User experience analysis is integral in the digital world. The user experience analysts use their skills to optimize the user experience for their products.
How to become a UX analyst? You can start your career after reading this guide! It will mention the steps for landing your dream job.
Overview
It’s best to understand the role, responsibilities, and working environments of user experience analysts. Scroll down for an overview!
Who is a UX Analyst?
User experience or UX describes how a user experiences software generally, considering elements like usability, functionality, and visual appeal.
These analysts research data and find out how people interact with software, apps, and websites. They’re responsible for making an intuitive user experience.
In particular, they minimize the steps people take to perform a task. They also remove obstacles that interfere with usability.
UX analysts measure user experience quality by examining the following metrics. They provide insight into how people interact with software. Besides, they help experts have better solutions.
- Time: This factor describes a user’s time to complete a task.
- Success rate: This measure refers to the user’s ability to finish a task.
- Customer satisfaction: This subjective metric is the user’s submission by a specific survey with a scale from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10.
- Error rate: This metric refers to the frequency of user errors within a specific time.
What Are Their Responsibilities?
The responsibilities of user experience analysts are different. It depends on the requirements of each project. Yet, here are the typical duties for this position:
- Use many methods to assess user experience.
- Test existing computer software products.
- Identify usability issues
- Plan tests and check the software’s usability
- Analyze the test results.
- Set up guidelines for UI design.
- Provide actionable insights according to the data.
- Share data with other experts in the field.
Where Do User Experience Analysts Work?
User experience analysts often work full-time at institutions, businesses, and agency divisions. What if you want a more flexible schedule? You may decide to work as a freelance user experience analyst.
The two options mentioned above have both advantages and disadvantages. Select a suitable working environment depending on the development goals.
As a user experience analyst, I often work regular working hours. I start my day from 9 am to 5 pm, from Monday to Friday. However, I sometimes have to work on the weekend or evening to satisfy client’s requirements and meet deadlines.
How To Become a User Experience Analyst
There is no fixed career path to become a user experience analyst. Also, it is optional to get an education. Consider these common steps to start your career!
1. Complete A Bachelor’s Degree
Becoming a user experience analyst does not require pursuing formal education. Yet, I want to emphasize that your potential employers will appreciate applicants with a bachelor’s degree!
Do you wish to receive better praise from your employer? You can consider gaining a bachelor’s in the following related fields:
- Information systems
- Computer science
- Web programming
- UI design
- Graphic design
2. Gain Professional Experience
When searching for user experience analyst jobs, I notice various job listings require that applicants have two years of hands-on experience in the field.
You can learn and develop your knowledge to apply for future user experience analyst jobs thanks to these professional experiences.
For this reason, you should apply for internships or volunteer jobs as a user experience expert. Below are some roles to consider:
- UX Researcher
- UX Designer
- Information Architect
- UX Writer
- Product Designer
3. Join A Professional Organization & Attend Events
I will share with you some popular established organizations for user experience. These places are excellent for gaining knowledge, advancement opportunities, and other helpful resources.
User Experience Professionals Association
It is a leading firm in the UX design industry. This association organizes international workshops, conferences, and meetups yearly.
They also offer mentorship programs. So you can join and get specialized knowledge from experts in your field.
Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction
Are you seeking an organization to learn more about how humans communicate with computers? Look no further than this society!
This organization holds conferences frequently. So all members can discuss topics related to user experience. If you are a member, you will have chances to talk about interactive design and UX software.
Furthermore, you can gain technical knowledge from these events. It’s an incredible method to enhance your skills.
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
This society specializes in advancing system design for use. If you are a member of this organization, you will have chances to access industry journals and discounts. You can get career support and advice helpful for your jobs.
4. Get Certified
Like formal education, gaining certifications is not compulsory. Yet, you can hold a firm position as a user experience analyst with a bachelor’s degree.
I recommend certifications focused on your field, like the CXA or Certified User Experience Analyst provided by the Human Factors International Society.
You must have a Certified Usability Analyst certificate provided by Human Factors International. They organize many courses so that learners can attend and prepare for their careers.
Furthermore, gaining certifications in UX design can help you showcase your knowledge to your future employer. Consider the following certificates:
DesignLab UX Academy
Are you an experienced expert or a beginner? This certificate will benefit your career regardless of your skill levels.
This academy’s program lasts around 12 months. Attending their courses is an excellent opportunity to work on exercises and projects.
CareerFoundry UX Design Program
Are you a beginner wanting to move to the UX field? There is nothing better than this certification. This online program may last about ten months.
