Why care?

UX Research is a service that companies hire. You are a service provider, regardless of whether you are an employee, freelancer, or agency. To get the most out of your business (your career) you better know what service companies are looking for.

You can use this research in your career planning. You can bring it into your 1-on-1 conversations with your manager/team member to help set professional goals. You can use it to inform your internal competency map or career ladder. Feel free to use the results, the charts, or even play around with the source data (access here).

Methods

Hands-on mastery of the various research methods is the #1 requirement in job postings.

They either say “a wide variety of methods” or they specify the exact methods. Let’s see which methods come up more often when job postings do specify the required methods.

I omitted the methods that appeared in less than 5% of job postings. These are Logs Analysis, Scorecards, Social Listening, SQL, and User Modeling.

A couple of disambiguations:

• Online experiments, A/B testing: running A/B tests is relatively easy with ready-made services. This skill however is more than being able to use a tool. It involves familiarity with experimental design, so the UXR can conceive experiments themselves and follow them through, e.g. MVPs or other lean experiments. This is how UXRs become catalysts of a culture of experimentation.
• Statistics: about half of the jobs that require Statistics only aim for a “working knowledge” — that is to be able to run common parametric/non-parametric procedures using SPSS or Excel. Plus the ability to communicate effectively with a data scientist, understand quantitative results, and be able to synthesize them with qualitative findings to create a coherent narrative. The other half of jobs really require heavier stuff, e.g. advanced mathematical modeling.
• Participatory Design: in this context, it means the design techniques when users are invited to work with the Product Team and the UXR facilitates the active knowledge sharing and participation of those users.

The more methods the better. 5 on average

When they specify, they list 5 methods on average. Ranging from 1 to 12.

Why so many? We find 3 reasons in the job postings.

1. Full coverage of the product development process

UXRs are the swiss army knife of product research. They work closely with one or a couple of Product Teams and accompany them from discovering user needs right until release and beyond. Each phase requires a different set of methods and the Researcher must provide all of these. The cross-functional Product Team is short-handed if their Researcher’s toolbox is incomplete.

There are few exceptions to this. E.g. Facebook and Spotify have some more specialized UXRs. I think they can do this because of their size ( there is always work for e.g. a Social Listening specialist) and their design maturity (there is a demand for the depth and accuracy that a specialist can provide). But the mainstream is the swiss-army knife UXR model.

2. Flexibility

Researchers work under an ever-changing set of constraints (timelines, resourcing, tech constraints, legal constraints, etc.) and it’s the diverse toolbox that enables the flexible adaptation to such constraints.

In fact, there are a number of postings that explicitly ask the UXR to innovate on methods to better fit the purpose.

3. Triangulation and a holistic picture

Mixed-methods approach is all over the job requirements. Draw on primary and secondary research. Quant and qual. Integrate small-scale data with large-scale data. I think there are two motivations behind this requirement:

• Triangulation: higher certainty and accuracy, because the various research methods compensate for each other's shortcomings.
• Holistic picture: as the various methods will uncover different aspects of the same phenomenon.

Communication

Communication skills are the 2nd most frequently mentioned requirement after Methods.

The ultimate goal of Research is that people take actions based on those insights. For that, job postings say insights must be

• actionable — so people know what to do: insights must be relevant and meaningful for the audience and the UXR needs to explain its design-, product-, and business implications. I find this bit particularly interesting because it means that good UXRs don’t only need to understand Design, but also Product Management and other business functions. Only then can the UXR comprehend the product- and business implications.
• inspiring — so people act: Persuade the audience to take action by compelling them, evoking their empathy. Tell a coherent story that resonates and connects with the needs and goals of the audience.

All this, in a very efficient way, because most stakeholders are busy. The adjectives that job postings use are: succinct, focused, clear, concise. I think this speaks for personal communication skills, but not only that. It is a superb analytical skill that enables clarity. There is no amount of hustling that would turn a hot mess of random data points into a “clear” and “succinct” story. Good analysis is the basis of clear communication. Or as many jobs formulate it: the ability of distilling complex multi-method research insights (both qualitative and quantitative) into a coherent picture.

A diverse audience is also mentioned surprisingly frequently. It includes cross-functional partners, from engineering to marketing. From all seniority levels, from peers to C-level. With a varied background in research and the domain. While this is challenging, it also indicates a very good trend: research is not the internal affair of the Design Team anymore. It informs strategic decisions across the organization.

