You are spot on. Job ads seem to emphasize a bunch of "jargony" technical skills and frameworks, and overlook the more important, foundational human-focused, soft skills that you mention. And these people skills only get better with age, unlike most technical skills, or skills of the moment, which tend to decay with time/age.
Leadership, listening, influence, all components of a good UX leader, not just UX Researcher! And love the actual applicable tips for books to read! And podcasts!!
Stayed up all day job hunting and didnt apply to one job. I've been doing a lot of that (doubt and anxiety.) Long story short, I recently decided to change careers and have been wanting to do something either drastically different than IT support or related to the field of information technology but more hands on and interactive. After researching different job titles, marketing analyst, copywriter, digital marketing specialist, etc. I finally came across UX design and then narrowed it down to UX researcher. Sorry for this long behind comment, I havent even finished your video yet but I will. I just had to say that something clicked. My experience and knowledge on user experience research is very limited but with the little experience I've had in the IT support realm, I've realized how frustrating it can be for clients/users to want help and not even know how to help themselves navigate through a website, application, or software. I actually had moments where I'd help a client with something that technically wasn't a tech issue but more-so "how to". So many people expressed their frustrations with a need for friendlier interface and I'd find myself sympathizing and empathizing with them. I would even go beyond and do research for a seemingly defeated client and call them back to help when I found a way. People were happy and it made me realize how interacting with individuals and research can really go hand in hand! I want to be able to help people get help while finding a way to stay around the field of technology. I am so hesitant to hit apply on these ux job listings but at this point I just want to try and see. Thank you in advance for this video! It's totally fine if you don't read all this. But I had to vent somewhere on RUclips😂😂 (Okay I'm going to go press play again🤗🤗)
I DID read the entire thing! Thank you for sharing your motivation and inspiration :) that's a great story and I can tell you definitely empathize with those pains. Go for it, apply, and learn all the skills in the meantime as well. I hope I can be a good resource as well! Let me know other stuff you'd like to see on here! Mad love!!! :)
Wow Kevin, thank you for reading all that 🙊 for replying, and for the encouragement! I appreciate it. It seems a little intimidating, I'll be honest, but I definitely think I'm going to do more research and check out your book references. (I need to do more reading anyway😊) I'll keep an eye out on more of your vids. Much love right back at ya!! Thank you again.
Thank you Kevin! I am an interpersonal communication PhD and thinking about transitioning to UX research. The fact that you highlighted understanding people and psychology makes me feel more confident to pursue the UX research career path.
I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and was looking around trying to decide what I want to do for my masters, came across a MSc program for UX Psychology in Italy and it piqued my interest, but your videos literally made me say yes to this program.
As a VERY green newbie, I always hear that in the context of testing, observing the user is "better" than interviewing/talking to the user. I'd love to hear your thoughts in an upcoming video! I'm absolutely loving your channel.
Hi Erin! Usually when you have some product to test, it's better to observe them using it going through some tasks and combining it with questions. It is important to probe and ask clarifying questions whenever you observe something interesting but they're not articulating it. So they go hand in hand!
Have you read the book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely? It's one of the best ones on human behavior that I have ever read. Highly recommend it. I LOVE your channel, btw. :)
I've heard a lot about Dan Ariely but I haven't read that book yet, Awesome recommendation, I'll be sure to check that out! And thank you, Kimberly!! :D
I love the description you give of psychology and it's uses. I'm studying for my masters in anthropology at the moment. i will be doing enthnographic research very soon and I connected with the listening to create a bond instead of when to talk. People being social creatures defintey pick up on being heard and being listened too. Thanks so much for this awesome video and readings. Plus I mess up on speaking as well, you showed me how to own the mistakes :D
Thank you! The first time I told my story to my colleague, he referenced the Hero's Journey, and I hadn't even considered that to be a framework i could use to tell stories with!
Thank you so much for this video Kevin!!!! omg im still in undergrad studying Psychology and im hoping to transition to UX Research soon. This video gave me a lot of hope because this journey to UX has been very stressful. I just subscribed to your channel, i'm excited to see your new content!
