A career in UX
History of UX and career options
My presentation ‘Career Paths: UX/UI Design’ from 15 Dec. 2021 illustrates the history of UX by telling my own career story. It describes different roles within UX, where UX sits within an organisation, UX maturity of organisations, and provides insights into the UX job market and salaries.
Current UX job market in the UK
It is not all doom and gloom! In fact, the future for UX professionals is rather bright. Carlos Wydler has the evidence: Should you be a designer in the UK in 2026? Here are the numbers.
UX career roadmap
UX job titles
This overview from Futureheads about UX job titles is for UX designers, but it is similar for UX researchers:
15 Interviews to Google
Ex-design recruiter’s recommendations
Lena Kul, former Miro design recruiter, shares surprising insights and facts about the UX job search:
NN Group resources UX job search & career
- Advice for approaching a UX job search
- How to apply and secure a UX job
- User Experience Careers (download the 90-page report)
Job market & salary guides
IT Jobs Watch (UK): Real-time IT job market trends & actionable insights: User Research Contract, User Research Perm (fantastic source of reliable, up to date information).
Contractor Calculator: See how much you can earn contracting: What rate earns the same as permanent? What is your net income after taxes? What rate will earn your desired income?
Contractor UK: Information and latest news for contractors.
Trust in SODA; SODA Market Guide 2025 (market insights, salaries, day-rates for tech jobs in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and the US).
A career as a user researcher
Over the past decade, public awareness of the importance of user research has grown. The user researcher has become a specialist role within UX, which the Zebra Salary Survey 2017-18 reflects:
“For the first time since we launched our Salary Survey, we’ve allocated a separate section specifically for User Research due to the ever-demanding increase for both permanent and freelance positions.”
The education of a user researcher
87% of the researchers have a degree (67% have a master’s degree and 6% a PhD), and 45% of surveyed researchers (Zebra People Digital Salary Survey 2017-18) were not UK citizens, which is high compared to other disciplines. The number of researchers with PhD has doubled in the last two years, as indicated by the latest survey, which already shows that 12% of user researchers in the UK hold a PhD; the average in other disciplines is between 1% and 2% (Zebra People Digital Salary Survey 2019-20). The latest Zebra salary report is from 2022-2023.
The user researcher typically has an education in Psychology, Social Sciences, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, Design, or a Related Field, such as arts or Philosophy. Key capabilities of researchers are, of course, research, but also writing and presentation skills. Nielsen Norman Group have created a persona for user researchers:
How a user researcher works
The researcher must validate assumptions about users and address questions from product, business, or marketing. To answer these questions, the researcher creates a research plan. The research plan begins by stating the problem and goal and formulating the research questions. Based on this, the researcher chooses a suitable method and defines the user recruitment criteria (sample size, demographics, required characteristics, or experience). Together with the client or the internal stakeholders, the researcher specifies the timeline.
A user researcher often uses qualitative methods, like in-depth interviews and behavioural observation. In that case, the sample size is usually smaller. The user researcher also conducts unmoderated remote tests, AB tests or surveys. Data from Google Analytics or Hotjar can also be beneficial in creating a comprehensive picture of the user experience. Quantitative data alone cannot provide information about users’ motivations or the context in which they interact. Sometimes, the user researcher works closely with data analysts.
Based on their research, user researchers create personas and user journeys. Personas represent the users or customers and help to empathise with them. Personas are derived from actual data about users, and any available quantitative information like segmentation or customer data is integrated. With a user journey, the researcher maps each step of a customer journey and what users do, think, and feel at each step, including pain points, user needs, and opportunities for product improvement.
The ‘job’ of a user researcher
The ‘job’ of a user researcher is helping users to ‘get their jobs done’.
Users use a product or service to solve a problem they have. The product or service is a means to an end; it helps them with their ‘jobs-to-be-done’. The experience they have with this product or service depends on their needs, goals and expectations. To access users’ real needs and sometimes hidden goals, user researchers must delve deeply into the psychology of the user. There are numerous proven, effective methods to ensure that products meet users’ needs and provide them with the best possible experience. User researchers utilise knowledge from Psychology (especially perception and cognition), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Behavioural Sciences.
The user researcher within a team
User researchers work closely with UX designers and product managers or owners. Ideally, user research is driving product development. User research identifies users’ needs and pain points. These needs are then fed into the requirements of a new or existing digital product or service.
An agile team typically consists of a product manager or owner, a user researcher, a UX designer, a content designer (or copywriter), developers, and often a business analyst. All work closely and iteratively together in 1- or 2-weekly sprints (UK Government Service Manual).
UX Professional Accreditation
The new UX Professional Accreditation has been launched at the World Usability Congress in October 2023. With this accreditation, you can demonstrate your experience and proficiency in UX. It provides voluntary accreditation of UX professionals into a registry of professionals in UX, human-centred design, and strategy and is supported by the UXPA International. I received my accreditation #031101003 on 30 May 2024.
