Fellow, UX Research

Rare apex expert

Career Explorer · Design & User Experience · UX Research

IC8 · FellowIndividual contributorFellow

Rare / selective

What the role involves

Autonomy: Defines frontier of the field
Scope: Company + industry / research ecosystem
Time horizon: Multi-year
Expertise and judgement: Sustained global authority; invents category-defining approaches
Expected impact: Creates enduring strategic, scientific or technical differentiation

Expected skills (21)

Grouped as human, professional and technical. Target proficiency uses the P1–P5 scale, and each row says what that level means for that particular skill.

Human (10)

Skill	Importance	Target	What that level looks like
Accountability Personal Effectiveness	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Active listening Communication & Influence	Core	P4	Sets standards, integrates the skill across teams and resolves novel or high-impact problems.
Collaboration Collaboration & Leadership	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Critical thinking Thinking & Judgment	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Customer empathy Personal Effectiveness	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Learning agility Thinking & Judgment	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Ownership Personal Effectiveness	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Problem solving Thinking & Judgment	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Verbal communication Communication & Influence	Core	P4	Sets standards, integrates the skill across teams and resolves novel or high-impact problems.
Written communication Communication & Influence	Core	P4	Sets standards, integrates the skill across teams and resolves novel or high-impact problems.

Professional (11)

Skill	Importance	Target	What that level looks like
Business acumen Business & Strategy	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Design thinking Product & Design	Core	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Accessibility and inclusive design Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Content design Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Design systems Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Human-centered design Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Information architecture Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Interaction design Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Prototyping Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
UX research Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.
Usability testing Product & Design	Supporting	P5	Defines enterprise or industry practice, develops other experts and shapes strategy through the skill.

Career ladder

Reached from

Distinguished UX ResearcherIC7

Next steps

This is the last level on this ladder. Specialization continues; the level does not.

What changes to advance

Apex IC level; progression is primarily expansion of enduring company and industry impact rather than a standard next title.

Source: Microsoft Careers; ONET · JF0084-IC8