This follows on from my recent post, What makes a valuable UX designer?
Let’s start from the assumption that you are a UX researcher. This probably means (never assume) that you want to be a researcher, care about humans, have empathy and were trained if not in an academic institution, then by someone else who maybe was.
You have rigour, you have methodologies, you have empathy and you have listening skills. Without these, you probably shouldn’t be doing research.
Ok great, now how do you become a valuable researcher – to your team, your organisation and yourself?
Here are the additional skills I’ve seen add the most value to teams and projects, over my last 15 years in the industry.
Be a strategist
A research study or user test is not an island. For each study, be clear on what questions are being asked and why, where it fits in the project, what went before and what will change as a result of your work. Be able to prioritise your findings and contribute to the next iteration rather than just an objective list of what is wrong.
