How to Become an Indispensable UX Researcher
In September 2019, Uber shocked employees by announcing they would lay off almost half of their user researchers globally.
A spokesperson from Uber told TechCrunch, "Our hope with these changes is to reset and improve how we work day to day - ruthlessly prioritizing, and always holding ourselves accountable to a high bar of performance." Those laid off were informed the company intended to rely on rapid A/B testing to make decisions, rather than on traditional user research.
Elsa Ho, one of the user researchers laid off during this period, wrote a thoughtful reflection about her experience. She explained that the sudden news caused her to question the value of user research and seek answers.
It was only when a PM friend from another company shared the following story that Elsa began to understand Uber's sudden decision:
"Once I wanted to change the way certain things look on the web navigation, my researcher said no because it would affect user experience. He would need to run a study first. I asked how long it would take. After a careful calculation he said at least two weeks. That immediately blew up my mind. I stared at him for a minute, almost looked into his soul. Eventually, I said: ‘My engineers and I can build this in two hours, can’t we just build it and make decisions based on data?’”
Elsa understood then that user researchers have a problem; they are being viewed as a hindrance to progress - an unforgivable sin in fast scaling tech companies.
But the good news is that it doesn't have to be that way. User researchers can become an indispensable partner to the product team and accelerate progress. All it takes are a few small steps...
🙌 Become the Solution
'Quick Research' versus 'Quality Research' remains one of the most common debates in tech companies. This is the age old stand-off between 'Good research is essential and takes time' and 'We don't have time for research.'
Rather than picking a side in this debate, offer a solution.
Organise the research function to facilitate both perspectives by splitting research activities into those that can be completed on the product timeline and those that require their own timeline. You can think of these differences as foundational research and directional research.
Foundational research is used to make large strategic decisions about the core functionality and strategy of the product. This influences decision making long after the research concludes and is too important to be rushed. Foundational research usually begins with methods like in-depth user interviews and ethnographic studies that dig deep into users' perspectives. They are then combined with quantitative methods to achieve rich and comprehensive mixed methods data.
Directional research is used on a day-to-day basis to get quick answers to specific questions. It's commonly referred to as 'quick and dirty'. This research is associated with usability tests and rapid mixed methods research using tools like OpinionX.
A big reason user researchers are perceived as blockers to progress is because they treat directional research like foundational research - they insist on time-consuming, textbook-perfect research to be carried out for minor decisions.
To increase your value as a UX researcher, you must distinguish between foundational and directional research occasions. Make time for slow, methodical foundational research AND execute rapid directional research. For more on this subject, check out Ben Ralph's 'How to Stop UX Research being a Blocker.'
🤔 Become Strategic
Many user researchers view research as their only responsibility. They report impartial insights back to the rest of the team and avoid inserting themselves into conversations on company strategy that fall outside of their project work. This approach might feel like it's the safer route but it creates a whole range of challenges when it comes to establishing the company's research culture.
Avoiding strategic input opportunities causes user researchers to remain on the periphery of the product team. It diminishes their perceived utility in the eyes of their product peers who need a research expert to brainstorm alongside. Product people want a partner to bounce ideas off and give them the confidence they need to make decisions.
To become a more valuable user researcher, you must adopt the mindset that research is more than just a transactional internal service. Becoming an influencer of the company's strategic vision requires familiarity with the product and involvement in roadmap conversations.
(Note: Interested in quantifying your user’s biggest problems? Use our solution, OpinionX, to stack rank customer problems and understand what matters to them most. Try it for free!)
💪 Empower Colleagues
Innovative companies no longer see user research as the sole responsibility of those with UX in their job title. They understand that involving everyone in user research will promote a user-centric culture and help build empathy for the end user.
This marks an opportunity for you to become even more valuable within your organisation. Upskill your colleagues to enable them to conduct directional research projects on their own. Run internal workshops to share your research expertise and devote a small amount of your time to internal consultancy.
Use this time to empower your colleagues to represent the voice of users independently while making decisions. In doing so, you can extend your role beyond research and take responsibility for building a research culture that understands the value and importance of the voice of the end user.
🤑 Demonstrate ROI
One of the most significant findings from our 'User Research in 2021' case study was that user researchers struggle to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of their work to leadership. This is because research is often seen as intangible in comparison to other functions.
But it doesn't have to be. Demonstrating the value of UX research is simpler than it may seem.
Write regular retrospective reports to leadership about the impact that research has had on decision making. Keep it short and tell a story. Here is a super simple template:
Outline the research problem.
Outline the insights you found.
Outline how these insights informed decision making.
Even better, follow up a few months later with the bottom-line impact of the product release that was informed by your insights. Highlight your part to play in each success.
It might feel unnecessary but writing these research reports will ensure that the value of research is being recognised.
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