The State of Research for Non-Researchers
Our annual State of User Research (SOUR) report gave us an overarching view of the entire Researcher landscape, from their most used methods to deeper views about the future of the industry.
But what about the folks who work alongside them? That led us to ask: what’s the state of research for non-Researchers?
To find out, we double-clicked on our dataset of nearly 1,000 SOUR survey respondents to hone in on the people who do research (PwDRs) — primarily those in UX, Design, and Product — to see how their views compared to their Research counterparts.
Scroll through to find out what we learned when we dove deeper into this year’s survey data.
Editor’s note: Defining people who do research (PwDRs)
Similar to our State of User Research, “researchers” is a catchall term for anyone involved in research, including the folks we’ve highlighted in this analysis.
When written with a capital R (“Researchers”), we’re specifically referring to people with “Research” in their job titles—in other words, the folks primarily devoted to this work. When we talk about PwDRs (people who do research) or non-researchers, we are specifically talking about people who are not capital-R Researchers.
For more information on definitions and the full dataset, check out our 2024 State of User Research report
Our 3 takeaways on non-Researchers who do research
1. Non-Researchers are learning on the fly
In absence of Research support, many PwDRs find most comfort in user interviews, desk research, and usability testing for their research. In contrast, their comfort levels are far lower in the areas of accessibility testing, tree testing, and first-click testing.
We’re also seeing that PwDRs are turning to desk research, including the use of search engines or AI software, to potentially fill those knowledge gaps (that’s not to say that desk research using AI and search engines can't be a valuable resource when starting a project for anyone).
While it could be the case that these research methods are simply the most useful for PwDRs, it still leads us to ask: could more comfort using a wider swath of research methods ultimately lead to richer findings than the tried-and-true ones they’re currently employing?
2. ReOps support FTW
As we alluded to above, PwDRs are at their best when supported by Research, and reporting less confidence in the research they’re doing when they lack professional support.
Our data suggests that this effect is even stronger when they have dedicated Research Operations (ReOps) support, which 70% view positively. In contrast, non-researchers feel less supported when ReOps is not part of the equation, which aligns with our past insights that a core value of ReOps teams is empowerment.
3. The future is unwritten for PwDRs, too
Confidence is not at an especially all-time high for people who do research. They have their reasons: similar to Research, layoffs have impacted UX, Design, and Product professionals, leaving them with uncertainty surrounding job security and insecurity about the future of their respective roles.
When it comes to the value and future of research, however, optimism is much higher. PwDRs — particularly those in Design at 74% — were optimistic about the future of the function and industry, our data shows.
Where do PwDRs acquire Research knowhow?
For the PwDRs that are not getting their research foundations through the education system, our analysis suggests they are often learning on the fly, teaching themselves, or far less often, taking advantage of UXR bootcamps. This order of learning operations echoes our State of User Research analysis from 2023, which asked the same question of our survey respondents.
Could this also explain why they’re not incredibly comfortable with common research methods? Our data below suggests that could be the case.
Not sure which research method is best? Try our UX Research Methods Selection Tool
We see that eye tracking, diary studies, and first-click testing are among the methods inspiring the least amount of confidence across PwDRs.
On the other end of the comfort spectrum, PwDRs are far more likely to use surveys, focus groups, or concept testing methods for their research projects.
“I work in-house and wear a lot of hats. I am a UX/UI designer, web designer, and UX researcher. I don't have formal UX research training so I am not very confident in my skills,” says one survey respondent.
So naturally, they’re often asking for help from their Research counterparts.
And when they have a hand from Research or Research Operations professionals, they’re rating research support positively. However, when they are bereft in the Research assistance department, support ratings plunge into negative territory.
“As a product designer, I feel like my design superiors expect me to "just know" how to do UX research, and to make it an integral part of every project,” says one survey respondent.
When we took a closer look at how that support materializes, we found a fairly stark contrast between PwDRs with and without ReOps support.
Asking search engines or AI for assistance sans ReOps was prevalent among our survey respondents, a dicey proposition compared to internal documentation that was more often reported for teams with ReOps support.
“I think UXR is one of the most Human fields you can be in,” said one survey respondent on the topic of AI. “AI will never be able to replace the work we do, so I feel confident on that front at the very least.”
Perhaps less surprising based on the findings above, PwDRs with ReOps felt overwhelmingly more supported — 70% for those with ReOps vs 39% for those without — as the chart below shows.
