What is a UX Researcher: Responsibilities and Skills
In the field of user experience, the specialty UX researcher keeps emerging more frequently as the demand for increasingly human-centered design approaches dominates the market. Still, to many business owners and technical teams, this term may be no more than a buzzword.
The reality is that the expertise of a user experience researcher can quite literally be a cornerstone of deeply understanding the users’ needs and behaviors. Knowing how to cater to the audiences properly can ultimately make or break the final product.
So, what is a UX researcher? It is now standard to consider UX design as a vital part of the engagement and satisfaction of users. And user research is the first step to getting it right.
In our guide, we will explore the question: “What does a UX researcher do?”, their skills, responsibilities, importance, and how a person can expect to enter such a niche. Let’s dive straight in.
What is a UX researcher?
User experience research is not a new subject, as it has been around for decades and evolved over time to reflect the ever-changing standards of digital product users. To get to the bottom of the question: “What do UX researchers do?” we must first uncover this term’s meaning.
A user experience researcher handles the complexities of understanding user behavior and their needs. By conducting various types of research, they uncover the needs and expectations of users, helping adjust the product to meet their goals.
The essential principle of this job is to identify the problems users face through various interviewing and surveying techniques. Then, present their findings to other UI and UX experts and come up with a viable solution.
A UX research specialist must possess empathetic and genuine qualities in order to sympathize with a user, stepping into their shoes and seeing the challenges from their perspective. In a way, such professionals become the voice of the audience and communicate their desires to the stakeholders.
Typically, researchers are part of a larger UX design team and work closely to share their findings and ensure they are understood. Businesses can collaborate with a particular UX research agency to outsource such specialists and receive help defining their audience and building a positive experience.
On the surface, the definition of this specialty may seem clear, but there is much more to learn about the expertise required to call oneself a user research expert. Let us take a deeper dive into this topic and explore the necessary capabilities and everyday duties that lie on the shoulders of researchers.
What does a UX researcher do: role and responsibilities
Types of UX Research.
On a daily basis, the user experience specialist conducts research of two kinds. They are called qualitative and quantitative research. Let’s take a pause to understand what they entail.
- Quantitative research is more subjective and non-numerical and explores why users feel a certain way about a product. It mainly focuses on listening to people’s opinions, gathering quotes, observing their patterns, and more through methods like user interviews, diary studies, etc. Essentially, qualitative research gives us an idea of why users act and react as they do.
- Qualitative research, on the other hand, is all about numerical and objective data. It aims to measure specific statistics and percentages. For example, how many people can complete a task, how fast can they do it, how many obstacles they encounter along the way, etc. This paints a picture of what areas need improvement and which features should be more visible and easy to find with methods like mouse heatmaps, A/B testing, and analytics.
The UX researcher role and responsibilities in the team are vast and vital. Based on their findings during the UX research process, they supply the project with fundamental and nuanced insights into how users perceive the product. Overall, we can boil them down to the following duties.
User research planning
Building out a detailed plan of action before diving into the research helps the specialists identify primary goals and research methods to stay on track. The plan can also allocate responsibilities and tasks to the other team members and set the timeline for completion.
Research planning allows for setting measurable and achievable goals for the project, such as identifying users’ issues with the new design feature or completing initial research for a brand-new project. With a clear plan, the UX team can work towards established goals and avoid redoing tasks.
User recruitment
Recruiting the right kind of participants for your UX research studies will significantly affect the results, as selecting appropriate groups of people can better reflect on the metrics you are trying to gather. Therefore, establishing the correct target audience will vastly help in onboarding the necessary demographics.
Many channels allow for the search for perfect participants, such as recruitment agencies, online communities, social media, and more. Typically, incentives are involved to encourage users to join the studies. It can be monetary compensation, gift cards, discounts, etc.
Data collection and analysis
To conduct successful data collection, user experience researchers need to select materials they will be using, like questionnaires, surveys, interview guides, checklists, and others. Establishing the suitable material and questions is half the key to getting valuable data and metrics.
Analyzing the data you receive involves organizing the responses into trackable themes and patterns. Usually, software tools are used to analyze the findings and group them into related pieces of data.
Insights presentation
Finally, when the data is analyzed and organized, the UX specialists can present their findings to the design and development team, as well as to stakeholders. Charts and graphs can be used to demonstrate the insights and provide recommendations.
Methods like creating user personas and user journey mapping can help with the visualization of uncovered data and showcase the type of users and their experience interacting with the digital product.
Fundamental UX researcher skills
Now that we are clear on the UX research methods within the role and responsibilities of a user experience specialist, we can dive deeper into what makes a solid expert. Being an excellent researcher in the field of UX requires possessing certain qualities and skills that help bring fruitful results.
A specialist must be proficient in a typical skill set to deliver remarkable and valuable findings. Of course, the list below doesn’t cover every single ability a UX professional must be equipped with. However, these are the essential basics.
Design thinking.
The design thinking methodology is a vast discipline that is focused on being empathetic to the user and understanding their motivations to define and ideate new ideas to cater to their needs and preferences. This problem-solving technique allows UX teams to prototype and test human-centered solutions.
