Title Intern
Growing researcher who assists
A new researcher who assists
research with operational tasks by
Summary
following standard practices and
procedures. Primary task is to learn!
Years of Experience 0 0-3
Has relatively little understanding of Has basic understanding of UX
UX methodologies. Works with
Methodological Breadth
others to ensure correct & rigorous researchers to ensure correct &
methodologies are used.
Basic qualitative methods Not expected
Usability testing Not expected
Advanced qualitative methods Not expected
Innovation methodologies Not expected
Basic quantitative/survey methods Not expected
Market & other research skills Not expected
Primary responsibility in the research
Notetaking process; needs support to create
notetaking guide
Basic data analysis Basic
Advanced quantitative data
Not expected
analysis
Percent in research 100%
Research roadmapping
Assists in planning. Participates in
Study Planning
identification of study objectives.
Recruit for studies, including paying
Recruitment & Scheduling
participant and record keeping
Complete sections of reports,
including strong report writing
Reports/Deliverables
skillset, intelligible
infographics/graphs/charts
With appropriate preparation, can
support presentation of subsets of
Storytelling
findings to the research team. Can
answer limited related questions.
Insights Tracking & Repositories Contributes & maintains
Follows standard practices and uses Follows standard practices and uses standard tools; identifies and
Process and Operations
standard tools. standard tools.
Relies on management or senior
Sphere of influence staff to help with understanding
business context
Stakeholder Engagement
UX Metrics and KPIs Gather data for metrics
Mentorship
Autonomy Requires substantial oversight
Ambiguity Never works in ambiguous situations Never works in ambiguous situations situations; works with senior
Concurrency One study at a time
Escalation
Evangelism
Hiring
Budgets
Team management
Career growth, learning &
development
Vendor management
Design Critiques Observes vertical design critiques
Design knowledge Not expected
Domain knowledge Not expected
Engages in learning the product
development process and
Cross-functional knowledge
understanding the role of UX; seeks
to understand other disciplines
Prototyping Not expected
International Research Not expected
Associate UX Researcher
research with a narrow sphere of
influence by following standard
practices and procedures and
instructed by more senior
researchers and/or manager.
Has intermediate understanding of
methodologies. Works with advanced UX methodologies. Able to prescribe effective and practical method, and
effective and practical methods, and communicate that to others.
rigorous methodologies are used. acts as an advocate for the research. Demonstrates high level of expertise
Basic
Basic
Basic
Not expected
Basic
Not expected
Primary responsibility in the research
process; understands notetaking best
practices
Basic
Not expected
100%
Assists in planning. Participates in
identification of study objectives.
Recruit for studies, including paying
participant and record keeping
Complete sections of reports,
including strong report writing
skillset, intelligible
infographics/graphs/charts
Presents simple findings to research,
design, and project teams. Can
answer limited related questions
Contributes & maintains
Follows standard practices and uses
advocates for new methods and tools
that will support UX team work.
Relies on management or senior
staff to help with understanding
business context
Gather data for metrics
Works under direction/supervision of Works under direction/supervision of Works independently with occasional Works independently and works with
Manager and Senior Staff
Rarely works in ambiguous
staff/manager for direction
One study at a time
Observes vertical design critiques
Basic
Basic
Engages in learning the product
development process and
understanding the role of UX; seeks
to understand other disciplines
Not expected
Not expected
UX Researcher
Growing researcher assists and
executes research with a narrow
sphere of influence, instructed by
more senior researchers and/or
manager.
3+
Research Expertise
Able to identify suitable
methodologies, prescribe most
and rigor.
Intermediate
Intermediate
Basic
Learning
Basic
Not expected
Balances expert notetaking with
moderating
Intermediate
Not expected
100%
Operational Skills
Supports identification and
communication of study objectives
with minimal guidance. Develops
protocols that answer objectives, and
provide meaningful, action-oriented
results.
Recruit for studies, including paying
participant and record keeping
Create complete reports, including
coherent narrative, polished
consistent writing style, intelligible
infographics/graphs/charts, clear
recommendations.
Presents findings to research,
design, and project teams. Can
answer all questions about the data
and research.
Contributes & maintains
Organizational Leadership
Provides credible rational research
designs and demonstrations to UX
team and project teams. Relies on
senior staff or manager for context.
Primarily works with IC peers in few, Primarily works with IC peers across Collaborates across departments at
critical departments
Calculates and executes metrics
Manager and Senior Staff direction from the Manager
One study at a time
People Management
Adjacent Expertise
Lightly participates in vertical design
critiques
Intermediate
Intermediate
Continues to pursue breadth and
depth
May be expected, especially for low-
to-medium fidelity prototypes
Not expected
Senior UX Researcher Lead/Staff/Principal Management (Mgr+)
A research leader who defines scope,
Strong researcher who leads work Expert researcher who leads work plans execution, and manages
and executes research within a and executes through others with a researchers and their impact to the
moderate sphere of influence. diverse, broad sphere of influence. entire company. Sphere of influence
increases with seniority.
5+ 10+ 5+
Able to identify suitable Able to identify suitable
methodologies, prescribe most methodologies, prescribe most
effective and practical method, and effective and practical method, and
communicate that to others. communicate that to others.
Demonstrates high level of expertise Demonstrates high level of expertise
and rigor. and rigor.
