Associate UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Associate UX Researcher

Company: Impact.com

Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UX Research

Date Posted: 2025-06-11

Experience Level: Associate (1-3 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🎨 Role Summary

• Support Product and Design teams by executing user research activities to inform product strategy and enhance user experience.
• Contribute to the planning, execution, and analysis of various user research methods, including usability testing, user interviews, and surveys.
• Translate research findings into actionable insights to drive product development decisions and advocate for user needs.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including UX Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, to integrate user insights throughout the product lifecycle.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with UX researchers, UX designers, product managers, and engineers to ensure user insights are effectively integrated into the product development lifecycle, influencing design decisions and feature prioritization.
• Actively contribute to the planning and execution of diverse user research studies, including conducting usability testing sessions, facilitating user interviews, designing and analyzing surveys, and gathering qualitative and quantitative data.
• Synthesize complex research findings from various sources into clear, concise, and actionable insights presented in formats easily digestible by product managers, designers, and engineers.
• Assist in the creation and maintenance of user-centered design artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and insight decks that vividly communicate user needs, behaviors, and pain points to stakeholders.
• Maintain and organize a research repository, ensuring that research findings, data, and reports are well-documented, searchable, and easily accessible for future reference and reusability across the organization.
• Serve as a dedicated advocate for the Impact.com customer, consistently representing their voice, needs, and behaviors among cross-functional partners and stakeholders to foster a user-centric product development culture.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Relevant degree or course in a related field such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Design, Sociology, or equivalent practical experience in UX research.

Experience: 1-3 years of experience conducting product user experience research or strong foundational experience working with SaaS platforms, demonstrating an understanding of user behavior within complex digital environments. A portfolio showcasing relevant research projects is highly recommended.

Required Skills:

• Foundational understanding of user experience research methodologies, including qualitative methods like user interviews and quantitative methods like surveys.
• Experience planning, conducting, and analyzing usability testing sessions to identify pain points and optimize user flows.
• Ability to synthesize research data from multiple sources into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present research findings effectively to diverse audiences.
• Empathy and a genuine curiosity for understanding user needs, motivations, and behaviors.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, and engineers.
• Attention to detail in observing user interactions and accurately documenting research findings.

Preferred Skills:

• Some familiarity with design and research tools such as Figma (for understanding design artifacts), Maze (for usability testing), and Dovetail (for research synthesis and analysis).
• Experience working in an Agile product development environment.
• Understanding of SaaS business models and the challenges faced by B2B users.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Include 1-3 detailed case studies showcasing your involvement in user research projects.
• Clearly articulate the research questions, methodologies used, and key findings for each project.
• Demonstrate your ability to translate research insights into actionable recommendations for product or design improvements.
• Showcase your process for planning, conducting, and analyzing user research, highlighting your specific contributions.

Process Documentation:

• Document your approach to the research and discovery phase, including how you identified research objectives and recruited participants.
• Illustrate your methods for ideation and iteration based on research findings, even in a supporting role.
• Explain your approaches to validating research findings and contributing to testing efforts.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on regional data for Cape Town, South Africa, an Associate UX Researcher with 1-3 years of experience can expect a salary range typically between ZAR 300,000 and ZAR 550,000 per annum. This estimate is based on market data for similar roles in the South African tech industry, considering factors like company size, industry (SaaS), and the specified experience level. Actual salary may vary based on individual qualifications, specific experience, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Hybrid, Casual Work Environment: Offering flexibility in work location and a relaxed professional atmosphere conducive to creative thinking and collaboration.
• Responsible PTO Policy: Encouraging a healthy work-life balance, allowing employees to take necessary time off for rest and personal commitments without a rigid accrual system.
• Training & Development: Opportunities to learn and grow within the company, specifically gaining expertise in advanced partnership automation products and UX research practices.
• Medical Aid and Provident Fund: Access to group health insurance schemes (Discovery & Bonitas) and a provident fund for retirement savings, providing essential financial security.
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs): Potential for ownership in the company through a 3-year vesting schedule, aligning employee success with company growth (pending Board approval).
• Internet Allowance: Financial support for internet costs, facilitating effective remote or hybrid work setups.
• Fitness Club Fee Reimbursements: Encouraging employee well-being by contributing to fitness-related expenses.
• Technology Stipend: Financial assistance for necessary technology and equipment to support work.
• Primary Caregiver Leave: Providing support for employees with caregiving responsibilities.
• Mental Health and Wellness Benefit: Comprehensive support including access to therapy/coaching sessions and coverage for dependents, prioritizing employee mental well-being.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, with potential for flexibility within a hybrid model to accommodate research activities and team collaboration across different locations.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Software Development, specifically focusing on Partnership Management SaaS technology. Impact.com operates in the dynamic AdTech/MarTech space, which heavily relies on user experience and data-driven insights to optimize complex workflows for businesses managing partnerships.

