What makes a good user researcher?
I wanted to start writing weekly work notes as they don’t take as much time as proper blog posts. A lot of things happen in a week but they are so easy to forget!
I’ll be using this as a journal to write down things I’ve done or thought about each week.
So.
A new user researcher joined my team this week and asked me a really good question:
"What can I do to be successful in this role?"
I started reflecting on what helped me when I was in her role and how it continued to help me grow now that I work as a product designer.
There are loads of soft skills that make a difference in user-centred design, but here are a few that really stood out to me:
Be (and stay!) proactive
I’ve been on projects where user researchers weren’t leading the way — and it had a big impact on the entire team. Instead of driving the team forward, they sometimes ended up slowing things down. That often came down to things like not sharing insights at the right time, not involving the wider team, or not thinking strategically about research.
The best researchers I’ve worked with are proactive. They see gaps early, engage the right users at the right time, and keep the team in the loop. Above all, they are curious. Being proactive, collaborative and open in how you communicate makes a huge difference.
Always adapt
There always things that don’t go to plan, like tight deadlines, users with limited availability, or sessions that turned out not what we expected.
I used to wish there was a playbook that told me exactly what to do. But over time, I realised that rigid plans can hold me back.
Good researchers know how to adapt. Whether that’s running shorter sessions, testing a different way, or working around constraints — it’s about using the tools you have and making them work for your context. I now think of research as a toolbox that cal help you pick the right tool for the job.
Ask "what if…" — but don’t get stuck
This is where my research and design brains overlap. When you're working on a product or service, it’s natural to ask a lot of “what if” questions:
What if some users can’t do X — how do we support them?
What if the tech can’t handle what we want to build?
What if legal constraints make this a terrible user experience?
These questions are important — they help us think about different user needs and potential pitfalls. But too many “what ifs” can slow everything down or lead to endless edge-case debates. It’s all about finding the right balance: raise the right questions, but don’t let them derail progress.
I liked that my new colleague raised this question as it got me thinking about my skills and experiences which I don’t have time (or the brain power!) for every week.