One way to explain why I say in the title that my transition from journalism to UX Research was natural is that in both activities, we are dedicated to obtaining information from people to use it for the benefit of others. Here, I will tell you that journalists carry a lot of knowledge in their backpacks that gives them certain advantages when it comes to specializing as a UX researcher.
From my experience, I would even encourage my professional peers to specialize in this discipline, which will allow them to expand their field of professional action or even explore the possibility of making a career change. But this is not exclusive to this profession: some time ago, Carmen Gerea, founder of FREED, shared her vision from the engineering world in the article UX Research: how you get into user research.
I'll start by assuming I'm old school because my time at university was during the first half of the nineties, and the term UX Research was never mentioned by any professor back then. However, with the perspective of time, today I can tell you that in past and current journalism curricula, we can find subjects that are closely related to user experience research.
-
Research: a basic element in this profession, and there is even a specialty in investigative journalism. To write an article or conduct an interview, it is essential to carry out prior research that allows us to obtain:
- qualitative and quantitative data,
- profiles of the involved individuals,
- demographic and geographical information,
- historical, social, and cultural context, etc.
-
Statistics: knowledge that every UX researcher must master when systematizing and analyzing the data obtained. I have to admit that I struggled a lot with this subject because mathematics is not my strong suit, but it undoubtedly gave me the foundations to:
- create and conduct user surveys,
- understand the data obtained,
- organize and systematize information,
- interpret variables, deviations, and trends,
- create formulas for statistical calculations, etc.
-
The interview: a widely used method in UX Research to delve deeply with users and discover their needs, problems, expectations, and desires regarding the experience with a product, service, or brand. It's not just about knowing what to ask but also how to conduct a conversation that provides relevant information for the research and avoids generating biases.
-
Audiovisual media: photography and video are tools increasingly used in user experience research. They provide UX researchers with very useful visual data to deepen and support on-site observation of people's behavior. At this point, I can add that since adolescence, photography has been a hobby of mine, and it has helped me sharpen my observational skills.
Two years before graduating from university, I began my journey in the professional world, and looking back at what I've done in these 26 years of my career, today I understand that from the beginning, I have been applying techniques that are common in my current role as a UX researcher. Let's look at each of these experiences that have been relevant in my case and may be similar in the careers of many fellow journalists.
-
The reporter: in my beginnings as a reporter for a news radio station, I used interviews and observation of situations to describe to all listeners the events that were occurring. This experience gave me a certain advantage when I wanted to enter the world of UX Research. I believe it allowed me to learn and adapt more quickly to the new context, often by simply paying attention to the knowledge that Carmen, an expert UX researcher, shared with me.
-
The digital channel analyst: my entry into the 21st century was with a radical shift towards the development of internet media. First independently and then in companies from various sectors (education, telecommunications, insurance, pensions, etc.), I delved into information architecture and content creation for digital platforms. As I gained knowledge and experience, I also participated in redesign, maintenance, and migration projects for corporate websites in important companies such as Movistar and Sura. What does this have to do with UX Research? All these processes require testing designs with users, understanding people's interactions with websites on different devices, and finally, conducting expert evaluations.
I have used all that experience in my role as a UX researcher consultant at FREED for the past four years, in:
- conducting expert evaluations for client websites in Chile and Latin America,
- creating content in the form of tools that facilitate processes and methodologies, and
- my participation in user experience research projects where interviews and observation are my strengths.
With what I have shared in this article, I want to show that there is a lot of closeness between journalism and UX Research, and thus encourage my colleagues to approach this world, where they will surely enter with many advantages. With an eye on expanding the professional horizon of journalists, I have recounted my journey to becoming a UX researcher, especially at a time when media outlets are closing and working conditions are precarious in the more traditional practice of journalism.
Finally, to emphasize the central theme of this article, I can tell you that redesigning products and services to improve the user experience is very similar to what journalists do when we work in media: communicating a news story involves translating information obtained from a research process with various sources, to deliver it to the audience in an understandable way.
If you have already decided to embark on user experience research, some time ago we published an article where we reviewed 12 online UX Research course options.
What other trades and professions are similar to the activities of a UX researcher? Perhaps your current occupation would help make this transformation simpler. What do you think?
We present the Professional Career Planner. A selection of activities, planning tools, and materials for managing your professional career, which have proven to be very effective in the world of coaching and even in the development of innovative businesses.
Perhaps it's time to evaluate what you've done so far, review your experiences, and decide if you should take a new direction.
