You may have a finding that goes against the intended reception of a design/feature or you may have a recommendation that goes against business goals. Root your words in the facts and research as much as possible and make it objective. Make it clear what the finding was and what users said, extrapolating to the broader user need. Acknowledge the business goals to stakeholders and facilitate a discussion on how to meet user needs while also driving toward success metrics.
This article was written by Laith Ulaby and Grace Vorreuter as part of a series on getting started in UX. If you would like to see the rest of the articles click here.
