UX Researcher & Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher & Service Designer Company: Brainlake Advertising LLC Location: Doha, Qatar Job Type: CONTRACTOR Category: User Experience (UX) & Service Design Operations Date Posted: 2025-12-06 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4+ years) Remote Status: On-site (Hybrid potential implied by telecommute flag, but on-site stated in AI data)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead strategic discovery and experience design initiatives for new product or service launches, focusing on a holistic service perspective that extends beyond digital interfaces.
• Drive end-to-end service design processes, from initial user and market research to the creation of detailed service blueprints and functional experience frameworks.
• Translate complex user behaviors, internal processes, operational constraints, and business objectives into clear, actionable design strategies and functional experience architectures.
• Own the foundational UX and service design elements of initiatives, ensuring scalability and value delivery across diverse markets and user segments.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with UI designers, product owners, content strategists, and development teams to ensure seamless integration and execution of designed experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The location_type is listed as "TELECOMMUTE" while ai_work_arrangement is "On-site". This suggests a hybrid model is likely, with a primary expectation of on-site presence in Doha, Qatar, but with potential for remote work flexibility. This role requires a deep understanding of operational workflows and constraints, making it a strong fit for individuals with a background in operations or a keen interest in the operational underpinnings of service delivery. The emphasis on "service logic" and "structural backbone" points towards a role that bridges design and operational strategy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive competitive and market benchmarking analyses to identify strategic positioning opportunities and potential gaps within the service landscape.
• Spearhead qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies to deeply understand user needs, behaviors, motivations, and to rigorously validate initial assumptions.
• Engage in thorough stakeholder interviews across business, operations, and technical domains to gain insights into business objectives, existing operational workflows, and critical constraints.
• Develop detailed end-to-end user journey maps, meticulously identifying experience bottlenecks, points of friction, and potential failure moments within the service lifecycle.
• Create robust service blueprints that comprehensively illustrate the interplay between frontstage customer interactions, backstage operational processes, and supporting systems.
• Define and document the essential information architecture (IA) and experience flows required for the seamless and efficient functioning of the proposed service across all touchpoints.
• Produce clear and functional UX wireframes for key touchpoints, ensuring they align with the broader service architecture and user needs.
• Synthesize complex research findings and analytical insights into concise, strategic recommendations that guide product and service development direction.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with UI designers, product owners, content teams, and development leads to ensure consistent vision and execution.
• Present research findings, design decisions, and strategic rationale effectively to internal teams and stakeholders, employing structured communication and convincing arguments.
• Proactively ensure that designed experiences are scalable and adaptable across different markets, languages, and diverse user segments, considering operational implications for each.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on operational aspects of service design, including "internal processes," "operational constraints," "service logic," and "structural backbone." This indicates a need for candidates who can think holistically about how a service operates from an organizational and process perspective, not just from a user interface standpoint. The emphasis on translating "real user needs" and "business objectives" into "functional experience frameworks" suggests a strategic role that requires a blend of research, design, and operational thinking.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, Information Science, or a related field is often preferred. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience:

• A minimum of 4+ years of progressive experience specifically within UX research and service design roles.
• Demonstrated experience in taking ambiguous problem spaces and transforming them into clearly defined, structured, and actionable frameworks for product or service development.
• Proven track record of successfully employing and leading journey mapping, service blueprinting, experience flow creation, and information architecture (IA) development.
• Strong capability in analyzing intricate and complex services, distilling them into understandable components, and delivering clear, logical, and structured strategic direction.