I'm glad it was helpful, Brooklyn! And thank you for subscribing!! 👍Happy to answer any questions, and feel free to share this video with anyone you know who also wants to get into UX!
Hi Kevin, I just conduct 10 user interviews, how can prepare a effective report for that? Is there any template ? What would you suggest? Thanks a lot 🤗🙏🏻
I was wondering which path to choose, because now I am just a web designer. But I have always loved talking with different people and analysing their behaviour. But the problam is that in my region which is Lithuania there is not much researchers. The gap is for UX/UI designers. So I need to do everything, I guess. It is hard to do everything and to focus on everything:/ Thank you for your inspiration!
Hello 👋all the way to Lithuania!!! Wow! That sounds like a great opportunity for you to carve out your own specialized role as a UX designer that focuses on user data! After all, design without research is just a pretty art project. Lemme know if there's anything I can do to help!
Kevin Liang I am at the phase where I will need to read a lot of books. So I guess I need some guidelines where to start and improve. Just ordered 3 books from your list. Someday I will hope you could be my 1-1 coach:))
If you are able to wait later this year I am creating my own course which is going to be the most comprehensive one ever! Otherwise check out Interaction Design Foundation boot camp I have a discount code for 25% in the description!
Hey kevin, im thinking about going into UX. your videos are great so far. what im looking to understand is the daily work and if this is something i want to do EVERY DAY. havent come across a video like that yet, hoping you might make one of those
I have 2 day in the life of a UX Researcher videos, one "regular" and one for quarantine. Admittedly they don't cover EVERYTHING a UX Researcher would do, but hopes it gives you a glimpse! Check the quarantine one for an actual calendar schedule of my work week!
@@zerotoux Tnx for the comment :) i've watched them ofc. the quarntine one is mostly tragic but the glimpse to the calendar helped. still got some quastions about the day-to-day :) are there hours of interviews? hours of working with data? what's the most boring thing you have to do?
Hi again lol. Just subbed! Thank you so much for this video. I rarely comment on YT. 🙈 But to answer your Q: I sometimes wonder why humans are so scared of rejection (Hence keeping us from applying to that job that we may actually get, or asking that person if they feel the same about us)...Def psychological since we play out a dozen scenarios in our minds that may not actually happen.
Hey Kevin! It is so cool to learn about about your background and what you went through before finally figuring out what you can be good фею And most importantly LOVE to do day after day. Keving can you PLEASE PLEASE advice what online courses are the best to take to start learning UX design!?
Yes!! Interaction Design Foundation 25% off with this link: www.interaction-design.org/invite?ep=zerotoux And there are some free ones you can audit on Coursera (e.g. "Intro to Human Computer Interaction", "Questionnaire Design for Social Surveys" etc...)
Hey Kevin, I really like your channel. I am looking to get into UX research and want to know if there's any blogs you can recommend for me to read. It would be a great help if you could do so. Thanks!!
Hey Joseph! Thanks for the comment. Start with NNGroup articles on all things research. Depending on how much research background you have, you may want to read some academic journals like HFES, or ACM CHI articles. Those are examples of rigorous research. The problem with other blogs like Medium is there are a lot of good information, but also a lot of BS information and it's hard to suss out the good from the bad. Familiarize yourself with rigorous research, and then read up on people's case studies! I also have a 7-part follow-along series on creating your own portfolio project
Yes they are different! Researchers do not NEED those skills, but it's important to understand design. I have a video on "do UXRs need to design or code?" Check it out!!
@@zerotoux hey Kevin I need your help Talk something about working in pamdemic but from a Kevin who just leave his Stanford job. What should he do now.
My studies in psychology certainly came in handy, to describe memory and chunking and cognitive load when I worked on a specific project. But biologyyyyy.....no not really! It's helped me with experimentation aspect when designing studies but not so much facts about mitochondria or marine ecosystems!🤣
Totally! I usually start with the dry stats in the exec summary. But "5 people had trouble" doesn't give any color to the actual problem nor is it actionable, which is why we add in the story, clips, and quotes later on.
