What a User Researcher does.
What does a User Researcher do?
A User Researcher uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain insight into the people who use a product or service. User Researchers analyse and synthesise the data, and present their findings to the project team. This can be done through presentations, personas, experience maps and any other formats that help the team to understand the people they’re designing for. They also make user experience design recommendations based on insights from the findings.
User Researchers are committed to learning about users and should be involved in the project as early as possible in the design journey. They should also be involved throughout the entire project to ensure the experience being created is always informed by the people who will benefit from it. By keeping the researcher involved throughout, it also allows them to regularly test UX designs to learn how users feel about them and to continually check whether they are effectively meeting user needs.
Who does a User Researcher work with?
User Researchers are required to work with a range of different colleagues that have varied interests and priorities. User Researchers tend to work most closely with Business Analysts, UX Designers, Service Designers and Content Designers but they typically sit within a broader team that could also be made up of any of the following:
âš¡Developer
âš¡Data Scientist
âš¡Data Engineer
âš¡Product Owner
âš¡Project Manager
âš¡Product Manager
âš¡Delivery Manager
âš¡Information Architect
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It's crucial that User Researchers understand their role in the team and the type of relationship they will have with each team member.