Check out our free Research 101 course, designed for anyone who wants to level-up their research skills, especially folks who do not consider themselves “researchers.”
What does research buy-in look like among PwDRs?
How do non-researchers feel about the value of research in their company as a whole?
When we compared buy-in among teams and leadership to last year’s data, satisfaction was higher across the board. Overall buy-in on Research is increasing, particularly among Design and UX teams, as we see below.
The same goes for leadership buy-in on the value of research, as we see in this next chart.
What’s the employment outlook for PwDRs?
As of September 2024, our Ultimate Jobs Board showed nearly 300 open positions across UX research roles like design, product, and research. The U.S. economy added 114,000 jobs in July 2024. For all intents and purposes, more jobs and roles would indicate we’re trending in the right economic direction, right?
Possibly not. When taking a closer look at the job market for PwDRs, our data shows that they were not immune to layoffs and job insecurity. Design and Product Management reported the most pain in the past 12 months, while Analytics teams were spared most relative to others, our data suggests.
And when those layoffs happen, it’s been relatively difficult for PwDRs to find a new gig. UX professionals have been hit the hardest in this regard, as only 16.7% reported finding a new job in the past 12 months, while 40% of respondents say they are still on the hunt.
“It's a tough market. Job searching tools and processes feel broken,” says one survey respondent.
What do career outlooks look like for PwDRs?
Is the present situation having an impact on how PwDRs view their prospects moving forward?
The outlook from UX and Design professionals, who have seen their fair share of layoffs, were not particularly optimistic, with less than half of UX respondents feeling positive about career opportunities. Product folks reported more relative optimism at 59%, another indicator of the sign of the times.
“I've been treading water but have not been able to move forward in my career for mid-level positions, especially with this job market,” says one survey respondent of their career prospects.
Despite the job market headwinds facing people who do research, their outlook on the future of Research as an industry was quite positive. Designers lead the way in conveying a positive outlook on the industry, followed by UX and Product professionals.
Where do non-Researchers go from here?
So to revisit our initial question, what’s the State of User Research for Non-Researchers?
Based on our analysis of the PwDR/Research relationship, we see that first and foremost, they are much better together. No issues with dancing like nobody's watching, but when it comes to people who do research, our data suggests that they feel more confident in their research moves with a partner.
That sentiment extends to the resources they use and the comfort they feel with specific methods. And as important, PwDRs are seeking fewer answers from search engines and other outside (and potentially questionable) sources to get their research answers.
On the employment side of things, PwDRs are equally worried about the job market and their careers as their Research peers.
The headwinds PwDRs face align with their Research counterparts, particularly as it pertains to job security: will they have a job in the next year, and if so, will it stay that way for the foreseeable future?
But it’s not all pessimism, as our data suggests a positive outlook on the future. Dare we say the demise of research is greatly exaggerated?
As we mentioned in our full State of User Research, repeated themes will (and have) inevitably emerged. For one, research buy-in is increasing among Design and Product teams, even if their respective leaders still have some overall ground to make up compared to their peers. And as more PWDRs join in research and are exposed to the value (and difficulty) of this work, it’s feasible they’d be more likely to see its value.
As one survey respondent put it:
“The way we do research will fundamentally change over time, but the core philosophy and its business case will remain the same. We make sure people can work on the right things — and then build them right.”
It’s also worth repeating, “whatever the reason(s), more and more researchers believe that their peers and leaders recognize the importance of the work they do. Which is a great thing…” as our SOUR 2024 author Katryna Balboni noted.
Want to compare the data for yourself? Explore SOUR ‘24 and download the dataset to crunch the numbers.
More on our methodology
This data was compiled as part of our 2024 State of User Research report. We are extremely grateful to our partners who shared the survey with their audiences and contributed to the success of this report. Special thanks to: Learners, Lookback, Marvin, ResearchOps Community.
Above all, we are indebted to the participants who took part in our survey. Thanks again!
How we did it: From April 4 to April 17, 2024, we collected 759 qualified responses via social media, our weekly newsletter (Fresh Views), and an in-product slideout; we posted the survey in research-related groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Slack; and members of our team and friends within the UX research community shared the survey with their own professional networks.
See our past State of User Research reports
Check out our previous reports to understand how the State of User Research has evolved since 2019.