You are spot on. Job ads seem to emphasize a bunch of "jargony" technical skills and frameworks, and overlook the more important, foundational human-focused, soft skills that you mention. And these people skills only get better with age, unlike most technical skills, or skills of the moment, which tend to decay with time/age.
Key Note Taking :)
1:20 1. Understanding people & psychology
3:20 2. Listening & Questioning
4:20 3. Synthesis - connecting the dots
5:04 4. Storytelling
6:50 5. Influence
Leadership, listening, influence, all components of a good UX leader, not just UX Researcher! And love the actual applicable tips for books to read! And podcasts!!
Stayed up all day job hunting and didnt apply to one job. I've been doing a lot of that (doubt and anxiety.) Long story short, I recently decided to change careers and have been wanting to do something either drastically different than IT support or related to the field of information technology but more hands on and interactive.
After researching different job titles, marketing analyst, copywriter, digital marketing specialist, etc. I finally came across UX design and then narrowed it down to UX researcher. Sorry for this long behind comment, I havent even finished your video yet but I will. I just had to say that something clicked. My experience and knowledge on user experience research is very limited but with the little experience I've had in the IT support realm, I've realized how frustrating it can be for clients/users to want help and not even know how to help themselves navigate through a website, application, or software. I actually had moments where I'd help a client with something that technically wasn't a tech issue but more-so "how to". So many people expressed their frustrations with a need for friendlier interface and I'd find myself sympathizing and empathizing with them. I would even go beyond and do research for a seemingly defeated client and call them back to help when I found a way. People were happy and it made me realize how interacting with individuals and research can really go hand in hand!
I want to be able to help people get help while finding a way to stay around the field of technology. I am so hesitant to hit apply on these ux job listings but at this point I just want to try and see. Thank you in advance for this video! It's totally fine if you don't read all this. But I had to vent somewhere on RUclips😂😂 (Okay I'm going to go press play again🤗🤗)
I DID read the entire thing! Thank you for sharing your motivation and inspiration :) that's a great story and I can tell you definitely empathize with those pains.
Go for it, apply, and learn all the skills in the meantime as well. I hope I can be a good resource as well!
Let me know other stuff you'd like to see on here!
Mad love!!! :)
Wow Kevin, thank you for reading all that 🙊 for replying, and for the encouragement! I appreciate it. It seems a little intimidating, I'll be honest, but I definitely think I'm going to do more research and check out your book references. (I need to do more reading anyway😊) I'll keep an eye out on more of your vids.
Much love right back at ya!! Thank you again.
Thank you Kevin! I am an interpersonal communication PhD and thinking about transitioning to UX research. The fact that you highlighted understanding people and psychology makes me feel more confident to pursue the UX research career path.
I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and was looking around trying to decide what I want to do for my masters, came across a MSc program for UX Psychology in Italy and it piqued my interest, but your videos literally made me say yes to this program.
did you do that course?
As a VERY green newbie, I always hear that in the context of testing, observing the user is "better" than interviewing/talking to the user. I'd love to hear your thoughts in an upcoming video! I'm absolutely loving your channel.
Hi Erin! Usually when you have some product to test, it's better to observe them using it going through some tasks and combining it with questions. It is important to probe and ask clarifying questions whenever you observe something interesting but they're not articulating it. So they go hand in hand!
I would say that being at the very beginning of my UX career, you just help me to level up my passion for UX. Ready to dive into the podcasts
Have you read the book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely? It's one of the best ones on human behavior that I have ever read. Highly recommend it. I LOVE your channel, btw. :)
I've heard a lot about Dan Ariely but I haven't read that book yet, Awesome recommendation, I'll be sure to check that out! And thank you, Kimberly!! :D
I just bought a copy! Reading it now :D it's great! Really thank you for the recommendation again!
@@zerotoux Dan Arieli's The honest truth about dishonesty is awesome too.
