Holy ShIft! Learnings from changes in UX Research role over the years
- 1. Holy ShIft!💩: Learnings from UX Research role over the years
- 2. HELLO! I am Shrut Kirti I am here to talk because researching & mentoring folks is my bling. You can find me at @shrutkirti on 2
- 3. “ “In a cross-functional world, researchers move from being methodology gurus to discovery guides. Researchers don’t deliver the voice of the customer; researchers enable everyone to speak and to hear the voice of the customer. Your job is no longer the executioner of research, but about embedding yourself in the business as partners; to enable everyone to experience the customer and to facilitate that cross-functional conversation about that experience; to best impact product.” - Tricia Wang, Co-founder of Sudden Compass, 2019 keynote address, Mind the Product Conference 3
- 4. “ “A key evolutionary step for us is to figure out how to scale the application of these skills to meet the newfound demand. The answer does not lie in adding more researchers who focus on learning on behalf of the many. It’s in expanding the role of researchers to focus on empowering everyone to learn.” - Monty Hammontree, Partner Director of User Experience Research at Microsoft in the The Future of UX Research 4
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- 7. UX Research skills industry need data over the years 7 2019 2020 2021
- 8. 96% Research Methods 8 2021 — In-demand skills for UX Researchers
- 9. 94% Communication skills 91% Collaboration 91% Process management 9 2021 — In-demand skills for UX Researchers
- 10. Primary & secondary UX researcher soft skills 10 UX research characteristics: An analysis of 100 open jobs
- 11. How can you adapt yourself to the changing needs of the industry?
- 12. 12 IDENTIFY What skills do you currently possess? Why do you need to identify them?
- 13. IDEO CEO Tim Brown, gave an interview in which he described the “T-shaped person” his company regularly hires. T-shaped people have a depth of skill in one area—the vertical line of the “T”—and an ability to work cross-functionally across disciplines—the horizontal line of the “T.” 13
- 14. Today, organizations tend to focus on cultivating and hiring for the skills that define T-shaped leadership—broad enterprise thinking and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally. 14
- 15. “Both types are essential in any organization…The point is not that the Ts have it—that it’s always better to be one of them. It’s that most people would be well-advised to develop T characteristics… There’s nothing wrong with being a card-carrying I as long as you can also be a T in some significant sense.” Bottom line: The key is to invest in developing both sets of skills.” -Andy Boyton, Boston College Professor 15 “Both/And” Leadership: Combining the Benefits of I- and T-Shaped Leaders
- 16. T-shaped skills can be explained in many ways. ● Some describe it as a person having reach across multiple cross-functional teams but having a impact in a specific area such as UX Research. ● Others, explain T-shaped skills as a combination of many broader skills like communication, collaboration, etc. and having depth in one area such as UX research technical skills. ● Lastly, some like to reverse the T and make the dash shaped skills foundational to the profession. The I shaped are just mastery levels. 16 BROAD KNOWLEDGE
- 17. ● One can further upskill themselves to become a 𝛑 - shaped professional with two area of specialisation or an comb shaped professional with different levels of specialisation in different areas. ● For professionals aspiring to become leaders, an X-shaped or Y-shaped skill set comes in handy. 17
- 18. 18 ASSESS THE GAP What skills do you currently possess?
- 19. For eg. the technical skills of a T-shaped designer might look something in figure on the top. And the same technical skills for a 𝝿 - shaped designer might look something in figure at the bottom. Unfortunately, I cannot find the same for UX researcher. Join my workshop to learn what makes a T-shaped and 𝝿 - shaped UX researcher. 19
- 20. The different shaped skills can be a combination of hard and soft skills. And, it is often recommended to have this combination of skills for any professional. 20 Internal Soft Skills External soft skills Self-confidence Collaborative team-work Self-awareness Effective communication Self-compassion Expectation management Accepting of criticism Self-promotion Resilience Managing conflict Perseverance Adaptability Emotional intelligence Networking Perceptiveness Influence Growth mindset Persuasion & negotiation
- 21. For a UX Researcher, the list of skills can be something like here. These are of course, a combination of hard and soft skills such as business acumen, collaboration, process management and many more. 21 All the research data has been gathered… Now what?
- 22. 22 DEVELOP How can you develop and hone new/existing skills?
- 23. How can you develop and hone on new/existing skills? Go outside your comfort zone- take up diverse, challenging projects Find or become a mentor Join industry groups - engage in discussions 23 Participate in team-building activities Take advantage of online educational resources Read across a variety of subjects. Don’t let your major limit you. Focus on what interests you. Mix hard and soft skills. Strike a balance of general/useful
- 24. 24 PRACTICE Why do you need to practice newly learned skills?
- 25. How can you practice the newly learned skills? 25 Make it a habit- Consistent efforts Work on projects. Give your specialty extra attention. Deconstruct skills. Seek out different perspectives
- 26. 26 REASSESS Why re-assess your skills over regular intervals of time?
- 27. How can re-assess and identify impact of newly learned skills? 27 Regularly evaluate your progress. Recognise the gap in your skills. Seek feedback of others Define and highlight impact after changes
- 28. IT SHOULD BE A NEVER-ENDING CYCLE FORYOU! If you are someone who believe in the “Growth Mindset” rather than a “Fixed” one, the learning never ceases to exist over a lifetime. There is always some gap in our skill that will strive us to become an even better professional than the last version of ourselves. 28 Identify Assess Develop Practice Re- assess
- 29. Some resources for you to get started NN/g Skill Mapping Template Join the UX Skill Mapping, Assessment and Tracking workshop by Shrut Kirti Learning & education resources Master In-Demand Professional Soft Skills Soft Skills Training for Employees
- 31. “ “The future of UXR serves two customers: the customers who use our products and the product makers who build them. We must develop our understanding and empathy for both communities and seek to develop experiences that empower both to achieve more than they ever thought possible.” - Monty Hammontree, Partner Director of User Experience Research at Microsoft in the The Future of UX Research 31
- 32. THANKS! Any questions? You can find me at: @shrutkirti on shrutkirti92@gmail.com 32