A self-paced degree in UX research
Reap many of the benefits of a formal education at a fraction of the cost
According to a survey of practitioners, about 3 of every 4 UX Researchers have advanced degrees.
It’s easy to understand why. The experience has you drinking from the fire-hose of books and scholarly articles meant to give you a firm theoretical basis in your field of study. You’ll sit through courses with other bright students to discuss and debate the finer points of the readings. You’ll apply it all with hands-on research that contributes to the field. And you get paired with an advisor who oversees your progress and ensures you’re sticking to the right path.
But not everyone has the opportunity or the desire to go back to school. And even for those professionals who have an advanced degree, nearly half (45%) learned their UX skills outside of a formal setting.
One alternative is self-study. If you’re willing to expand your library and apply yourself, you can learn a lot outside the walls of a classroom.
This article outlines SPUR (Self-Paced UX Research), a comprehensive self-study program. It’s structured like a university curriculum spanning four semesters (or two years). It includes theoretical knowledge on cognition and learning, practical skills in interview and test facilitation, statistical analysis, and effective stakeholder management. Within this structure, you’re encouraged to find an advisor and study group, and to apply your learning through a capstone project.
It’s no substitute for jobs that require certain degrees or certifications, but it will deepen your craft and make you a more well-rounded researcher.
First Semester: Foundations
Assuming you have no prior knowledge of user experience or the social sciences that form its backbone, this semester is designed to develop that foundation. The goal is to provide you with the essential principles and frameworks that will undergird the later semesters. As you progress, be sure to take notes on key concepts and practical takeaways to solidify your understanding.
SPUR 101: Survey of UX Research Methods
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions by Bella Martin and Bruce Hanington
The first task for an absolute beginner is to begin to imbibe a UX worldview — a new way of thinking about how we interact with the tools and systems we use. Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things has helped neophytes do that for decades, covering topics like design thinking, mental models, feedback, and affordances.
Alongside this, Universal Methods of Design by Bella Martin and Bruce Hanington offers an array of tools and techniques that researchers can apply to questions. These resources together equip you with some of the fundamental skills and knowledge to get you going on your way.
SPUR 200: Cognition and Decision Making
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Nudge: The Final Edition: Improving Decisions About Money, Health, and the Environment by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
The roots of UX research lie in the field of Human Factors, which integrates what we know about human cognition into systems design. So researchers need a working understanding of how people make decisions and process information. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein are seminal works by Nobel Prize-winning authors. These books provide a solid foundation in human rationality, cognitive biases, and the analytical and intuitive modes of thought. They also explore how these insights can be used ethically to enhance user interactions.
Both these books were included in a community-generated list of non-UX books for UX practitioners, which you might use to supplement this self-study program.
SPUR 201: Learning and Behavior
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
We may not always have a direct influence on design, but the ultimate end of our work is to influence user behavior. BJ Fogg's model breaks down the essential components required to initiate behavior change, offering valuable insights into the mechanics behind user actions. Nir Eyal's Hooked provides a guide to creating products that promote user habits.
While these techniques have certainly been misused for manipulative purposes, understanding them is also helpful for ethically guiding users towards positive outcomes and achieving their goals.
Key Activities: Find an Advisor
In graduate school, students benefit from the guidance of an academic advisor—an experienced faculty member who helps shape their research journey. With any self-study path, finding a mentor is equally important. Here’s how you can approach it:
Within your company or team: Start by exploring potential mentors in your current workplace. If you’re a solo practitioner, you’ll need to broaden your search.
Examine your network: Identify a handful candidates within your professional network. These could be individuals at various career stages, from slightly more experienced peers to more seasoned experts.
Use online platforms: Platforms like ADPList and UX Coffee Hours connect you with professionals willing to offer mentorship at a low cost or even for free.
Consider career coaching: Dedicated career coaching services can be a good investment. Most coaches offer free consultations to see if there’s an initial fit.
