How does leadership evolve for UX Researchers as they advance?

1 The levels of UX research leadership

Before diving into the details, let's define what we mean by UX research leadership. According to the UX Research Career Framework by User Interviews, there are four levels of UX research leadership: individual contributor, team lead, manager, and director. Each level has different expectations and challenges in terms of scope, impact, collaboration, communication, and vision. For example, as an individual contributor, you are expected to execute research projects with minimal guidance, deliver actionable insights, and collaborate with designers and product managers. As a team lead, you are expected to mentor and coach other researchers, define research processes and standards, and align research goals with business objectives. As a manager, you are expected to hire and grow a research team, manage resources and budgets, and advocate for research across the organization. As a director, you are expected to set the research vision and strategy, influence executive decisions, and foster a culture of research.

3 The mindsets of UX research leadership

As a UX research leader, you need to develop and nurture certain mindsets to help you grow. These mindsets include curiosity - you need to be curious about your users, products, industry, and research practice. You should seek new knowledge, challenge assumptions and biases, and create a learning environment. Adaptability is also important - you need to be flexible and agile in your research approach, willing to experiment and iterate. You should help others adapt to change and provide clarity and direction. Additionally, influence is key - you need to be influential in your organization, build trust with stakeholders and peers, advocate for users and research, persuade others to act on your insights and recommendations, influence the research culture and strategy, and shape the future of products and services.

4 The challenges of UX research leadership

As you progress in your UX research career, you will come across a variety of challenges and trade-offs that will test your leadership abilities and mindsets. For instance, when transitioning from individual contributor to team lead, manager, or director, you will have to find the right balance between the breadth and depth of your research involvement. You must also decide how much autonomy and alignment you want to give to your research team and how much advocacy and collaboration you want to pursue. It is important to consider the preferences of your researchers, the expectations of your stakeholders, and the feasibility of your products and services when making these decisions.

5 The opportunities of UX research leadership

Advancing in your UX research career offers many opportunities and rewards, such as expanding your impact, influence, and growth. As you move from individual contributor to team lead, manager, or director, you can improve the quality of your research by defining and implementing best practices and processes. You can also increase the quantity of your research by scaling and growing your team, resources, and tools. Additionally, you can deepen the influence of your research by delivering more actionable and strategic insights, and by influencing executive decisions and product vision. You can also broaden the influence of your research by reaching more functions and levels. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to develop new skills such as communication, collaboration, strategy, and leadership. You will also be able to adopt new mindsets such as curiosity, adaptability, and influence to drive your own learning and improvement.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?