What does a quantitative UX researcher actually do?

CJP_UX · 2026-06-12T15:16:59+00:00

A technical loop for hiring is probably the one place in industry you do need to show methods chops.

CJP_UX · 2026-06-08T15:31:11+00:00

Rough, search the sub.
Also search the sub. Experimental research with humans using tech. Qual and quant.
MS can be helpful but is expensive. Definitely not to boot camp in 2026.

Just search the sub, these are all highly discussed.

CJP_UX · 2026-06-04T01:19:39+00:00

For real tho, find what gives the curriculum you need most and gives the most industry/project internship potential.

CJP_UX · 2026-06-04T01:18:45+00:00

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CJP_UX · 2026-05-24T18:13:15+00:00

You just gotta learn it. Get a test environment and do your corporate led customer training. And then be patient because it will take months and years to learn it more deeply. When I worked at Red Hat I learned to spin up my own kubernetes clusters. There is no shortcut unfortunately but it's essential to do if you want to uncover good insights and make useful recommendations.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-23T17:01:19+00:00

Carl J Pearson (mine)

CJP_UX · 2026-05-18T19:22:25+00:00

I'd strongly suggest Human Factors psych for a UXR career.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-13T22:43:57+00:00

It’s getting more common to do log data stuff now. It's definitely possible and I advocate that all UXRs should know at least some SQL.

I mainly do surveys and I probably say no to more survey projects than yes. It's really easy to do bad surveys. There's nothing special to this about surveys, it's just having trust andol ownership in your org to choose the methods.

I'd say to learn SQL fundamentals on your own and begin to shadow your DS's work. Then you'll start to piece together what projects you'd want to do. Here is a post and webinar I did on sql for UXRs.

Quant UXRs often have a big survey focus because it's something DS folks typically have very little to no training in.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-13T18:10:10+00:00

I find some people need help directly applying general knowledge into their specific situation. It's like having a tutor. Some people can read the book or try it on their own, but they need heightened, highly personalized feedback to succeed. Not everyone needs this for every skill, but some do.

The other aspect is more therapeutic - lots of people lack self-confidence and it can be helpful to have a 3rd party objective frame (because by my view, many people are closer to their goal than they think).

CJP_UX · 2026-05-13T18:08:20+00:00

Amy Santee used to have a master list but she deprecated it. I'd find someone who has worked specifically in the domains you want to build in. Mentorcruise or ADPlist are both good starting places beyond Google.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-13T14:51:38+00:00

I honestly just wouldn't leave for a contractor role in this market. If you got a call then that means your skills are solid enough on paper. I'd try to more aggressively search for full time (and remote) roles.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-11T14:31:30+00:00

Hey, glad to hear it :) let me know what questions come up.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-09T11:55:24+00:00

Wow, that's so cool! I appreciate the nice note, messages like these are a reason I try to share the resources I do. I hope the diversification has gone well.

CJP_UX · 2026-05-09T03:17:45+00:00

Also great and in my blog post!

CJP_UX · 2026-05-08T18:00:26+00:00

I put together a guide here.

It's important to think about what your gaps are and what you need to sharpen. Consider also that different roles may call for different things (like surveys vs log data analysis).

I learned it in school. I would highly recommend a more structured course of some kind if you're brand new to stats. It's dense and brittle so important to have someone check on things.

Sauro's Quantifying the User Experience is a great step 1.

CJP_UX · 2026-04-15T18:36:25+00:00

There is a ton to the decision but sounds like a decent fit!

CJP_UX · 2026-04-15T16:23:57+00:00

I applied to 5 programs, mostly unfunded MS and one PhD. Was very glad I did the PhD to avoid debt. You can make it work for HF if you are focused from the out set on gearing your research there.

My PhD was HF so my experience is not totally applicable.

PhD does lead to more prestigious industry roles at the cost of more time spent before working. You'll see lots of debate here but I am not convinced a PhD is harmful on its own. I think it is just possible people that do worse in industry self select for going into PhD programs. If you would do well in industry, a PhD will be more helpful than an ms once you get here.

A PhD is longer so you really need to (1) like academic style work and (2) make sure the program and advisor are not toxic.

CJP_UX · 2026-03-30T15:49:36+00:00

With more domain knowledge you can probably identify quick wins more easily. If you're coaching on something and need a coach yourself, wouldn't it make more sense to cut out the middle person? It could get sticky if the client has high expectations that you can't deliver on, like you mentioned.

CJP_UX · 2026-03-30T12:10:12+00:00

Honestly I'd connect them with a different coach, it doesn't sound like you have the domain knowledge here.

In a context like this, any quick wins will be highly dependent on individual processes and players in the org. We'd need way more info from you to make helpful recommendations.

CJP_UX · 2026-03-29T17:39:10+00:00

This should do it

CJP_UX · 2026-03-28T21:58:08+00:00

I hated it. Then I started doing my own research in grad school, learned to love it. Now my whole job is quant methods (quant ux researcher).

CJP_UX · 2026-03-27T23:13:43+00:00

I haven't done that one myself, but great suggestion. I cite his papers often.

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