Over the years, I’ve had a lot of people write to me and confess to feeling “imposter syndrome” when it comes to their UX research skills.
And I can totally relate.
Shortly after I landed a job at Google, my manager asked me to plan out an “expert review.”
I didn’t know who the “expert” was that I was preparing it for…
But I worked overtime preparing everything they needed for the review.
And when I turned in the project, I asked my manager, “Who’s the expert?”
She chuckled and said, “YOU are.”
No way I thought myself an “expert” to be doing an expert review!
But with no way to back out, I (nervously) went through with it, worried that I’d be “seen through” in front of everyone.
But to my surprise…
It was well-received by my colleagues and stakeholders!
And my UX career lived to see another day lol.
That was just one of many such times I’ve dealt with imposter syndrome in my career.
So if you’ve ever experienced it, realize that it’s to be expected.
As a UX researcher, there will be plenty of times where you’ll find yourself wondering:
“Am I doing things right?”
Or…
“Is someone going to find out I have no idea what I’m doing?”
These doubts are common.
And I have a simple solution that took me years to discover.
First I’ll explain the reasons why, and if you read to the end, I’ll share with you how to deal with imposter syndrome.
But first of all…
What the heck even IS imposter syndrome?
With imposter syndrome, we’re plagued by the feeling that we’re frauds. That we don’t know what we’re doing, and that someone will find out.
Sometimes we might even feel like we don’t deserve accolades and compliments.
And it affects even highly successful people.
Did you know that even Einstein once confessed to feeling imposter syndrome?
As he described it:
“The exaggerated esteem in which my life work is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.” -Albert Einstein
So if even freaking EINSTEIN confessed to feeling like an “involuntary swindler” (new Tinder bio, anyone?)…
Then maybe you and I can feel a bit more confident when we feel imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head.
The truth is, imposter syndrome is very common in our industry.
And the worst part is that imposter syndrome can be a vicious cycle.
Sometimes, it can cause people to not take any action at all.
“I’m a fraud,” So the logic goes, “And I don’t want people to find out, so I’m not going to do anything.”
It can be crippling.
So that’s why it’s important to know how to deal with it when it (inevitably) arises.
And based on having experienced it myself in plenty of situations, and also having coached students (who went on to become successful UXRs) through it…
I’ve found that there are 3 keys to overcoming imposter syndrome:
1. Adopt a radical Growth Mindset 🧠
A growth mindset is the antidote to imposter syndrome.
Adam Grant summarized it beautifully in a viral tweet on the subject:
Nobody is “born” a UX researcher, with an innate knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analysis. (If only it were that easy, haha).
So if there’s one “superpower” you can have, it’s to adopt the mindset of a perpetual learner.
This is what gave me the confidence to leave my comfortable job in academia and get into UX research in the first place.
Because despite having no actual idea of HOW I was going to do it…
I trusted in my ability to LEARN how to do it.
Which is what gave me the motivation and confidence to:
- Spend every single day in the library for 6 months learning anything that would help me become a better UX researcher
- Conduct my own research studies (including doing guerilla usability studies in Starbucks)
- Apply for jobs that required more experience than I actually had (because I trusted my ability to figure it out on the job)
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve FELT imposter syndrome a plenty of times in my career lol. It’s natural, and it’s to be expected.
But whenever I felt it, I reminded myself of this. And I didn’t let it stop me.
So whenever you’re feeling self-doubt, reframe it as an opportunity to learn and grow. And keep moving forward.
For example, a mentee of mine once landed a role as the sole UX researcher at a company, and it was the company’s first UX research role.
But when I got on a call to congratulate her, she confessed that she wasn’t sure if she should even ACCEPT the position!
“Am I setting myself and the company up for failure?” She asked, “This is my first research job, and this is their first role. I can NOT be their first researcher, right?”
She was overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, and self-doubt.
The story has a happy ending though.
Because after giving her some encouragement, and reminding her of the growth mindset…
She decided to view it as an opportunity to grow and learn. And she decided to accept the job.
And guess what? She ended up crushing it in her new position, and now has a thriving and fulfilling career as a UX researcher.
This is the power of the growth mindset in action.
Her growth mindset allowed her to overcome her fears by realizing that even if she didn’t currently feel like she had what it takes…
She could learn and grow into the role.
A fixed mindset says that you either have what it takes, or you don’t. And this causes MASSIVE doubt and anxiety whenever you’re faced with any challenge (that is guaranteed to come up).
But a growth mindset allows you to realize that you can grow into any role.
(I highly recommend Dr. Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset” for more on this subject.)
2. Ask for feedback and view everything a “work in progress”
Once you’ve adopted a growth mindset, it also gives you the courage to ask for feedback.
Because you don’t have to get it perfect on the first try.
So the key is to view everything as a work in progress.
And iterate on your research, just as you iterate on yourself.
Treat things as drafts and ask for alignment from your team. Your team will help you course correct.
That’s why we pilot our research and get feedback from others.
So that we can course correct as we go and not guess whether or not we’re doing something right or wrong.
3. Embrace being a student and realize that everything in UX is a learning experience
In UX research, we’re often thrown into the deep end, in ambiguous scenarios where there are no clear answers. Everything is a learning experience.
And we can either be stumped by it, or we can approach scenarios with curiosity.
We don’t HAVE to know all the answers at the start. Because it’s literally our job to ask questions and discover the answers.
So if you ever feel in doubt in your UX journey, remember this:
Not knowing something doesn’t make us frauds. It makes us students.
Just something to keep in mind whenever you feel imposter syndrome creeping in.
And if you resonate with this Growth Mindset of being a perpetual learner and student…
Then you’re going to LOVE my upcoming Zero to UX Self-Paced Masterclass.
This course contains my life’s work, with literally everything I know about UX research… condensed into a step-by-step curriculum.
And I dare say it will be a valuable ally for you in your fight against imposter syndrome 🙂
Because whenever you’re uncertain about what to do…
It will give you the tools, frameworks, and principles that will help you confidently handle any UX research scenario you’ll encounter.
So if that’s something you’re interested in, go here to learn more about the Self-Paced Masterclass.
Much love,
Kevin
P.S. If overcoming imposter syndrome as a UX researcher is something you’d like to learn more about, I gave an in-depth speech on the topic a while back at Austin UXPA, where I covered it in much more detail. The people who attended told me they found it super helpful. Go here to check it out:
Embracing Imposter Syndrome as a UX Researcher – Austin UXPA