UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher

Company: FocusKPI Inc.

Location: Mountain View, CA

Job Type: CONTRACTOR (6-month contract)

Category: User Research

Date Posted: 2025-06-16T00:00:00

Experience Level: 5-7 years (7+ years preferred)

Remote Status: Hybrid (on-site 4 days a week)

🎨 Role Summary

• Conducting end-to-end user research studies for innovative health applications, from planning and execution to analysis and reporting.
• Utilizing a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies including usability testing, in-depth interviews, observation, and contextual inquiry.
• Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, Designers, Writers, and Software Engineers to integrate user insights into the product development lifecycle.
• Synthesizing complex research data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for diverse stakeholders to drive design and product direction.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Align with product stakeholders (PM, Head of User Experience and Human Factors, Regulatory Affairs, Head of Engineering) to define research objectives and understand project milestones.
• Manage participant recruitment efforts, including writing screeners and coordinating with recruiting vendors to secure appropriate participants for studies.
• Develop detailed study plans outlining research methods, timelines, and key information necessary for successful study execution.
• Independently moderate user research sessions, including remote and in-person studies, effectively guiding participants and capturing valuable data.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative research data to identify key findings, patterns, and insights related to user behavior, needs, and pain points.
• Prepare and deliver compelling research reports and presentations to communicate findings and recommendations clearly and persuasively to various internal teams.
• Partner with design, writing, and development teams to translate research insights into tangible product improvements and guide the iterative development process.
• Contribute to the development of human factors documentation, including validation plans and risk analysis, ensuring compliance and user safety in health applications.
• Utilize research findings to inform and shape the long-term health strategy and product roadmap, focusing on how health products can seamlessly integrate into users' lives.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to other researchers on the team, offering constructive feedback on research reports and fostering a collaborative research environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a research-related domain such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Factors, Anthropology, Psychology, or a comparable field. Advanced degrees are often preferred for senior roles but not explicitly required here.

Experience: 5-7 years of dedicated UX Research or Human Factors experience is required, with a preference for candidates possessing 7 or more years of experience. Demonstrated experience leading multiple end-to-end research studies throughout the product development lifecycle is essential, as evidenced by a strong portfolio or case studies.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in a variety of user research methodologies, including but not limited to usability testing, in-depth interviews, observational studies, and surveys.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills to effectively communicate research findings and recommendations to diverse audiences, including technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, demonstrating self-motivation and strong organizational skills.
• Experience collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, particularly with design and product management functions, to integrate user insights into the product development process.
• Fluency in best practices for user experience design and user research, with a strong understanding of user-centered design principles.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience conducting user research specifically on consumer health products, wellness applications, or medical devices.
• Familiarity with products and strategies aimed at motivating users towards healthy behavior change.
• Experience using metrics and measures to evaluate the success and impact of iterative design and research approaches.
• Previous experience mentoring or leading junior researchers, providing guidance and feedback on research methodologies and deliverables.
• Experience conducting research on various consumer devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, and other wearable technology.
• Proficiency in running prototype software on mobile devices and conducting remote research sessions via video conferencing tools.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Include case studies that clearly demonstrate your end-to-end user research process, from defining research questions and selecting methodologies to data analysis and reporting.
• Showcase projects where you have successfully translated research findings into actionable design or product recommendations.
• Highlight your experience with different research methods, illustrating your ability to select the appropriate approach based on research objectives and constraints.
• Demonstrate your ability to synthesize complex data into clear, concise, and visually compelling reports or presentations.

Process Documentation:

• For each case study, provide details on the research goals, participant recruitment strategy, methodologies used (e.g., usability testing script, interview guide), and data collection methods.
• Clearly articulate your analysis process, explaining how you synthesized raw data into key findings and insights.
• Document how your research insights influenced design decisions and product outcomes, showcasing the impact of your work.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $80/hr to $89/hr. This is a competitive hourly rate for a mid-to-senior level UX Researcher in the Mountain View, CA area, reflecting the high cost of living in the Silicon Valley region and the specialized nature of the role in health tech. This estimate is based on the provided range and general industry benchmarks for contract roles of this experience level and location.

Benefits: Specific benefits for this contract role are not detailed in the job description. Contract positions often have varying benefit packages compared to full-time roles. It is recommended to inquire directly with the recruiter or hiring manager about specific benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, or other perks that may be offered to contractors.

Working Hours: This is a full-time contract position, typically implying standard business hours (e.g., 40 hours per week). The hybrid nature requires being on-site in Mountain View, CA, 4 days a week, suggesting a need for availability during core team collaboration hours.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Data Infrastructure and Analytics, with a focus on Business Intelligence, AI, and Staffing Solutions. The company also has a strong emphasis on applied AI and predictive analytics, which likely influences their approach to user data and insights within their staffing and potentially other ventures.

