Designing Like a Researcher: What Sociology Taught Me About Asking the Right Questions

Coming from a sociology background, I've always been trained to notice patterns, question assumptions, and dig deeper. That mindset didn’t disappear when I transitioned into UI/UX design, it became my foundation.

In sociology, asking the right question is everything. You can’t understand a system unless you understand the people moving through it. In design, it’s the same. I’ve found that thoughtful, open-ended questions often reveal more than a polished survey ever could. Instead of asking, "Do you like this feature?" I might ask, "What do you do when this problem comes up?" or "How do you usually feel at this point in the process?"

Those are the moments where insights live, where users show you what matters, even if they can’t always articulate it themselves. Being a designer with a researcher's mindset means being curious enough to pause, dig deeper, and resist assumptions.