UX Researcher: The Bearer of Bad News
Originally posted on my blog Nov 2017
“Kevin, you’re like the bearer of bad news,” my coworker joked to me as we walked out of a debriefing meeting.
It was my second month on the job doing UX Research at Google, and they had caught on quickly. Googlers are smart people, after all. My master plan to dissect and destroy the product from within had been foiled!
Joking aside, this seemingly casual remark caught me by surprise. I know my coworker. He’s charming, friendly, and had once assumed I was a pothead because I was nervous during a presentation (I’m not, for the record). Anyway, I know he did not actually think I was the harbinger of bad news and did not mean it in a serious manner. Luckily, in fact, he and my team were actually quite receptive to UX research insights in general. Something not to be taken granted for.
But it got me thinking 🤔: Have other researchers experienced similar feedback? Does everybody else think the same about UX research? Did I do something wrong? Do I need to tone it down? Is this my destiny as a researcher — doomed to be perceived as the bad news bear?
Is a UX researcher really the bearer of bad news?
I see UX research as identifying opportunities, not faults (although please stop with the grey text on slightly darker grey backgrounds. It’s hard af to read, can’t imagine what it’s like for my grandmother).
Designers are highly talented and they also want the best for the product and team. No one is purposely making crappy designs to annoy users. But when validating concepts and creating designs, it is not always obvious what works best, even if there are best practices. That is why user research is so important. We need to see what goes wrong so we can fix it before shipping out something that does not work. Identifying real pain points and comprehension of users ultimately leads to opportunities for improvement.
Without research, designers are simply designing in the dark.
Did I do something wrong? Do I need to tone it down?
It could be the imposter syndrome, or the fact that I was new to the team. But I knew what I was doing in terms of the research. There is no reason to feel bad — we as researchers have no control over how users feel or think or use something, though I can understand the feeling of having your design at the center of UX Researcher Celebrity Roast Hour (okay, it is not like that at all, and nobody is laughing at the design!).
We want the best for the product and its users as I am sure the whole team does as well. But one should be wary not to start people-pleasing, no matter how many red velvet cakes they give you.
The takeaway
The main thing teams can take away from this is to:
“shift the mindset from feeling critiqued to an eagerness to learn and improve.”
There should be nothing personal about critiquing design — it all goes back to what works best for the users and for the company. It is a character-building exercise, and we need to be able to be open and receptive to feedback. If you want the good, you’ll need the bad and the ugly as well. Just as in life.
So, if you or your team have been reluctant or unreceptive to user research, it might be time to shift perspectives. Think of user research as finding opportunities for improvements, rather than putting the design to burn at the stake. Communicate with your team, get a feel for how people receive feedback, and work together to reach the superordinate goal. This will ease stakeholders into being more receptive and open-minded, maybe even an eagerness to seek out opportunities to improve design. Eventually, the improvements will lead to good news.
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to improve your skills in User Research, then consider taking the online course User Research — Methods and Best Practices. The course certificate is recognized by industry and it will help you advance your career. Alternatively, there is an entire course on Usability Testing which includes templates you can use in your own projects. Lastly, if you want to brush up on the basics of UX and Usability, you might take the online course on User Experience. Good luck on your learning journey!
