Would appreciate any advice on how to add academic experience and make it stand out in a resume when applying for UXR jobs. If you have a PhD with no industry UXR experience how did you market yourself for UXR positions? I know people who got Senior UXR roles straight out of their PhDs.

I'm having difficulties getting a job with my lack of industry and professional experience so hoping I can leverage graduate work I've done, and specific academic projects that were UXR. If I count my Graduate work (Master's), internships, and other academic projects, I have 3 years experience in "UXR". Also would I be considered a junior or mid?

Problem is, how do I even compete at this rate with others? How do I add it within experience in my resume when I didn't get paid for majority of the work.

Hello everyone, I am interested in conducting a contextual inquiry study in a store for the redesign of an MVP. The principle features of the MVP are a barcode and ingredient product scanner, a skincare routine builder, and an AI chatbot which can make routine and product recommendations.

I am doing this to gather some behavioral data to compliment the attitudinal data I intend to gather with a survey. My decision to conduct a contextual inquiry in a store is based on my two assumptions: (i) that users buy products in beauty stores (as well as online) and, (ii) it is in-store that users make (some) decisions about which products to purchase.

So, my questions are:

1. How do you recruit in a store?
   • My plan is to go up to people while they are shopping and ask them if it is alright if they talked me through their purchasing decision process. Would it be better to recruit participants ahead of time and have a pre-scheduled session in a store together? I worry the former might annoy the store employees or shoppers, and result in me getting kicked out the store and the latter will be too contrived, and the participant will be performative.
2. Do I need to do an in-store contextual inquiry? Could I perform one online?
   • Of course, I lose out on insights to be gained from being able to observe in-store behavior, but it might be cheaper, quicker, and provide enough insight into the purchase decision-making process to be sufficient for such a bootstrapped team.
   • If so, which platforms do you recommend?
3. What are the pitfalls to avoid for in-person, in-store contextual inquiries?

Context: This is a completely volunteer-run project, and I am a research team of one, so paying participants is not really an option, and the time constraints are such that the whole redesign will take 3-4 months, so I really only have 1-3 weeks for research and 1 for analysis prior to design & iteration. Also, this project is intended principally to be a portfolio piece, and may not even be a real product, but who knows where it will lead.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

My company is about to run a large-scale survey that includes both Likert-type of rating questions as well as open-ended questions. We're expecting 10k+ responses. Needless to say, manual coding on OE responses isn't an option.

I know ChatGPT 4.0 can perform some text mining / sentiment analysis on qual datasets, but I haven't attempted it yet on such a large database. Do you know of any other software I can leverage to peform such a task? Ideally anything I can just upload the excel file on, and get results back. I'm not proficient enough on Python and other programming languages to use them for this purpose.

I know this can be Googled, but suggestions from people who have used such software and had positive experiences with it would be fantastic.

Thank you!

Hello, currently applying to transfer from community college to ucla, uc Berkeley, ucsd, and uci. If I was to get accepted in one of these programs with pretty good cognitive science/informatics programs, would I be able to leverage them into getting a job out of college or getting a masters in HCI? I understand it’s important to get internships and rack a portfolio of course, but would it necessarily help if I was in, let’s say Berkeley or UCLA? I’m saying this because I feel like I worked so hard academically to get to this point, but knowing that the school I’m going to may not give an edge or some boost in the UX world is a little disappointing.

Has anyone transitioned from data analysis roles to ux research roles or vice versa? Currently an hci student with some background in ux research(mostly qualitative analysis) and starting to learn python for data analysis. Trying to keep myself open in the job search. Curious about the different experiences in either industry and what are the best skills to have.

I recently accepted a role in FAANG as a contractor and a new UXR (yay!) I am hoping to convert from a contractor to full time, but I know that this isn't always possible. I was reviewing my contract, and I found that there is a "non-performance of services" (non-compete) clause, but my salary is too low for it to apply to me legally (lol). Do you think this will hold me back from being able to convert to full time eventually, or should I not worry about it?

Hopefully this question isn't asked about too much, but I was wondering what entails in a quant uxr, what the job market is like right now, and what the pay is? Im currently a college student who's interested in either machine learning or uxr, so when I found out that quant uxr uses stats/python/R ontop of uxr, it piqued my interested a bit. What's it like being a quant uxr, what's the salary progression, what's the expected degree level (bs, ma, phd), and finally how's the market/demand like? I feel like quant uxr is such a niche role, as uxr is already kinda needed only in big tech like faang (which is my goal anyways). So do i just prepare to have the skills of a quant uxr, but label or continue to find work weather its implied that it's quant uxr or general uxr stuff? Thank you!

With my MS-HCI, I have been applying massively for UX Researcher as it is my best suite, but as I received a few callbacks for UX Designer role compared to the amount of roles I applied. I'm trying to switch the gear by applying for both. I have worked as a UX focused Product Manager before to successfully launch a product.

