Role: Design Researcher

Location: The Woodlands, TX (onsite at least 3 days/week)

Duration: 1 year open-ended Contract

• Designer with some experience in strategy and research as well
• Good collaboration skills a must
• Bonus experience: Design systems, AI, Service design

MAIN FUNCTION

Design researchers explore people’s goals, motivations, and behaviors by conducting user research studies. They synthesize research findings into meaningful insights for design and business teams. They work closely with senior team members and design professionals to inform design decisions, develop existing research skills, and build empathy for others.

Job Requirements

Meaningful Experiences

• Conducted user research studies, including step-out or volunteer activities (e.g. generative and evaluative research)
• Performed qualitative and quantitative research to inform design decisions
• Synthesized observations into concise narratives and recommendations
• Leveraged basic functionality of leading research software (e.g. SurveyMonkey, MaxQDA, Morae) to document findings
• Adapted and delivered research based on shifting priorities and timelines

Expectations and Mindset

• Commitment to keep up to date on design industry trends, improve skills, and share approaches with others
• Motivation to build domain and technical knowledge to inform research decisions
• Desire to leverage and expand upon existing research to improve experiences and influence design strategies
• Teamwork and collaboration skills that support cross-disciplinary design teams

TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Research and Communication

• Perform research activities (e.g. interviews) to explore customer needs and inform design decisions
• Conduct heuristic evaluations of vendor and internally-developed experiences to assess usability
• Conduct research across multiple platforms and interfaces (e.g. desktop, web, physical spaces)
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative research findings into insights (e.g. personas, scenarios)
• Present and advocate research findings and recommendations to internal teams and stakeholders

Strategy and Planning

• Conduct user interviews to understand business goals and determine research approaches
• Partner with research leads and business teams to coordinate research logistics (e.g. recruiting)
• Assist in planning efforts based on business goals, research complexity, and personal capacity

People and Culture

• Collaborate with internal design teams and customers to better understand their perspectives
• Support activities to increase awareness of human-centered research approaches and practices