Research is your fk’n job, bruh!
Do you even RESEARCH?
If not, then I hate to break it to you, but you’re not UX anything. If you do not exercise research, or at least work from synthesized data derived from user research, then you’re simply not UX’ing shit.
As a UX leader, one of the most frequent complaints I get from other UX designers is, “There’s no budget for user research.” And, don’t get me wrong, I used to not get it either. But let me fill you in on a little secret. Your salary, as a UX Designer must absolutely cover some user research. It’s your job to fit research in. PERIOD!
“Well, but Justin, we don’t have time, and it doesn’t fit into our sprint plan, and we don’t have the hours for it.” Again, BULLSHIT! There is always time. Maybe, you need to go work on a Saturday, before a sprint session so you can do your discovery work? Maybe, you need to work late? Maybe, you just need to revise your process to include Research.
Just do it. Don’t make excuses. The bottom line, is your job, as a UX anything, is to incorporate user research into the product. Test people in your office. Go to Starbucks. Go to your users if you can’t get them to come to you.
Do whatever it takes. Because the moment you added UX to your title, you became a researcher. And it’s your duty. Otherwise, you’re just a poseur. And not even a UX poseur because for that, you would have had to do some research.
Suck it up buttercup,
Could not find image credits, if it’s yours, ping me and I’ll add your info.