Director, UX Research

About us 

We turn customer challenges into growth opportunities.   

Material is a global strategy partner to the world’s most recognizable brands and innovative companies. Our people around the globe thrive by helping organizations design and deliver rewarding customer experiences.  

We use deep human insights, design innovation and data to create experiences powered by modern technology. Our approaches speed engagement and growth for the companies we work with and transform relationships between businesses and the people they serve.  

About UX Research at Material 

Our mission is to create transformative customer experiences lies in our growing UX research and design practice - a diverse group of designers, thinkers, and creators spread across the globe. We don't just design; we tell stories, we unravel complexities, and we create omnichannel experiences that resonate. Our projects span from reimagining digital interfaces for Fortune 500 companies to implementing new mobile experiences for fast-growing startups. To provide top-tier service to our broad array of clients, we pay special attention to the selection and application of various dynamic research methodologies and study designs that inform tailored, groundbreaking solutions to meet the unique needs of each research project. 

Material’s UX Researchers bridge the gap between rich insights and actionable design, turning data points into compelling screen-based user experiences. Rather than relying on trends or personal taste, this team delves into data, user feedback, and business objectives to inform and propose solutions. Then, they partner with technologists, engineers and product managers to bring designs to market through an agile methodology. Projects range in scope and type, from new-to-the-world app and website creation, to feature enhancements and optimizations for existing products, to the creation of new design language systems and more.

About the Director, UX Research role 

We are seeking an experienced Director of UX Research as an end-to-end driver and people manager on qualitative projects for a major tech client and various other custom client projects. As a Director within the Design practice, you will be expected to uphold the standards for high-quality UX research, ensuring the team you lead, the research you conduct and insights and recommendations you deliver improve the experience of users and support product and business goals. 

As Director, UX Research you will 

Management:

• Stay with projects from start to near finish as a member of the business operating team (BOT)

• Manage and oversee the work of Senior or Associate UX Researchers 

• Partner with an Associate Director to assist you in carrying out the day to day functions and operations of the team

• Keep abreast of research industry standards and developments and act as a long-term point of reference and design research and user experience advocate both internally and externally

• Participate in product design leadership meetings, design research team meetings, further developing the processes and activities for our business unit

• Participate in new business pitches
   

Product Discovery & Definition:

• Direct the discovery phase with a multi-disciplinary team including content strategists, ux copywriters, design researchers, product designers and client teams 

• Conduct stakeholder interviews and worksessions to deduce key business goals and KPIs

• Conduct user interviews and baseline testing 

• Leading both generative and evaluative research, producing a range of deliverables not limited to heuristics analysis, archetypes, competitive research, experience mapping, user journeys, user flows 

• Visualize research insights into a more digestible fashion in both presentation decks and tools such as miro 

• You will tie research insights directly to opportunities and co-conduct opportunity prioritization working sessions 

Product Design Phase:

• Collaborate with design in brainstorming and whiteboarding sessions

• Ensure design research insights and opportunities are carried through in design 

• Conduct usability testing and product concept testing and present findings throughout the agile design process 

• Compare baseline findings to prototype testing findings

• Co-conduct working sessions and workshops throughout the design process 

About You 

• You are kind, insightful, analytical, curious, eager, collaborative, empathetic, adaptive, communicative, experienced

• You not only solve problems given to you, you strategically solve