Required Skills:

• UX Research: Expertise in designing and executing both qualitative (e.g., interviews, ethnography, usability testing) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, analytics) research methodologies.
• Service Design: Deep understanding and practical application of service design principles, including journey mapping, service blueprinting, and ecosystem mapping.
• User Behavior Analysis: Ability to interpret and synthesize user behavior patterns, motivations, and needs to inform design decisions.
• Qualitative Research: Proficiency in conducting user interviews, focus groups, and contextual inquiries.
• Quantitative Research: Experience with survey design, data analysis, and interpreting statistical data to validate hypotheses.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Skill in eliciting requirements, understanding business objectives, and identifying operational constraints from diverse internal stakeholders.
• Journey Mapping: Competency in creating detailed visual representations of user interactions and experiences over time.
• Service Blueprinting: Ability to develop comprehensive blueprints that illustrate frontstage and backstage processes, systems, and organizational roles.
• Information Architecture (IA): Strong understanding of organizing and structuring content and navigation within digital products and services.
• Experience Flows: Proficiency in mapping out the sequences of user actions and system responses within a service.
• UX Wireframing: Ability to create low-fidelity visual representations of interface layouts and user flows.
• Research Insights Translation: Skill in synthesizing raw data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with UI designers, product managers, developers, and other cross-functional teams.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely to various audiences.
• Usability Principles: Solid understanding of established usability heuristics and best practices.
• Human-Centered Design: Commitment to and practical application of human-centered design principles throughout the development lifecycle.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with competitive analysis and market benchmarking tools and methodologies.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and working within cross-functional agile teams.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and their implementation in design.
• Experience in advertising or agency environments, understanding client service delivery.
• Ability to conduct and analyze A/B tests or other experimental designs.
• Experience with user persona development and scenario building.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required experience level and the detailed list of skills suggest this role is for a seasoned professional capable of independent work and strategic thinking. The emphasis on "ambiguous problems" and "structured direction" indicates a need for individuals who are comfortable navigating uncertainty and defining clear paths forward. The inclusion of "operational workflows" and "constraints" in stakeholder interviews points to a strong preference for candidates who understand the practicalities of service delivery within an organization.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory and must demonstrate a deep understanding of research thinking, rigorous synthesis, and strategic service-level design decisions.
• Showcase examples of how you have taken ambiguous problems and structured them into actionable frameworks, detailing your process and rationale.
• Include case studies that clearly illustrate your experience with journey mapping, service blueprinting, and defining information architecture.
• Present projects where you have analyzed complex services, identified key operational bottlenecks, and proposed solutions that enhance efficiency and user experience.
• Demonstrate your ability to translate research insights into tangible design artifacts such as wireframes and experience flows, with clear explanations of your decision-making process.

Process Documentation:

• Portfolios should highlight your ability to document and communicate complex service processes clearly, including frontstage and backstage elements.
• Showcase examples of how you have mapped and optimized end-to-end user journeys, detailing the "before" and "after" states of the process.
• Include examples of service blueprints that clearly articulate system interactions, operational workflows, and the roles of various actors within a service.
• Demonstrate your approach to iterating on processes based on research findings and user feedback, with a focus on continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on service design and operational strategy, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond just UI design to showcase an understanding of how services function operationally. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their process, explain their rationale for design and operational recommendations, and demonstrate how they have used research to influence strategic direction and improve overall service delivery. The emphasis is on "service-level design decisions" and "functional experience frameworks," requiring a portfolio that reflects this strategic depth.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the location (Doha, Qatar), the contract nature of the role, and the 4+ years of experience required, a competitive salary range for a UX Researcher & Service Designer is estimated to be between QAR 15,000 to QAR 25,000 per month. This estimate is based on current market data for similar roles in Doha, considering the specialized nature of service design and UX research, and the contractor employment type.

Benefits: As a contractor, benefits packages can vary significantly. Standard benefits may include:

• Competitive monthly rate as outlined above.
• Potential for contract extension based on performance and project needs.
• Professional development opportunities through project work and exposure to new initiatives.
• Opportunity to work on innovative product/service development within a dynamic advertising and technology environment.
• Exposure to diverse projects and client needs within the Qatar market.

