Is UX training valuable for a business analyst who already does UX?

Careers & Mentoring
#1

I’m a business analyst who has done a significant amount of product design and UX in my roles over the past few years. The last role was adding new features to an existing product while my current role is building a product from scratch.

My background is in product design so I understand the design process and I’m proficient at wireframing/prototyping in Axure and Balsamiq. I’ve learnt UX on the job and haven’t done any ‘formal’ UX training.

What I haven’t done much of in my roles are user research and usability testing and would definitely like to bolster these areas.

I have an opportunity to do some professional development and am interested in the 1 week UX training courses offered by Peak Usability and General Assembly in Sydney as I prefer face-to-face over online training.

Based on the above, how valuable will going to one of these UX training courses be?

#2

I have no experience with the programs you have mentioned. Do know there are many people who lack a formal UX education. Although the lack of it emerges now and then, it is definitely not blocking them from being more than decent UX designers. Will the course teach you what you want to learn, and will your newly acquired skills pay off in your company? I think that should be your main consideration. Usability testing is not rocket science. If you have a background in product design, you might already be familiar with the methodologies of user research, so maybe real-life cases will be more beneficial to you?

1 Like
#3

Thanks for your reply @glenn

Possibly. At the moment, the company hasn’t required much so far in terms of user research and usability testing, but it would be good to have the fundamentals to springboard off if/when I need to do those activities.

You’re right. I’ve done some research in the past, but that was a while ago. I guess it is about brushing up on the newer techniques and the UX methods are more IA focussed than physical products focussed.

#4

@jdebari do you know much about the above courses?

Actually, @kacheekmonstar did the GA course in Sydney. Did it cover research and usability testing, Gloria?

#6

Thanks @jdebari. Much appreciated.