User Experience Research: 10 Courses For Those On UX Career Paths

by Kelsey Arrington on Nov 03, 2022

Are you interested in UX? On the user experience research career path? Whether you’re a UX designer or striving to become a UX researcher, this is for you! In this post, you’ll find a curated selection of courses and tutorials to help you learn more about usability testing, qualitative research methods, and other UX research skills! So, if you want to prepare for UX research roles or improve your design process, keep reading!

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In this post:

What is UX Research?
Why Companies Hire UX Researchers
5 Ways to Gain Real-World Experience In UX Research
10 UX MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

What is UX Research?

UX Research is a critical part of the design thinking process. Those who conduct user research may analyze data, user surveys, or even host focus groups to understand user behaviors. In a nutshell, user experience research is the key to understanding the nuances of a user’s experience with a website or mobile application.

Why Companies Hire UX Researchers

User experience researchers provide companies with tools, metrics, and analytics they need to measure human-computer interaction. Simply stated, UX research is about observing and analyzing people’s emotions, behaviors, and psychological processes. Companies see value in hiring UX researchers because they help gain invaluable insight into a user’s experience with a product.

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5 Ways to Gain Real-World Experience In UX Research

User experience research is critical for business success in the modern world. So, if you’re looking to become a user experience researcher or expand on your skills as a UX designer, just keep reading. Below, we’ll review 5 ways you can gain experience, learn technical skills, and network.

Volunteer Your Time And UX Skills to Help A Local Business or Nonprofit Organization

An excellent way to gain practical experience, in any industry, is to volunteer with a local business or charity organization that aligns with one’s values or career interests. In many instances, small organizations do not have the money or resources to invest in digital footprints and centralized design solutions – which include UX design and research. So, seek out places like this! While there is not direct financial benefit, they offer the opportunity to improve upon one’s UX research skills and utilize them with real users.

Seek Mentorship or Advice From Seasoned UX Professionals

Do you have friends, colleagues, or other connections that are working in UX? Reach out to them online or in person to see if they have time to offer a word of advice or mentorship. Gaining feedback from seasoned professionals can help you clarify your career goals or find job opportunities. Likewise, talking to a UX mentor can benefit those studying user experience, those getting started in the field, and those amid a job search.

Participate In A Hack-a-Thon or UX Design Competition

One way to gain real-world experience and show your competitive side is to participate in a hack-a-thon or UX design competition. So, search for opportunities to show off UX design concepts you’ve mastered, research methods you execute well, or any other technical skill you have!

Collaborate On A Project From the Ground Up

Another route to gain practical experience involves creating new projects with friends and other tech professionals. Think for a moment. Do you know someone who is starting a company, creating a product, or engaging in a side project? Consider using your UX skills to assist them! Or, create a project of your very own.

Find A New UX Job

The best way to grow as a user experience researcher is to do so on a UX team with other industry professionals. So, conduct a job search to find a company that suits your interests and qualifications, then apply for a UX research role.

Bonus Tip: Apply for UX Internships

An internship can be a wonderful learning opportunity for user researchers, UX designers, or anyone who wants to gain hands-on experience. UX internships offer the opportunity to become comfortable with conducting user tests, implementing qualitative research methods, and being immersed in the design thinking process.

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10 UX MOOCs

Whether you want to work in UX research, user-centered design, or another UX-related field, the following courses can help you sharpen your analytical skills, hone new observation techniques, and understand user personas better. So, what are your waiting for? Your next learning opportunity can be found below.