Why do teachers make great UX researchers?
After reading a few great articles about the value of educators in UX (e.g. this one by Tammie Meloy), and connecting with some fellow teachers-turned-UX-researchers, I felt inspired to write about the teaching skills that have really helped me in my new career.
A few months ago, I talked about my transition from teaching to UX (via psychology) in my previous article. Now that I’ve been in the game for a bit longer and understand what I’m doing (most of the time), I’ve been able to see which skills have really been beneficial. None of these skills is solely found in teaching, but I believe them to be paramount to be a good teacher.
Communication
Teaching really tests your communication skills. You have to communicate with such a variety of people daily: four-year-olds who still can’t tell you when they need the toilet, teaching assistants who don’t understand the importance of doing a headcount on a field trip, parents who don’t believe their child could ever be in the wrong… the list goes on. You really need to know how to best deal with each individual. Sometimes that means adapting yourself to the situation and understanding how to have the most positive interaction.
As a UX researcher, you also communicate with a variety of people: stakeholders, other researchers on your team (if you’re lucky), UX designers (if you’re not doing this job too), users, web developers. Other researchers may be interested in how beautiful your Miro affinity sort is, but stakeholders aren’t. Users may want to chat for hours about the problems they are experiencing, but web developers probably just want to know what they need to do. You need to adapt yourself to the situation.
Most of my interactions have been with users during interviews, and while they all generally had the same gripes and needs, their communication styles were very different. That’s something you need to be able to respond to as a researcher.
Time management
The school day follows a strict schedule, for good reason. Teachers only have a few hours in the day to complete a list of tasks, and without good time management, this will not be successful. Getting to assembly on time, making sure work is marked before the next lesson, giving students enough time to pack up and be ready for home on time. Outside of school, you’ve also got to manage your time effectively to plan lessons, create resources, book the science lab, reserve the iPads, and so on. I’ve always loved to write myself Post-it note reminders, so perhaps I was destined to work in UX!
Most UX projects have a very short turnaround time so you have to manage your time well or you will not get the project finished by the deadline. Alternatively, you will produce something subpar and that’s never a good outcome.
Within the UXR process, several elements need to be completed: create a research plan, recruit participants, interview them, analyse data and themes, and produce a report to present to stakeholders. You will be given a deadline for the report, but it is up to the researcher to manage their time within the overall timeframe. One particular process may take far longer than planned (e.g. it may take two weeks to recruit participants), so you have to be prepared to reorganise your time as required.
Creativity
As a teacher, I would always put a lot of time and effort into making sure my lessons were creative, engaging, and also informative. Using the right colours and fonts on slide decks, including just enough images on worksheets so they are interesting but not distracting, and making sure that, above all, learning is happening.
I was worried that as a UX researcher I would not get to use any of my creative skills and that it would be all Post-its and spreadsheets – don’t get me wrong, I love both those things. Depending on your approach, it could be that limited, but what I love about my job is that I have been able to choose to inject creativity into my tasks. Designing posters for participant recruitment, presenting insights in an engaging way, making reports less drab, and dabbling in some prototyping using Figma.
Creativity is my thing, so I bring it to UX as a bonus. I’m sure other former teachers have their own passions that they bring which enhance their UX practice.
Thinking on your feet
An unexpected fire drill while the class are changing for PE, a power cut when you’re teaching ICT, a child about to wet themself on a field trip when you’re on a crowded Tube carriage in central London. I could make a whole parody of Alanis Morissette’s Ironic with real-life scenarios from my teaching career that required me to think on my feet.
I’d like to think I am generally a pretty flexible and adaptable person, so that helps a lot, but being a teacher requires immense flexibility and thinking on your feet. The unexpected always happens and you have to be ready to act quickly. Often, you’ve got 30 pairs of eyes staring at you and don’t have time to panic or make a plan of action. You’ve just got to roll with whatever is happening and listen to your gut.
Working with users and members of the public will always present unexpected events. I’m sure those who work in hospitality and customer-facing roles also have countless examples of when they’ve had to think on their feet. When we interact with participants, whether face-to-face or remotely, things can – and will – go wrong. Participants may not show up, your neighbour might decide the moment you start your Zoom call is the perfect one to start drilling, perhaps your interviewee’s microphone is not working, maybe they are quite aggressive in the way they speak to you.
A whole host of issues could arise when working on a project. Does this mean you should always go in fearing the worst? No, of course not. However, you do need to be prepared in case something goes wrong. Have a backup plan mentally prepared. A teacher always brings a few extra lunches on a field trip, and an extra hair tie when they take the class swimming. You’ve got to be prepared and willing for things not to go the way you planned. If anything, when things go wrong, they often provide a funny story to look back on one day!
Empathy
As teachers, we really need to be empathetic. Not only with our students but with parents, headteachers, and everyone in the school community. School can be a scary place for some children. It can be an added stress for a parent who is juggling two jobs. Maybe the headteacher is scared of failing an inspection and that’s why they appear so uptight. We don’t always know what is going on outside of school, so although it is not always easy, teachers have to try and approach every situation with empathy.
Empathy is such a vital skill in UX. Solving users’ issues is the whole reason we do this job, and a key part of helping users is empathising with them. When conducting interviews, it is so beneficial to be able to empathise with a user when they are talking about a sensitive topic or struggling with their internet connection. It is important to let them know you understand what they are going through and make them feel comfortable, safe, and listened to.
Being able to empathise with team members can also be of great benefit. Is there a reason your stakeholder is resistant to change? Has something happened in the past to make a designer hostile to researchers? Showing empathy and finding out why can be vital.
Final thoughts
The skills mentioned above are the first that came to mind when considering how teaching prepared me for a career in UXR. However, there are so many additional transferable skills that have also helped me – organisational skills, patience, public speaking, and diplomacy to name a few.
Although teaching wasn’t the perfect career for me, and while there are several drawbacks of the profession, I will always be grateful for the skills it provided me. I am sure many other careers such as nursing, coaching, and counselling transfer well to UX and require the same skills mentioned in this article. I only have experience moving from teaching so cannot speak for other careers, but I’d love to hear from others who have made the transition.
Fellow educators who have turned to UX, are there any skills you think I missed? Which teaching skills are the most beneficial to you in your new career?
Feel free to reach out or connect on LinkedIn!
