The 3 Biggest Mistakes I Made as a Researcher

Research is all about learning. And let’s be honest—the learning process always involves some mistakes!

Here are some of the biggest ones I've made as a researcher:

Mistake 1: I didn't take time to understand the research maturity of the team I was joining.

‍It was my first official role as a user researcher, and in a space that I love very deeply: education. It wasn’t until my first week on the job that I realized I didn't ask questions during the interview process around recent projects the team had done. When I asked a PM when he last spoke to a customer he said “2 years” 🤯

Same role, same excitement for the work. I wound up trying to conduct 3 different research studies during the same week.  I found myself in session 4 of the day and my energy was just lagging. I needed some help—and fast!

What I learned

Always make an effort to understand the environment you're stepping into.

Mistake 2: I took too much on at once.

Same role, same excitement for the work. I wound up trying to conduct 3 different research studies during the same week. I soon found myself in session 4 of the day and my energy was just lagging. I needed some help—and fast! But help isn't necessarily easy to come by.

What I learned

Don’t be afraid to say “not right now to research” demands as they come up.

Mistake 3: I designed studies that were too broad.

‍Shortly after joining the team at User Interviews, I was focused on leading a study that would inform the future of Research Hub (the CRM made for user research). It was the first time we did a deep dive into the experience, and stakeholders had a ton of questions. Needless to say, I tried to boil the ocean with the number of questions in the study plan. 😓

What I learned

‍Slow down, take the time to scope your questions and don’t be afraid to push back on stakeholders, ask or move a project into multiple phases.

The art of making mistakes

Making mistakes is a guarantee in life. You can’t avoid them and they're excellent learning opportunities. What mistakes have you made in your past research?

Be sure to reach out. I’d love to hear from you!