Notes for the way out · September 25, 2026
“No,” I frequently say, “it’s not your fault; it’s due to bad design.”
Don Normanauthor, The Design of Everyday Things
UX researcher after teaching · aerisclarity.com
Don Normanauthor, The Design of Everyday Things
Source: Design for a Better World, Chapter 1 (MIT Press, 2023)
If you’ve spent years blaming yourself for a gradebook, a login, or a system that fought you every day, this sentence might land hard. Some of what wore you down was badly designed, and you were the one absorbing it.
UX researchers find out how teachers and students actually use a product, and tell the truth about it. Watching someone struggle without jumping in to help is a core skill of the job, and teachers already practice it.
Read the full page on UX researcher, with what a Tuesday looks like, how the pay is structured, and the honest downside.
Not sure which of the fifteen fits you? Four questions, free.