Senior Design Researcher

The Windows + Devices Design and Research Studio is looking for an experienced Senior UX Researcher to be part of a product making team creating experiences that empower more than 1 billion Windows customers around the world. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will be responsible for working alongside design and product owners to bring a human-centered and data-driven approach to innovate and simplify complex problems into compelling customer driven solutions. If you are passionate about empowering consumers and making a difference in the lives of billions of customers, this is a great opportunity to have impact and influence in a leading product area and critical focus area for Microsoft. Joining our team means you’ll be part of a highly collaborative and supportive group of diverse researchers who work in a way to bring out the best in each other and deliver product impact.

Responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity if you’re a motivated strategic thinker who enjoys looking at holistic landscapes and relationships between products. In this role, you'll be responsible for understanding the pressing questions and success criteria which allow us to innovate and drive Windows forward, while employing diverse methodologies to deliver insights to address those questions. You’ll apply your deep research experience across the product cycle to: develop understanding of customer needs and gaps, unpack user journeys, support benchmarking and scenario/feature validation, uncover usability and UX issues, and help develop a customer-centric culture. If you want to be part of team building human-centered products and driving a data and customer-driven culture this is the role for you.  

Qualifications

Skills that will help make this role successful:

• 5-7 years in user experience research, design research, product research or equivalent
• A Master’s degree in HCI, ethnography, cognitive or experimental psychology, sociology, business planning OR a BA/BS in one of the above fields with significant academic or industry experience
• Experience working with data science is a plus but not required  
• A broad and practical range of executable research methodologies – both qualitative and quantitative, remote and in-person

• A strong and demonstrable history of research planning and execution with measurable impact on product success criteria
• Committed to creating inclusive experiences and working in a manner that demonstrates respect for diversity and equality  
• Ability to evoke empathy, understanding, and a shared vision across all levels of the organization through strong communication and storytelling skills that bring focus to our users
• An entrepreneurial spirit with a willingness to frame and define existing/emerging opportunity spaces and success criteria in sometimes ambiguous spaces  
• Proven track record of providing evidence-based recommendations for business and customer success  

• Strong communication and collaborative skills  
• Self-motivated and proactive in the way you work
• Passionate about creating new, innovative, and ground-breaking user experiences
• Experience with consumer-focused user research and/or software experiences are a plus, but not necessary

Note: This is a full-time position and requires the candidate to work from Redmond, WA.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

Benefits and Perks

• Industry leading healthcare
• Savings and investments
• Giving programs
• Educational resources
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Opportunities to network and connect
• Discounts on products and services
• Generous time away

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