Mapping UX Research Competencies to Stay Human-Centered in Product Development

UX research has always fundamentally centered around human interaction — after all, it’s all about understanding user needs. Recently, however, the rapid advancement of AI technologies has revolutionized the field. An impressive 77% of researchers are now integrating AI into their workflows, according to a recent survey by UserInterviews. Yet, while AI accelerates automation and data analysis, reducing time to market, it also brings challenges like bias and inaccuracies that can change and distort research outcomes. This concern isn't minor; in the same survey, 30% of researchers expressed worry about AI’s potential for flawed analyses, and 14% feared it might introduce bias. Given this, it is now more important than ever for us to ensure that AI supports, rather than overrides research. Users' needs are extremely nuanced, and maintaining a strong Human-Centered Design approach in both enterprises and startups is very important, especially in an increasingly AI-driven field. So, if you can't resist — lead!

In response to these challenges, as lead UX researchers, Elena Svergunenko and I, Anna Pilyutik, have created a detailed competency map for HCD research, now shared with the global UX research community. This map has been carefully developed, tested, and implemented over a decade across various industries, including banking, retail, and gaming. It also draws from our current work with a retail company that operates over 21,000 stores and serves 17.3 million shoppers daily, as well as a payment solutions product with more than 1,500 partners across 200+ countries. The groundwork for this map was set earlier in our careers at a Research Center for a major fintech company, where we collaborated with product managers, developers, and design teams to define product development stages and identify essential skills for each phase.

What is Human-Centered Design?

Human-Centered Design (HCD) gained traction in the 1990s, thanks to pioneers like Donald Norman and companies like IDEO. This methodology focuses on designing products and services that prioritize the needs and expectations of end users. Harvard Business School Online describes HCD as "a problem-solving technique that puts real people at the center of the development process, enabling you to create products and services that resonate and are tailored to your audience's needs." The outcome is intuitive, user-friendly products that boost customer satisfaction, retention, and overall business performance.

Key principles of HCD include:

• Understanding User Needs: Thoroughly researching what the end user requires.
• Iterative Development: Continuously testing and refining based on user feedback.
• Cross-Functional Teams: Bringing together specialists from diverse fields for a holistic approach.
• Empathy: Grasping users' emotions and experiences to inform design.

Integrating Human-Centered Design with digital transformation has proven especially effective in sectors like retail and banking. According to Harvard Business Review, from 2018 to 2022, digital leaders expanded their customer base by 0.5% annually, while those lagging behind saw no growth. Digital leaders also boosted their digital revenue from 40% to 70%, compared to a rise from just 8% to 17% among laggards.

For example, leading digital banks use personalization analytics and targeted digital marketing to engage potential customers. They offer an omnichannel experience, where branch and contact center staff have the tools and data to assist customers at any stage of their journey, even if it began online. By streamlining customer self-service with well-designed digital workflows and modern data architecture, these banks reduced contact center staffing by 11%, shifting demand to online channels.

Investing in user experience (UX) is not only wise, it’s incredibly lucrative. Forbes cites Forrester research showing that every $1 invested in UX yields a $100 return — a staggering 10,000% ROI. McKinsey also highlights the strong correlation between a company’s success and its commitment to prioritizing UX design.

Systematically implementing HCD principles can revolutionize a company’s culture. At our research center, we saw how developing a robust research process and consistently gathering data led to more informed decision-making at all levels. This approach increased the demand for reliable insights and advanced the company’s overall maturity, helping us establish one of the top research labs and shift industry perceptions of UX research.

We applied these principles in creating a competency assessment framework for product researchers across various industries. This framework has been instrumental in building our research labs, promoting an HCD culture, and supporting researchers’ career development, ensuring ongoing innovation and growth.

Why Mapping the UX Research Process is Essential

At our research center, the assessment process had become lengthy and cumbersome. Mistakes in hiring, training, and evaluation were causing errors and stagnation in product development — too costly in today’s highly competitive and dynamic landscape. In these conditions, the shift towards hiring the right people for specific business tasks or teams and consciously developing them has shown positive results, improving business metrics. This, in the end, is the ultimate goal.

After several years of successfully applying this map across various teams and industries, we have decided to make it available as open source to help businesses:

• Make decisions on team development and build a strategy for direction;
• Save resources on training;
• Assist in assigning the right tasks to the appropriate roles;
• Grow internal team expertise;
• Cover skill gaps;
• As well as help researchers visualize potential career paths and the skills needed.

How the Competency Map Works

During the development of the competency map, we worked closely with product managers, developers, and design teams to identify the essential skills required at each stage of product development. We focused on Discovery but also made sure to support Delivery and post-release phases, improving UX and keeping track of updates.

For example, implementing a small feature might require specific core skills, whereas developing a new product across multiple teams requires expertise in communication, project management, UX design, analytics, and facilitation. This competency map captures these skills, showing what specific value researchers add at each and every stage of the process.

We identified three development directions, or branches — Master, Ambassador, and Owner — each outlining critical skills for growth:

Master: Covers qualitative and quantitative research methods, types of analysis, and frameworks.
Owner: Focuses on research project management.
Ambassador: Emphasizes promoting Human-Centered Design and research ideas.