Formats of communication

• Interpersonal communication (aka in-person discussions)
• Oral presentations
• Written reports

The above 3 are the most frequently mentioned format and we have a couple of interesting ones mentioned here and there: Graphically visualize concepts, conclusions, insights; Facilitating research debriefs and workshops to consume research insights. Plus many job postings appreciate finding creative, new ways to engage the audience.

Process management

According to job postings, Process Management means three things.

End-to-end ownership of research projects

“It’s your job to own and drive research projects from start to finish.” (Intercom) That’s not to say that research is a lone wolf type of activity. On the contrary. It’s highly collaborative. But the UXR needs to drive it or no one will.

From start to finish. These are the steps that job postings list: identify research opportunities; define research roadmap; pick methods fitting the questions, the timeline, resourcing, project goal, existing designs/products, business needs, risks, etc; design the study; recruit participants; collect data and moderate sessions; analyze and interpret the data; report; communicate; follow through the solution.

Initiative is a requirement across the board under various synonyms: self-motivated, self-starter, passionate, driven. The gist is: be able to work and deliver high-quality results with minimal direction. This hints at the common org structure of small and independently moving agile teams, each with a single UXR who is trusted with all the research related decisions. No one is going to tell you how to do the research, but they will judge it by the outcome.

Concurrent projects

The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and juggling competing priorities. This again just reflects the reality of UX Research — each project has more intense and less intense periods, so for optimal resource use, you want to make use of the slow periods to do some other research concurrently. And many UXRs work on multiple teams at the same time. You need to be well organized and manage your time effectively.

Fit in well with product development

Part of good project management is to anticipate what the teams need and when they need it. For this, the Researcher needs to understand the software, the design, and the product development processes and know what each phase requires in terms of research. In my experience, this is the toughest part for people who come from academia. Academic folks do have an incredible throughput, but they are used to a different cadence.

Focus squarely on the outcome

There are so many research topics, so many interesting questions to ask. Much of them are meaningless in the context of product development. As Facebook puts it, the UXR needs to be “focused squarely impacting the design” and not go off on tangents, from which there are so many. Amazon goes as far as to say the UXRs’ performance is “measured by changes to the product design and development roadmap”. That’s the ultimate goal: the user and business outcomes should be at a better place thanks to research. Otherwise, it makes little sense to do research for the organization.

Collaboration

Who do UXRs collaborate with and on what?

Collaboration with the cross-functional Product Team

• The core Product Team (as it appears in job postings): Product Manager, UX Designer, and Engineers. Sometimes it involved Data Scientists, UX Writers, Product Marketing, and Subject Matter Experts (in the case of B2B).
• The partners of the Team: Technical writers, Marketing, Sales, Support, and the industry-specific functions (Content, Commerce, Manufacturing, Professional Services, QA, Success, etc.)

Collaborate to

1. Identify research topics and critical research questions that the team needs to have answered. Define research objectives together.
2. Align on priorities. Scope so the Researcher tackles the most impactful questions first.
3. Execute and deliver research so the Team gains the necessary insights.
4. Align team members and stakeholders around user needs. This is the point where the involvement of senior management comes up in many postings.
5. Turning insights into solutions. Ideate and design together, facilitate collaborative design activities. Provide feedback on the solutions.
6. Define product metrics and KPIs together

Collaboration with Data Engineers and Quantitative Researchers

To synthesize qualitative and quantitative results and create a complete picture. Hence the requirement for quantitative methods and statistics knowledge. Minimally the Researcher needs to know when to bring in a quantitative expert and understand the core concepts (i.e. experimental design, sampling, statistical concepts) to be able to collaborate effectively.

Quantitative Researchers are the most frequently mentioned research partners, but other research functions also come up from time to time: Market Research, Business Analysts, Consumer Research.

Collaboration with other UXRs

• Across teams to create a full picture of the users’ experience. Breaking down knowledge silos.
• Exchanging best practices, develop the research toolbox and processes together.
• Mentoring other UXRs.
• Act as a representative within the larger UXR community.

Year of Experience

78% of jobs require at least a year of UX Research work experience. Only a fraction of the jobs are open for newcomers. The number of opportunities triples after the first 3 years of experience.

In lieu of Experience

When I analyzed the Qualification requirements, I found that 34% of organizations accept work experience in lieu of qualification. But this is not the case the other way around. Out of the 53 job postings that required UXR work experience, 0 accepted Qualification as a substitute for experience. There was only 1 that allowed for partial substitution. It was an Apple ad: they were willing to forego 2 years of experience if you upgraded your BA/BS to a PhD! Let me translate that for you: 2 years of on-the-job experience = 6 years of advanced studies. Oh boy — that reminds me of sinking 5 years in my PhD studies.

