🤓UX Research Function

How to Train for the UX Research Function

Read The Agile Handbook

Read the Service Leadership Handbook

Take the Servant Leadership Masterclass

Take the Agile UX Masterclass

Take the Prototype Testing and Usability Testing Masterclass

Take the Brain Psychology and UI Design Masterclass

Take the Product Requirements Masterclass

What is it?

UX Research is the study of how humans interact with the world. It involves building experiments and testing assumptions to be able to problem-solve. UX researchers ensure that products and services deliver the best experiences for users and for the business by understanding the current state of user experiences and business needs.

UX Research Function in Tech Fleet vs. Other Companies

Who "Wears the Hats" at companies for UX research functions? It depends!

Here's a visual breakdown of commitments:

1. Some companies have three separate people dedicated to specific functions: one only doing UX design, one only doing UX research, and one doing only UX writing.

2. Some companies have one UX writing person, and one person who handles both UX design and UX writing.

3. Some companies have one person who handles all functions: UX design, UX research, and UX writing.

4. Some companies have one person who handles UX design and UX research, one person who handles UX research, and one person who handles UX writing with UX research. This is the most Agile cross-functional setup there is.

In Tech Fleet project training, a UX research function does research and collaborates with other UX functions in research.

There is a function that handles UX design and UX research, a function who handles UX research, and one function who handles UX writing with UX research. This is the most Agile cross-functional setup possible because everyone is contributing to success of UX outcomes. No silos.

Daily Responsibilities

The UX Research Position typically owns the UX research commitments.

What They Own

1. Collaboration with UX design and UX writing

2. Evaluative Research

3. Generative Research

4. Research Analysis

5. UX strategic decision making

Daily Tasks

• Strategizing about how to turn research into usable solutions

• Creating research test plans

• Performing research

• Recruiting for research

• Presenting research results

• Analyzing research

• Deciding research priorities

Breakdown of Responsibilities

Here are some RACI charts depicting the daily tasks that a UX research function is responsible for, and how they work with other teams:

RACI for UX research

You might be a UX Designer if

1. You like defining the "big picture"

2. You like systems thinking

3. You enjoy creative problem-solving

Cross-functional Collaboration

1. With the Client - take feedback from the client about the work being produced

2. With Product Strategy - drive the priorities of requirements and collaborate with product ownership functions to refine requirements

3. With the Project Management - provide information about the progress of the project from the UX research standpoint

4. With UX Writing - drive the priorities of writing based on the UX research needs, and produce UX writing in collaboration with UX writing teams

5. With Development - drive the priorities and requirements of development based on the UX research

Role Expectations

• Perform exploratory and evaluative UX research each sprint, and deliver results the entire project

• Work with product strategy to consult in user needs for the product vision based on research

• Further exploration of user needs, behaviors, and problems to solve based on the previous phase

• Perform discovery that may lead to adjustments to the vision and scope

• Validate the solutions being proposed with audiences throughout the project

• Work in collaboration with the product strategy team to refine requirements and plan upcoming sprint work

Common Deliverables

1. Research plans

2. Research analysis

3. Research reports

4. Research priorities

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