I don't think applying for only UXR in this tough market is a good idea, so applying for UXR, UXD, PM, etc, but I don't know how to present myself to look less focused. :( I kinda have a wide portfolio and diverse skillset (honing data analysis/visualization and UX Design).

My strengths lie in 0-1 product innovation and want to emphasize this aspect, but I want to land a mid-to-big size company, not a startup (again!) with 1-10 employees..

Idk why it is so hard to sell myself lol. Please help me out.

TLDR: Any opinions on drawbacks taking a 1099 role instead of W2?

Hi all. I'm currently a UXR Lead based in a large city. I'm currently at a company where I've been sub-contracting for over a year as a W2 UXR contractor.

Context:
The company I'm working for is very inconsistent with its ability to keep its contractors employed full-time (both in terms of 40h a week as well as in maintaining continuous work between projects). My funding officially runs out mid-December unless my managers are able to find a way to keep me on the books.

I have an offer from a company for a 1099 role that pays 20% more than my current W2 position and is a 12-month contract. I'm on the fence about this because I've never been a 1099 freelancer and I'll lose hat few benefits I get from my agency.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience having done both types of contract work and any thoughts on why I wouldn't want to take on a 1099 UXR role. Maybe there are even ways people have found to mitigate the negatives? Anything I'm not thinking about?

Drawbacks:

• Paying my own health insurance. No agency subsidy
• Paying my own life insurance
• No retirement plan
• Having to pay double in taxes, quarterly... unless I am able to pay myself a salary through an S Corp. But also having to pay City and State tax.
• No paid time off for another 12 months (contract duration)

Benefits:

• Itemizing my taxes to take advantage of deductions
• Maybe reducing taxes if I can be paid to an S-Corp, which also costs money to set up

I came across this blog from a research ops lead migrating their data into Dovetail.
What migrating our research repository taught me about knowledge management

It reads like a massive undertaking. I am curious now if anyone has had the experience of moving out of Dovetail. It could be to another specialized tool or even something like Drive/Confluence.

Hi everyone.

I am a UX researcher with 5 years of experience in the research field. I am looking for course recommendations to upskill in the field of cognitive science or advanced courses in research itself. I am also considering HFI CXA and looking for similar courses with have credibility and a certificate on completion.

Thanks in advance.

Hi there, I'm researching on how and when to conduct A/B Testing, and I'm unsure about just 1 thing - the sample size. Let's say I plug my info into a sample size calculator and it says I need a sample size of 13000.

Question: Is that 13000 per variant, so I would need 26000 total to split half to the control and the variation? Or is that 13000 in total and I split into half from there? I'm guessing it's the former but would appreciate confirmation from the experts on here please.

Hey everyone! I’m curious to hear about your career journeys, especially those of you who transitioned into UX research from different fields.

What were some of the roles you held before becoming a UX researcher? How did those previous jobs help you in your transition and in your current role? Any advice for someone coming from a non-traditional background looking to make the switch?

Thanks for sharing your stories—I think it’s so inspiring to see the different paths people take to get into UX research!

I'm at a larger company with a fairly large UX team. We seem to have fallen in love with design sprints over the last few year. We'll spend several full days, locked in a room or on a video call working on a problem together. In the end we'll come up with some sketches of what the product could be, but in almost all circumstances the sprint felt like a complete waste of time because the momentum fizzles out when concepts are shared with stakeholders higher up.

Plus the entire structure was just seriously unpleasant to go through. Some reasons why

1. We invite way too many people. Sometimes the number can be like 25. It's too difficult to have a serious and focused discussion when too many people want to say something and topics bounce around quickly. It's also tiring to see every single person share their design concept and then try to remember and process it all.

2. Its too many hours together. Theres physical exhaustion working on one problem the entire day and day after day. Theres no time to simmer on the idea, get some user research to inform our thinking or study things in depth. Theres no time to reflect on what you have, to carefully consider

3. The scope is consistently too broad. We start the work in this blue sky kind of way where anything is possible, but in actuality, there is so much bureaucracy and aversion to risk (we are a big company), that hardly anything ever gets launched. This sprint we've created is a bubble that is completely disconnected from the true product design process which is slow and slower. What gets done in terms of launched products is really just some product garnish that we end up taking 6 months of work to finish. So why do we try to boil the ocean in 6 days? It's ridiculous.

4. We go too fast. We have these things called lightning talks where several folks present a lot of work in this space in say 20 minutes or less. They cram lots of information in us without any chance to discuss and process it. They have everyone come up with lots of design solutions, sometimes we get 100+ designs using this method called crazy 8. This all happens in the span of say 15 minutes. Then we get everyone to share them in the span of 30 minutes, so you're literally spending 15 seconds per design. Then we're supposed to vote on the 100 designs out there. Then we're supposed to rank them by effort, impact, etc. It's ridiculous how we can decide the fate of our core product in an hour when we usually spend months and months on minutiae.