Nielsen Norman Group UX
If you are a UX expert looking for methods to be outstanding in your field, it’s best to gain this certification.
Attending this program requires you to finish five consecutive sources in one day. Also, taking online exams at the end of the course is compulsory.
5. Hone Skills
You should gain and master both technical and soft skills to stand out in your field. Here is the list of essential skills all user experience analysts must have:
Understanding of UI concepts and development tools
As shared above, the duties of user experience analysts are different. Yet, having knowledge related to using tools can help you provide applicable and practical insights to the team.
In particular, understanding HTML is helpful as it is among the most popular programming languages for website development.
Besides, learning other languages like JavaScript and CSS is beneficial. They create interactive components and shape the HTML factors.
Research
With solid research skills, you can detect the type of information you need and methods of locating reliable sources.
Like UX researchers, you must gather and check user data when working as a UX analyst. So you can identify the areas that need improvements.
Additionally, you should know techniques to test relevant data for your purpose. Thus, you can determine the applicability to your goal.
Analysis
Apart from the above skills, the ability to analyze the relevant data and understand its meaning. So you must have analytical skills to work in the UX field. As I mentioned above, this position needs to perform daily tasks.
For example, you must determine relevant metrics, draw conclusions depending on findings, and examine the relationship among UX measures.
You can also better understand how to enhance the user experience for software usage.
Communication
Having effective communication skills helps you convey your ideas so that your team members and clients can understand things in detail.
So it would be best if you become an excellent communicator. This skill also helps you present the meanings of your findings to other experts.
As a user experience analyst with good communication skills, I can explain details and match everyone’s understanding of the specifics. This way, I can improve my product’s quality.
6. Search For Jobs
Once you have gained professional experience and developed your skills in the UX field, it’s time to search for suitable job opportunities. I often look for job postings on many job boards and the firm websites.
It’s a good idea to ask leaders in your industry for guidance. They may have valuable insights and connections to lead to new employment opportunities.
Being proactive and persistent in your field is the key to success. Also, open to learning and growing professionally.
7. Keep Up With Trends
The UX design field continues evolving. So it would be best to keep up with the latest trends to remain competitive. For example, I follow industry blogs to stay informed on new developments and best practices.
I suggest you attend conferences to learn from other experts and improve your technical and soft skills. Besides, networking with other professionals in your sector is another effective method to gain insights into the trends.
Many UX analysts read books and articles to broaden their understanding of the field and stay on top of the latest research.
8. Continue Education
It is essential to continue your education throughout your career. Attending workshops, conferences, and seminars in your sector is a great option.
Moreover, you can join online courses to get detailed instructions and practical examples. Consider gaining advanced degrees to expand your knowledge.
Experts in this field recommend long-life education so you can stay updated with the latest technologies in UX design.
Benefits and Challenges
Working as a user experience analyst can have both benefits and disadvantages. Research carefully before jumping into this field.
Pros
- Chances to be innovative and creative
- Competitive salary and high demand
- High demand for UX analysts
- Collaboration with many teams
- Opportunities to work remotely
Cons
- Changing industry
- Pressure to results
How Long Does It Take To Become A UX Analyst?
The answer depends on many factors, including education, background, and experience. Generally, it takes from three to five years to become a UX analyst.
For example, most UX analysts in my company get a bachelor’s degree in relevant fields, like computer science, graphic design, and more.
Meanwhile, some gain certifications to expand their skills. These certifications may range from a few weeks to several months.
Experience is also a critical factor in becoming a UX analyst. Your employers may require you to have at least two years of professional experience in software development or web design.
Job Outlook and Salary
This profession is one of the rising employment sectors for many good reasons. This career is promising, especially if you have exceptional skills to stand out.
In general, user experience analysts are in high demand. If you hold this position, you always find job opportunities. That’s because there is always a need for intuitive digital services and products and usability.
In 2023, UX analysts earned an average of $88,362 yearly. It varies depending on experience, skill levels, and location.
Can You Become A UX Designer With No Experience?
The short answer is yes! You can work as a UX expert without experience. According to the BrainStation website, 65% of these designers start their careers in relevant fields and then move to the UX design sector.
So formal education and experience are beneficial to start your first job; they are not absolute necessities. Many experts come from different industries.
If you come from a related sector and want to transition to the field of UX design, invest time to learn the methods through your experience.
Career Advice
After reading this article, do you understand the role of a user experience analyst? I hope your answer is yes!
Technology rapidly grows. By creating enjoyable user experiences, UX analysts can help shape their digital products and services in the future.
Besides, you should carefully research the opportunities and challenges to experience when working in this field.