Company Size: 11-50 employees (LinkedIn data). This indicates a relatively small, agile company where individuals likely have broad responsibilities and the ability to make a significant impact. This size suggests a less hierarchical structure than larger corporations.

Founded: 2010. FocusKPI has over a decade of experience in data science and technology, evolving to include AI and staffing solutions.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher will be part of a cross-disciplinary team including Product Managers, Designers, Writers, and Software Engineers, indicating a collaborative development environment.
• The role involves reporting to a Manager, suggesting a standard reporting line within the organization.
• The emphasis on working closely with various stakeholders (PM, Design, Engineering, Regulatory Affairs) highlights a matrixed team structure focused on project-based collaboration.

Methodology:

• The team utilizes an iterative research and design approach, emphasizing rapid cycles of testing and refinement.
• There is a focus on using data collected from user studies to drive design and product decisions, indicating a data-informed or data-driven approach.
• The need to work with prototypes and conduct multiple studies suggests a lean and agile research methodology.

Company Website: http://focuskpi.com

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is positioned at a mid-to-senior level, requiring 5-7 years of experience with a preference for 7+ years. The responsibilities indicate a degree of independence in leading studies and potentially mentoring others, aligning with a senior individual contributor path or a stepping stone towards leadership.

Reporting Structure: The position reports to a Manager, which is a standard reporting structure for a UX Researcher role. This provides a clear line of guidance and support while allowing for independent work on research projects.

Design Impact: The role is described as having the goal of increasing users' awareness and proactivity in improving their health, indicating a direct impact on user behavior and product outcomes within the health application space. The collaboration with Product and Design teams ensures research findings directly influence product direction and design decisions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Developing deeper expertise in health and wellness user research, a specialized and growing field.
• Opportunity to mentor and guide other researchers, building leadership and team management skills.
• Gaining experience working in an iterative, fast-paced environment, enhancing adaptability and efficiency in research execution.
• Exposure to cross-functional collaboration with engineering, product, and even regulatory affairs teams, broadening understanding of the full product lifecycle.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: The job is based in Mountain View, CA, requiring on-site presence 4 days a week. This suggests a traditional office environment for the majority of the work week, facilitating in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): The primary work location is Mountain View, CA. FocusKPI also has an office in Santa Clara, CA (headquarters) and Waltham, Massachusetts, but this role is specifically tied to the Mountain View location for the client project.

Design Workspace Context:

• Being on-site 4 days a week facilitates close, in-person collaboration with the cross-functional product team, which is crucial for iterative design and research.
• The office environment likely provides dedicated spaces for conducting usability testing and in-depth interviews, either in labs or designated research rooms.
• Proximity to design and product team members allows for spontaneous discussions, whiteboarding sessions, and quick feedback loops on research findings and study planning.

Work Schedule: This is a hybrid role with a significant on-site component (4 days/week). While some flexibility may exist on the remote day, the core work likely aligns with standard business hours to facilitate collaboration with the on-site team.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, experience, and fit for the contract role.
• Portfolio Review/Presentation: Expect to walk through several case studies from your portfolio, focusing on your research process, methodologies, findings, and impact on product/design decisions. Be prepared to discuss the "why" behind your research choices.
• Technical/Methodology Interview: A deeper dive into your research skills, knowledge of various methodologies, ability to handle ambiguity, and approach to data analysis and synthesis.
• Cross-functional Team Interviews: Conversations with Product Managers, Designers, and potentially Engineers to assess collaboration skills, communication style, and ability to integrate research into the team's workflow.
• Human Factors/Domain Interview (for health tech): Given the health application focus, there might be questions related to human factors principles, regulatory considerations, or experience in the health/wellness domain.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure case studies to clearly articulate the problem, your research goals, the methodologies you chose and why, key findings, and the actionable recommendations you provided.
• Quantify the impact of your research whenever possible (e.g., "Research insights led to a 15% increase in feature adoption").
• For each study, explicitly mention the tools and technologies you used for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Be prepared to discuss challenges you faced during research and how you overcame them.

Challenge Preparation:

• While not explicitly mentioned, some UX Researcher interviews include a take-home assignment or an on-site whiteboard challenge related to designing a research study for a given problem. Practice outlining research plans quickly and articulating your rationale.
• Be ready to discuss how you would approach researching a specific problem within the health and wellness space.
• Prepare to discuss how you handle ambiguous research questions and refine them into testable hypotheses.