Two podcasts i really used to enjoy were Hidden Brain & Revisionist History. Going back to them asap
Coming to this 2 years late but I really appreciate this content and your recommendations. thank you!
Never too late! Thanks for watching, Charlotte!!
I love the description you give of psychology and it's uses. I'm studying for my masters in anthropology at the moment. i will be doing enthnographic research very soon and I connected with the listening to create a bond instead of when to talk. People being social creatures defintey pick up on being heard and being listened too. Thanks so much for this awesome video and readings. Plus I mess up on speaking as well, you showed me how to own the mistakes :D
This is awesome! And all those books I need to ready.
Masterful storytelling. Loved the Joseph Campbell references too.
Thank you! The first time I told my story to my colleague, he referenced the Hero's Journey, and I hadn't even considered that to be a framework i could use to tell stories with!
Thank you Kevin. Your videos have encouraged me to pursue the goal of being a ux researcher bravely!!
Glad to hear, Zimeng! Thanks for watching!!
This is a fantastic video, I love that all these skills listed are very useful in everyday life. Thank you for the podcast recommendations.
Your videos are the best to start with in UX. Thank you. Love from Kerala, India
Hey Kevin Liang. Thank so much!. Your video is very useful
found this video super helpful thanks. Books added to my reading list :)
YESSSS psych topics please!
What skills are you upskilling for 2019?
I am into digital accessibility, planning to add UX research skill sets into my CV
Thank you so much for this video Kevin!!!! omg im still in undergrad studying Psychology and im hoping to transition to UX Research soon. This video gave me a lot of hope because this journey to UX has been very stressful. I just subscribed to your channel, i'm excited to see your new content!
I'm glad it was helpful, Brooklyn! And thank you for subscribing!! 👍Happy to answer any questions, and feel free to share this video with anyone you know who also wants to get into UX!
I could watch Kevin all day long
Another good one Kevin! Thanks!
You bet! Thanks for watching!
Your videos are always perfectly great and to the best knowledge on the topic! Thanks a lot! Can u also post something for logo designing ?
Thank you very much for this video!
Thanks for watching, Mitchell!!
Hi Kevin, I just conduct 10 user interviews, how can prepare a effective report for that? Is there any template ? What would you suggest? Thanks a lot 🤗🙏🏻
Actually yes! I have a video on presentations with a free template on my website zerotoux.com/resources!!
I was wondering which path to choose, because now I am just a web designer. But I have always loved talking with different people and analysing their behaviour. But the problam is that in my region which is Lithuania there is not much researchers. The gap is for UX/UI designers. So I need to do everything, I guess. It is hard to do everything and to focus on everything:/
Thank you for your inspiration!
Hello 👋all the way to Lithuania!!! Wow! That sounds like a great opportunity for you to carve out your own specialized role as a UX designer that focuses on user data! After all, design without research is just a pretty art project. Lemme know if there's anything I can do to help!
Kevin Liang
I am at the phase where I will need to read a lot of books. So I guess I need some guidelines where to start and improve. Just ordered 3 books from your list. Someday I will hope you could be my 1-1 coach:))
Hi Kevin, pls what course would you suggest I take in UX research. Its my first time and I'm seeing so much online
If you are able to wait later this year I am creating my own course which is going to be the most comprehensive one ever!
Otherwise check out Interaction Design Foundation boot camp I have a discount code for 25% in the description!
Your contents are quite helpful. Thanks
This is so helpful, thanks so much!
Are you able to say something about sociology and UX research? Is it a good mix?
Hey kevin, im thinking about going into UX. your videos are great so far. what im looking to understand is the daily work and if this is something i want to do EVERY DAY. havent come across a video like that yet, hoping you might make one of those
I have 2 day in the life of a UX Researcher videos, one "regular" and one for quarantine. Admittedly they don't cover EVERYTHING a UX Researcher would do, but hopes it gives you a glimpse! Check the quarantine one for an actual calendar schedule of my work week!
@@zerotoux Tnx for the comment :) i've watched them ofc. the quarntine one is mostly tragic but the glimpse to the calendar helped. still got some quastions about the day-to-day :) are there hours of interviews? hours of working with data? what's the most boring thing you have to do?
