Growing as a researcher
The first few weeks or even months of working as a UX researcher can be stressful and exciting. There’s lots to learn and understanding any new organization can be a challenge. Sooner or later, you are going to have to start considering what comes next. Sometimes that means growing within an organization; and, in other cases, it might mean finding new opportunities.
It never hurts to get more familiar with different industries and research methods, but there are lots of ways you can grow as a researcher. We thought it might be good to lay out some of the areas that really distinguish great researchers and some of the various ways you can potentially develop in your career. If you are looking for a good high level perspective, Dave Hora’s article on The Researcher’s Journey is a great place to start.
Accessibility and inclusive design
As technology becomes more ubiquitous it becomes more and more important that all kinds of people have access to our products and services. By partnering with other functions, UX Research can be a vital champion of this. We highly encourage you to read about these important topics. Here are some places to get started:
- Inclusive Design and Accessibility. Check out the Microsoft Design page and read the Inclusive 101 section (link).
- Six Principles for Inclusive Design by Lillian Xiao (link)
- Inclusion Doesn’t Stop at Accessibility by Matt May at Adobe (link)
- Fair is Not the Default by Josh Lovejoy at Google (link)
- Kathy Baxter has a series of articles looking at the implications of artificial intelligence from the perspective of a user researcher (link)
Cross-cultural and International
Similarly, as technology and HCD approaches become more ubiquitous we have to be mindful of the different cultural contexts in which folks are interacting with the products we work on. As companies grow, non-US markets can become more and more important. International research adds layers of complexity from logistics (possibly working with vendors) and translations, to getting an accurate sense of the context.
Exploratory and less well-defined research
Early in your career you might mostly work on refining or optimizing existing products. As your career develops you may get opportunities to define new products or even help to generate new product ideas. This can require a slightly different set of skills. Quite frankly, some of these types of projects also have a bit more “risk” in the sense that it can be harder to get clear outputs from user research and have those outputs acted upon. You’ll need to trust your experience to mine for the meaningful insights.
A broader swathe
One of the hallmarks of a more senior researcher is the ability to have both a deeper and broader impact. This can be evident in many ways, including:
- Working with a more diverse set of collaborators (e.g., data science, policy, legal, customer support, operations, C-suite).
- Developing research that has implications for not just your immediate product team, but other parts of the organization as well.
- Proactive research that identifies questions before the organization as a whole recognizes the importance.
- Input into planning cycles.
A bigger research picture
Some of the research with the biggest impact has the ability to look beyond a single product and understand a much larger journey or context. Sometimes that means understanding how different products from a single organization work together; at other times it is about how your product works with those outside of your organization. The book Orchestrating Experiences by Risdon and Quattlebaum is a great resource for thinking about some of these challenges and has some detailed case studies.
Communication skills and stakeholder management
Few of us are born with amazing communication skills across the board (visual, written, and verbal communication). As we grow in our careers it is critical that we get as strong as possible in all these areas. Furthermore, it can be really valuable to get a sense of the right approach to communicate findings. The ability to tailor insights for the C-suite, knowing when less is more, and knowing when to use unorthodox approaches, are all important.
Mentorship and leadership
As you grow as a researcher, several paths will probably unfold before you. Take advantage of opportunities to mentor other researchers and see what makes an effective leader. Learn whether or not coaching others and helping them grow fulfills you. Utilize resources both within and outside of your organization. Management isn’t always the only path upward; some researchers go on to be very senior individual contributors, research leaders, or leaders in other parts of the organization. Think about the challenges that you find most intriguing and how to set yourself up to take advantage of them.
Where is the field of user research going?
The last few decades have seen a tremendous development and maturation in the role of human-centered design and user research. There is nothing to indicate that we have reached a moment when this change will stop. Anticipating these changes can be important in ensuring that you have a long and prosperous career. We’ll leave you with a few questions to consider:
- How will user research work alongside emerging technologies (e.g., voice UI, augmented reality, machine learning)?
- What kinds of organizations (and experiences) will be investing in user research and why?
- How does user research work with other insights functions (e.g., data science, market research, behavioral insights)?
- Is your research looking at broader and more holistic perspectives?
- How is user research situated within organizations and what kind of representation does it have in the organization’s leadership?
- What role does user research have in making the experience for fellow employees productive and inclusive?
Looking at the above questions and seeing the growing demand for researchers at companies of various sizes, we are excited for the future of our industry!
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.
