Revisiting the 8 Pillars of User Research as a foundation for ResearchOps
“The Eight Pillars of User Research” is one of the defining articles of ResearchOps with around 60,000 views at the time of writing this.
As Jake Burghardt, UX author and ResearchOps editor, states: “The 8 pillars have provided a framework for understanding the breadth of topics that we want to cover with ResearchOps-Community articles. It sets a scope.”
While this article will summarise the eight pillars we recommend that you read Emma’s original (which was based on input from Brigette Metzler, Emma Boulton, Holly Cole and Tomomi Sasaki) to get an in-depth understanding.
The ResearchOps 8 Pillars of User Research
The global ResearchOps community researched what are the main areas that user research operates within. As Discovery is a user research-led process it made sense to frame the questions within a user research framework.
The Eight Pillars that emerged are:
- Environment — Why does research happen? Who is engaged?
- Scope — How and when does research happen? What methods?
- Recruitment and Admin — How do I manage all the project and participant admin?
- Data and Knowledge Management — What happens to the findings, data and insights?
- People — Who is responsible for carrying out research?
- Organisational context — What are the internal and external constraints?
- Governance — What are the legal and ethical considerations?
- Tools and infrastructure — What systems and tools do I need for my projects?
How the 8 pillars have been used
We put out an appeal on the ResarchOps Slack (join us if you haven’t already) while Emma posted on LinkedIn to find out what impact the article had.
We got dozens of responses on how it served as guidance for user researchers and teams in various industries looking to establish or formalise their research operations functions.
The 8 pillars framework has helped them prioritise what needs to be done, advocate for dedicated roles, and create a solid foundation to build upon.
The 8 Pillars as a way to get started
From prioritising efforts to getting buy-in for new roles, the 8 pillars served as their guiding map:
Where to start? What needs doing? What am I missing??? The pillars immediately gave me a head start on all of these questions.
— Cyril Rebetez, Games Industry User Researcher
I used it with our team to help establish the ReOps function at UKHSA. It was invaluable as a foundation to start building upon.
— Dr Salma Patel, Lead User Research Consultant
As a researcher of one joining a company which previously had no researchers, I’ve used the 8 pillars of researcher as a tool to conceptualise research practice.
Megan St Andrew, UX Researcher at Sourcegraph
It was my number one resource in my learning folder.
Clara Parada, User Researcher and Learning Designer
The 8 pillars as a way to talk about user research and ResearchOps
I have used and heavily quoted the Eight pillars of User Research while I talk about the work and Impact of Research Ops in our organisation. It is a tangible map for “behind the curtain” contributors like us to see where we fit and how are we making things move.
— Shivanjali Mishra, User Researcher
The 8 pillars as a way to drive change
I’ve used the 8 pillars as a lens for research and change management within the company I work for. It helps me decide where I need to prioritise my efforts.
— Clara Kuo, UX Research Manager
In 2019/2020, we used this on my team at Red Hat to push for the formalisation of a ReOps position on the team. Having such a formal and complete artefact certainly helped us to land the dedicated role on the team for a ReOps person.
— Carl Pearsonm, Quantitative UX Researcher, Reddit
I used it to define priorities of what needed to be done for my team. One pivotal resource that guided my approach was the “8 Pillars of User Research”.
— Anja Maerz, Head of User Research and Customer Support, StudySmarter
Videos and podcasts on the Eight Pillars
We also have a video and a podcast of the article being discussed:
- Kate Townsey at UX Brighton 2018 on YouTube.
- Emma Boulton Keynote podcast
The Eight Pillars in other languages
Volunteers have translated the Eight Pillars of User Research into other languages:
If you’d like to translate the Eight Pillars (or any other article) into your language then submit your proposal on this form.
Likewise if you feel that this article has inspired you to want to write about any of the 8 pillars then please read our submissions guidance and get in touch.
