6 lessons I learned in my first year as a UX researcher
It was May of 2018 and I had finally gotten the call. I had been offered my first full-time UX Research position and I was ecstatic. After several years of classes, trainings, and self-learning, I was finally going to launch into my dream career.
It’s been a little over a year now, and I’m still loving my work, but I’ve also learned a lot. I haven’t included everything here; instead I’ve thought through some of the challenges I’ve faced and have elaborated below on some unexpected lessons.
1. You are not just a UX researcher
I have worn a lot of hats in this first year as a UX researcher. In some ways, I am a content marketer. After conducting research, I want to make sure people listen to my key findings and recommendations. I want to target the correct people and draw them in. If I’m sending an invitation for a report out, I might include a statistic in the subject line or a visual in the body of the email. I need to effectively market my research findings so that my client understands them and so that they can be acted upon.
I’m also a story teller. When I put together a report out, I have sorted through an immense amount of research and observations. I know the ins and the outs of this research and find it interesting, but I have to make sure to take people along on the journey with me. I don’t want to bog them down with too many details, but I need to include enough so that they understand the importance of it.
Sometimes I’m also a BA. There have been times when there is an overwhelming amount of BA work on our team, and I have lent a hand with creating user stories. I’ve had to learn to write these as I go, but it’s been a useful skill to develop. I have learned what developers need from us and can ensure our user stories are conveyed correctly.
2. It’s easy to get stuck in a research tactic rut
Humans are creatures of habit. It’s too easy to fall into a pattern and to keep repeating it because it worked the time before. This remains true when it comes to research tactics. Before I started working as a UX researcher, I spent a lot of time learning about all of the different research options available. Here’s an example from Nielsen Norman that depicts a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods across an attitudinal and behavioral scale.
It’s easy to look at these and think of all of the different research tactics you could try! In a hypothetical scenario, that is. It’s a lot harder when you have a real client and hard deadlines.
On my current project, I do a lot of qualitative research. This usually involves user interviews and prototype testing. Recently, I took a step back and realized we had some important questions about our Information Architecture. In order to address these, I conducted a treejack test with about 25 participants. The data I collected and analyzed from this test was paramount in updating the placement of some of our pages. It was refreshing to break a bit out of the mold I had created and to try something different.
3. Developers will always have questions
And they should! Developers need to understand every particular detail to ensure they are creating the product as intended. Sometimes, descriptions or user stories that are clear to you, can result in questions and confusion.
As a researcher, I’m deeply ingrained with the client, the users, and the way the current system operates. I have done the user research and worked with designers on their prototypes. All of that knowledge doesn’t always transfer clearly in a user story for developers. I’ve learned to break everything down and lay it out, piece by piece. Our team will review it with the developers and see if they have questions before they start developing. We also will sometimes include prototype links so they can review what we are describing. Between all of this, we are able to make sure nothing is lost in translation and that development work doesn’t have to be re-done.
4. Stakeholders may have non-research priorities top of mind
Even though your end goal is the same as your stakeholders, you may have different day-to-day priorities. In my case, the client we are working for is very focused on deadlines. This is understandable, as some are mandated and cannot be moved. They are also new to user centered design and are still adjusting to how it can help their end product. In many cases, they lose sight of UX research and are keen to simply re-create the system as is.
At first, it was intimidating to speak up and explain when and why user research is needed. It still can be, but I’m learning how to defend its importance. I’ve found that the client generally isn’t against user research and is simply battling with other priorities that may not be top of my mind.
5. You will get attached to your initial ideas and designs (even though you know not to)
I cannot count the amount of times I have been told not to get attached to my initial ideas. It has been hammered into my brain — yet I still find it difficult at times. It’s human nature to care about something you’ve worked on and to defend it. This can be a problem in a couple of different scenarios.
In one case, you may be talking to users and think you know what they will say or how they will react to a prototype. You may feel that you have really nailed it and desperately want them to agree. If that’s the case, you may find yourself asking leading questions or telling them how they should be using your prototype. Obviously, that’s not effective research. It can also happen when you initially start working on a concept and perhaps sketch out ideas with some colleagues. Regardless of the scenario, it’s important to remind yourself that a failed idea is not a reflection of your merit or value.
6. You will not know every single thing about your users, and that’s OK
As a UX researcher, it’s my job to understand who our users are and how they will respond to our product. On my current project, I have spent a year getting to know the types of people who use the current systems and how I can help improve their experiences. So, it can be frustrating when I don’t feel like I have all of the answers. Realistically, I know it would be impossible to know everything, but I still find myself disappointed when I can’t answer every question. At first, this sometimes kept me from expressing my opinions and speaking up. As I’ve become more confident, I’ve started to feel out the times when there may be more user research needed, but also the times when we may need to make an educated guess.
I can’t take everything I’ve learned from the past year, but I do believe there have been some crucial lessons that can’t be taught in a classroom. Even when some of them are, you need to experience them first-hand to really understand how you may react and how you can improve. As I continue with my UX career, I’m excited to see what else there is to learn and how I can continue to improve.
