UX research is an exciting and ever-evolving field filled with clever folks doing interesting work—and you want to read about it! But you’re also busy, the internet is a big place, and you’re looking for a curated list of the very best user research blogs. We’ve got you.
Whether you just want to keep a pulse on what’s happening in UX, are looking for tactical advice on a specific research method, or are dipping your toes into user research for the first time, this list of UX research blogs will help point you in the right direction.
UX research blogs
These blogs are specifically aimed at UX researchers and people who do research. They’re great for getting tactical, learning about the different methods, and finding new tools and solutions to the problems you have today.
1. User Interviews
📖 Read the User Interviews blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter, Linkedin, or Facebook
What makes this blog great: It is our totally and completely unbiased opinion that our blog is pretty awesome. We regularly publish fresh, in-depth articles and podcast episodes—featuring UX researcher guests from companies such as Google, Linkedin, and Adobe—as well as blockbuster hits like our annual State of User Research report and the UX Research Tools Map.
Frequently covered topics:
- Qualitative research methods
- Research tools
- Interviewing and research skills
- Recruiting participants for research
- UX research strategy
Recommended posts and resources:
- The User Experience Field Guide: An in-depth guide to all things user research, from primers on different research methods to how to build effective teams. A great place to start if you’re new to research or looking to brush up on niche topics.
- UX Research Launch Kits: Premade templates for different UX research methods. Especially useful for folks just starting out in research or anyone looking to quickstart a program..
- The State of User Research 2021: Our annual report is filled with data about user research and the people who do it. This year’s report includes insights from 525 people who do research in 44 different countries.
- The User Research Incentive Calculator: A data-backed calculator that combines data from real research sessions with insights from our seasoned Ops team.
- The Ultimate Remote UX Research Job Board: 800+ remote jobs in user research, updated weekly.
- The UX Research Tools Map: Your map to the world of user research tools. The map includes 137 UXR tools and shows what they do and how they overlap to help you build your stack.
2. Nielsen Norman Group
📖 Read the NNg blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: Nielsen Norman Group is run by the OGs of UX themselves, Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen. Their blog has a lot of tactical and well-researched articles about usability and user experiences. They also have a great video series about all things UX.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods
- UX Mapping Methods Compared: A Cheat Sheet
- Usability 101: Introduction to Usability
3. ResearchOps
📖 Read the ReOps blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter or join the Slack community
What makes this blog great: The ResearchOps community started with a tweet from Kate Towsey. From there, it’s grown into an organized community of smart and creative people who love Research Operations. This blog is a great place to learn about the latest and greatest in scalable, organized user research.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- The Eight Pillars of User Research
- UX Maturity: How to Grow User Research in your Organization
- I built a user research repository — you should do the same
4. Mixed Methods
📖 Read the Mixed Methods blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter, join the Slack community, or listen to the podcast
What makes this blog great: Mixed Methods is a UX research blog “for UX researchers by UX researchers”. It’s one of the best Medium publications around for user research content. Contributions come from people in lots of different areas of UX research, so it’s also a great place for varied perspectives and insights.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- Rapid UX Research at Google
- The (Non-Traditional) Way to Break Into UX Research
- 8 Creative Ways to Share Your User Research
5. Guide to UXR
📖 Read the guide
💬 Follow the creator on Twitter
What makes this blog great: This isn’t exactly a blog, but we felt it was worth mentioning here for anyone looking to brush up on specific UXR skills. This guide, curated by Paulina Barlik, offers helpful resources on dozens of user research topics.
Recommended posts and resources:
6. EPIC
📖 Read the EPIC blog
💬 Join the Slack community, check out their annual conference
What makes this blog great: If you want to learn all about ethnography, this blog is for you. Ethnography is the process of studying behavior while being fully immersed in the environment of your participants. In some cases, ethnographic is conducted remotely using digital ethnography tools. This type of study allows researchers to gain more complete insight into how participants actually behave and uncover user needs in context. If you want to dive into the more academic side of user research, this blog is for you.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- Sensemaking in Organizations: Reflections on Karl Weick and Social Theory
- “Let’s Bring It Up to B Flat”: What Style Offers Applied Ethnographic Work
- Applied Semiotics: Embracing Strategic Thinking and Fostering Innovation
7. Dana Chisnell
📖 Read Dana’s blog
💬 Follow her on Twitter
What makes this blog great: Dana Chisnell is a pioneer and thought leader in civic tech, and has worked in civic design within both the Obama and Biden administrations in order to create better experiences for citizens. This blog is a treasure trove of resources for anyone in need of detailed templates for better research and UX work.
