This article is part of my series, “What UX Courses Didn’t Teach Me (But Real Research Did).”
Over the next few days, I’m sharing five essential UX research skills that I didn’t fully learn from certifications or bootcamps—only from real-world projects, messy data, and unexpected conversations with users.
Each day, I’ll break down one skill, the lesson behind it, and what actually makes a difference when you’re practicing UX research in the wild.
Skill #1: Writing Research Plans vs. Convincing People to Care About Research
When I first studied UX research, I thought writing a good research plan would be enough.
In reality, writing the plan was the easy part. Convincing people it mattered—that was the real challenge.
A good research plan seems straightforward: define clear objectives, identify the target audience, create unbiased questions, and propose a method. Training provided templates and examples, but the real challenge was convincing stakeholders that research was valuable.
Many stakeholders prioritized quick project milestones, viewing research as a delay rather than a safeguard against developing unwanted features. A well-crafted plan was ineffective if seen as an obstacle to rapid delivery.
I learned to position research as an accelerator by meeting with stakeholders to discuss the plan and encourage questions and feedback. These sessions were not just about logistics; they highlighted the importance of understanding customer needs to avoid costly rework.
Writing research plans taught me structure while advocating for their value taught me influence.
A perfect research plan can’t help a team racing toward the wrong finish line.
Up next: I’ll share what I learned when perfectly scripted interviews collided with real participants (and real chaos). Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!