ICT research consultant

Description

ICT research consultants perform targeted ICT research and provide a final report to the client. They also use ICT tools to design questionnaires for surveys, analyse the results, write reports, present the results and make recommendations based on the research findings.

Includes people performing outsourced activities.
Excludes people performing in-house research.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to ICT research consultant:

ICT research advisor
IT research consultant
IT research advisor
ICT research consultants
ICT research specialist
IT research specialist

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as ICT research consultant. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

ICT research consultant is a Skill level 4 occupation.

ICT research consultant career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to ICT research consultant.

computer scientist
ICT research manager
user experience analyst
data analyst
data scientist

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of ICT research consultant. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of ICT research consultant with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of ICT research consultant.

Innovation processes: The techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation.
Scientific research methodology: The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of ICT research consultant.

Provide technical documentation: Prepare documentation for existing and upcoming products or services, describing their functionality and composition in such a way that it is understandable for a wide audience without technical background and compliant with defined requirements and standards. Keep documentation up to date.
Create prototype of user experience solutions: Design and prepare mock-ups, prototypes and flows in order to test User Experience (UX) solutions or to collect feedback from users, customers, partners or stakeholders.
Conduct literature research: Conduct a comprehensive and systematic research of information and publications on a specific topic. Present a comparative evaluative literature summary.
Execute analytical mathematical calculations: Apply mathematical methods and make use of calculation technologies in order to perform analyses and devise solutions to specific problems.
Apply statistical analysis techniques: Use models (descriptive or inferential statistics) and techniques (data mining or machine learning) for statistical analysis and ICT tools to analyse data, uncover correlations and forecast trends.
Provide user documentation: Develop and organise the distribution of structured documents to assist people using a particular product or system, such as written or visual information about an application system and how to use it.
Conduct scholarly research: Plan scholarly research by formulating the research question and conducting empirical or literature research in order to investigate the truth of the research question.
Utilise methodologies for user centered design: Use design methodologies in which the needs, wishes and limitations of end users of a product, service or process are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process.
Carry out internet research: Execute efficient search on the internet in order to gather relevant information and share it with others.
Develop software prototype: Create a first incomplete or preliminary version of a piece of software application to simulate some specific aspects of the final product.
Conduct quantitative research: Execute a systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.
Innovate in ict: Create and describe new original research and innovation ideas within the field of information and communication technologies, compare to the emerging technologies and trends and plan the development of new ideas.
Conduct research interview: Use professional researching and interviewing methods and techniques to gather relevant data, facts or information, to gain new insights and to fully comprehend the message of the interviewee.
Consult with business clients: Communicate with clients of a business or business project in order to introduce new ideas, obtain feedback, and find solutions to problems.
Execute ict user research activities: Perform research tasks such as recruitment of participants, scheduling of tasks, collecting of empirical data, data analysis and production of materials in order to assess the interaction of users with an ICT system, program or application.
Apply reverse engineering: Use techniques to extract information or disassemble an ICT component, software or system in order to analyse, correct and reassemble or reproduce it.
Interact with users to gather requirements: Communicate with users to identify their requirements and collect them. Define all relevant user requirements and document them in an understandable and logical way for further analysis and specification.
Plan research process: Outline the research methodologies and schedule in order to ensure that the research can be thoroughly and efficiently executed and that the objectives can be met in a timely manner.
Conduct qualitative research: Gather relevant information by applying systematic methods, such as interviews, focus groups, text analysis, observations and case studies.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT research consultant. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Web analytics: The characteristics, tools and techniques for measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of web data to get information on the users’ behaviour and to improve the performance of a website.
Mdx: The computer language MDX is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
Xquery: The computer language XQuery is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
Emergent technologies: The recent trends, developments and innovations in modern technologies such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Sparql: The computer language SPARQL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
Information extraction: The techniques and methods used for eliciting and extracting information from unstructured or semi-structured digital documents and sources.
Information categorisation: The process of classifying the information into categories and showing relationships between the data for some clearly defined purposes.
Resource description framework query language: The query languages such as SPARQL which are used to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework format (RDF).
Query languages: The field of standardised computer languages for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
Ldap: The computer language LDAP is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
Linq: The computer language LINQ is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
Ict system user requirements: The process intended to match user and organisation’s needs with system components and services, by taking into consideration the available technologies and the techniques required to elicit and specify requirements, interrogating users to establish symptoms of problem and analysing symptoms.
Ict market: The processes, stakeholders and the dynamics of the chain of goods and services in the ICT market sector.
N1ql: The computer language N1QL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Couchbase.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT research consultant. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Optimise choice of ict solution: Select the appropriate solutions in the field of ICT while taking into account potential risks, benefits and overall impact.
Perform data mining: Explore large datasets to reveal patterns using statistics, database systems or artificial intelligence and present the information in a comprehensible way.
Provide written content: Communicate information in written form via digital or print media according to the needs of the target group. Structure the content according to specifications and standards. Apply grammar and spelling rules.
Report analysis results: Produce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as potential interpretations of the results.
Monitor ict research: Survey and investigate recent trends and developments in ICT research. Observe and anticipate mastery evolution.
Provide multimedia content: Develop multimedia materials such as screen shots, graphics, slide shows, animations and videos to be used as content integrated in a broader informational context.

ISCO group and title

2511 – Systems analysts

 

 


 

 

References
  1. ICT research consultant – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022