You’re preparing for a UX Research interview. How can you ensure you highlight the most important skills?

2 Showcase your portfolio

One of the best ways to demonstrate your UX Research skills is to show your portfolio of past or current projects. Your portfolio should include examples of UX Research projects that you have conducted or contributed to, and highlight the outcomes and impacts of your research. For each project, you should explain the context, the problem, the research question, the methods, the findings, the recommendations, and the results. You should also include any artifacts or deliverables that you have produced or used, such as personas, journey maps, reports, or presentations.

3 Tell a story

Another way to impress your interviewer is to tell a compelling story about your UX Research experience. A story is more memorable and engaging than a list of facts or skills. You can use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework to structure your story and show how you applied your UX Research skills in a specific situation. For example, you can describe a situation where you faced a challenge or an opportunity related to UX Research, the task or goal that you had to achieve, the actions that you took to conduct or facilitate UX Research, and the results or outcomes that you delivered or influenced.

4 Highlight your soft skills

UX Research is not only about technical or analytical skills, but also about soft skills that enable you to work effectively with others. Some of the soft skills that are essential for UX Research are communication, collaboration, empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking. You should be able to demonstrate how you use these skills in your UX Research practice, such as how you communicate your research findings and recommendations to different audiences, how you collaborate with other researchers or designers, how you empathize with your users and stakeholders, how you ask insightful questions and explore assumptions, and how you evaluate and synthesize data and evidence.

5 Be prepared for scenarios

In some UX Research interviews, you may be asked to respond to hypothetical scenarios or case studies that test your UX Research skills and knowledge. For example, you may be given a brief description of a product or service, a user group, and a research goal, and asked to design a UX Research plan or approach. To prepare for these scenarios, you should practice applying the UX Research process and principles to different situations and contexts, and think of the possible challenges and trade-offs that you may encounter. You should also be ready to explain and justify your choices and assumptions, and show how you would adapt or modify your plan or approach based on feedback or new information.

6 Ask questions

Finally, don't forget that an interview is a two-way conversation, and that you should also ask questions to learn more about the role, the company, and the team that you are applying for. Asking questions shows your interest and enthusiasm, and helps you assess if the position is a good fit for you. Some of the questions that you can ask are: What are the main UX Research goals and challenges for this role? How is UX Research integrated into the design and development process? How do you measure the impact and value of UX Research? What are the tools and methods that you use for UX Research? How do you collaborate and communicate with other researchers, designers, developers, and stakeholders?

7 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?