Company Size: Impact.com is a large, established company with 1,001-5,000 employees globally. This size suggests a structured organization with established processes and dedicated teams, including a likely growing and specialized UX research function.

Founded: Founded in 2008, Impact.com has a significant history in the industry, indicating stability and a mature product offering in the partnership automation space.

Team Structure:

• The UX Research team works closely with UX Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers, suggesting a cross-functional team structure focused on integrating research throughout the product development lifecycle.
• As an Associate, you will likely report to a more senior UX Researcher or a UX Research Manager, providing mentorship and guidance.
• Collaboration across various locations is mentioned, indicating a distributed team model.

Methodology:

• The focus on identifying user needs, developing personas, and conducting usability testing and interviews points towards a strong emphasis on user-centered design principles and qualitative research methods.
• The mention of data analysis suggests the integration of quantitative data to complement qualitative insights.
• The collaborative approach with product and design teams indicates an iterative design process where research informs each stage.

Company Website: https://www.impact.com

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This is an Associate-level UX Researcher role, typically suitable for individuals with foundational experience (1-3 years) in the field. The responsibility scope involves supporting senior researchers and contributing to established research projects rather than leading them independently.

Reporting Structure: As an Associate UX Researcher, you will likely report to a senior member of the UX research team, such as a UX Researcher, Senior UX Researcher, or UX Research Manager. This structure is designed to provide guidance, mentorship, and opportunities for learning from experienced professionals.

Design Impact: The role emphasizes integrating user insights into the product development lifecycle and representing the voice of the customer. This indicates that even at the Associate level, your contributions will have a direct impact on shaping the product roadmap and improving the user experience for Impact.com's clients.

Growth Opportunities:

• Progression to a mid-level UX Researcher role within 2-4 years, taking on more complex projects and potentially leading smaller research initiatives.
• Opportunity to specialize in specific research methodologies or areas, such as quantitative research, usability testing, or a particular product area within Impact.com's platform.
• Potential for mentorship from senior researchers, contributing to significant skill development and career advancement within the UX research track.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: The company offers a hybrid work environment, combining in-office work in Cape Town with remote work flexibility. This suggests a professional but potentially less formal atmosphere compared to fully on-site roles, balancing collaboration with independent work.

Office Location(s): The primary location for this role is the Cape Town office at Sable Corner, Bridgeway Road, 2nd Floor, Century City 7441, South Africa. The hybrid model allows for some flexibility regarding time spent in the office.

Design Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model likely means access to dedicated office space in Cape Town for collaborative sessions, team meetings, and focused work when needed.
• Collaboration spaces are likely available in the office to facilitate brainstorming, research planning, and synthesis sessions with the product and design teams.
• While remote, the work environment likely relies on digital collaboration tools to maintain communication and project flow within the distributed team.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time work schedule. The hybrid nature of the role offers some flexibility in managing your daily routine while ensuring availability for team collaboration and research activities, which may involve coordinating with colleagues in different time zones.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial screening call with a recruiter to discuss your background, experience, and interest in the role, focusing on your foundational understanding of UX research principles.
• Interview(s) with members of the UX research team and potentially a UX Designer or Product Manager, where you will discuss your past research projects, methodologies, and ability to translate findings into insights. Be prepared to talk through specific examples from your portfolio.
• A potential design/research challenge or case study presentation where you may be asked to analyze a hypothetical scenario, propose a research approach, or present a detailed walkthrough of a project from your portfolio, emphasizing your process and contributions.
• Final interview(s) focusing on cultural fit, collaboration skills, and how your aspirations align with the team and company's goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure your case studies clearly, outlining the problem, your research approach, methodologies used, key findings, and the impact of your research on the product or design.
• For each project, explicitly state your role and specific contributions, especially in collaborative or team-based research efforts.
• Highlight your understanding of the research process from planning to synthesis and reporting.
• Showcase your ability to communicate research insights effectively, perhaps including examples of reports, presentations, or personas you've created or contributed to.

Challenge Preparation:

• If given a design/research challenge, clearly articulate your thought process and proposed research methodology. Focus on justifying your choices based on the problem presented.
• Practice presenting your case studies or challenge solution concisely and engagingly, focusing on the most impactful insights and your role in achieving them.
• Be prepared to discuss potential limitations of your research approaches and how you would address them.

