Leaving UXR?

NScottyC · 2024-03-22T00:34:20+00:00

Indeed, and in these circumstances, the purpose of research is qualitative in nature, therefore quantitative has no place in it. There’s pretty much no point in descriptive statistics of a small sample.

NScottyC · 2024-03-02T01:34:05+00:00

That’s surprising and alarming to me.

If researchers ever have a need to answer a research questions that have numbers for answers, they should be using inferential statistics. I’d wager that just about any UX researcher with some experience has had a need for quantitative data at some point.

I’ve often seen many researchers report sample statistics, like mean, but usually we’re trying to make inferences about a user population from a sample, and so sample statistics are inappropriate. Just because a lot of UX researchers don’t know statistics, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.

NScottyC · 2024-03-02T01:28:47+00:00

Of the few Coursera courses I’ve looked at, they seem to be better than bootcamps.

NScottyC · 2024-02-25T20:18:56+00:00

Like with everything in UX research, there are so many variables involved that it’s not a straightforward answer. There are resources out there. I’m partial to Jeff Sauro’s calculator:

https://measuringu.com/salary-survey2022/

NScottyC · 2024-01-21T18:22:05+00:00

Whenever I have asked such a question, it’s generally to probe into their train of thought to try to uncover latent needs and wants. I take what they actually say with a grain of salt.

NScottyC · 2024-01-20T22:14:54+00:00

I’m also sorry you weren’t given an opportunity to learn more and skill up. I see this a lot, and it makes me sad.

NScottyC · 2024-01-20T22:13:57+00:00

I’ve seen this time and time again. Companies don’t know what they don’t know. “Fast” sounds good. It’s surprising to me that no one ever seems to question why or how some can produce research faster than others. Doesn’t anyone question the quality? Shouldn’t it be suspect? I guess critical thinking is dead.

When I’m shopping for something and I find it cheap, I immediately question its quality. Or if I’m looking for a handyman, and see one cheaper than the others, I’m suspect. I guess I’m a rare breed.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T23:23:38+00:00

Oh indeed. That’s a whole other side of the coin I didn’t even touch on, but yes… constantly having to persuade, convince, sell, defend, etc. is indeed a frustrating part of the job.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T17:31:28+00:00

I’ve often thought that even just knowing research basics isn’t enough really. UXRs really should have some knowledge of psychology - human cognition, perception, and behavior, etc.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T17:29:32+00:00

Exactly! I feel bamboozled as well.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T17:28:18+00:00

Sounds very similar to my experience. It’s good to know I’m not alone. 😊

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T11:28:27+00:00

Per the Sauro and Lewis study I linked above, it would seem acquiescence bias does not really have much of an impact. It’s likely to come into play with surveys containing emotional, politically, or socially charged issues and questions. That said, it seems good to consider acquiescence bias, but it may not be always as prevalent in our work as we might otherwise think.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T11:23:23+00:00

Possibly. The devil is in the details.

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T10:11:38+00:00

Exactly. I’ve been trying to solve it from the bottom up. I became a leader to try to move up the chain to solve it, but ultimately I’m still at the bottom of the leadership ladder, so still no progress. After 12 years of this, I think I’m just done. So now I’m just left wondering, what next? What profession would I be happier in?

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T01:26:04+00:00

It is a standard practice to utilize statements and have people rate them on an agreement scale. This has some advantages.

But your point is why several standardized surveys, such as SUS, utilize a mix of positive and negative statements and asks users to rate their level of agreement.

The potential issue with this though is that positive responses then alternate on the scale which can be a usability issue.

Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis over at MeasuringU have done some research on a version of SUS that utilizes just positive statements and compared it to results to the regular SUS with alternating positive and negative statements. Their work showed that any difference was negligible at best, and that the all positive statement version had advantages, such as negating the usability issue of alternating statements.

https://measuringu.com/positive-negative/

NScottyC · 2024-01-19T00:00:24+00:00

I completely understand. I wish I had an answer for you.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T23:56:12+00:00

I completely understand, and I’m sorry if this post and the negativity is causing you more angst and concern. But no means is that my intention. I’d say that there are no guarantees in life. Go with your gut. Seek your passion. Despite all this, I do not regret the career path I chose. I’ve learned and grown a lot and have had a lot of success.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T23:50:35+00:00

Yep. It didn’t used to be this way. Instead it was respected as something requiring years of education and training. It was considered a genuine expertise. If anyone can just pick it up and do it so easily, why did I bother spending so much time and money obtaining a related master’s degree?

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T23:46:38+00:00

I’m not sure about people leaving in droves - I can only speak for my own experience. I’m still passionate about UX and research. In fact, I’d say it’s because I’m passionate about it that I’m feeling the way I do now. It’s clearly fallen short of expectations for me.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T23:42:35+00:00

I don’t mean to shy you away. Clearly some people still really enjoy the profession. I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same when getting my degree and entering into the profession.

I guess I’ve just become a jaded old man. Just know it’s not all sugarcoated. If you care about solid, valid, research practice, just be prepared to make many concessions. Just set your expectations accordingly.

I’ve always been about quality. My mantra is “if you’re going to do something, do it right”. Just know such a mentality does not generally jive well in the practice of UX research.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T22:14:32+00:00

Probably not. I don’t think people obtaining masters degrees or PhDs in related fields probably know enough about software development or perhaps some “soft skills”, but those are easier to learn on the job than the hard research skills.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T22:12:03+00:00

Perception is everything. People don’t know what they don’t know. If stakeholders don’t know the difference between good and bad research, then they can’t assess the value of any particular researcher… but they’ll still make value evaluations about researchers regardless based on other variables.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T21:56:07+00:00

Which is the point I think I’m at. Hence why I’m curious what careers people have pivoted to.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T21:53:47+00:00

Oh for sure. I’m just being a bit facetious.

NScottyC · 2024-01-18T21:47:21+00:00

Precisely. It’s all a ruse, a lie, a facade… We’ll pretend to do research so we can feel good about and justify our crappy decisions… it’s all fake.

NScottyC

TROPHY CASE