{"id":7549,"date":"2022-10-20T12:18:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T12:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=7549"},"modified":"2024-02-21T16:15:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T16:15:02","slug":"what-does-a-ux-researcher-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-does-a-ux-researcher-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What does a UX researcher do?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers strive to create seamless and satisfying user experiences.\u00a0 However, if they don\u2019t have an idea of who their users are, what they want and the problems they face, they can\u2019t know if they\u2019re really designing the best solutions for them \u2013 that\u2019s where UX researchers come in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was a time when it was rare to find people with the title of UX researcher. However, that\u2019s changed rapidly over the past decade or so. Nowadays, there is a growing demand for UX researchers as they are a key part of many UX departments and project teams. As a result, it\u2019s a great time to join this growing field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll take a look at exactly what a UX researcher is and what they do. We\u2019ll explore the following areas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#What-is-a-UX-researcher?\">What is a UX researcher?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#What-is-a-UX-designer?\">What is a UX designer?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#What\u2019s-the-difference-between-a-UX-researcher-and-a-UX-designer?\">What\u2019s the difference between a UX researcher and a UX designer?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#What-does-a-UX-researcher-do?\">What does a UX researcher do?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-certificate-in-user-researchp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/user-research?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=%20blog_panel_text&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN USER RESEARCH]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Certificate in User Research<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"What-is-a-UX-researcher?\">What is a UX researcher?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A UX researcher, sometimes called a user researcher, uses qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis to gain insight into the users of a product. In order to do this, UX researchers have a wide range of responsibilities including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">designing a research plan<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recruiting user participants<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creating and running user surveys<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conducting user interviews and usability tests<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">analysing data<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A UX researcher\u2019s work is ultimately in service of a product\u2019s UX design but UX researchers aren\u2019t designers. Instead, they <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/analysing-ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">synthesise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and present their findings to the design team through presentations, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-are-ux-personas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">personas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, journey maps and other tools that will enable the team to understand the users they\u2019re designing for. They also make UX design recommendations based on the insights gleaned from their findings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given UX researchers are specifically dedicated to learning about and gaining insights into a product\u2019s users, they are involved in a project at the earliest stages of the design process. This is when they will conduct a comprehensive investigation of a product\u2019s users and create reports and presentations to communicate their findings to the other members of the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX researchers may also be consulted throughout the design process to ensure the user experience being created is on the right track. In addition, UX researchers may also be responsible for testing UX designs during the design process or after they\u2019ve been implemented in order to see how users feel about them and if they are continuing to successfully meet user needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"What-is-a-UX-designer?\">What is a UX designer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A UX designer creates intuitive and pleasing user experiences. Their decisions are led by the user insights provided through UX research and their goal is to solve their users\u2019 problems through their designs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers are responsible for creating products or services that ensure a positive experience for the user while meeting overall business goals. They follow the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-process\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to understand the needs, goals and pain-points of their target audience and to design and test potential solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the design process, UX designers champion the user. They will consider <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/business-needs-and-user-needs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business objectives<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as well, but ultimately every decision they make comes back to the user and how the design impacts the quality of their experience. As a result, the better they understand their users, the more successful their designs will be.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"What\u2019s-the-difference-between-a-UX-researcher-and-a-UX-designer?\">What\u2019s the difference between a UX researcher and a UX designer?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers are often responsible for UX research in addition to all their other duties, which may cause confusion between the roles for some people. However, while UX designers are considered generalists, who may be tasked with completing any part of the UX process, UX researchers are specialists who focus entirely on research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, even when UX designers conduct UX research, they do so with an eye toward how it will influence the user experience they design. On the other hand, UX researchers are only concerned with empathising with, understanding and gaining insights into users\u2019 wants and needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are plenty of companies where the UX department doesn\u2019t have a dedicated UX researcher, so a UX designer is expected to carry out UX research. However, it is increasingly common for companies to have at least one or two dedicated UX researchers on staff. If this is the case, the UX designers in the company will no longer be responsible for research. Instead, the UX researchers will be in charge of conducting and analysing user research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the two positions work closely together, the UX researcher\u2019s work will be focused at the start of the project, while the UX designer\u2019s work will increase after the UX researcher has presented the findings, insights and recommendations they gained from their research.<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-diploma-in-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ux-design?