ATS Keywords: User Research, UX Research, Human Factors, Usability Testing, In-depth Interviews, Observational Studies, Contextual Inquiry, Surveys, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Data Analysis, Research Synthesis, Actionable Insights, Recommendations, Stakeholder Communication, Cross-functional Collaboration, Product Development Lifecycle, Health Applications, Wellness Products, Medical Devices, Prototyping, Iterative Design, Report Writing, Presentation Skills, Mentoring, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User-Centered Design, Participant Recruitment, Screener Writing, Study Planning, Data Collection, Research Analysis, Prototype Testing, Mobile Research, Wearable Devices Research, Agile, Lean UX, Regulatory Affairs, Risk Analysis, Human Factors Validation, Behavioral Change, Metrics, Evaluation Measures, Design Thinking, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Detail-Oriented, Organizational Skills, Fast-Paced Environment, Ambiguity, Flexibility, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Results-Driven.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools: While the role is research-focused, familiarity with design tools used by collaborators is beneficial. The description doesn't specify exact tools, but common tools in this space include:

• Figma or Sketch for understanding design prototypes and specifications.
• Adobe XD may also be used for prototyping.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Slack or Microsoft Teams for team communication and collaboration.
• Jira or similar project management tools for tracking research tasks and integrating with product development cycles.
• Documentation platforms like Confluence for documenting research plans, findings, and reports.

Research & Testing:

• Remote testing platforms such as UserTesting.com, Lookback, or Dovetail for conducting remote studies and organizing qualitative data.
• Survey tools like Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey for quantitative data collection.
• Data analysis tools (ranging from spreadsheets like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to statistical software) for analyzing quantitative data.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• User-Centered Focus: A strong emphasis on understanding user needs and behaviors to drive product development, central to the role's objective of improving user health awareness and proactivity.
• Data-Informed Decision Making: Reliance on user research data and insights to inform design and product direction, reflecting the company's overall focus on data science and analytics.
• Iterative Approach: Comfort with a fast-paced, iterative research and design cycle, valuing continuous learning and refinement based on user feedback.
• Collaboration: A collaborative environment where researchers work closely with product, design, and engineering teams, emphasizing shared goals and knowledge exchange.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional collaboration is key, with the researcher working as an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Expect regular meetings and communication with product managers, designers, and engineers to align on research goals and share findings.
• A culture of providing and receiving constructive feedback is likely, especially within the iterative research and design process.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Working in a fast-paced, iterative environment requires the ability to quickly design and execute research studies while maintaining rigor and delivering actionable insights.
• Translating complex user behaviors and needs related to health and wellness into clear, impactful recommendations for product and design teams.
• Balancing the needs of various stakeholders (Product, Design, Engineering, Regulatory Affairs) with the realities of user behavior and research findings.
• Conducting research on health-related products may involve navigating sensitive topics and ensuring participant comfort and ethical considerations are met.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specializing in user research within the growing and impactful health technology sector.
• Developing expertise in conducting research on consumer devices like wearables and smartphones in a health context.
• Opportunity to refine skills in iterative research methodologies and rapid synthesis of findings.
• Potential to take on mentorship responsibilities, developing leadership and guidance skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Describe your end-to-end user research process for a recent project. Be prepared to walk through each stage, from problem definition to reporting.
• How do you choose the most appropriate research methodology for a given research question? Provide examples.
• How do you handle situations where research findings conflict with stakeholder assumptions or existing product plans?

Company Culture Questions:

• Based on your understanding of our focus on health applications and iterative development, how would you contribute to our team's research culture?
• Describe a time you collaborated effectively with a cross-functional team (Product, Design, Engineering) to integrate research insights into a product.
• How do you handle ambiguity in research goals or project requirements?

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select case studies that are most relevant to the health tech domain or showcase your experience with methodologies mentioned in the job description (usability testing, interviews, etc.).
• For each case study, clearly articulate the business problem, the research questions you aimed to answer, your methodology choice and rationale, key findings, and the impact your research had on the product or design.
• Be prepared to discuss the challenges you encountered during the research process and how you addressed them.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link
• Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in user research, particularly any work in health, wellness, or related fields. Use keywords from the job description and ATS keyword list.
• Prepare your portfolio to showcase relevant case studies of your end-to-end research process and the impact of your work. Ensure case studies clearly articulate methodologies, findings, and recommendations.
• Research FocusKPI and their work in data science and AI, as well as the specific focus of this role on health applications, to demonstrate your interest and understanding.
• Practice presenting your portfolio and discussing your research process clearly and concisely, anticipating questions about your methodology, findings, and collaboration style.