Senior User Experience Researcher 2

The D2L User Experience Research team is focused on providing the resources, knowledge, and data that our company needs to make our products useful and usable. We conduct research with end users of our software, including educators, learners, and administrators, to enable our product teams to make data-informed decisions.  

As a Senior User Experience Research 2, you will conduct strategic research and have an impact on key user experiences and the business. To complement our collaborative and skilled UXR team, strength in quantitative methods and analysis and a background in sociology or anthropology would be a bonus.

WHAT WE PROVIDE: 

We think our team offers something unique: 

• We have a supportive, talented, and collaborative community of User Experience Researchers and Product Designers; we learn from each other to develop the skills to do great work. 
• Our UXR practice is maturing, with growing tools, practices, and operations; we all contribute to the growth of our culture and practice.
• We have opportunities to conduct early research and exploration; we gain a deep understanding of domains and problems and help others develop empathy.
• Our product teams are collaborative, balancing Design with our partners in Product Management and Development; we have a strong voice in our projects and influence the business.
• We get to do meaningful work; we contribute to the experiences of educators, learners, and learning administrators to change the way the world learns.

 WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

• Passion – We want to see your passion for users, for design and for working collaboratively with other talented user researchers, designers, and stakeholders.  
• Empathy – You don’t need to have launched products that have changed the world, but you will need to show us how the work you do impacts the business and speaks to user problems.  
• Point of view (POV) – We want to hear what you have to say. We are looking for researchers who have and can form opinions about their work. You’ll need to be able to talk about your activities, insights, research findings, and recommendations in front of others – including senior leadership.
• Rigour balanced with pragmatism – You can respond to the needs and constraints of the business and balance rigour and pragmatism to provide quality, timely insights that will have business impact, but you also know when to advocate for the right approach.

Competencies (What you’ll bring to the role):

• Understand a wide range of quantitative and qualitative user research methods, when to use them and how to apply them. This includes, but is not limited to, literature reviews, usability testing, semi-structured interviews, and surveys. 
• Plan, design, and conduct research projects. Work with Product Management, Product Designers, and project teams to identify and organize knowledge gaps. Facilitate or support sessions with SMEs to gather existing knowledge, evaluate certainty, and identify gaps.  
• Analyze and synthesize ambiguous research data and consistently connect findings to other research and projects. 
• Communicate findings and insights in ways that are clear, compelling, and actionable.
• Develop a deep understanding of the education and learning context and the users, product workflows, and tools related to research projects and act as a go-to expert in these areas.
• Proactively identify opportunities for strategic user research projects, get buy-in from Product Management, Design leadership, Engineering, and Senior Leaders to conduct research and to ensure impact. Lead strategic research projects to positive outcomes.
• Collaborate effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and Design leaders to define research questions and ensure impact on vision and strategic direction.
• Alongside Product Designers and other stakeholders, contribute to creating strategic deliverables (such as journey maps, storyboards, competitive analyses, and personas), ensuring that they are informed by user insights.
• Evangelize research. Share insights with the broader organization, senior leadership, and externally in creative ways to increase empathy and influence strategy and product direction.
• Lead initiatives to improve UX Research processes, and advocate for the UX Research practice at D2L.
• Act as an expert in quantitative research methods and analysis for the team and the organization.
• Through mentoring and collaboration, contribute to the learning culture of our team where we continually grow in the practice and actively seek out opportunities to improve our skill sets and processes. 

D2L Leadership Competencies  

• Leads by Example with personal and professional integrity, high accountability and say/do ratio   
• Boundaryless collaboration and influence skills both within team, peer group and broader organization. Effective communicator with a proven track record of impact beyond the immediate team and for the business.  
• Delivers Awesome Outcomes: Strategic mindset and business acumen, with strong prioritization skills and a focus on organizational outcomes vs. team tasks. Effective problem solver, able to achieve results individually and through others, in fast paced, deadline-driven environments.  
• Talent Magnet: Talent-focused leader, with demonstrated ability to coach, build and lead a high performing, diverse team.   
• Better, Smarter, Faster: An agile learner, with a growth mindset, attention to detail and organizational skills. An operationally minded leader, with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation.   
• Wins Hearts and Minds: An effective communicator, with the ability to connect the why and the what. A change agent, with proven delegation, motivation, and team building skills.

EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in related studies (Sociology, Anthropology, Human Computer Interaction, Data Science, Cognitive Science, Psychology, UX Design, etc.), or equivalent real-world experience  
• 6-8 years conducting primary research in both academic and digital product context