Discipline ladder

User Research

The only discipline whose primary output is knowledge and evidence, not a designed artifact. Scope is measured by the reach and strategic influence of research findings.

Small team calibration note: At two researchers, individuals will frequently operate above their level's expected scope by necessity. Rate the skill at the level the evidence supports, not at the level the team size required. Document the scope inflation explicitly — it is valuable context for the promotion conversation when it comes.

Track overview

Individual contributor track
IAssociate researcherStudy scope
IIUser researcherFeature / project scope
IIISenior user researcherProduct area scope
IVStaff researcherTransition eligible
VSr. staff researcherDomain scope
VIPrincipal researcherOrg-wide scope
Management track
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
IVResearch managerTransition eligible
VSr. research managerMulti-team scope
VI–VIIDirector / Sr. DirectorOrg-wide / company

IC ladder

Level IAssociate researcherStudy scope
Scope: Executes discrete research tasks within a defined study. Conducts interviews and usability tests under guidance. Synthesizes notes with support.
Core competencies
  • Conducts moderated interviews and usability sessions reliably
  • Takes high-quality notes and organizes raw data systematically
  • Synthesizes findings into themes with support
  • Communicates findings clearly in written form
  • Understands the difference between observation and interpretation
Discipline skills
  • Applies standard moderation techniques without leading participants
  • Recruits participants to screener criteria with guidance
  • Documents sessions accurately and consistently
  • Applies basic research ethics (informed consent, data handling)
AI fluency expectation
  • Uses AI for transcription, note organization, and initial theme identification
  • Validates AI-generated themes against raw data before using them
  • Understands that AI synthesis can introduce bias and actively checks for it
Reliable session executionSeparates observation from opinionNot yet L2: Leads participants toward expected answersNot yet L2: Cannot distinguish a finding from an anecdote
Level IIUser researcherFeature / project scope
Scope: Plans and executes research studies independently. Selects methods, recruits participants, and delivers findings to product teams without oversight.
Core competencies
  • Scopes research questions from ambiguous product problems
  • Selects research methods appropriate to the question and timeline
  • Synthesizes findings independently and identifies actionable implications
  • Presents findings to product teams with confidence and clarity
  • Manages a full research project timeline without prompting
Discipline skills
  • Runs moderated and unmoderated usability testing, interviews, and surveys independently
  • Writes discussion guides, screeners, and research plans to a high standard
  • Recruits participants independently using internal and external panels
  • Produces shareable research reports and insight repositories
  • Collaborates with design and PM to translate findings into product decisions
AI fluency expectation
  • Uses AI to accelerate synthesis across large data sets
  • Develops and documents a personal AI-assisted synthesis workflow
  • Evaluates AI tool outputs for bias and validity before including in deliverables
Owns studies end-to-endFindings drive product decisionsNot yet L3: Methods chosen by habit, not by questionNot yet L3: Findings inform but don't influence decisions
Level IIISenior user researcherProduct area scope
Scope: Drives the research agenda for a product area. Builds cumulative user understanding over time. Influences product strategy with research evidence. Mentors L1–L2.
Core competencies
  • Defines the research agenda, not just responds to requests
  • Triangulates across methods and studies to build durable user understanding
  • Influences product strategy and roadmap decisions with research evidence
  • Mentors junior researchers on methods, synthesis, and stakeholder communication
  • Pushes back on poorly formed research requests and redirects toward better questions
Discipline skills
  • Designs and runs mixed-method research programs
  • Builds and maintains longitudinal user understanding (mental models, personas, journey maps grounded in data)
  • Uses quantitative data alongside qualitative findings
  • Develops the research repository and knowledge-sharing infrastructure
  • Identifies research gaps proactively and proposes studies before they are requested
AI fluency expectation
  • Builds AI-assisted research workflows for the team
  • Evaluates and recommends AI research tools; advises on validity and bias risks
  • Uses AI to identify patterns across large research repositories
  • Raises ethical implications of AI in research practice and in designed products
Research shapes roadmap, not just featuresProactive agenda, not reactiveNot yet L4: Research influence stops at feature level
Level IVStaff researcherCross-product scope
Scope: Drives research strategy across multiple product areas. Defines how the organization builds and uses user knowledge. Track transition first eligible at this level.
Core competencies
  • Sets research strategy spanning product lines and business questions
  • Builds the org's shared understanding of users across teams
  • Drives alignment on research priorities with senior leadership
  • Develops senior researchers and builds research capability in non-researchers
  • Represents research in strategic product and business conversations
Discipline skills
  • Owns research infrastructure: repository, taxonomy, access model, insight activation
  • Leads foundational research programs defining the company's understanding of its users
  • Integrates behavioral data, product analytics, and qualitative research into unified user understanding
  • Identifies strategic unknowns and commissions research before they become blockers
AI fluency expectation
  • Shapes the team's AI research strategy: which tools are used, which outputs are trustworthy
  • Develops standards for AI-assisted synthesis the broader org can apply
  • Develops point of view on how AI is changing what research can and cannot answer
Level VSr. staff researcherDomain scope
Core competencies
  • Defines category-level research approaches for B2B2C products
  • Builds research capability and culture that outlasts individual contribution
  • Advises CPO and senior leadership on what is and isn't knowable from research
Discipline skills
  • Recognized externally as a research domain expert
  • Advances research methodology and practice beyond the company
  • Identifies paradigm shifts in how user understanding is built
Level VIPrincipal researcherOrg-wide scope
Core competencies
  • Sets research philosophy for the entire organization
  • Partners with CEO and CPO on what the company needs to know about its users to succeed
  • Acts as external face of company research culture and standards
Discipline skills
  • Produces foundational research that shapes company strategy over years
  • Advances the research discipline at an industry level
  • Creates research approaches and frameworks others replicate

Management ladder

Research management requires knowing how to evaluate research quality without running every study yourself. Managers must retain methodological judgment to give meaningful feedback on study design and synthesis rigor.
Level IVResearch managerTeam scope (2–4 researchers)
People management
  • Runs 1:1s focused on methodological growth and stakeholder influence
  • Gives specific feedback on study design, discussion guides, synthesis, and communication
  • Develops career plans anchored to the IC research ladder
  • Builds psychological safety for researchers to push back on poorly framed requests
Practice and team leadership
  • Sets and enforces research quality bar for team output
  • Manages research capacity and prioritizes requests against strategic value
  • Builds stakeholder relationships that position research as a strategic input, not a service
  • Retains methodological judgment sufficient to evaluate study design credibly
AI fluency expectation
  • Models AI-assisted synthesis approaches; does not just delegate to ICs
  • Establishes team standards for AI tool use: what is acceptable, what requires validation
Level VSr. research managerMulti-team scope
People and org leadership
  • Develops managers and senior ICs simultaneously
  • Builds research team structure and staffing plans
  • Drives research hiring strategy
Strategy and practice
  • Sets research strategy for a product domain
  • Builds the infrastructure for research to scale
  • Partners with senior leadership to embed research in decision-making
Level VIDirector of user researchOrg-wide scope
Organizational leadership
  • Builds and scales the research org
  • Defines how research integrates into product development at scale
  • Develops sr. managers and principal ICs
Business and strategy
  • Represents research at the executive level
  • Drives user understanding into company strategy alongside CPO and CEO
Level VIISr. director of user researchCompany scope
Company leadership
  • Sets research philosophy and culture company-wide
  • Partners with CEO and CPO on what the company needs to know to win
Discipline and market
  • Recognized externally as a research leadership voice
  • Advances research as a strategic discipline in B2B2C