Practicing Learners and Learning Practitioners
Summary
- Training professionals without previous experience on UX research, our Practicing Learners path.
- Training professionals with two or more years of experience in UX design/research, our Learning Practitioners path.
Key Insights
-
•
The distinction between ‘being’ a UX researcher and ‘becoming’ one is vital for understanding professional development as a continuous process.
-
•
Formal university education in UX research across Latin America is limited, fragmented, and often insufficient for practical industry needs.
-
•
Companies in Mexico and Latin America rarely offer entry-level UX research roles or internships, contributing to a training gap.
-
•
Experientia’s free UX Researcher Apprentice Program combines foundational training with real client projects to provide practical experience.
-
•
Their seminar programs, which charge tuition, attract professionals internationally and focus heavily on theory complemented by peer discussions.
-
•
Applicants come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, demonstrating UX research’s interdisciplinary nature.
-
•
Learning ‘just in time’ while working on projects helps overcome the traditional notion that full knowledge must come before practice.
-
•
Collaborative work methods, such as co-writing reports and co-moderating sessions, build team skills and simulate real UX research environments.
-
•
Fighting perfectionism and delivering ‘good enough’ work on tight deadlines prepares apprentices for agile company environments.
-
•
Building a strong community and alumni network keeps learners connected, encourages ongoing learning, and promotes regional professional recognition.
Notable Quotes
"Becoming a UX researcher is a process that will never end, not a fixed state you reach."
"Universities in Latin America are doing a very bad job providing practical UX research training."
"Our apprentice program is free and intense, combining foundational training with real-world projects over six months."
"We don’t limit applicants by their major or background; it doesn’t matter if they studied physics or marketing."
"Learning as you go is necessary; you won’t complete all your learning before completing a project."
"We emphasize collaboration, not individual work, to build teams and collective knowledge."
"We fight perfectionism by doing enough with the time we have, then shipping the work."
"Doing work in one-week cycles fits the rhythms of companies working with agile and Scrum frameworks."
"We want to contribute to UX research, not just copy what is done in the US or Europe."
"The question for hiring managers is how to move from expecting people to be UX researchers to inviting them to become UX researchers."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Our one metric that mattered was maximizing the number of VOС-tagged tickets solved – showing customer feedback made it to the roadmap."
Shipra KayanHow we Built a VoC (Voice of the Customer) Practice at Upwork from the Ground Up
September 30, 2021
"The system always kicks back—the consequences of our actions unfold over time."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"Only one internal hire on the UX team was a huge misopportunity for us."
Renee ReidBecoming a ResearchH.E.R (Highly Enterprise Ready)
June 3, 2019
"Gestures serve as a window into the embodied mind by replaying prior embodied experiences when we communicate."
Dane DeSutterKeeping the Body in Mind: What Gestures and Embodied Actions Tell You That Users May Not
March 26, 2024
"Accessibility is a journey and a conversation—thanks for starting yours by being here today."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
October 3, 2023
"Aligning content to audience expectations requires understanding their intent through market research."
Andrew Custage Michael MallettThe Digital Journey: Research on Consumer Frustration and Loyalty
March 29, 2023
"Silence is productive—resist the temptation to fill it immediately after asking a question."
Shelby SwitzerMaking Space for Community Knowledge-sharing in a Distributed World
December 10, 2021
"Prompting is a specialized skill, just like statistics or in-depth interviewing; the wrong wording can bias your results."
Llewyn PaineCoexisting with AI: A practical guide for researchers to navigate tools, ethics, and integration
March 11, 2025
"Sensemaking is your superpower as a researcher to amplify your impact beyond user experience mechanics."
Robin BeersNavigating organizational systems: Rethinking researcher’s role in driving change
March 13, 2025
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What role should product managers play in the creation of a product vision?
How can power imbalances be acknowledged and shared with community members in design processes?
What strategies help UX teams translate usability findings into stakeholder-relevant outcomes like cost savings or risk reduction?