Recommended posts and resources:
- Story-driven experience research on pandemic unemployment
- Framework for research planning
- Call centers as a source of data
7. USER WEEKLY
📖 Read User Weekly's archives
💬 Follow Jan Ahrend on Linkedin
What makes this blog great: USER WEEKLY is a weekly newsletter written and curated by Senior User Experience Researcher at Google, Jan Ahrend. Every week, Jan rounds up the best user research articles and podcasts from hundreds of sources around the internet. With brief summaries of each article, sorted by themes like quant and qual methods, research ops, participant recruitment, and more, the newsletter is a great resource for quickly getting up to speed on what’s trending in the user research community.
Recommended posts and resources:
The wider world: UX design and product blogs
Excellent resources for when you want to connect with the UX world at large, learn more about where UX research fits in, and stay on top of the latest trends.
1. UX Tools
📖 Read the UX Tools blog
💬 Subscribe to the newsletter
What makes this blog great: The UX Tools blog, unsurprisingly, really shines in its annual survey of design tools. They create a wonderful table of design tools for every function, complete with information about each tool and pricing. The UX Tools team has also created a standout list of UX challenges to help you hone your skills.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
2. Smashing Magazine
📖 Read the Smashing Magazine blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: Smashing Magazine is one of the best sources for usability, UX, and design content on the web. It’s been around for ages and is packed with detailed guides and contributor content on all things UX design.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- A Smashing Guide to UX Design
- Responsive Web Design - What It Is And How To Use It
- Design Principles: Compositional, Symmetrical And Asymmetrical Balance
3. A List Apart
📖 Read the A List Apart blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: A List Apart focuses on web design and UX, with lots of in-depth articles to help you learn the details. This is a great blog for people who want to explore the techniques and theories behind UX design. The creators also work on A Book Apart, who publish tons of interesting books about UX research and design, and An Event Apart.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- Responsive Web Design
- Persuasion: Applying the Elaboration Likelihood Model to Design
- The Never-Ending Job of Selling Design Systems
4. UX Collective
📖 Read the UX Collective blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter or subscribe to their newsletter
What makes this blog great: UX Collective is one of the biggest Medium publications dedicated to UX. If you want to keep up with what’s happening in the UX world or learn about new disciplines like UX writing, this is a can’t-miss resource.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- 100 design lessons for 2021
- Designing for accessibility is not that hard
- How to build a better product with UX writing
5. UXMatters
📖 Read the UXMatters blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: UXMatters is an established and long-running blog (it’s been online since 2005) where you’ll find well-researched and opinionated articles from leading experts in UX, research, and design.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Research
- How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices?
- What Is a Confidence Interval and Why Would You Want One?
6. DesignKit by IDEO
📖 Read the DesignKit blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: This resource comes from IDEO, one of the most innovative design firms in the world, and is an essential read for anyone interested in human centered design. DesignKit covers how to run a successful design project from start to finish, with modules on everything from framing your challenge to gathering the funds you’ll need.
Recommended posts and resources:
7. Usability.gov
📖 Read the Usability.gov blog
What makes this blog great: Usability.gov is the U.S. General Services’s blog about usability. It’s a great resource for beginners looking to learn about the basics of usability and best practices in the United States.
Recommended posts and resources:
8. GV Library
📖 Read the GV Library blog
💬 Follow along on Twitter
What makes this blog great: Google Ventures, Google’s arm for providing venture capital to new startups, is a great place to learn about UX, product, and research in early-stage startups. Their library is no longer updated frequently, but it’s worth checking out for anyone doing lean UX work.
Frequently covered topics:
Recommended posts and resources:
- The Three-Hour Brand Sprint
- GV’s Guide to UX Research for Startups
- How to choose the right UX metrics for your product
🎙️ Want to learn even more about UXR? Check out our list of the best UX and user research podcasts.
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