Aug 23 • Leo Hoar

Why UX Researchers Should Think About Theory

Theory is an essential consideration for UX researchers, but we often focus much more on method. Learn why theory can lead to better UX research strategy and deeper insights.

How Art Teaches Us About Lenses

In 1962, the American artist Andy Warhol exhibited a series of thirty-two canvases in a Los Angeles gallery, each depicting a different variety of Campbell’s soup. At first glance, they were almost indistinguishable from the actual product labels found in any grocery store. The art world’s reaction was one of surprise, confusion, and in some cases, outright hostility. Were these truly “art”? Or were they a kind of provocation?

Warhol’s work did not alter the soup cans themselves. What changed was the frame—both literally (in the form of stretched canvas and gallery display) and conceptually (in the context of art history, pop culture, and consumerism). By transporting an everyday object into the art world, Warhol compelled viewers to see the familiar in a different way and to interrogate the lens through which they were seeing it. The soup can was no longer just a soup can—it had become a commentary on mass production, consumer desire, and the boundaries of art itself.

This act of reframing offers a valuable parallel to user experience (UX) research. Just as the placement of a soup can within an art gallery transforms its meaning, the application of theory in UX research reshapes what we see, how we interpret it, and ultimately what we do with our findings.

Why Theory Often Gets Left Out of UX Research

In many professional contexts, “theory” has a reputation problem. It is sometimes dismissed as the province of academics—abstract, impractical, and disconnected from the “real” work of designing products and services. UX researchers often place greater emphasis on methods—the practical tools of the trade, such as interviews, surveys, usability testing, and analytics.

However, this separation between theory and method is misleading. In reality, theory and method are deeply interdependent. Methods tell us how to collect and analyze data. Theory shapes what we notice, how we interpret it, and what we conclude. Without a guiding theoretical lens, even the most carefully executed method can yield results that are superficial, misleading, or incomplete.

How Theory Can Lead to Deeper Insights

Consider the analogy of a camera. A camera body without a lens can still capture light, but the resulting image will be blurry, distorted, and lacking in focus. Different lenses—wide-angle, telephoto, macro—transform what the camera captures. They determine the scope, scale, and detail of the image. Similarly, theory functions as the “lens” for research. It defines the conceptual boundaries of the investigation, clarifies the nature of the problem, and directs attention toward specific phenomena.

Let’s take a concrete example: researching how people make financial decisions.

  • Researcher A relies on intuition, prior work experience, and internal company jargon. Their guiding frame may be unspoken, shaped by organizational culture and personal assumptions.
  • Researcher B adopts a behavioral economics lens, drawing on concepts such as loss aversion (the tendency to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring gains) and anchoring (the influence of initial reference points on subsequent judgments).

Both researchers might use similar methods—say, a combination of qualitative interviews and survey experiments. But their theoretical lenses lead them to design different questions, notice different patterns, and draw different implications from the data. Researcher B, informed by behavioral economics, will be attuned to specific decision-making biases and heuristics, potentially uncovering insights that Researcher A misses entirely.

How Theory Elevates Research Strategy and Planning

Theory’s influence is not limited to data interpretation. It really sits at the level of strategy, enabling the big decisions about what and how to do the research.

Why Theory Improves Research Quality

Framing the Research Questions

A theoretical lens determines how we define the problem in the first place. For example, if we adopt a sociological lens rooted in symbolic interactionism, we might frame our question around how users construct meaning through interaction with a financial tool. If we choose a behavioral economics frame, the focus might shift toward identifying predictable cognitive biases in decision-making.

Selecting Methods

Theories often suggest or even require particular methodological approaches. A cultural anthropology lens might push us toward ethnographic fieldwork to capture context-rich, situated behavior. A human factors engineering lens might call for controlled experiments to quantify task performance.


Data Collection

Theories influence what we look for in the field. For instance, using actor-network theory, a researcher might pay equal attention to people, tools, policies, and digital interfaces as interconnected “actors” in a network. Without that lens, the same researcher might ignore key non-human influences.

Analysis and Interpretation

Here, theory plays perhaps its most visible role. Data rarely speak for themselves; they require interpretation. A single observation—say, a user abandoning an online checkout—might be explained as a usability flaw, a pricing objection, or a social influence effect, depending on the lens applied.

Reporting and Recommendations

Theory shapes not only the findings but also how they are communicated. A report grounded in behavioral economics may recommend redesigns to mitigate cognitive biases; one grounded in social practice theory might focus on embedding the product into existing routines and cultural norms.

Why Theory Improves Research Quality

Incorporating theory into UX research provides several advantages:

  • Increased Rigor – Theory provides established concepts and frameworks that help avoid ad-hoc interpretations.
  • Deeper Insights – It encourages researchers to look beyond surface-level observations to underlying mechanisms and structures.
  • Reduced Bias – Explicit theoretical framing surfaces assumptions and makes them discussable, rather than allowing them to remain unexamined.
  • Comparability and Cumulative Knowledge – Using established theoretical constructs allows findings to be compared across studies and accumulated into a larger body of knowledge.

How UX Researchers Can Build Theory Knowledge

1. Build a Cross-Disciplinary Theory Toolbox

UX research is inherently interdisciplinary. Useful theories come from sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, design studies, communication theory, and more. Examples include:

  • Sociology: Symbolic interactionism, social network theory.
  • Psychology: Self-determination theory, cognitive load theory.
  • Economics: Prospect theory, game theory.
  • Anthropology: Cultural models theory, practice theory.

