So this may be the most basic question ever, but what’s the common approach toward finding the users (for interviews etc.?) As a relative newbie, this is the part where I struggle the most, also cuz I always look for free options. I’d love everyone’s insight on it.
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Well, that’s always gonna depend on the budget you have, and obviously the type of users you want to research. I can reommend one tool (it’s not an advertisement) : https://www.optimalworkshop.com/.
It has several components and I think you might be interested in Questions and Reframer. And it’s free up to some limit. You’d have to check 
Other than that: friends, friend’s friends, and friend’s friend’s friends Don’t be afraid to ask strangers either.
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I’m lost here, why are u “always” looking for free options?
Doing research requires assets and budgets, as a PRO you must ask for that stuff to your line manager.
Providing the right amount of money and/or a gift will put the user in a better mood to be focused on the task and to provide a high-quality feedback.
At the end you are looking for valuable feedback to improve your product (that I guess is not for free), aren’t you?
Friends and family can be a good starting point but you cannot develop a product only with them
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Apart from the suggestions already given I would say avoid friends and family because they tend not to hurt your feelings and hence feedback might be biased. Try for friends of friends (2nd or 3rd degree connections) as they don’t know you well and hence less bias in their replies.
Finding users depends on your application. I have found facebook groups and slack channels dedicated to the domain you are testing is a good starting point.
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Thanks for your feedback.
I have done 2 UX projects so far, and don’t have formal training or mentorship, which is why research is one area where I struggle the most and often get lost trying to find the right approach. I have worked independently on my projects so far and have been given $0 budget. I would be willing to spend some of my own money, but I need to figure out the right approach(es) first. And that’s why I posed this question.
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I think there’s no right/wrong approach to the UX research if you’re not focused on:
- business goals
- UX KPIs
- the capacity you (the company) have to enhance the UX according to the findings you will collect from the research
As all disciplines, UX requires a specific theoretical background before start implementing it.
Start your journey through the UX research topic by browsing the most important websites/blogs etc (eg: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/) collect your feedback and create your own benchmark. At the end, you will have some check-points to work with. You will be easy figure out how to “hire” users for the testing sessions.
I’m not a big fan of the “learning by doing” especially into the design field
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I do read the articles on nngroup.com, medium, uxpin, interaction-design.org and several others. I research on specific topics as well and have even started storing articles. I have also taken a UX course on Lynda.com, but at the end of the day, all of these resources are rather generic. They paint a broader picture. There’s a reason why people emphasize on getting mentors. I don’t have one, unfortunately, so everything I do is pretty much independent.
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Hey! You sound like you’ll do well joining our Slack mentor channel. A bit randomly matches two members up with each other. I’m on my phone, so I don’t have the link. I’ll come back with the link later.
You sound so frustrated. Hang in there.
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Thank you, ladies. Much appreciated.
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