5. The attendees aren't the decision makers. In our company, the VP/directors end up making a lot of calls, but they're too busy to attend the sprint. So us folks at the bottom of the food chain end up working so hard on something without any input from the folks who really matter.

6. Voting is the wrong way to approach our work. We're supposed to come up with a lot of designs and then dot vote on them. during the sprint This makes no sense. We design for our users, not ourselves. Asking a big mesh of stakeholders to just vote on what they would like to work completely ignores any possibility of user research influencing the outcome.

Does your UX team run design sprints and is it anything like what I said here?

Hi all ! I am reaching out because I have been searching UXR relevant roles for a while but haven't had many callbacks.... (Probably 150 applications with only one interview). Just wondering how is everyone doing in the job search process? Is it just me or the job market is still bad?

Context: Bsc in psychology (biology minor) expected graudation in 2025 Jan

Had 3 interships in UX (1 in UXD at public sector, 2 in UXR at bank and healthcare )

volunteered as research assistant as well

I would really appreciate any responses regarding to job hunting and any advices to my situation !

Thanks

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some advice on how to ask to be an assistant for someone in the UX research field. I’m currently working on building my career in UX research and would love to get some hands-on experience by assisting a more experienced researcher.

I’m thinking an assistant role could be a great way to learn the ropes, contribute to projects, and get mentorship in the field. I’d really appreciate any tips on:

1. How to reach out to potential mentors or researchers who might need an assistant.
2. What specific skills or value I should offer to make a good impression and show that I’d be an asset to their work.
3. How to phrase my request to come across as professional and genuinely eager to learn, without sounding like I'm just looking for an easy entry.

Any suggestions or personal experiences with this type of request would be super helpful! Thanks in advance for your advice and insights 😊

Hey Reddit UXers! 👋

I recently received a UX research challenge from a potential employer, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether it seems reasonable for a 5-6 day period. I think it's just impossible and they don't understand the research process! I can just wrap up something but is it really what recruiters need? Here's the task:

The assignment involves showcasing my UX research skills by covering several stages:

• Discovery: Defining research goals, user needs, and success metrics.
• Planning: Selecting appropriate research methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, usability testing) and recruiting participants.
• Conducting Research: Executing the research plan and collecting data.
• Analysis & Synthesis: Analyzing data to identify trends and insights.
• Reporting & Recommendations: Presenting findings with visualizations and actionable recommendations.

UX Research Challenge:

• Improving Indeed's User Experience. Specifically: "How can Indeed enhance its platform to provide a more seamless and efficient job search experience for jobseekers?"

Deliverables Required:

• Research Plan
• User Personas
• User Journey Maps
• Findings and Recommendations for Improvement

I'm implementing multilingual support for my SaaS web app, and I’m considering what the default language should be when a user first visits.

One option is to detect the browser’s default language and show the web app in that language. However, I’m not sure if this is a reliable approach for all users. For instance, do users from Spanish, French, Portuguese, or German-speaking countries generally set their browser language to their local language, or do many leave it set to English?

Another option would be to infer the user’s country based on timezone information and use the country’s primary language as the default.

Note that there will always be a language change drop-down from web app settings.

What approach do you think works best for delivering a smooth multilingual experience? Any advice on common practices or user preferences would be much appreciated.

After re-evaluating my major, biology, I realize I have been fighting an uphill battle as I need chemistry for the degree but keep failing the test. I need to take college algebra anyway, but I don't think I can handle the chem course. So I made a board of what my dream job could look like.

1. a versatile Degree
2. Work from home/ hybrid
3. Tech or Forensic
4. Moneyyyy
5. A lil bit of art possibly ( I love drawing but don't want it to be my career, its just not for me maybe a side job though...

Disregarding the forensics and maybe the versatility I decided a psychology major and a UX researcher career. It has everything. Its ever green, it has the money, I can work from home, Im very interested in psychology, and it has the money!! (seriously I looked at entry positions on Glassdoor and couldn't believe the pay) . The only downside is it isn't in any true crime shows... (I love them) Now, how do I start...? I'm a freshman in college about to go into 2nd semester; Im also in the process of changing of changing my major and setting up a meeting with my advisor. I'll see if there is a career advisor on campus. Even then I don't feel prepared... What do I need to do to get started? If there is a book, a course (heard google had one) or something else please tell me!

Edit: Also, I see that the psychology degree plan has a concertation; will industry concentration work?

Hello all, I managed to land an interview for a UXR at a company that mainly does physical product research, including that of common household brands. However, I come from a background of digital UXR (with a bit of wearable experience).