Working Hours: The role specifies an estimated 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, flexibility may be available depending on project deadlines and team collaboration needs. The nature of research and design often requires focused periods of work, which may include some flexibility in scheduling.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates for contract roles in Qatar are highly dependent on the specific agency, project scope, and candidate's demonstrable experience. The provided range is a benchmark and candidates should be prepared to negotiate based on their qualifications and the specific terms of the contract. The "TELECOMMUTE" location type alongside "On-site" work arrangement could imply a hybrid schedule, which might influence the negotiation of benefits or daily work structure.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising & Marketing Technology. Brainlake Advertising LLC operates within the dynamic advertising sector, likely leveraging technology and creative services to deliver client solutions. This industry context suggests a fast-paced, client-focused environment that values innovation, strategic thinking, and effective execution. The integration of UX and service design indicates a forward-thinking approach to client solutions, moving beyond traditional advertising to encompass broader service and product experiences.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the provided data, Workable job listings often correlate with small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) or startups. This implies a potentially agile and less hierarchical structure, offering opportunities for significant individual impact and direct collaboration with leadership.

Founded: Company founding date is not specified in the input.

Team Structure:

• The UX Researcher & Service Designer will likely be part of a product development, innovation, or client solutions team.
• Reporting structure may involve a Head of Product, Innovation Lead, or a Senior Creative Director, depending on the company's internal organization.
• Cross-functional collaboration is expected with UI designers, front-end developers, product owners, marketing strategists, and potentially client-facing account managers.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: Emphasizes the use of both qualitative and quantitative research to uncover user needs and validate assumptions, directly informing strategic direction.
• Workflow Planning and Optimization: Focuses on mapping and understanding existing operational workflows and constraints to design effective service logic and experience frameworks.
• Automation and Efficiency Practices: While not explicitly stated, the role's focus on optimizing services implies an underlying drive for efficiency and potentially the integration of automated processes where beneficial.

Company Website: https://brainlake.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Operating within an advertising agency framework means the UX Researcher & Service Designer will likely be client-facing or working on client-driven projects. This requires adaptability, strong client communication skills, and the ability to translate client objectives into robust service designs. The company's presence on a platform like Workable suggests a modern, potentially tech-savvy organization.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Mid-Senior level, requiring 4+ years of experience. It's a foundational role responsible for defining the strategic and operational blueprint of new services. The position demands autonomy and the ability to lead discovery processes independently.

Reporting Structure: The UX Researcher & Service Designer will likely report to a senior leader within product, innovation, or design, such as a Head of Product, Director of Experience Design, or Creative Director. This structure allows for strategic guidance while enabling independent execution of research and design tasks.

Operations Impact: This role has a significant impact on the operational success and user adoption of new products and services. By defining the core service logic, user journeys, and operational frameworks, the UX Researcher & Service Designer directly influences how a service will function, scale, and deliver value. Their work forms the critical foundation upon which development teams build, thus impacting client satisfaction, operational efficiency, and ultimately, business revenue.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunity to deepen expertise in service design methodologies, operational analysis, and cross-functional team leadership through complex project work.
• Strategic Influence: Potential to transition into roles with greater strategic influence, such as Head of Service Design, Senior Product Strategist, or Innovation Lead, by demonstrating impact and leadership.
• Broader Design Leadership: Develop leadership capabilities by mentoring junior designers, leading design sprints, and contributing to the overall design vision and operational strategy of the company.
• Industry Exposure: Gain experience across various client projects within the advertising and technology sectors, expanding a professional network and portfolio.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is crucial for defining the "structural backbone" of new initiatives. Growth will come from successfully leading these foundational phases, demonstrating the ability to manage ambiguity, drive strategic clarity, and influence cross-functional teams toward a unified operational and experiential vision. Success in this role can lead to more senior positions focused on product strategy, innovation leadership, or even broader operational oversight.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Given the "On-site" work arrangement, the environment is likely a professional office setting within Doha. The "TELECOMMUTE" flag might indicate a hybrid work model, allowing for some remote days, but the primary expectation is on-site presence.