The goal is not to master every theory but to develop a repertoire of lenses that can be applied as needed.

2. Ask “What Lens Fits?” As Part of Project Planning

At the start of a research engagement, consciously select a theoretical lens. Even a single concept—such as social proof from social psychology—can sharpen the research focus and analysis.

Consider including a “Theoretical Lens” section in your project kickoff documents and final reports.

3. Practice Weighing the Trade-offs

Every theory emphasizes some aspects of reality while de-emphasizing others. For instance, behavioral economics might explain decision biases well but overlook the cultural meanings that drive behavior. Recognizing these trade-offs helps researchers avoid overgeneralization.

4. Reflect Post-Project

At a project’s conclusion, practice asking: how did our chosen lens help or hinder our insights? What alternative lenses might we try next time?

Addressing Common Objections to Theory in UX Research

“Theory is too abstract.”

While some theoretical writing is abstract, many theories offer directly applicable concepts. For example, loss aversion is not only easy to understand but can be tested and designed against in real-world interfaces.


“We don’t have time for theory.”

Integrating theory need not be a time-consuming exercise. Even a brief discussion during project scoping to choose a lens can provide structure and focus.


“Our stakeholders won’t understand it.”

The researcher’s job includes translating theoretical concepts into plain language and relevant implications. A lens can be introduced without jargon—explaining, for example, that “people tend to notice losses more than equivalent gains” rather than invoking “prospect theory” by name.

Top Theories for UX Research

1. Behavioral Economics

Core Idea: Humans do not always make rational decisions. Instead, their choices are shaped by predictable cognitive biases and heuristics.

Key Concepts: Loss aversion, anchoring, framing effects, endowment effect, status quo bias.

Value to UX Research: Frames study design and analysis to detect and interpret cognitive biases in decision-making.

Resource: A very short introduction to Behavioral Economics by Oxford University Press (video)


2. Cultural Semiotics

Core Idea: People interpret signs, symbols, and narratives through culturally specific codes. Products, interfaces, and brand messages carry meanings that go beyond their functional features.

Key Concepts: Signifier/signified, denotation/connotation, mythologies (à la Roland Barthes).

Value to UX Research: Reveals how cultural meaning systems shape user interpretation and response to design elements.

Resource: Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel Chandler


3. Symbolic Interactionism

Core Idea: People create shared meanings through social interaction; identities and roles are constructed and reinforced in everyday exchanges.

Key Concepts: Social roles, identity negotiation, the “definition of the situation.”

Value to UX Research: Directs attention to how identity and role influence product use and perception.

Resource: Symbolic Interactionism Explained by Helpful Professor Explains (4-Minute Video)


4. Social Network Theory

Core Idea: Individuals are embedded in networks of relationships that shape access to information, resources, and influence.

Key Concepts: Nodes, ties, centrality, network density.

Value to UX Research: Helps map relational ecosystems and understand how social structures affect adoption and engagement.

Resource: What is Social Network Analysis? By ModU


5. Self-Determination Theory

Core Idea: Human motivation is driven by the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Key Concepts: Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, psychological needs.

Value to UX Research: Provides constructs for measuring and interpreting motivational drivers in user behavior.

Resource: Self-Determination Theory by Helpful Professor Explains (3-minute video)


6. Cognitive Load Theory

Core Idea: Human working memory has limited capacity, and excessive demands impair learning and performance.

Key Concepts: Intrinsic load, extraneous load, germane load.

Value to UX Research: Guides evaluation of cognitive effort and identification of overload points in task flows.

Resource: What is Cognitive Load Theory by The Decision Lab


7. Actor-Network Theory

Core Idea: Both human and non-human entities (“actors”) participate in networks that produce outcomes; agency is distributed.

Key Concepts: Networks, translation, material agency.

Value to UX Research: Enables mapping of all actors—human and non-human—to reveal hidden influences on user behavior.

Resource: Untangling Society with Actor-Network Theory by Sociotube


8. Social Practice Theory

Core Idea: Social life is organized around shared practices—routinized ways of doing that combine skills, materials, and meanings.

Key Concepts: Practices as units of analysis, the interplay of competence, material, and meaning.

Value to UX Research: Focuses inquiry on real-world routines and how products integrate into or disrupt them.

Resource: Social Practice Theory (Praxeology) by Conquer Imagination


9. Affect Theory

Core Idea: Human experience is shaped not only by cognition and culture but also by pre-conscious intensities—affective states that arise before emotions are consciously recognized. These fleeting, embodied responses profoundly shape perception, decision-making, and interaction.

Key Concepts: Pre-individual affect, intensity vs. emotion, bodily attunement, affective atmospheres.

Value to UX Research: Moves attention beyond what users say or even think, toward how designs feel at an embodied level. Helps researchers capture micro-reactions (hesitations, tensions, excitement) that precede articulated opinions, revealing layers of user experience that traditional methods might miss.

Resource: The Power of Emotions: Affect Theory Explained by Dr. USP

Conclusion: Theory as a Tool, Not a Constraint

Theories do not confine us—they focus us. They make our assumptions explicit, deepen our interpretations, and connect our work to larger bodies of knowledge. In a field where methods are often front-and-center, adding theory to the mix is like upgrading from an unfocused snapshot to a sharply defined image.

Warhol’s soup cans remind us that the frame changes everything. In UX research, our “frame” is the theoretical lens we choose. When we select and apply that lens consciously, we open the door to more rigorous, insightful, and impactful work.
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