Typically, this methodology is characterized into five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. It is a creative skill that explains what is a user experience researcher in the modern design approach.
Wireframing and prototyping.
Creating wireframes involves a two-dimensional visualization of a digital product that showcases the design’s content distribution and basic layout. It helps build an initial idea of where features, icons, buttons, etc., will be placed on the screen. The wireframes will later serve as a foundation for the prototype.
Conversely, prototyping is an early version of a final solution with variations like high-fidelity and low-fidelity prototypes, giving more or less interactive options. UX experts can rely on prototypes to test the product with the users and solve complexities or challenges before the solution goes into development.
Usability testing.
As a part of qualitative research, usability testing includes a group of participants and select tasks they need to complete. The goal of this method is to identify how easy-to-use and intuitive the product is and whether the user experience is satisfactory. The UX team usually observes how the target group interacts with the product and collects insights into their behaviors, challenges, and more.
Usability testing can be done with a prototype during earlier stages to test how it performs with real users. It is an essential skill that a specialist must possess to come up with data-driven decisions regarding improving the product.
User interviewing.
One of the fundamental ways to gather insights is to conduct user interviews. These could be done in person or online, assembling an interview guide with open-ended or close-ended questions to gauge users’ opinions and experiences regarding the product.
With this method, active listening, encouragement of storytelling, and an unbiased approach are necessary skills to solicit in-depth and substantial answers that will be used as a basis for analysis later.
User personas.
Based on the findings during user testing and interviews, UX researchers can start creating user personas. These are semi-fictional characterizations of the target audience built off of actual users who participated in the testing. The highly detailed personas serve as a foundation for understanding how to better cater to the needs and goals of the primary audience.
User personas are created by identifying similar behavioral patterns and common characteristics of the users. Generally, they contain background information about their age, gender, occupation, location, goals with the product, obstacles, and more.
Journey maps.
In combination with user personas, journey maps act as a visual representation of the physical steps and actions a user takes when interacting with a solution. The maps track a user’s experience over time and highlight any difficulties or frustrations at any given touchpoint.
Using the journey mapping methodology, in conjunction with previously mentioned practices, allows UX teams to make informed decisions based on factual data on the qualitative side and better empathize with audiences to deliver positive experiences on the quantitative side.
How to become a UX researcher
The profession of a UX researcher is more in demand now than ever. As businesses across the board see the value of a solid foundation of carefully crafted user experience, the chances of landing a notable offer are rising.
However, before you can compete for a decent job position, you have to embark on an exhaustive learning journey first. Depending on your specialist background, the time it takes to get to the finish line may take shorter or longer. Without further ado, let’s explore the basic steps one has to take to enter the UX research niche.
Step 1: Complete a training course
Topics that are usually covered by UX Research courses.
The first step on how to become a user experience researcher is to obtain the required knowledge. With an abundance of courses available to each and everyone, finding and completing a suitable education won’t become an issue. Of course, no one is pushing you to get your Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree to enter the niche. However, having a background in UX design, psychology, or behavioral sciences will be a major plus.
If you lack appropriate education, the best course of action is to find reputable UX design courses, whether online or in person. That kind of basis will be enough to further expand your understanding and expertise in the user research field.
Step 2: Develop your skills
Skills UX Researcher needs.
Going beyond what’s included in your standard course program, you should focus on developing your skills through additional materials. Following a few trustworthy blogs on UX research, like Nielsen Norman Group’s blog, will enrich you with more niche and real-life insights that will greatly aid you in becoming a notable specialist.
Picking up some books on this topic, like “Interviewing Users” by Steve Portigal, can also provide valuable knowledge you might not find elsewhere. In addition, there are podcasts, such as UXPod and others, available on many streaming services that explore the topic of research in user experience design.
Step 3: Hear the experience of other specialists
Best user research tips for beginners.
Getting to hear the real-life experience of working researchers and designers can provide a piece of more realistic and down-to-earth information about what it actually is like to work in the industry. Consider attending conferences and becoming a member of related forums to absorb practical knowledge and experiences shared by working experts.
Check if there are any business meetings in your area to attend. It could be a significant opportunity to meet experts and potential clients.
Step 4: Master the user research tools
Popular research tools to understand your users.
Familiarizing yourself with the necessary tools a user experience researcher utilizes on a daily basis will be essential to progress in the field. Different tools and software are used at various stages throughout the research, in particular:
- User recruitment: Ethnio, UXtweak, User Interviews.
- Surveys: Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform.
- Usability testing: Maze, Lookback, UsabilityHub.
- Analytics: Hotjar, Mixpanel, Optimizely.
The tools listed above just scratch the surface of what researchers could possibly use to make their work more efficient. Getting the hang of these typical programs will allow you to push further into your career.
Step 5: Put your knowledge to the test
Put your knowledge to the test as a UX researcher.
It is good practice to conduct self-testing and take up sample work to see how far you have come and at which level your skills are currently. You can look up online some fictional situations to base your hypothetical research on and practice skills like creating user personas and journey maps.