2/3 of jobs require both qualification and work experience. This suggests that there is unique value in both formal education and on-the-job experience that the other cannot provide. There are things that no university can prepare you for. And there are things that you won’t learn on the job, no matter how long you lingered around.

Qualifications

40% of jobs are available without any formal education, but 60% of jobs do require at least a BA/BS in HCI, Cognitive Psychology, or a related field. And these are just the “Minimal requirements”. About half of the job postings feature “Preferred requirements”. If you would like to find out about the Preferred requirements, go and check out the full report with all its 21 charts (full report).

In lieu of a degree

Out of all the job postings that require a degree 34% would accept equivalent work experience in lieu of a degree. Equivalent work experience is defined as the same amount of years of experience in a UX Research role or applied product research role.

Field of study

Typically job ads say: “HCI, Cognitive Psychology or a related field such as…”. Here is what job postings mention as “related field”.

I lumped the various fields of studies into the above categories. Here is a breakdown of the mentioned specializations:

• UX Related: Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Centered Design, UX Research and Design, Ergonomics, Human Factors
• Psychology: Cognitive-, Experimental-, Social Psychology, Cognitive Science, Behavior Science, Behavioral Economics, Neural Science
• Anthropology
• Sociology, Social Science
• Computer Science, Information Science, Machine Learning
• Business: Market Research, Economics, Marketing
• Media Studies, Communication
• Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics

Evolving research

Culture: promote a strong user-centered culture across the company. Champion user research.

Efficiency and effectiveness: Make sure that the UXR function evolves continually and improves its efficiency and effectiveness. Refine UXR processes; innovate on methods; improve existing tools and introduce better ones. Make sure that UXR meets the changing needs of the org.

Educate: train, coach, mentor, and oversee the work of junior researchers. Do the same for the Product Team and other non-researchers. Enable them to conduct their own research. All this to increase the org’s overall research capacity.

Strategy: participate in evolving UX team’s strategy

Bonus: Do you need a UX Research portfolio?

I have counted how many job postings asked for a portfolio. They either ask explicitly or ask for it implicitly, saying things like: “demonstrated ability to …”, “a track record of…” or “proven capacity to…”, “verifiable experience”. All in all 40% of job postings require a portfolio. In my experience, even the other 60% ask you to talk about your previous research projects at one point or another during the hiring process. So a portfolio is handy. Shout out to my former colleagues working on UXFol.io — maybe it’s time that they expand from UXD portfolios to UXR portfolios as well. A promising business opportunity ;)

A word for Researcher employees

Most of our companies have an internal competency map, an internal career ladder. Those define what skills you need to succeed at that organization. We use that to set personal development goals. But hey, why would you optimize your career for one single employer? There is a wider market out there and sooner or later you are going to be measured against those demands, not the ones your current company poses. Favoring your internal ladder at the expense of preparing for the wider market is only benefiting you in the short-term. In the long run, you are shooting yourself in the foot. My personal strategy -and the strategy I suggest — is going after the needs of the wider market. If that happens to overlap with the internal ladder, learn the overlapping skills first. For those skills that don’t overlap, scrap the internal ladder. I really do hope that this analysis will help you gauge the needs of the wider UXR market.

I will keep posting these analyses from time to time. Hit “follow” if you don’t want to miss it.

The Full Report

the full report

I couldn’t fit all the interesting findings into this article. For example, I made all the above charts separately for the GAFAM/FAANG companies and for the rest of the companies. GAFAM/FAANG has always been pioneering UXR, the have higher UX maturity. That is: their requirements may be a better predictor of the future — the rest of the companies are just catching up. If found for example that they require quite a different set of research methods than the non-GAFAM/FAANG. Different qualification requirements as well.

In the full report, I went into details with the analysis. Did you know that many jobs have a “Minimal requirements” and “Preferred requirements” section? If the UXR competition is fierce, you should be aiming for the Preferred requirements. So what are those? Check out the full report.

Moreover, I made available all the charts and data in a sheet, so you can do your own analysis. There are quite a few variables that I haven’t used so far, e.g. geo of the job, remote vs non-remote, senior vs regular position, etc. Play around with it, do your own analysis.

Download the full report here.

Self-promotion: I teach some of those most in-demand UX Research methods online. Check out my courses at UXMicromasteries.com

Feedback: Let me know how did you use the information from this article so that I can make it better in the next iteration.

Shout-out to Condens.io! Their affinity mapping tool really made this analysis a breeze. More on that in the full report.

Take care!

Zsombor