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_pdux&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"What-does-a-UX-researcher-do?\">What does a UX researcher do?<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/164_research_findings_illustration_blog.png\" alt=\"What does a UX researcher do?\" width=\"9467\" height=\"4734\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Given everything a UX researcher is responsible for, there is no \u201ctypical\u201d day on the job. Although, Dr. Stephen Hassard, a UX Research Manager from Google, gives us a general this video below:<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-yt ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does a UX researcher do at Google? - Interview with a Google UX Researcher | UX Insiders\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ow7e6vkbvzU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, how a UX researcher spends their time will vary widely depending on where they happen to be in a project. Their responsibilities can be roughly divided up into the following phases.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Research planning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the planning phase, UX researchers are preparing to conduct research. They will create a set of research goals and a research plan that ensures they will meet those goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responsibilities during this phase can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meeting with clients and stakeholders to identify their business objectives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working closely with the design team to develop a research strategy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determining which research methods to use to meet research goals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recruiting and screening participants<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing research questions for surveys<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating discussion guides for user interviews<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Data collection<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the data collection phase, UX researchers will gather data from users by conducting studies using the methods they decided on during the planning phase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data collection responsibilities can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducting one-on-one user interviews<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing user surveys or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/benefits-of-a-b-testing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\/B tests<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overseeing card sorts, or diary studies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducting ethnographic or field research<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking notes between sessions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Data analysis<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that all of that shiny data has been collected, it\u2019s time to analyse it. This is where UX researchers will start uncovering results that they\u2019ll ultimately synthesise into insights that the UX design team will then use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During data analysis, responsibilities include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performing qualitative analysis with tools like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qsrinternational.com\/nvivo-qualitative-data-analysis-software\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NVivo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or Dedoose<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performing quantitative analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding patterns and insights into users in the data<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Presenting research<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the phase during which UX researchers will create a presentation that highlights their key findings. Here, they will\u00a0 communicate what they\u2019ve learned and why it\u2019s valuable to the design team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responsibilities include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Putting together slide decks that concisely communicate research results<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating personas and journey maps that will help team members empathise with users<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop a set of recommendations from the results that the UX team can act on<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Present your findings in person and answer questions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Ongoing testing<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a project reaches the later phases of the design process, UX researchers may be tasked with ongoing research. This is to ensure that the design solutions the UX team has come up with are on the right track or that a solution that\u2019s already in use is still satisfying user needs. This can require ongoing testing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responsibilities of ongoing testing include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performing A\/B tests on multiple design solutions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collecting surveys to determine user sentiment about a given design solution<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysing collected data and presenting findings to determine what design solutions work best<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Aspiring UX researchers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to a comprehensive understanding of research methods and analysis, aspiring UX researchers should be curious about people\u2019s motivations and desires, have exceptional observational and listening skills and be able to empathise with individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of this, UX researchers often have a Bachelor\u2019s degree or higher in a social science like psychology, sociology or anthropology, as it will help them better understand the users they study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX researchers are often familiar with the various elements of a UX designer\u2019s job, which makes it easier for them to provide valuable research feedback at any stage of the design process. In fact, it\u2019s possible for UX researchers to start their careers as UX designers, gain the research skills they need on the job, and then move into a full-time research position.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, there\u2019s an increasing demand for UX researchers, so if you enjoy the prospect of learning about what people do, how they think and what motivates them, UX research could be the right career for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are interesting in learning more about different UX job roles and which one might suit you, read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-job-roles\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11 popular UX job roles and titles explained<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you enjoy the prospect of learning about what people do, how they think and what motivates them, a career as a UX researcher could be the right move for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":7550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-into-ux"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7549"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10046,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7549\/revisions\/10046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}