Establish regular meetings with your “advisor” and set clear agendas. These sessions are ideal for discussing the concepts you’re studying and seeking feedback on how you’re applying them.
Second Semester: Essential Skills
With a foundational understanding of what UX Researchers study, it's time to explore how they do it. This semester focuses on mastering two key qualitative methods and extends into quantitative research.
SPUR 210: Interview and Test Facilitation I
Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights (2nd Edition) by Steve Portigal
The Moderator’s Survival Guide: Handling Common, Tricky, and Sticky Situations in User Research by Donna Tedesco and Fiona Tranquada
Talking to users is fundamental to UX research. But that framing can oversimplify it, making it seem like any casual conversation.
Instead, user interviews demand careful consideration to obtain reliable data and maintain the integrity and dignity of participants. Steve Portigal’s Interviewing Users is a concise and excellent primer that introduces you to the basics. Donna Tedesco’s The Moderator’s Survival Guide goes deeper, addressing edge cases, challenges, and troubleshooting, and offers helpful frameworks to navigate complex situations.
SPUR 211: Interview and Test Facilitation II
Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set ...Test! (2nd Edition) by Carol Barnum
Usability tests, whether remote and in-person, are a researcher’s bread and butter. Jeff Sauro’s “little green book,” A Practical Guide, is a brief and effective introduction to setting up and executing usability studies.
Carol Barnum’s Usability Testing Essentials goes further, detailing every stage of a usability test, from planning to reporting and acting on the findings. Barnum also addresses how to navigate challenges like budget and time constraints, giving you the knowledge and confidence you need to conduct effective tests.
SPUR 250: Statistics for UX Research
Quantifying the User Experience: Practical Statistics for User Research by Jeff Sauro and James R. Lewis
Quantitative User Experience Research: Informing Product Decisions by Understanding Users at Scale by Chris Chapman and Kerry Rodden
For researchers with a qualitative background, numbers and statistics can be intimidating. Nevertheless, having at least a working knowledge of quantitative methods will make you a stronger and more influential researcher.
Sauro and Lewis’s classic, Quantifying the User Experience, provides essential guidance for choosing the right metrics and tests. If you wish to specialize further in quantitative methods, Quantitative User Experience Research by Kerry Rodden and Chris Chapman offers advanced insights, particularly useful for products with live analytics and large user bases.
Key Activities: Find a Study Group
In graduate school, students tend to form study groups with their cohorts. Similarly, in your self-study journey, it’s important to connect with others who share similar goals.
Finding a group of peers allows you to read and discuss books together, critically evaluate ideas, and support each other’s growth. Here are some ways to find or create a study group:
Local UX book clubs, UXPA chapters, or networking events: These gatherings are great places to meet fellow professionals at various stages in their careers who also want to learn and grow.
Online communities: Join groups on platforms like Slack or Reddit. Communities such as The Research Ops Community and UX Research and Strategy offer events and networking.
Form your own “mastermind” group: Band together in a cohort of self-taught students who want to follow a curriculum like this one. Set regular meetings to review material and support each other’s progress.
By forming a study group, you can enrich your learning experience and stay motivated along the way.
Third Semester: Advanced Skills
Having developed a solid grasp of the theory and technical skills essential for UX research, it's time to focus on the soft and/or auxiliary skills that make you effective. This semester will help you refine your communication, influence your colleagues, and manage your time efficiently, ensuring your work has a greater impact.
SPUR 300: Stakeholder Management
Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton
One of the most critical skills often lacking among UX Researchers is effective collaboration with stakeholders. It’s not magic, but rather the timeless skill of working with others toward a common goal.
Influence by Robert Cialdini offers practical tips grounded in social psychology and real-world examples, from con artists to salespeople. Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton, based on Harvard-backed research, provides insights into effective negotiation across various situations. Together, these provide tools to engage and influence stakeholders successfully.