Office Location(s): Doha, Qatar. Specific details about the office building or accessibility are not provided but can be inferred to be within the business districts of Doha.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect an office designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, common areas, and potentially open-plan workspaces where designers and developers can interact.
• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to standard office technology, design software, research tools, and collaboration platforms will be provided to facilitate the research and design process.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with the core product/innovation team, as well as broader company staff, facilitating knowledge sharing and alignment on project goals.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are estimated at 40 hours per week. While there's a core expectation of on-site presence, the nature of research and design often allows for some flexibility in daily scheduling, provided project deadlines and collaborative needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid potential, indicated by conflicting remote/on-site data, suggests an environment that values both focused, individual work and in-person collaboration. Candidates should clarify expectations regarding on-site requirements and hybrid flexibility during the interview process.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements. Be prepared to highlight your most relevant service design and UX research projects.
• Technical/Portfolio Review: An in-depth discussion focused on your portfolio. Expect to walk through 1-2 key projects, detailing your process, research methodologies, insights, design decisions, and the impact of your work. This stage will assess your ability to articulate complex concepts and your strategic thinking.
• Stakeholder/Team Interviews: Conversations with potential team members and hiring managers. These interviews will focus on your collaboration style, problem-solving approach, understanding of operational constraints, and cultural fit within the Brainlake Advertising LLC team.
• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment, long-term vision, and final offer terms.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your end-to-end service design capabilities, from research and synthesis to blueprinting and defining experience frameworks. Prioritize depth over breadth.
• Structure Your Case Studies: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the research methods used, key insights derived, the service design artifacts created (e.g., journey maps, blueprints, wireframes), your final recommendations, and the measurable impact or outcomes.
• Highlight Operational Thinking: Explicitly detail how you considered internal processes, operational constraints, and business objectives in your design process. Use service blueprints and workflow diagrams effectively.
• Articulate Your Rationale: Be prepared to explain why you made certain design or research decisions, linking them back to user needs, business goals, and operational realities. Avoid "fluff" and focus on clear, logical reasoning.
• Demonstrate Scalability: Showcase how your designs are built to scale across different markets, languages, or user segments, and address any operational considerations for such scaling.

Challenge Preparation:

• Hypothetical Scenario: You may be presented with a hypothetical product or service challenge. Be ready to outline your initial approach to understanding the problem, identifying research needs, and beginning the service design process.
• Process Mapping Exercise: You might be asked to quickly sketch out a user journey or a service blueprint for a familiar service to demonstrate your thought process and familiarity with these tools.
• Strategic Thinking: Prepare to discuss how you would balance user needs with business objectives and operational constraints. Focus on problem-solving and strategic decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "structured and convincing way" for presentations and the need to explain reasoning "without fluff" indicates a preference for clear, concise, and data-driven communication. Candidates should practice articulating their process and impact, particularly how their work translates into functional and scalable service operations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research Tools: Proficiency in tools for qualitative data collection (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Dovetail) and quantitative data analysis (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms, basic statistical software).
• Service Design Tools: Expertise in diagramming and mapping software like Miro, Mural, Figma (for collaboration and prototyping), Lucidchart, or Adobe Illustrator for creating detailed journey maps and service blueprints.
• Prototyping & Wireframing Tools: Strong skills in Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar tools for creating wireframes and interactive prototypes.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand user behavior on digital touchpoints.
• Ability to interpret data from various sources to inform research and design decisions.
• Experience in creating reports and presentations that clearly communicate research findings and strategic recommendations.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a primary focus, an understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms function is beneficial, as these often interface with customer-facing services.
• Awareness of how operational workflows might be supported or automated by technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires proficiency in tools for research, ideation, and prototyping. The emphasis on service blueprints and journey maps suggests a need for strong diagramming and collaborative whiteboard tools. While direct CRM/automation expertise isn't listed as core, understanding their role in operational workflows is a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Approach: A strong emphasis on using research and data to inform all decisions, moving beyond assumptions to validated insights.
• Efficiency & Optimization: A drive to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in service delivery and user experiences, focusing on streamlined processes.
• User-Centricity: A core commitment to understanding and meeting user needs as the primary driver for service design and development.
• Collaboration & Communication: Valuing open communication, constructive feedback, and strong teamwork across various disciplines to achieve shared goals.
• Strategic Impact: A focus on delivering work that has a tangible, positive impact on business objectives and client success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively seeking collaboration with design, product, development, and potentially marketing/sales teams to ensure a unified approach to service delivery.
• Process Review Culture: An environment where workflows and design decisions are open to review and feedback, fostering continuous improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of research findings, design best practices, and operational insights across the team and broader organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely values a blend of creative problem-solving and rigorous, analytical thinking. For professionals in this role, demonstrating an ability to collaborate effectively, communicate complex ideas clearly, and champion a user-centered yet operationally-sound approach will be key to fitting in.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: The primary challenge will be taking undefined product or service initiatives and structuring them into clear, actionable frameworks. This requires comfort with uncertainty and strong problem-framing skills.
• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing and synthesizing input from diverse stakeholders (business, users, operations, development) with potentially conflicting priorities.
• Translating Insights to Action: The challenge of ensuring research insights are not just documented but are truly translated into impactful design and strategic decisions that influence product direction.
• Operational Integration: Ensuring that the designed experiences are not only user-friendly but also feasible and efficient from an operational and technical standpoint within the company's or client's infrastructure.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Service Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced service design methodologies, tools, and strategic frameworks.
• Cross-functional Leadership: Develop leadership skills by guiding cross-functional teams through the discovery and design phases of new initiatives.
• Industry Exposure: Gain broad experience across various client projects, understanding diverse business models and operational challenges within the advertising and tech sectors.
• Strategic Impact: Opportunity to influence the strategic direction of new product/service offerings and contribute to the company's innovation pipeline.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant opportunity for growth by tackling complex, ambiguous problems. The challenges are designed to foster strategic thinking, leadership, and a deep understanding of how user experience intersects with business operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took an ambiguous problem and structured it into a clear, actionable framework. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your problem-framing, research, and synthesis approach).
• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives and operational constraints when designing a new service?" (Prepare a case study that exemplifies this balance, detailing your trade-offs and decision-making).
• "Walk us through a complex service you've designed. What were the key components, how did you map the user journey and service blueprint, and what were the critical operational considerations?" (Be ready to present your portfolio piece and explain your methodology in detail).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Brainlake Advertising LLC and this specific role?" (Research the company's recent work, clients, and any stated values related to innovation or client solutions).
• "How do you approach collaboration with UI designers, product managers, and developers?" (Provide examples of successful cross-functional collaboration and how you handle disagreements or differing perspectives).
• "How do you measure the success of a UX research or service design initiative?" (Discuss key metrics related to user satisfaction, operational efficiency, adoption rates, and business impact).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your portfolio projects as narratives. Start with the challenge, describe your journey, highlight key discoveries and decisions, and conclude with the impact.
• Visual Clarity: Use clear, well-designed artifacts (journeys, blueprints, wireframes) that are easy to understand. Ensure they are legible and clearly annotated.
• Focus on Process & Rationale: For each project, emphasize how you arrived at your conclusions and designs. Explain the "why" behind your research methods and design choices, linking them to user needs and operational realities.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the positive outcomes of your work. This could include improvements in user satisfaction, efficiency gains, or business results.
• Address Operational Aspects: Explicitly discuss how your designs considered and integrated with operational workflows, systems, and constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a candidate who can not only design great experiences but also understand and articulate the operational mechanics that make those experiences viable and scalable. Be prepared to discuss the "backstage" elements of service delivery as thoroughly as the "frontstage" user interactions.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-focused UX Researcher & Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workable job portal link.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your end-to-end service design process, from research and synthesis to blueprinting and framing functional experience architectures. Ensure these examples highlight your ability to handle ambiguous problems and consider operational constraints.
• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to highlight keywords from the job description, such as "UX Research," "Service Design," "Journey Mapping," "Service Blueprinting," "Information Architecture," "Stakeholder Interviews," and "Operational Workflows." Quantify your achievements wherever possible.
• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio projects, focusing on clearly articulating your process, research insights, design rationale, and the operational impact of your work. Be ready to explain your decision-making logic concisely.
• Research Brainlake Advertising LLC: Understand their mission, recent projects, and client base. Consider how your service design approach can add value to their offerings and client solutions.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.