How do you keep your user research and design skills updated and relevant?

I always start from a self-assessment: Begin by assessing your current skill level. Identify your strengths and areas that need improvement. This self-awareness will help you set realistic and targeted goals. Then, identify specific areas: Design is a broad field. Determine which specific areas within design you want to focus on, such as user interface (UI) design, user experience (UX) design, interaction design, or visual design. Narrowing down your focus will make your goals more manageable. Last but not least Prioritize Skills: Determine which skills are essential for your current role or the role you aspire to have!

Create a bookmark system and block time on your calendar every week dedicated to learning. Throughout the week you will come across several articles or videos or books that you would like to read and process the thoughts. Often those time we find ourselves in a rush or not being able to perceive the application of the knowledge. So you should bookmark those and move on with your day. When the blocked time on your calendar comes, I usually prefer late after on Fridays, you clear your head and get into the learning mindset and can actually put your new knowledge to work.

I always stay updated with Industry trends. Regularly follow industry blogs, attend conferences, and join relevant online communities to stay informed about the latest trends, tools, and techniques in user research and design. Keeping up with industry advancements ensures you’re learning the most current practices. Additionally, practice diverse research methods: experiment with various research methods such as surveys, interviews, usability testing, and ethnographic studies. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different methods equips you to choose the most suitable approach for different projects.

Don't limit your learning to a few sources. For example, we all follow certain sources like: 1. Blogs like Smashing Magazine, Medium, NN Group, etc. 2. Vlogs of our favorite leaders like Don Norman, Jared Spool, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Daniel Pink, TEDx, etc. 3. Communities like LinkedIn, IxDF, UXPA, etc. 4. Learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera, IDEO U, LinkedIn Learning, O'Reilly Media, Uxcel, Khan Academy, Masterclass, etc. Prefer going for resources which has credible people from the academics or industry behind them, rather than sources like YouTube channels where someone's primary job is to create content.

Hands-on try outs are the best learning source. Most of us in the information technology and software industry would remember learning about computers by trying things out rather than reading the Help articles. Today several products and services offer free trails where you can sign up and explore their offerings. This is a great way to stay updated with modern tools and be aware of what more you and your teams can do today. This also brings a culture of exploration and inspiration within research and design teams. We used to have a regular session of demonstrating new tools and services which are being used by our peers in the industry. We often changed our tools to stay adaptive to more efficient design practices.

In simple terms, when you will be able to explain a concept in simple terms so that others can easily comprehend, you will be an expert of that topic. As you share your learning with others, you also get diverse perspectives - including oppositions. This will also help you gather more information about that subject. There is certain value in establishing yourself as a user research or design leader by sharing your knowledge with others. Nowadays, professionals like to learn more from other professionals rather than content generated by AI or content written by generators who's job is to synthesize multiple articles into one. Promote a culture of lifelong learning within your teams and encourage regular demos of applied knowledge.

Promote a growth mindset where learning is an inherent part of the team culture. Creating traceable goals and checkpoints can be efficient, but not always motivating. Team members should have fun while learning new skills. Some educators are inherently expert in blending engaging activities within training sessions, where some need break out sessions to do group activities which are often unrelated to the session. The optimal frequency of training sessions and mandatory certifications play a role in keeping team members interested. They should also be able to apply their newly acquired skills or knowledge which gives a sense of achievement and closure. Learning just for sake of increasing knowledge may not always be encouraging.

For user research and design skills to be updated and relevant, one must regularly put them to use by doing projects. Another way is to help teach these skills. Being involved in practice and education simultaneously helps to sharpen understanding and expertise.

One important aspect to consider about user research is data protection and security guidelines across the geographic space. Several organizations and bureaus have already suffered a lot by loosing sensitive information about their customers. On top of that the lawsuits and heavy on these organizations. Consumers demand more and more safety and they are aware of several data privacy challenges organizations often face. It is inherent responsibility of every professional to know and apply the guidelines set by renowned organizations like UXPA, GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, HIPAA, etc. Always remember to gather and store only the information you really need.