Awesome!! Thx from Brazil
Thanks for watching!!! Brazil!!! yay!
Hi again lol. Just subbed! Thank you so much for this video. I rarely comment on YT. 🙈
But to answer your Q: I sometimes wonder why humans are so scared of rejection (Hence keeping us from applying to that job that we may actually get, or asking that person if they feel the same about us)...Def psychological since we play out a dozen scenarios in our minds that may not actually happen.
would love to hear from you on psychology topics!
Awesome! Any particular psych topics that interest you?
thank you.
Thank you for watching!
Please make a video about psychology!
thanks for the info!
Thanks for watching, Andre!! 💪
Hey Kevin! It is so cool to learn about about your background and what you went through before finally figuring out what you can be good фею And most importantly LOVE to do day after day. Keving can you PLEASE PLEASE advice what online courses are the best to take to start learning UX design!?
Yes!! Interaction Design Foundation 25% off with this link: www.interaction-design.org/invite?ep=zerotoux
And there are some free ones you can audit on Coursera (e.g. "Intro to Human Computer Interaction", "Questionnaire Design for Social Surveys" etc...)
Kindly make a video related to physiology topics
Yes psychology topics! Also what’s the deal on folks lacking self reflection?
Hey Kevin, I really like your channel. I am looking to get into UX research and want to know if there's any blogs you can recommend for me to read. It would be a great help if you could do so. Thanks!!
Hey Joseph! Thanks for the comment. Start with NNGroup articles on all things research. Depending on how much research background you have, you may want to read some academic journals like HFES, or ACM CHI articles. Those are examples of rigorous research.
The problem with other blogs like Medium is there are a lot of good information, but also a lot of BS information and it's hard to suss out the good from the bad. Familiarize yourself with rigorous research, and then read up on people's case studies!
I also have a 7-part follow-along series on creating your own portfolio project
Are all these from that book '' 100 things Designer should know ''
So, a UX researcher is different from UX designer? And, do UX researcher need design skills like CC or illustrator?
Yes they are different!
Researchers do not NEED those skills, but it's important to understand design.
I have a video on "do UXRs need to design or code?" Check it out!!
@@zerotoux Okay, thank you Kevin I'll watch it! I love your content, and just subscribed 😁
@@frznawfal2413 thank you!! Mad love!!
I know this is about UX researchers, but I'd love to get into UX design. Do you have any advice you could give a kinda lost 24 year old?
well its under the same umbrella. UX research is one of the process and design is the end process. Do your research. you'll find your way. Good luck.
This was helpful! Thanks!
Evry time you recommend a book. I look on web to find a donwlaodble free version so I can print it and read it for as cheap as can.
That works, too! haha
@@zerotoux hey Kevin I need your help
Talk something about working in pamdemic but from a Kevin who just leave his Stanford job. What should he do now.
@@zerotoux Their is internship issues here in market because of Pandemic because no one wants intern from India
Did you have any use of your knowledge in Biology when doing UX research?
My studies in psychology certainly came in handy, to describe memory and chunking and cognitive load when I worked on a specific project.
But biologyyyyy.....no not really! It's helped me with experimentation aspect when designing studies but not so much facts about mitochondria or marine ecosystems!🤣
@@zerotoux thank you for answering, it is really brave of you to make such big career change , I enjoyed your video.
Come to India We Will rock
What if i don't have any of these skills :(
Get them!!!💪 Mad love!!
some people want '5 people had trouble with the voice...' rather than a story. They just don't want to spend time on it
Totally! I usually start with the dry stats in the exec summary. But "5 people had trouble" doesn't give any color to the actual problem nor is it actionable, which is why we add in the story, clips, and quotes later on.
😻
Are the research and analytics skills not the MUST HAVE for UX researchers？
Haha good call out, yeah they are definitely
So many skills to become human and get a job. I don't like this concept at all !
IKR, who woulda thunk???
Thanks for the tips 👍