Creating a research-driven strategy to boost the engagement of a UX design community
Her UX Path is an online supportive space for aspiring UX designers to grow, connect, and navigate their journey with confidence.
The community hosts workshops, webinars, and conferences, focused on topics such as job search, resume and portfolio creation, and other career-building resources.
My Role
UX Researcher
Timeline
March - June 2025
Team
• Khrys O., Founder
• Andrijana Š., UX Researcher
• Elizabeth K., UX Researcher
• Solomiya O., UX Researcher
• Thea H., UX Researcher
problem statement
As Her UX Path continued to grow, the founder wanted to explore how the community could better support designers at various stages – whether just starting out, pivoting into UX, or facing career challenges.
She saw potential to boost engagement but needed help validating her ideas and uncovering new ones. We set out to understand what members value most, identify areas for improvement, and evaluate whether a buddy program or other initiatives could strengthen support and retention.
OUTCOME
Our research revealed that many designers feel isolated and seek more organic, peer-to-peer connections. This insight led us to recommend a buddy program tailored to match members based on their skills, experience, and interests. As a result, just 3 weeks after the project wrap-up, over 40 designers have already been paired up for coffee chats, fostering new friendships and a stronger sense of belonging in UX.
groundwork for research
Before diving into research, we met with the founder to align on goals and talk through what we needed to learn
We narrowed things down to a few key questions to guide us:
Who are our members, and how did they find us?
What is the experience of our members with us? Is there something we can improve?
Are there any challenges that designers currently face in their UX design career…?
What type of support are they looking for? What do they value most in UX design communities in general?
surveys
We began by conducting a survey to collect quantitative data and reach a larger number of users, which helped us identify trends and inform our next steps
We ran two separate surveys and gathered a total of 53 responses: 24 from existing members and 29 from potential members. We reached out to current members through the community’s Discord channel and connected with potential members on LinkedIn.
Finding a job is the the top challenge across both groups
Some key differences in their challenges:
Existing members are more focused on improving portfolios, closing skill gaps, and seeking mentorship while also dealing with impostor syndrome.
Potential members are primarily looking for ways to gain real-world experience and expand their networks.
Other challenges reported by existing community members
interviews
At the end of our surveys, we invited participants to leave their contact info if they were open to chatting further
We interviewed 8 in total: 5 current members and 3 potential members. To guide our conversations, we created a set of general questions for everyone, along with a few tailored ones depending on whether the person was already part of Her UX Path or haven’t heard us yet.
We combined all responses into one dataset and then grouped the insights by theme. This allowed us to uncover a range of challenges, habits, and preferences that reflect what designers are facing and how they’re navigating their UX journey.
Analysis process
From the synthesis, three key themes emerged, highlighting what designers value most and where they face the biggest challenges
1
People want more personal connections.
Job-focused conversations aren’t enough. People value casual chats, one-on-one meetups, and spaces to talk about shared struggles—not just job hunting.
2
Learning feels overwhelming without guidance.
Many don’t know where to start or what to focus on. A clear, step-by-step path would help beginners and those without mentors feel more confident.
3
Job searching feels discouraging and confusing.
Members are facing unrealistic job expectations, tough competition, and unclear next steps. They’re looking for more support to gain experience and move forward.
Recommendations
RESULT
After presenting our findings and ideas to the founder, later that day, we received this feedback from her:
"Hey, I just want to say - WOW. You all blew my mind. I learned SO much about our users, and what they want, and I have an incredible amount of ideas, thoughts, goals now. Also--we just had a call that confirms a lot of what y'all are saying. People want to chime in, people want to be heard, to see themselves in other's experiences."
Another feedback Her UX Path received was from one of the workshop attendees:
"It ended up being more than a workshop. It ended up being a space where all of us shared our experiences battling perfectionism, and fear of failure.
This was more than a workshop. This was a community.
I entered the Zoom call expecting to learn how to deal with Imposter Syndrome, and I walked away with so much more… a list of people I'd like to connect with, and keep sharing our stories. None of us are alone in this struggle."