UX Researcher

A UX Researcher plans and conducts research with users to understand their needs and behaviour. Starting with a question from the product team, they define an approach, analyse the evidence gathered and share findings that can inform design or product decisions. Their work concerns the people who use a product or service, including those whose needs may be less visible in routine feedback.

Depending on the question, they may prepare interviews, observe how people use a product, organise usability tests or analyse questionnaire responses. These methods are not interchangeable: understanding why a task causes difficulty requires different evidence from measuring how often a behaviour occurs. The researcher decides which participants to approach and explains what the method and sample allow the team to conclude. Where relevant, they compare what participants say with their observed behaviour and available usage data.

They work with product and design teams to frame the question, conduct the study and make its findings understandable. Their report may describe needs, observed obstacles, differences between user groups and the study’s limitations. It helps the team decide what to do next, without making the researcher solely responsible for product decisions. In a small team, research and design tasks may overlap; in that case, it is important to clarify who conducts studies and who designs solutions.

UX Researcher, Product Designer and Product Manager: who does what?

• UX Researcher: studies users, organises the collection of evidence and explains the findings and their limitations.
• Product Designer: designs journeys, interfaces or prototypes, taking knowledge about users into account.
• Product Manager: works with the team to set product priorities and decides how to act on findings, according to the responsibilities defined within the organisation.

User research helps a team distinguish its assumptions about users’ needs from what users say and what they are observed doing. Before changing a journey, the team can investigate where people encounter difficulties. Before choosing a solution, it can examine whether the problem affects the intended users. The value of the role therefore depends on the quality of the questions asked and the team’s ability to use the answers.

Fictional example: a team is considering simplifying a form because its usage data shows many people abandoning it. A UX Researcher could observe people completing the task and interview them to understand the obstacles they encounter. The team could then compare these observations with the available data and decide which changes to try. The study does not, on its own, establish that a new interface will improve a metric: it helps the team make a better informed decision.

A poorly framed study may give a precise answer to the wrong question. Interviewing only users who are easy to reach may also leave important needs unexplored. What people report does not always reflect what they actually do; findings should state which groups were studied, which method was used and the limits to generalising them. When a service serves varied audiences, study planning should account for that diversity and, depending on the context, accessibility.

The researcher does not replace the people responsible for designing the product or setting its priorities. Their role is to provide usable knowledge and make uncertainties visible. The Product Manager can then consider these findings alongside other product constraints when making decisions. When hiring, the key is to define which decisions research should inform, which teams will receive the findings and whether the researcher will have room to challenge an initial assumption.

• Frame the research question with the team and identify the decisions the study should inform.
• Choose a method suited to the question, the product’s stage and the users concerned.
• Identify which participant groups to approach and plan how to recruit them.
• Prepare the interview guides, test tasks or questionnaires needed for the study.
• Conduct interviews, observations or user tests according to the chosen protocol.
• Analyse the evidence gathered, distinguishing what people say from observed behaviour.
• Present the findings, their limitations and remaining questions to product and design teams.
• Organise the sharing of research materials while taking participants’ personal data into account.

Several routes can prepare someone for this role. Design training can provide a grounding in research and design; a French higher diploma in applied arts and design lists UX researcher among its possible career paths. Experience in conducting research or in the social sciences can also be useful. None of these routes establishes that a particular qualification is mandatory to practise this profession.

Useful skills include formulating a research question, selecting participants, conducting interviews or tests, analysing the evidence gathered and explaining its limitations. They can be developed through training or practice. Autonomy can also grow with experience: a beginner may need regular support, while an experienced researcher may conduct more complex studies and help other teams use the findings. A UK professional framework describes this progression as a possibility, without making it a rule for every organisation.

GetPro prepares an evaluation using a framework that ranks the criteria for the role. It distinguishes what can be established from the candidate’s background from what needs to be examined in an interview, and sets out a way to assess each criterion. During the interview, essential criteria that still need checking are explored through open questions and requests for concrete examples. With the candidate’s prior consent, references can supplement the assessment of key skills.

For a UX Researcher role, adapt the following guidance to the studies involved and the expected level of autonomy. The examples and case below do not describe exercises specific to GetPro.

1. Define the criteria before interviews

List the product decisions that research will need to inform and the expected level of autonomy. Distinguish someone who carries out studies that have already been framed from someone who will develop the approach with the team. Ask the product lead and designer which questions currently remain unanswered. Then select a few observable criteria: how well the candidate frames a study, justifies a method, selects participants, analyses evidence and communicates findings. A list of techniques they know is not enough to assess these abilities.

2. Examine a past piece of work

Ask the candidate to present a study in which they played an identifiable part. Ask them to explain the initial question, the groups approached, why they chose the method and what they delivered to the team. Also ask about an option they rejected or a limitation that emerged during the study. A positive sign is their ability to connect a conclusion to the evidence gathered and recognise what the study does not demonstrate. Be cautious if the presentation does not make it possible to distinguish their work from that of the designer or Product Manager.

3. Offer a case relevant to the role

Fictional example: a team observes users leaving a process before completing it and is considering several changes. Ask how the candidate would formulate the research question, which users they would speak to and what they would look for in usage data. They might choose interviews, observation or a test depending on what they want to learn. Ask what would make them change their protocol and how they would avoid generalising one small group’s comments to all users. The aim is to hear their reasoning, not to obtain a single prescribed method.

4. Observe how they communicate and collaborate

Invite the candidate to explain to a product lead and a designer what decisions their study could inform. See whether they separate observations, interpretations and open questions. A useful discussion makes the findings actionable without casting the researcher as the sole decision maker on priorities or as the person who automatically designs the interface. Ask how they would respond if the team wanted a firmer conclusion than the evidence supports. For a senior or lead role, also examine how they would help others conduct and share research.

5. Check references and decide

With the candidate’s prior consent to contact their professional references, check the nature of the studies they conducted, their actual autonomy and how their findings were shared. Do not treat the product’s subsequent commercial success, on its own, as proof of their competence. If nobody in the company has expertise in user research, involve a professional who can assess the protocol, analysis and limitations presented. Comparing the role with that of a Product Data Analyst may also help clarify whether the main need is research with users or product data analysis.