Being a good user researcher goes beyond empathy
15 traits and skills valuable to a user researcher.
I’m not going to lie, being a user researcher is a really cool job: I have a variety of different activities I could be tackling in a given week or day, I have the opportunity to make a long-lasting positive impact, I can talk to people to more deeply understand them (fascinating), I write research plans and I also get to run fun brainstorming workshops with cookies and pizza.
It’s super enjoyable, but, I have found, it does take a certain type of person to be a user researcher. While I have some natural tendencies towards the job, I have had to evolve some of my other qualities. For instance, I am very much introverted. On the surface, you might not be able to tell, but it is more about the fact that being around a bunch of people and listening intently can be quite draining for me. Because of this, I have had to balance how I approach work, such as:
- No more than three research sessions in one day
- Try to avoid moderating too many back-to-back workshops
- Attempt to make Monday and Tuesday my “meeting days” in order to have fewer team meetings throughout the week
- Take some days to work from home sometimes, in order to recharge (when I have a more meeting-free day and don’t have research sessions scheduled)
That being said, there are some more obvious qualities that a user researcher should tend towards (or work on). We all know empathy and friendliness are key, but what are the lesser known characteristics that benefit user researchers?
User research personality traits
- Perceptiveness
We need to take in everything that is going on around us, especially during research sessions. By being perceptive, we are able to filter out the noise, and hone in on the most important pieces of what participants are telling us. This trait allows us to ask crucial questions on the spot, instead of realizing the opportunity was missed later on - Open-mindedness and calmness
Looking for patterns in data, in order to deliver insights, is critical in making a successful user researcher, but it is extremely important to not jump to conclusions when synthesizing research. We need to remain calm and open to all possibilities, in order to see grey areas others may miss. This also applies to realizing we can’t understand or do everything perfectly - Neutrality
Frankly, we aren’t really meant to have opinions but, instead, are meant to share all the facts with others in the most unbiased way. During research, we don’t really respond to what participants are saying. There have been times I have wanted to laugh, cry and hang up the call, but it is our duty to listen, dispassionately to what others are saying…although, this doesn’t mean you act like a robot - People management
As a researcher, I interact with many people from product owners to designers, developers to marketing, finance/legal to branding. Sometimes there can be a good amount of chasing and babysitting, to ensure research gets done properly (and isn’t pulled in too late to a project). I create bi-weekly meetings with product owners and designers so that research isn’t left behind. I also created a one-pager on how to work with a user researcher - A whole lotta patience
Similar to above, with chasing and educating, there is a need for a degree of patience. User research isn’t concrete enough as a field to simply be known (or understood correctly). In addition, it can get boring sitting through hours of interviews with people who are telling you, seemingly, similar stories or taking the same actions on tasks. However, we need the patience to look through each interview with a lens of fascination and potential. Also, be patient with last minute cancellations! - Mental juggling
Specifically during research sessions, we do a lot of different things simultaneously: observing, listening, understanding, forming questions, time-keeping, empathizing, knowing when to dig deeper, managing observers, etc. This is a lot of stuff to do at once, so we need to have the mental capacity to juggle all of this competing information. I use meditation to help with focus and clearing my mind. That, and lots of practice! - Be compelling
Often, we need to convince others of the value of user research, as well as evangelizing the voice of the user. In order to do this, we need persuasion, but without the negative connotation that word usually entails. It is important to understand the fears or misconceptions of user research and then present research projects and findings in a way that quells those fears - Having a touch of romanticism
Researchers generally want to make the world a better place and to improve people’s lives. A degree of romanticism is necessary in allowing us to forge forward through common obstacles and struggles. At the end of the day, all we want to do is help others, both companies and users
User research skills
- Ability to collaborate
As mentioned above, researchers can touch many different departments and are often considered a “service” for teams to use. In this sense, we need to be able to collaborate with all different areas of a company, whether that be product, tech, marketing, finance, legal, etc. Making yourself as approachable as possible, and taking the time to understand someone’s previous experience with user research enables you the opportunity to collaborate even more - Adaptability and admittance
User research can be unexpected — a connection could be lost, a participant could be hard to handle, a method may not be working well, someone could question and dissolve your research findings through something you didn’t know. We have to be flexible in changing methods and working with what is directly in front of us in any given moment. I now expect the unexpected and am happy to admit I did something wrong or that I simply don’t know - Teaching
One of the best things I have done at every company or consultant position I held was to teach others how to perform basic user research (primarily usability tests). Being able to explain concepts to people in a way that enables them to understand not only helps you educate people in an area with many misunderstandings, but can also come in handy for facilitating brainstorming sessions or fielding the many questions a user researcher gets asked when presenting findings (ONLY 10 PEOPLE?!) - Learning quickly
Especially in the freelance/consultancy world, we need to learn quickly: learn about the people we are working with, how teams are structured, the processes we need research to fit into, the domain we are a part of, different types of technology, new research methods. We don’t need to become experts in everything, but it is important to be able to recognize commonalities between what you know and things you are trying to learn, as well as putting in the time to properly absorb information necessary to your performance - Have a good memory
This might seem obvious, extremely helpful. This is key when moderating interviews, as you can memorize the script you need, making the session much more natural for you and the participant. There is a lot of information to be stored, and you are bound to forget some details, but having a good memory enables you to make connections between research participants (and even projects) that others might miss - Writing
I write a lot in my day-to-day activities, such as recruitment emails, scheduling emails, presentations, research summaries, personas, scenarios, one-pagers, budgets, research plans, screeners, surveys…the list goes on. Sometimes, I even help with UX copywriting for my designers (we don’t have that role filled yet). Being a structured, concise yet friendly writer can really aid you, and save you time with editing - Storytelling
And, of course, storytelling…what does that even me? To me, I care about people’s stories because I think they are an integral part of understanding someone and then communicating research to others. In order to effectively get others to understand our users, and the impact our product has on them, I need to string together the stories users tell me in order to convey meaning. If you are interested in more, I talk about storytelling for a research portfolio here
Don’t have these skills or traits?
That is okay, and doesn’t mean you can’t be a user researcher, or try it out. I have just realized these are very helpful qualities and abilities to have. If you fall short on some of these, they can definitely be learned and sharpened over time. Not all of us are perfect and, as a researcher, of course I talk about the ideal. We all have our own strengths, and areas of improvement. As with anything in user research, it just takes practice!