Expert Expert Expert
Expert Expert Expert
Intermediate Expert Varies
Basic to Intermediate Expert Varies
Intermediate Expert Expert
Not expected Expected but varies Varies
When needed When needed When needed
Expert Expert Expert
Basic Intermediate to Expert Varies
75% 25-50% 5-15%
Engage with multiple groups and
Assists and sometimes leads the Owns the creation and drives stakeholders to define foundational
creation/execution of research planning and execution of a research and vertical research roadmaps as
roadmap for a vertical roadmap for a vertical (or multiple) well as a strategic plan for the
department
Leads planning of individual studies Leads planning of several studies
against vertical roadmap. Develops against strat plan and roadmaps. Oversees the planning of various
protocols that answer objectives, and Develops protocols that answer studies against strat plan and
provide meaningful, action-oriented objectives, and provide meaningful, roadmaps
results. action-oriented results.
Assist junior staff with recruitment, Assist junior staff with recruitment,
Oversight and assist when needed
when needed when needed
Defines look and feel of user Defines look and feel of user
research report deliverables. Review
research report deliverables. Review
Create complete reports, including
and provide expert evaluation andand provide expert evaluation and
coherent narrative, polished
guidance on reports, including guidance on reports, including
consistent writing style, intelligible
coherent narrative, polished coherent narrative, polished
infographics/graphs/charts, clear
consistent writing style, intelligible
consistent writing style, intelligible
recommendations.
infographics/graphs/charts, clearinfographics/graphs/charts, clear
recommendations. recommendations.
Presents complex findings to high
Presents complex findings to high level stakeholders. Advanced
Presents complex findings to
level stakeholders. Advanced understanding of best ways to
stakeholders. Understanding of best
understanding of best ways to communicate to diverse audiences.
ways to communicate to diverse
communicate to diverse audiences. Can answer all questions about the
audiences. Can answer all questions
Can answer all questions about the data and research. Leads advances
about the data and research.
data and research. in presentation style and methods
used by user researcher team.
Establishes best practices, manages,
Contributes, maintains, distributes Oversees, distributes, and follow-up
and oversees
Follows standard practices and uses Follows standard practices and uses
Educates others on best-practices standard tools. Provide education standard tools. Provide education
and tools. Identifies and advocates and training to others on correct and training to others on correct
for new methods, tools and practices research methods. Initiates research methods. Initiates
that will improve UX team work. change/improvement to methods change/improvement to methods
and tools that support UX team work. and tools that support UX team work.
Influences direction of user
experience and business category
Provides credible rational research Independently establishes context
strategy with a deep understanding
designs and demonstrations to UX for key decisions; credibly and
of product development, sales,
team and project teams. rationally presents alternatives
marketing and user. Champions
ideas.
Collaborates across departments at
departments both Leadership and IC levels both Leadership and IC levels
Construct, execute, and monitor
Identify and executes metrics to metrics to improve internal Mandates, consumes, and monitors
measure customer experience productivity and external customer metrics
satisfaction
Act as a thinking partner for other Act as a thinking partner for senior
Mentor junior staff
senior staff and mentor junior staff staff and mentor junior staff
Works independently
Manager as thinking partner
Can work well in ambiguous
Works well in ambiguous situations Works well in ambiguous situations
situations but may need support
and executes with a clear research and providing structure and a clear
from manager or more senior staff
direction direction to the team
to drive a clear research direction
Multiple concurrent projects Multiple concurrent projects Multiple concurrent projects
Can appropriate identify areas where
escalation may be appropriate but Uses a deft understanding of when Uses a deft understanding of when
requires additional consideration and to whom to escalate and to whom to escalate
before escalating appropriately
Evangelize and share the value of Evangelize and share the value of Evangelize and share the value of
user research throughout the user research throughout the user research throughout the
organization organization organization
Act as a hiring manager and
responsible for leveling and
Active participant in hiring process
compensation, opening reqs,
and may act as hiring manager
interviewing, offer process,
onboarding, etc.
Assists in vendor or operational Manages department and
budget needs operational budgets
In charge of team management,
including, but not limited to,
See mentorship See mentorship coaching, performance reviews,
promotions and compensation
planning
Planning and overseeing individual
Assists in junior staff growth and Assists in team growth and and overall team growth and
development by sharing expertise development by sharing expertise development
Work closely to onboard, manage,
Provides some oversight of with Work closely with vendors to execute
and pay vendors; Oversight of
vendors to execute external research external research
external research where needed
Actively engaged in individual Actively engaged in multiple design Actively engaged in multiple design
vertical design critiques critiques critiques
Intermediate Deep Intermediate
Intermediate Deep Intermediate
Understands all facets of cross- Understands all facets of cross-
Understands constraints of design, functional skills; may have depth in functional skills; may have depth in
engineering, and business trade-offs; one or more technical areas; one or more technical areas;
communicates UX requirements with understands interdependencies and understands interdependencies and
sense of impact to other functions informs UX staff and other informs UX staff and other
disciplines disciplines
Expected to build low-to-high fidelity Expected to build higher fidelity
prototypes as research assets but prototypes as research assets but Not expected
varies varies
Expected but varies toward
Expected but varies toward Basic Varies
Intermediate