Favorite Parts of Working in the User Experience Industry as a Senior Bilingual UX Researcher
To thrive in UX research, adaptability is "critical," requiring a balance between planning and the willingness to improvise, while curiosity fuels a constant questioning of assumptions and drives research design. Empathy is also key, emphasizing active listening and authentic dialogue over self-serving conversation.
Adaptable, Curious, Empathetic, Good listener, Analytical
Advizer Information
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Nicolas Doyle
Senior Bilingual UX Researcher
Bixal
Bowling Green State University
University of Southern California - Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | Pennsylvania State University - Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics
Spanish & Other Languages
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Adaptability: The ability to adapt to changing situations and deviate from plans when necessary is crucial for UX researchers.
2. Curiosity: Maintain a curious mindset, constantly questioning assumptions and seeking deeper understanding of user behavior and team motivations.
3. Empathy: Practice active listening and demonstrate genuine empathy to understand participants' perspectives fully during research interactions. Avoid focusing on your next response; instead, engage in authentic dialogue.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
I would say there are a few adjectives I would use. First and foremost, adaptable is critical.
As a researcher, I'm often walking a tight line between planning and carefully considering everything I need to do. I also need to be willing to throw out my plan if what I'm getting is not what I anticipated. The ability to be fully adaptable while also trying to control and plan as much as you can is really important.
I would also say that as a researcher, curiosity is critical. Being curious about your participants when you're doing research, and also bringing curiosity into your interactions with coworkers and team members, is essential. I'm constantly running through questions like, "Why are they saying we need to build this feature?"
"What are they thinking it's going to achieve? What are they assuming about our users? What evidence do we have that that's how our users would think and interact? How can I design a research study to answer that?"
Also, being empathetic is really important when you're doing research. In my experience, I encountered people who listened just for their next chance to talk, rather than engaging in authentic dialogue. I was even guilty of it sometimes.
The ability to be fully empathetic and listen to actually hear what somebody is saying, versus just waiting for your next opportunity to put forth your perspective, is also really key.