How to Stay Sane as the First UX Researcher
Congratulations on securing the job, I love that for you. In this harsh climate of layoffs, it's a privilege to be in this role. Here are some tips that helped me as Cash App's first UX Researcher.
Build Bridges Everywhere
Want to ask customers what they think of a potential new product? Talk to Legal. Do you want to bring people into the office for some testing? Check-in with the People & Safety team. Need information about who and where to recruit from? Data Science.
You're sensing a pattern here, right? These examples don't even scratch the surface. Conducting proper research takes a village, and you'll be the one to lay the first brick.
Remember, you're establishing every process from z-e-r-o, you're bound to hit a speed bump here and there. Ask for that org chart and start collecting department connections like infinity stones.
Become the Most Organized Person…Ever
The mom from Incredibles, Elastigirl, that's going to be you. Even if you have a generous research budget to outsource some of the laborious tasks of research (recruiting!), you're still going to have to manage it all.
From project documents, research questions, customer data, prototypes, brainstorm boards, audio files, NDAs, interview guides, etc. You're going to be swimming in documents. Additionally, your team will approach you as the human Wikipedia page for all things research. Prepare to lasso file links like a cowboy at a rodeo.
Be systematic in everything that you do. People within the company will need access to your work often (this is a good sign). Build simple file structures early on in your role and stick to them.
Be Experimental
We're living in unprecedented times where monumental technology breakthroughs are filling the headlines every day. Relatively to say…biology, almost everything about UX Research is young.
We as researchers are always trying to find inspiring bits of human understanding to share with our product teams. We're less likely to get them if we all ask the same questions in the same fashion.
“Highly organized research is guaranteed to produce nothing new.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune
This hot take puts a lot of researchers in a tizzy, but there's truth in this paradoxical perspective. Don't be shy to think beyond conventional procedures and wisdom.
Maybe it's the ex-IDEO-er in me, but I enjoy taking worksheets, emoji stickers, and interactive aids to help add texture to the conversations. If it makes sense for the project goals, try using or testing a new method. You might discover fresh reactions and behaviors from your testing group.
To clear up any confusion from the statements above, I am separating the notion of being highly organized in your process versus being too rigid in research methods (excluding quantitative methods here).
Count your Winnings Everyday
Establishing a new research discipline isn't going to happen overnight. Convincing intelligent people to adopt unfamiliar techniques is challenging.
Psychologist and retired Harvard professor, Robert Kegan, contributed to the opus of adult development in 1994 with a theory called 'Orders of the Mind'. He paints a ladder showing the different magnitudes of awareness in one's perspective.
The highest order is the Self-Transforming Mind. Adults in this order can hold and compare multiple ideologies simultaneously. Not fearful of contradictions and paradoxes, they operate in a 'system of systems' thinking structure. These adults can question the emotions, beliefs, and behaviors of those outside their environment.
Fewer than 1% of adults reach this level, and those that do are generally over the age of 40. The majority of people are not accustomed to discussing viewpoints that are outside of their own spaces. Be mindful of your expectations regarding the speed of change within the company. Change can be slow, but it doesn't mean it's impossible.
Get Comfortable with Thinking Out Loud
Why are we only talking to 5 people? Why are we asking about x when we're interested in y? Why can't we put more questions on the survey?
When you're the first or only person in the discipline, you're constantly going to be on the receiving end of everyone asking you 'Why?'.
Part of establishing any new team within a company is educating everyone to bring other people along in this 'new' process. It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have to explain every decision you make in research, starting from the top, which is tiresome.
Yet, on the other hand, it forces you to be very intentional about everything that you do. Take a moment to review everything in your toolkit and question it thoroughly. Your research process will become very efficient through these inevitable 'trimming the fat' moments.
As the pioneer in this role, you're calling all the shots. Embrace the challenge, stay organized, experiment fearlessly, and celebrate every small victory along the way. Your journey as the first Researcher is just beginning and the impact you'll create will be great.