15 min | Mar 26, 2024
Anna Pardenek
If you’re creating digital products or considering a profession in the field of user experience, this article can help you understand the industry’s current view on user experience research vs user experience design.
Your digital product has a growing customer base. While your organization may or may not have an in-house design team, you’re curious about the competitive benefits of working with UX professionals. After all, design-driven companies have been shown to outperform the S&P by as much as 228%.
Because the field of user experience is new and rapidly evolving, you may not understand yet how separate roles within the industry work (such as UX research vs UX design). But don’t worry, you’re in the right place.
Now, let’s get started.
Are UX research and UX design the same thing?
UX research vs UX design: Key differences
What does UX research involve?
Can one person do both UX research and UX design?
Frequently asked questions about UX research vs UX design
In short, no. They aren’t the same. UX research and UX design are two disciplines within the field of user experience (the systematic approach to creating user-centered products). User experience research is what informs user experience design. You can’t have one without the other.
UX research aims to understand a user’s motivations, needs, and frustrations (in the context of the specific product being offered).
UX design aims to integrate research findings with design principles (to make the most user-friendly product).
Each discipline has its own set of activities, required skill sets, and deliverables. Now, let's explore the specific work that’s involved in these two disciplines.