My career transition from marketing to UX research
A little over a year ago, I scoured the internet for every “how to break into UX research” piece of content I could find. Today, I’m forever grateful to everyone who helped and supported me during my career transition. I’m also thankful for every bit of information that was available to me—so, here’s my way of paying it forward to anyone who might be thinking of breaking into UX research.
A bit about me: I graduated with degrees in Economics and Music, and I spent the first 3 years of my career in digital marketing. You can read more about my time as a marketer here. I decided to transition from marketing to UX research because I felt it was a better fit for my interests and strengths. Specifically, marketing emphasizes selling to users—but I found I was more interested in understanding them. I wanted to work with Product, Design, and other teams to help make meaningful product changes, and to be an advocate for users.
My timeline: I officially decided to transition to UX research in March 2020. Earlier this month (December), I signed my first job offer as a UX Researcher. I’m not going to lie, my career transition took almost an entire year of feeling waves of hopelessness/excitement/motivation/uncertainty. Career transitions will challenge you to grow and step outside of your comfort zone, but remember to take some time for self-care, too.
Here is my experience getting into the field so far. Not everything may apply to you, so please take what you’d like from it!
Step 1: Research, research, and more research
Before fully committing to your career transition, do as much research as you can. Every time you learn something new about UXR, ask yourself if it’s still a field you’d like to pursue. Also, consistently ask yourself why you want to be a researcher (P.S.—This will also be a question that all of your interviewers will ask you). I highly recommend taking notes and documenting your progress throughout your career transition journey.
As for specific materials, here’s what I recommend:
- If you are currently working at a company with a UX research team, read their research reports. This will give you a good idea of what your future workflow and output will look like.
- Podcasts: I listened to several shows, but I really enjoyed Mixed Methods and Dollars to Donuts. Podcasts are especially helpful if you don’t have many UX researchers in your network right now. The guests talk about topics like whether or not to go back to school, specific projects they’re working on, how their teams are structured… You’re guaranteed to learn something useful.
- Books: I read this textbook from cover to cover (Observing the User Experience) and Steve Portigal’s Interviewing Users. I highly recommend both, especially Portigal’s book—even if you decide UX research is not the field for you, knowing how to ask good questions is a valuable skill.
- YouTube: Check out Zero to UX! It’s perfect for people who are trying to break into UXR without any prior experience. Kevin is hilarious, too!
- Industry news: I subscribed to newsletters and Slack communities like People Nerds, UXR Collective, AnswerLab, and UX Research & Strategy to stay up-to-date on webinars, conferences, classes, job openings, and general industry news.
- Online courses: I completed a few Coursera courses, along with some LinkedIn Learning ones. These were helpful to get a basic understanding of UX, and they were a nice touch to add to my LinkedIn certifications.
Rely on your network—and if you don’t have one, join one!
I was a digital marketer at Gusto when I decided I wanted to explore UX research. Gusto has a UX research team, so I treated each person on the team to coffee to learn more about their roles. I also told all of my friends about my desire to transition into UX, and they graciously connected me with their UX friends.
Lastly, I joined the Design & User Research Google group and sent a mass email to the entire group. I figured I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain by doing this. Most UX researchers are very friendly and will want to help you. So I asked, very casually, if anyone would be willing to chat with me about UX research—and I got over 30 replies!
Try to take on a project at your current company
I was fortunate to take on a small UX research project at Gusto. If you are currently working, express your interest in UXR to your manager and see if there’s an opportunity to shadow or conduct research. Think about different topics you’d like to research and suggest them to your team. Start off small, especially if you don’t have other researchers to help you. Once you complete your project, you can add it to your portfolio.
Make a portfolio and get it reviewed
Every UX researcher should have an online portfolio that showcases at least one project they worked on. Don’t worry if you don’t have any projects to add right now. You can try to do research at your current company, volunteer, or do your own guerrilla style research. When there’s a will, there’s a way—you can research basically anything!
Once you’ve completed a project, add it to your portfolio. If you’ve never created a portfolio before, look at other UX researchers’ portfolios for ideas on format and content. Then, try asking your network (or the Google group) to review your portfolio. They will help point out anything that’s missing or what could be improved.
Consider going back to school
Although many UX researchers have graduate degrees, I should emphasize that a degree is not a requirement to break into the field. I talked to many researchers who did not have a formal education in research, but they were still able to break in. Getting a graduate degree will definitely make it easier to transition (you will qualify for internships, for example), but it is absolutely not required.
Personally, my decision to fully commit to UX research came at a tumultuous time in March 2020. I left Gusto to pursue UXR during the same week that San Francisco was put on COVID-19 lockdown. Many of the internships and jobs I was being considered for evaporated due to understandable COVID-19 concerns. There was so much uncertainty at the time for all of us.
So I decided to apply to graduate school, and I was accepted into UC Irvine’s Human-Computer Interaction & Design masters program. It’s been a great experience so far and has definitely helped me with my career transition.
Apply to every single job and internship
Once you have one project in your portfolio, I’d recommend sprucing up your resume and applying to every single job with “UX research” in its job title. This includes internships, contract work, roles at startups, you name it. When you’re trying to break into a field, try not to worry about titles. You have to remember that you’re essentially starting over. The most important aspect of your prospective role should be that you’ll be learning how UX research is conducted in the real world.
How to prepare for your first interview
Recently, I was helping someone with their first UX research interview. My advice was this: Try not to get caught up in guessing what the interviewers will ask you. You will most likely be asked a mix of behavioral and case-like questions.
Instead, my recommendation is to know your research methods like the back of your hand. Make a chart with each method, when to use it, and why—then commit to truly understanding it! Once you have this solid foundation, you will be able to answer most case questions.
Lastly, think about how your previous experience in whatever field you came from makes you a unique researcher. Compile a list of stories, accomplishments, and “failures.” Interviewers will almost always ask you why you pivoted into UX research from your previous field. Be prepared and be honest!
You’ve got this!
Career transitions are tough and not talked about enough. Everyone who has gone through one will understand the struggle you’re going through right now. But keep learning and persevering—remember, you’ve got this!
Good luck on your exciting journey becoming a UX researcher!
