The 5 Timeless Principles of Great UX Research

By Philip Burgess – UX Research Leader

Two decades in UX have taught me something simple but profound: while tools, technologies, and methodologies evolve, human principles never go out of style. AI may reshape how we collect data, analyze patterns, and scale insights—but the fundamentals of great research remain deeply human.

Here are the five principles I live by—and why they matter more than ever today.

Five Principles of UX Research

1. Be Relentlessly Curious

Curiosity is the fuel that drives every breakthrough in UX research. It’s not enough to ask “what” people do—you have to dig into “why.”

The most valuable insights often come from the unexpected: the small detail someone mentions in passing, the pattern you didn’t set out to find, the hesitation that tells you there’s more beneath the surface.

Curiosity means staying open to being surprised, even when the data challenges your assumptions or your stakeholders’ expectations. In an age where AI can summarize findings in seconds, the differentiator is still the human who asks better questions.

2. Stay Unbiased

Our job as researchers isn’t to validate what someone hopes to hear—it’s to uncover the truth.Bias can sneak in anywhere: in our study design, the way we frame a question, or how we interpret data.

The best researchers approach every project like scientists. They actively look for disconfirming evidence, seek diverse perspectives, and create checks in their process to ensure fairness and accuracy.

When stakeholders know that your findings are grounded in integrity—not politics—you become a trusted advisor, not just a service provider.

3. Make It Actionable

Research that doesn’t lead to change is just interesting reading.

Every insight should have a clear path to action. That means writing findings in plain language, showing the “so what,” and connecting the dots between what users need and what the business must do.

The best UX researchers are storytellers and strategists. They frame insights around opportunity, not just observation. Whether it’s a quick A/B test or a months-long diary study, always ask: What will this help someone decide?

4. Communicate Clearly

You can run the most rigorous study in the world—but if no one understands your message, it won’t matter.

Great communication is about clarity, not complexity. A CEO might need your findings distilled into two powerful sentences. A designer may want to see the full dataset and hear user quotes.

Your job is to translate insights into the language of impact—tailoring your story to your audience while preserving its truth.When done right, your research becomes repeatable, memorable, and persuasive enough to influence real change.

5. Empathize with Everyone — Not Just the End User

Empathy doesn’t stop at your participants. It extends to the designers under pressure to deliver, the engineers managing constraints, and the executives balancing budgets.

The most influential researchers treat every stakeholder as a “user” of their insights. They listen, build relationships, and understand what success looks like from each person’s perspective.

Empathy is what transforms research from a report into a bridge—connecting human stories with business decisions.

The Principles That Endure

Whether you’re running a quick usability test or conducting an ethnographic field study, these principles will never go out of style.

• Curiosity keeps your research alive.

• Objectivity keeps it credible.

• Actionability keeps it valuable.

• Clarity keeps it influential.

• Empathy keeps it human.

As technology continues to change how we collect and share insights, these timeless principles remind us what UX research is really about: helping people understand people.

Philip Burgess | philipburgess.net | phil@philipburgess.net