ATS Keywords: User Research, UX Research, Usability Testing, User Interviews, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Data Analysis, Research Synthesis, Persona Development, Journey Mapping, Stakeholder Communication, Cross-functional Collaboration, SaaS, Product Development Lifecycle, Figma, Maze, Dovetail, Empathy, Curiosity, Attention to Detail, User Needs, User Behavior, Insights, Reporting, Presentation, Agile.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: While not explicitly a research tool, familiarity with Figma is beneficial for understanding the design artifacts you will be working with and providing feedback on design concepts informed by research. Expectations are likely around viewing and commenting rather than advanced design creation.
• Maze: A platform for conducting unmoderated usability testing and gathering user feedback on prototypes or live products. Experience with setting up tests, analyzing results, and identifying usability issues using Maze would be valuable.
• Dovetail: A tool specifically designed for organizing, transcribing, analyzing, and synthesizing qualitative research data. Comfort with uploading research data, tagging insights, creating highlights, and generating reports in Dovetail is a plus.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Collaboration tools (likely Slack, Google Workspace, or similar) for daily communication and coordination with the distributed product, design, and engineering teams.
• Project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) for tracking research tasks and integrating findings into product development sprints.
• Documentation platforms (e.g., Confluence, Notion) for maintaining the research repository and sharing insights across the organization.

Research & Testing:

• Survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics) for designing and distributing quantitative surveys to gather user feedback at scale.
• User interview platforms (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet) for conducting remote moderated interviews.
• Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, product analytics platforms) for accessing quantitative data that can complement qualitative research findings.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• Tireless Advocacy for the End User: A core value emphasized in the job description, requiring a deep understanding and championing of user needs and struggles within the company.
• Compassion for Users: Demonstrating empathy and a genuine desire to understand the challenges users face when interacting with the platform.
• Putting Users' Needs First: Prioritizing the user experience in all research activities and advocating for design and product decisions that best serve the user.
• Desire to Provide the Best Experiences: A commitment to contributing to a product that is intuitive, efficient, and delightful for users.

Collaboration Style:

• Collaborative and Fast-Paced Environment: The team structure encourages close collaboration with product, design, and engineering teams to quickly integrate research insights into the development process.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working with stakeholders across various locations requires effective communication and coordination skills.
• Emphasis on Communication: The ability to effectively communicate research findings to diverse audiences through presentations and written formats is essential.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Integrating user insights effectively within a fast-paced, cross-functional product development cycle, requiring strong communication and collaboration skills to ensure research findings are heard and acted upon.
• Working with users worldwide, which may involve navigating language barriers, cultural nuances, and scheduling research sessions across different time zones.
• Balancing user needs with business constraints and outcomes, requiring the ability to articulate the impact of user experience on business goals.
• Maintaining and contributing to a research repository, ensuring that insights are well-organized, accessible, and reusable for the entire team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Opportunity to deepen your understanding of various UX research methodologies by working alongside experienced researchers.
• Exposure to the complexities of a leading SaaS platform in the partnership management space, gaining valuable domain knowledge.
• Development of skills in utilizing specific research and design tools like Maze and Dovetail, enhancing your technical proficiency.
• Potential for growth into a more independent research role as you gain experience and demonstrate your capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Be prepared to discuss your understanding of the user-centered design process and how UX research fits into each stage. Provide examples from your experience.
• Explain your approach to planning and conducting a basic usability testing study. Walk through the steps you would take from defining objectives to reporting findings.
• Describe a time you conducted user interviews. How did you prepare, what techniques did you use, and how did you analyze the data?

Company Culture Questions:

• Research Impact.com's product and target users. Be prepared to discuss your initial thoughts on the user experience and potential areas for research.
• Think about how you approach collaboration with designers, product managers, and engineers. Provide examples of successful cross-functional teamwork you've been a part of.
• Discuss your passion for advocating for the end user. Share a story where you championed user needs and the outcome of that advocacy.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select 1-2 case studies that best showcase your foundational research skills and process. Focus on projects where you had significant involvement, even if not the lead.
• For each case study, clearly articulate the problem you were trying to solve, the research questions you addressed, the methodologies you used, and the key findings.
• Explain how your research insights influenced design or product decisions. Quantify the impact if possible.
• Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced during the research process and how you overcame them.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link.
• Tailor your resume to highlight relevant experience in UX research, particularly any work with SaaS platforms, and include keywords from the "ATS Keywords" section.
• Prepare a portfolio showcasing 1-3 detailed case studies of your user research projects, focusing on your process, methodologies, findings, and impact.
• Practice articulating your research process and the insights gained from your portfolio projects, focusing on clear communication and storytelling.
• Research Impact.com's business, product, and target users to demonstrate your interest and understanding during interviews.