15+ years ago, I decided to go to school for UX design in games.
316 published academic articles and 27,352 citations later,
It was the best decision I've ever made.
Here are 30 pieces of advice for becoming a great researcher (without spending all your money on education):
1. Ask open-ended questions & listen purposefully
2. Use various research methods, don't rely on just 1
3. Get out and observe people in their natural environment
4. Always start with a clear research question & plan
5. Don't make assumptions; understand your users & context
6. Don't forget to include marginalized & underrepresented groups
7. Make sure to get buy-in & support from stakeholders early on
8. Don't be afraid to try new research methods & tools
9. Avoid leading questions & research bias
10. Always be ethical in your research practices
11. Communicate findings clearly & visually
12. Don't ignore negative feedback or unexpected findings
13. Remember, research is continuous, not a one-time event
14. Use data to support design decisions, not make them for you
15. Share findings & recommendations with the team
16. Consider everyone's emotional & physical well-being
17. Research is a team effort; collaborate & empower your team
18. Understand limitations of your research; report them
19. Practice empathy & actively listen to users
20. Don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know
21. Learn to tell a valid story with data
22. Prepare for & practice effective presentations
23. Discover how to use data visualization effectively
24. Constantly learn; stay up to date with tools & methodologies
25. Understand the business & industry where you are working
26. Learn to prioritize research requests & focus on what matters
27. Respect timelines, but don't sacrifice quality for speed
28. Remember to take care of yourself (avoid burnout)
29. Don't be afraid to ask for help & delegate tasks
30. Be proud of your research & its impact
Every bit of advice here should be taken with a grain of salt.
I'm just a professor sharing what I've learned while teaching UX on the Internet.
That doesn't mean 100% of these lessons will apply to you.
But if you only remember one thing, let it be this:
🫵 Never stop learning and getting better.
This is how you'll get good at what you do.
🫶
If you got value from this thread, hop over to my newsletter to get UX tips every 2 weeks ↴
acagamic.com/newsletter