10 Tips to Help you Excel in Your UXR Interview Challenges
Core components of success
Pose the right questions + to the right people + in the right way
10 TIPS to Help you Excel in Your UXR Interview Challenges. I just heard from two Ask Like A Pro alumni who are in their final rounds of interviews for their dream jobs. Companies are still hiring. TikTok, Clubhouse, Robinhood, Alibaba, Apple, Netflix, Uber, and Pinterest qualitative UX research positions are all in my feed today and many incorporate “challenges” into the hiring process. I worked with both of these alumni to finalize their case studies, and prep for these challenges and interviews.
If you are given a “challenge” remember to…
Start by clearly defining the research objectives and goals. This will help you determine which methods will be most appropriate.
Make assumptions to help you frame the question set and describe these assumptions to provide context.
Consider the resources available, including time, budget, existing knowledge, and access to participants. Some methods may be more resource-intensive than others.
Take into account the type of information the challenge seeks to gather. Different methods are better suited to gathering different types of data, such as quantitative data, qualitative data, or both.
Think about the stage of product development the challenge takes place in, and how the research will inform that stage. For example, if you are in the early dev stages, consider methods that help you understand user needs/preferences. (A journey map is not a data-generating method!)
Consider the type of participants best suited to provide you with the feedback you need now and how they will interact with the prototype/product (if any). Choose methods suitable for that specific population.
If time permits, consider a combination of methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of behavior and attitudes and increase confidence in the results.
Be open to trying new methods as they can provide new perspectives and talk about why you would be excited to explore this approach.
Prioritize BOTH the stakeholders' needs and perspectives as well as the user’s needs and perspectives. Discuss how you will keep the users' comfort and safety in mind.
Talk about how you will include the stakeholders in the process, continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen method(s), and make adjustments as necessary.
Remember, user research challenges are about how you think, approach, and solve problems. Show them how you got “there” and converse about the tradeoffs you made along the way.
Please join me in wishing them luck in these last stages of their interview processes - which, by the way, they found through our Ask Like A Pro alumni network(!).
And please join us tonight to learn more about Ask Like A Pro, our user research workshop series with guidance and mentorship at every stage of the full-cycle, hands-on research we conduct together in the cohort.
