There are several career paths within UX design. One of them is UX Researcher. These professionals study users’ attitudes and behavior as they perform tasks, and then the researchers compile and present their findings to the design team. The job outlook for UX research is very strong and the salaries are good, so UX Researcher looks like a good career path.
What Is UX Research?
User-centered (UX) design relies on the results of research that looks at users’ behavior and attitudes when they engage with the product. UX researchers use different types of tests during the design process to determine if the website or mobile app is easy and enjoyable to use and whether it accomplishes what it was designed to do.
Qualities of a Good UX Researcher
Good UX researchers need to be effective communicators, enjoy interacting with people, and have good attention to detail. One of the important qualities of a researcher is empathy, the ability to imagine what a user is experiencing. This helps when formulating interview and survey questions. Pragmatism is another important quality, which means that the researcher can keep in mind the cost and effort of getting the information and weigh it against the time and budget constraints of the project. Collaboration is also important because researchers are part of the design team and need to work together with the other members. Finally, research is only as good as the data collected, so the ability to perform tests consistently and record results accurately is crucial to good research.
What Does a UX Researcher Do?
UX Researchers conduct different types of tests to find out about users’ attitudes and behaviors toward the website or app under development. They conduct quantitative and qualitative research to test the product and then report on their findings. UX researchers conduct interviews, run surveys, and perform usability studies of various types. Then they analyze the data and report their findings to the design team.
Timing of Research
UX design is a team effort that repeats as needed, and research comes in at different times in the product development cycle. There are four basic stages of research:
- Foundational - Also known as strategic research, foundational research happens before the project gets the official go-ahead. This is the phase where data are gathered to assess the general situation.
- Definition - This phase of research defines the problem and identifies the pain points users are experiencing as they try to accomplish their goals.
- Design - This phase builds on the others and looks at how the product should be built.
- Post-launch - Post-launch research tests the success of the product and points to improvements for the future.
Research Methods
UX Researchers use various tools to get the information they need to drive user-centered design. Some of these tools are listed below.
Interviews
Interviewing users or potential users of a product lets you collect the opinions, thoughts, and attitudes towards a process and your product’s place in it. It is important to ask detailed, open-ended questions to gather the kinds of responses that are the most useful. This kind of interview is expensive and time-consuming, so the sample size tends to be small, but interviews help the UX Researcher understand what users think and why. You can also ask follow-up questions later.
Surveys
Surveys involve asking participants to choose from a list or make a numerical ranking. They include a mix of quantitative and qualitative questions and can provide a larger sample size. Surveys can be done quickly and are relatively inexpensive, but they don’t give the kind of in-depth feedback you get from interviews.
Usability Studies
In usability studies, UX Researchers observe users interacting with the actual product. They can identify problems or pain points along the way. Usability studies can be used to challenge the assumptions of the design team and make sure the process is on track. The drawbacks of usability studies are that they only measure how easy a product is to use and they are expensive. They must be done on-site in a lab, the users are usually paid for their participation, and it is difficult to tell if users behave the same way in a lab as they would in real life.
UX Researcher Job Outlook and Salary
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t specifically list UX Researcher in their Occupational Outlook Handbook, but they project a 22 percent growth rate for Computer and Information Research Scientists and a 13 percent growth rate for Digital Designers over the next ten years. This indicates a stronger than average trend for job growth in the tech field that encompasses UX Researchers.
Job portal Indeed.com lists the average yearly salary for a UX Researcher as $69,095 and Glassdoor.com reports a range of $42,000 to $219,000 a year. Salaries are based on education level and years of research experience.
How to Become a UX Researcher
The usual career path for a UX Researcher is first to become a UX Designer. If you would like to learn more about UX design and research in order to switch to a new career, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn design software and other applications. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
It’s easy to learn UX design and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s UX design classes. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UX design courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other UX design bootcamps in your area.