Don’t forget that your soft skills as a UX specialist are also vastly important. You must be a reliable team player and be able to communicate in a clear and concise manner. Active listening is inseparable from this career to gain as much quality user insights as possible. Analytical thinking will help you process the provided information and figure out the most fitting solution to a user’s problem.
Step 6: Gain practical experience
Tips for becoming a UX Researcher.
Once you have a grip on the basic instruments and are solid in your skills, you can begin taking on projects. Be prepared that some of the first work that you do will be uncompensated and will go toward gaining practical experience.
Freelancing and volunteer work are great ways to test the waters of this industry firsthand. You can also sign up for an internship with some of the UX design agencies in London. This will allow you to tackle authentic projects and gain initial experience conducting user research.
Step 7: Build your portfolio
Tips for building your portfolio as a UX Researcher.
Over time, you can start building your portfolio, showcasing the process, methods, and results of your work. For each project, describe the initial state of operations, the issue that needed improvement, how you came up with a project plan, the actions you took to achieve the goals, and the end result of your work.
Don’t forget to attach your education or training certificate to prove your expertise. The more reputable jobs you will list in your portfolio, the more chances you will be employed in a satisfactory position. Most importantly, keep persevering on your journey to become a recognized professional, regardless of the difficulties you may encounter along the way.
When do you need a user experience researcher?
Shifting our focus to the business side of the argument, many stakeholders and entrepreneurs may wonder why they would need a researcher and at what point they should employ them. In reality, the answer will heavily depend on a particular project and business concept. Although, the overarching benefits remain the same.
Most commonly, a UX specialist is onboarded to be a significant asset during early conceptualization. They can identify your target audience, gather user feedback, and validate your initial visions and ideas. Conversely, they can find areas that users dislike and provide an alternative to make the product work.
Before proceeding with development, understanding the audience through methodologies like user personas can shed light on what will be in demand and compelling to users. During later stages, UX research specialists can conduct usability testing to challenge your prototype with real people and discover their true reactions to the product.
Many UX design companies put their focus on innovation and finding new ways to engage with the audience. With their valuable insights, brands can discover new opportunities and approaches to appeal to audiences with recent trends and developments.
In addition, inclusive approaches in technology are now standard practice. A UX expert can ensure your solution is accessible and usable to all groups of people, regardless of their capabilities. After all, what is a UX researcher if not a reflection of the key desires and needs of people who will use the solution?
User experience research can also be a valuable tool to track the performance of your digital product post-launch. Analyzing metrics like user engagement can unveil important details and highlight areas for improvement in future updates.
Last but not least, a professional user researcher can be a vital part of redesigning and revamping the solution. Unlike the early discovery and idea validation phase, UX experts can reveal the challenges users had with old features. When updates roll out, they can compare older and newer versions to track the satisfaction and usability rates and give you a more in-depth understanding of your progress.
As you can see, there are many instances where the consultancy and aid of such professionals come in handy. Still, it is up to you to accept or disregard their assistance.
Importance of UX researchers
The value a well-trained and experienced UX research expert can bring to the table should be obvious, looking at the information we have presented above. To put it briefly, the end goal of user research is a well-received product.
UX researchers and design specialists can ensure user-centricity is achieved and help you not lose sight of what’s most important: creating a product that audiences will love. You can increase user satisfaction and enhance your brand reputation with guided design decision-making.
Instead of relying on making uneducated guesses about what users want, UX research professionals deliver data-driven results and recommendations to aid brands in making smart choices. This undoubtedly gives you a competitive edge and an advantage in the market.
Avoiding unnecessary development of features that don’t evoke a positive response from users can also save your budget. This also includes the number of design iterations that are needed to adjust or improve the existing functionality.
Moreover, we must not forget retention rates and customer loyalty. It is a known fact that users are unlikely to return to a product if they have a negative user experience. Therefore, listening to their needs and delivering on them can significantly boost your chances of building a loyal community around your digital product or service.
All of these elements work together and help businesses see a remarkable return on investment. Consider this: with hefty competition in almost any sector, being able to capture the attention of audiences and keep them coming back can launch your brand on a higher pedestal. In the long run, companies that maintain a homogenous number of customers and a steady income of revenue are the ones that remain afloat for generations.
Final thoughts on UX researcher
There is no mystery behind the expansion of services aimed at capturing the experiences of users and making them better. The phrase “a customer comes first” has existed for a long time, just like the practice of analyzing consumers’ behaviors, needs, and goals. After all, the people who use the product are the ones who shape the future of a given business. Therefore, the value of making them satisfied is undeniable.
In our detailed exploration of who a UX researcher really is, we have laid out their role in the success of a business, the skills and responsibilities they carry, the basic steps of becoming an in-demand specialist, and why brands should definitely keep an eye out for qualified researchers. Still, there is much to learn beyond the surface.
If you have any questions regarding how to improve your user experience and require a professional consultancy, be sure to contact us anytime. We will reach out to you and discuss how our skilled experts can help you enhance your digital products.