📖 The PathMatch Guide to

User Experience (UX) Research

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We're still working on this Career Path.
Check back soon!

A Day in the Life

The core purpose of the UX Researcher (sometimes also called "user researcher" or "design researcher") is to unearth insights about the human user to help guide the application of product design. UX Researchers focus on the systematic approach to gathering and interpreting data. It's a very important, very stimulating role, perfect for those who find interest in human behavior or solving user problems.

Interested in becoming a UX Researcher? We've got the resources to get you there. And if you're still unsure of what you want to do, we've got resources for that too.

Work Responsibilities

  • Partner with leadership across design, product management, marketing, operations, analytics, and data science to influence product design and innovation
  • Contribute to research roadmap and help to align cross-functional teams around a shared vision for research
  • Initiate and conduct generative, iterative, and evaluative research to provide feedback on concepts, designs, and the end-to-end user experience
  • Share findings to diverse audiences through written reports, in-person presentations, and creative design tools and assets for product stakeholders to use
  • Present research findings and strong recommendations to global teams and stakeholders of research

Growth Path

  1. UX Researcher
  2. Sr. UX Researcher
  3. UX Research Manager
  4. UX Research Director

Skills You'll Need

  • Experience with a variety of qualitative and/or quantitative methods, which may include interviews, surveys, ideation sessions, ethnographic field research, usability evaluation, statistical modeling, and diary studies
  • Specific expertise with a subset of qualitative and/or quantitative methods
  • Experience integrating user research into product designs and design practices
  • Design thinking methods, co-design sessions, and facilitation skills

Industries You'll Work In

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Teams You'll Work With

UX Researchers work with the design, product management, marketing, operations, analytics, and data science teams, as well as user groups.

7
/10

Demand for Talent

  • 81% of executives surveyed agreed that user research makes their company more efficient
  • 86% believe that user research improves the quality of their products and services.
  • Huge demand for customer insights
    = huge demand for User Research
  • High level of skills required
    = demand outstrips supply

Compensation

$110K-$150K
UX Researcher
$125K-$160K
Sr. UX Researcher
$130K-$170K
UX Research Manager
$140K-$200K+
UX Research Director
9
/10

Work/Life Balance Score

Work/life balance is when someone equally prioritizes their career and their personal life. This balance can vary greatly from one career to the next.

8
/10

Job Stability Score

Job stability is about more than your experience and career. As industries decline, so do the jobs in them.

7
/10

Prestige Score

Job stability is about more than your experience and career. As industries decline, so do the jobs in them.

The future of work is here.

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