I was wondering if you all have recommendations for books, articles, etc that would cover research principles for physical products? It would be great if it had specifics on usability testing. I already possess “The Design of Everyday Things”. Something a bit more comprehensive than the 1500+ page “Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics “ would be appreciated too, though I will certainly try to get through what I can in that book.

Thank you!

As UX researchers, what theories and frameworks should we definitely learn or know in the current market to do a good job?

Hi all! I’ll be attending an upcoming UX networking event and would love some tips on how to make connections as someone who is young to the field. I have a background in UX research, specifically in projects including educational technology and user experience studies for gaming, but I’m aiming to grow my network and learn from more experienced professionals.

Are there any specific approaches, icebreakers, or questions that you’ve found helpful when meeting new people at events? Also, any advice on how to introduce my background without feeling too much like I’m pitching? Thanks in advance for your insights!

• What is the UX maturity at your company?
• Who do you roll up to?
• How much user interviews do you do?
• What other methods do you use for foundational and generative research?
• Are you involved in building MVP? If so, in what ways?

I think I might be capped by my manager, but I'm not sure. I fear she doesn't understand the importance of user interviews.

I’m preparing for a design sprint meeting with coworkers. The topic is redesigning our software product administrative experience. Think: Microsoft system, admin experience or administrators of Asana.

In preparation for this, I would like to understand what competitor products are doing. For example, how many administrator types do they have? what are they able to configure? Etc.

Have you used ChatGPT to ask this sort of thing? Is it reliable? I did a little test for example to see what ServiceNow has in terms of administrator roles. The problem is I don’t know ServiceNow so I can’t tell if it is incorrect. 😅😅

Hi everyone! I'm reaching out because I've been searching for a UX research role for almost two months after quitting my past horrible remote job, but I'm hitting a wall due to my location and family situation. I live in a small city with no local UX research positions, so relocation is necessary and I can do it, but I need a hybrid arrangement to be able to travel back a few days each month for family reasons.

I've had about six interviews in the past two months, and the feedback has been very positive—until I bring up the hybrid aspect. Every time I ask about working partially remote, the response turns hesitant. It feels frustrating because I know I'm qualified enough, but companies seem unwilling to consider any kind of flexible setup or are extremely hesitant like ew you can come here every day? :)
I even accept a hybrid model for 3 days at the end of each month!

I’ve looked around, and unfortunately, there are no fully remote UX research roles in my country so lets skip this too. I’d love to hear any advice or suggestions from those who have faced a similar situation. How can I make hybrid work sound more feasible to potential employers? I'm just tired of this sht show.

I’ve been working as the sole researcher at this company for the past 6+ years. All of my career progression has happened here, I started as pretty much a junior with only a handful of usability studies in my portfolio, and set up a research practice from scratch at this company. I’m very lucky to have an amazing and supportive manager who really believes in me, has always been my ally, always had my back and always pushed for my career progression. 

I was promoted to Senior two years ago, but having only ever worked in this company and as a team of one, I struggle with massive imposter syndrome. I also learnt the job on the field without any formal training, which contributes to the constant sense of ‘not knowing what I’m doing’ and even questioning the rigorousness of my practice.

The work here has been chilled, with easy challenges and low expectations for my role, and I’ve always been left to my own devices. There’s so much I’ve not been exposed to - many research methods, but mostly the challenges of complex research, strategic impact, stakeholders management, delivery pressures… After 6 year I’ve lost motivations and want to move on, but when I look at Senior jobs on the market I fear I'll never be a good fit. Wondering how I could sell myself as a Senior, when I don’t have experience in these key areas? And how could I justify to prospective employers the fact I stayed in a job for so long without accruing this key experience. I feel more comfortable to apply for mid-level roles, but not sure this 'downgrading' will be viewed positively by recruiters and employers..

It's all very paralysing and I feel stuck between the desire to move on and the fear that comes with this sense of inadequacy. Anyone in a similar position or with some advice?

This is the place to ask questions about:

• Getting started in UXR
• Interviewing
• Career advice
• Career progression
• Schools, bootcamps, certificates, etc

Don't forget to check out the Getting Started Guide and do a search to see if your question has already been asked.

Please avoid any off-topic self-promotion in this thread. Thanks!

Planning to revamp my portfolio & resume as a Senior UXR with 6 years of experience in mostly B2B companies. Have mostly qual experience with less quant (some survey work, card sorting, tree-tests, eye tracking). Would really like to pivot towards a more consumer facing company.

What kind of projects should I highlight in my portfolio with today’s market when applying to Sr. UXR roles?

And how/where are you guys making them nowadays? Not sure if I should keep my website? Or make a google slide?

TYIA!

Our entire job is about talent development. We’re hired to make people better at their job. PMs, designers, marketers , executives, you name it. Our Insights are just the tool. If you’re not making your stakeholders better at their craft, and better at making decisions, are we truly effective researchers?