Transferable Skills: How Academic Research Methods Can Get You Hired in UX Research
As an academic, you’ve surely gained a wealth of experience in research methods that—believe it or not—are directly applicable to the world of UX Research! These methods are particularly useful in understanding users' needs, behaviors, and motivations, which are essential in designing effective products and services.
Ethnography: Ethnography involves observing people in their natural environment, recording their behaviors and interactions, and analyzing the data to gain insights into their perspectives and experiences. In the private sector, ethnography can be used to understand how people interact with a product or service in their daily lives. For example, a UX researcher could observe how people use a mobile app on the go, identify pain points or areas for improvement, and design changes that better align with users' needs.
Interviews: Interviews allow researchers to explore participants' experiences, opinions, and attitudes in depth. In UX research, interviews can be conducted to gain a better understanding of users' needs, preferences, and pain points. For example, a UX researcher could conduct interviews with users of a new e-commerce platform to understand how they shop online, what their pain points are, and what features they would like to see added.
Focus groups: Focus groups bring together a small group of participants to discuss a topic or product in depth. This method is particularly useful in UX research when exploring user perceptions of a product or service. For example, a UX researcher could conduct a focus group with users of a new mobile app to understand their overall impressions, what they like and dislike about the app, and what changes they would like to see made.
And of course quantitative research methods can also be super useful in the private sector!
Statistics: As a social science academic, you likely have a solid foundation in statistical methods, such as regression analysis, ANOVA, and t-tests. These methods are useful in UX research to analyze and interpret data from surveys, experiments, and A/B tests. For example, you can use regression analysis to determine which factors have the biggest impact on user satisfaction with a product, or t-tests to compare the performance of two different designs.
Survey research: Surveys are a common research method in both academia and industry. As an academic, you’re likely well-versed in survey design, including sampling methods, question wording, and survey distribution. This expertise can be directly applied to UX research, where surveys are frequently used to gather data on user behavior, attitudes, and preferences. For example, you can use surveys to understand how users interact with a product, what features they find most useful, and what improvements they’d like to see.
Experimental research: This is another quantitative research method that you may have experience with as an academic. This involves manipulating one or more variables and measuring their effects on a dependent variable. In UX research, experiments can be used to test different design variations and measure their impact on user behavior and performance. For example, you can conduct an A/B test to compare the effectiveness of two different layouts, or a usability test to determine which design leads to fewer errors and faster task completion.
Data analysis: This broad term that encompasses a range of methods for processing and interpreting data. As an academic, you’re likely familiar with various software tools for data analysis, such as SPSS, R, or SAS. In UX research, you’ll need to use similar tools to analyze user data, such as web analytics, clickstream data, and user feedback. For example, you can use web analytics to track user behavior on a website or app, or sentiment analysis to analyze user feedback and identify common themes and issues.
These are just a few examples of the many qualitative and quantitative research methods that academics of all stripes are trained in—that can be directly applied to UX Research in the private sector. By leveraging your existing skills and training, you can make a successful transition into a career in UX Research. To learn more about how to translate your academic skills and experiences into a career in UX Research and get hired, register for our course!