Each branch in the competency map outlines a progression of skills, categorized into essential ("Must have"), beneficial ("Nice to have"), and aspirational ("Would be great"). The Master branch focuses on foundational research methodologies, analytical techniques, and frameworks that are essential for effective UX research. The Owner branch is dedicated to research project management, with skills that evolve from designing studies to leading discovery processes and managing teams. The Ambassador branch underscores the importance of promoting Human-Centered Design and research ideas, from engaging in side projects to public speaking and eventually leading thought leadership through writing and social media. Additionally, the map underscores the significance of Soft Skills like empathy, business communication, and problem-solving, which are vital across all branches.

As a result, we've managed to achieve an impressive blend of skills tailored to meet today's business demands. At the core of this blend are Human-Centered Design and traditional research methods, which lay a foundation for deep expertise. Design Thinking and Service Design tools broaden our perspective. The ability to use AI wisely helps to gain deeper insights and increase performance.  Overall, our model harmonizes various skills and disciplines, paving the way for the most effective development paths for researchers across different industries.

The Assessment Process

Assessments help teams determine skill levels and guide professional growth through:

• 1st Assessment: Initial discussion on career goals and competency map review.
• Self-Assessment: Independent evaluation by the researcher.
• Joint Review: Consensus on assessments and identification of key improvement areas.
• Development Roadmap: Quarterly plans for skill development.

Every six months, researchers have the opportunity to advance their grade based on the progress they demonstrate. Grade scores are defined by evaluating three key competencies, informed by team feedback, project demands, and market trends.

To assess each method or skill, the competency map uses a scoring system from 0-5. Levels range from 0 (No experience) to 5 (Expert), allowing researchers to evaluate their proficiency. At level 1, a "Newcomer" may have a basic awareness of a method, while at level 5, an "Expert" can also develop methodologies, lead projects, and share their expertise with others.

A grading system is especially helpful for managers wanting to establish a system that can synthesize and summarize assessments. These might differ from company to company, however, here is an approximate grade scale that we have already implemented in numerous projects:

The Power of Task-Based Skill Development

Competency maps link specific skills to tasks. For example, in a project dealing with business loans, a mid-level researcher, supported by a lead, advanced their skills through roadmap creation, development planning, self-assessment, and lead evaluation. Naturally, this resulted in a level upgrade.

Key takeaways include ensuring alignment between skills and tasks, fostering targeted development, and promoting continuous improvement.

Broad Applicability of the Competency Map

The competency map is highly adaptable. We have applied it in various industries, including fintech, retail, and gaming, overcoming the unique challenges of each sector. Whether you're looking to enhance team skills, boost performance, or align with your company's goals, this tool is designed to adapt to your needs. We have customized for different industries, company sizes, and specific product demands, making it an essential asset for any team.

In the fintech sector, the map was used to emphasize precision in research, ensuring trust and expertise in an environment that is highly regulated. The focus was on depth and accuracy, showcasing the value of a rigorous approach.

In contrast, in the retail sector, the focus was on adaptability, hiring researchers who excel at exploring new ideas and methods. It helped address team challenges by launching smaller, faster projects with more iterations and putting a spotlight on boosting quantitative research skills. AI became a desirable skill, aligning perfectly with the company’s strategy.

In the gaming industry, its fast-paced, collaborative environment demanded a blend of creative and technical skills, such as player psychology, usability testing, and iterative design. The competency map highlighted the need for strong collaboration and facilitation, with AI skills increasingly essential for boosting research efficiency and driving innovation.

Conclusion

With AI disrupting all the industries, we now can’t afford not to implement AI correctly into our work. We're just at the beginning—more tools and technologies will emerge, and as researchers and innovators, it's our responsibility to ensure they benefit the user. However, the potential for cognitive distortions and biased results requires us to pay close attention and navigate this fast-paced evolution with care. This is where the competency map becomes crucial, guiding us as we lead this revolution.

As seasoned team leads with a small but influential crew, we've discovered how transformative this tool can be for hiring, talent development, and shaping team dynamics in the current landscape. The biggest game-changer? Shifting our entire product development process to human-centered design by integrating UX research and meticulously fine-tuning each researcher's role for every project.

Hiring with Clarity

Competency maps have completely transformed our interview process. They align everyone from the get-go by highlighting candidates' strengths, the job's demands, and growth opportunities. It’s a clear roadmap that helps us hire the right people. It’s even helped some candidates realize the role wasn’t the right fit for them, which benefits everyone — they get to find the right path, and we build a team that’s genuinely excited about the work we do.

Growing Together

These maps push us beyond the daily grind, focusing on long-term development. We identify interests, set goals, and find growth opportunities. If someone wants to train others or become a public speaker, we actively seek out opportunities with the PR and corporate education teams. Competency maps have also created a safe space for our teams to learn and grow. By openly discussing strengths and goals, we encourage innovation and risk-taking, which has boosted the overall performance of our team.

This proactive approach has been a sweet spot for us. It even led our research team to be the first in the company to present at top events, significantly boosting the impact of our work.

In short, the competency map is our leadership magic trick. It fostered a culture of "let's do this!" within our team. People experiment, seek feedback, and step outside their comfort zones. We’ve improved hiring, empowered growth, and built a supportive environment, making our team stronger every day.

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