SPUR 310: Business Communication I
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker
These two books cover fundamental principles of effective communication. Strunk and White’s classic, The Elements of Style, emphasizes clarity, brevity, and precision, offering pithy axioms to enhance any piece of writing. Steven Pinker’s The Sense of Style leverages cognitive linguistics and style recommendations to help you find and refine your natural voice, with particularly insightful discussions like avoiding ‘The Curse of Knowledge’ (wherein one forgets what it was like to not know something).
SPUR 320: Productivity
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
To be an effective researcher, you need both time and a system to deliver quality work efficiently. Getting Things Done by David Allen provides a method for organizing and prioritizing all your tasks, breaking them down, and assigning them appropriately. Cal Newport’s Deep Work guides knowledge workers on how to eliminate distractions, make room for productive rest and breaks, and carve out time for focused work on important goals.
Key Activities: Plan your Capstone
Most graduate programs culminate in a thesis, dissertation, or capstone project to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the material and practical application of learned skills.
If you don't have a portfolio of work experience, use this capstone project as an opportunity to practice the methods and ideas you've encountered. Your advisor's guidance will be crucial in ensuring your project is realistic and polished enough to share with prospective employers.
If you’ve already undertaken a few self-dirercted projects, consider other ways to gain hands-on experience before your first professional role. For instance, volunteering with non-profits or joining apprenticeship groups can provide valuable practical experience.
Fourth Semester: Business Impact
The final semester integrates everything you’ve learned and prepares you for the later stages of your career. This phase offers a framework for long-term career planning, including considerations about moving into management. It also deepens your understanding of how UX aligns with business objectives, ensuring you can effectively contribute to your organization and its products.
SPUR 311: Business Communication II
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto
The first semester on communication focused on clarity; this one focuses on impact. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath explores how to make ideas simple, concrete, and emotionally engaging. Barbara Minto’s The Pyramid Principle provides a method for logically structuring your thoughts.
For further exploration, refer to past articles on using rhetorical pillars in research readouts and a three-step framework for crafting your reports. These resources will help you communicate your insights more powerfully and persuasively.
SPUR 330: Career Development I
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhou
The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark
As you advance in your career, you’ll approach a number of forks in the road. Should you pursue a managerial role or remain an individual contributor?
Dorie Clark’s The Long Game provides strategic guidance on achieving your long-term career goals, with her other books offering additional tools to help you along the way. For those considering the leadership path, Julie Zhou’s The Making of a Manager offers valuable insights into transitioning to people management. Even if you decide to remain an individual contributor, this book will enhance your understanding of managerial responsibilities, promote more productive relationships with your manager, and show ways to offer effective support.
SPUR 350: Organizational Finance
Cost-Justifying Usability: An Update for the Internet Age by Randolph Bias and Deborah J. Mayhew
Many researchers enter the field driven by ideals of improving user experiences and well-being. But balancing these aspirations with business realities—dollars and cents—keeps us gainfully employed.
Bias and Mayhew’s classic book, Cost-Justifying Usability, helps bridge this gap, guiding researchers to align their work with business goals, secure more resources for their teams, and maintain their organization's value. The HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers provides a solid understanding of financial fundamentals, enabling you to articulate the value of UX initiatives through financial data, making it easier to secure budgets and resources.
Key Activities: Complete your Capstone
As the program concludes, it's time to wrap up your capstone project. Complete your data collection, analyze your findings, and create a research deliverable to present to your stakeholders.
If you’re seeking your first role, compile this work into a compelling UX research case study. This will showcase practical application of your knowledge, making you a stronger candidate in the job market.
Putting it all together
Many of the books included in this curriculum are part of real college and graduate courses — but they have been written for a mass audience, making them accessible and easier to understand. As of publication, the total cost for all these books is just over $600 (USD), a worthy investment of your professional development budget should your organization provide one. (You can also save money by purchasing second-hand copies or borrowing from a library.)
Having finished this self-paced program, it’s time to apply to jobs and build upon your learning with real world experience. It’s possible the experience will inspire you to consider pursuing a formal graduate degree. Regardless of your path, the key is to continue learning.
Great article, how do you enroll?