UX/UI Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX/UI Researcher Company: Ruby Labs Location: Remote (within ± 4 hours of CET) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design Operations / User Experience Date Posted: 2025-11-02 Experience Level: Mid-to-Senior (2+ years) Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product improvement and user experience enhancement through rigorous UX research and intuitive UI design.
• Develop and execute research strategies to uncover user behaviors, pain points, and needs within competitive markets.
• Translate research insights into actionable design recommendations and create wireframes, prototypes, and mockups using industry-standard tools.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product management, development, and design teams to ensure a cohesive and exceptional user journey across desktop and mobile platforms.
• Leverage data analytics, A/B testing, and user feedback to continuously iterate and optimize product design for maximum impact and user satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is in UX/UI Research, its emphasis on rapid iteration, frequent production updates, and supporting products with significant marketing investment (0 to millions in spend within months) suggests a strong connection to Go-To-Market (GTM) operations. The need to quickly validate design concepts and drive user adoption aligns with the operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making crucial in GTM strategies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive competitor and market research to identify user behaviors, analyze user flows, pinpoint pain points, and understand user needs.
• Critically analyze existing user interfaces and propose design improvements for current solutions, ensuring alignment with user-centered design principles.
• Utilize design tools such as Visily or Figma to meticulously craft wireframes, interactive prototypes, and detailed mockups for both desktop and mobile applications.
• Develop robust user personas, detailed customer journey maps, and conduct thorough usability studies to inform and guide data-driven product development decisions.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with product managers, software developers, and fellow designers to ensure the seamless integration and delivery of intuitive user experiences.
• Design and execute A/B tests, surveys, in-depth interviews, and analyze user analytics to validate design concepts and measure their effectiveness.
• Systematically document research findings, synthesize complex data, and present clear, actionable insights and recommendations to various stakeholders.
• Proactively stay abreast of the latest industry trends, emerging technologies (including AI in design), and UX best practices to continuously refine and elevate the product's user experience strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "support products from early-stage ideation through scaling to large user bases and significant marketing investment (e.g., 0 to millions in spend within months)" strongly implies a need for rapid prototyping and validation that directly impacts GTM strategy and budget allocation. This requires a pragmatic approach to research and design, focusing on outcomes that drive measurable business growth.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Minimum of 2 years of dedicated experience in UX research and UI/UX design, with a proven track record of contributing to product development lifecycles.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments characterized by frequent changes and rapid iteration cycles.
• Proven comfort and capability in pushing updates and new features to production responsibly and efficiently.
• Strong commitment to delivering high-quality user experiences through thoughtful design, rigorous usability testing, and research-backed insights.
• Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a preference for Visily and Figma.
• Solid understanding of user-centered design (UCD) principles, core usability heuristics, and modern accessibility standards.
• Experience in conducting qualitative research methods including user interviews, surveys, and usability testing.
• Proven ability to analyze quantitative data from analytics tools and translate research findings into actionable design recommendations.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience supporting products through rapid scaling, from initial ideation to managing large user bases and significant marketing investments.
• Foundational knowledge of front-end development concepts, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with UI frameworks such as HeroUI.
• Hands-on experience with A/B testing platforms, heat mapping tools (e.g., Hotjar), and web analytics suites (e.g., Google Analytics).
• Prior experience working within fast-paced startup environments.
• Experience leveraging AI-powered tools to enhance and accelerate design workflows, user testing, or research analysis.
• A strong analytical mindset with the ability to make data-driven UX decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for experience supporting products with significant marketing investment and rapid scaling suggests that candidates with experience in performance marketing, conversion rate optimization (CRO), or growth hacking will be highly valued, as these roles often involve similar rapid iteration and data-driven decision-making to drive business outcomes.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your UX research and UI design process from problem identification to final solution.
• Highlight your ability to conduct thorough user research, including methodologies used, key findings, and how those insights directly influenced design decisions.
• Present wireframes, prototypes, and final UI designs, clearly explaining the rationale behind design choices and trade-offs made.
• Include examples of user testing, usability studies, or A/B tests conducted, along with metrics that demonstrate the impact of your designs on user behavior or business goals.
• Demonstrate experience with specific tools like Visily or Figma, showcasing your proficiency in creating detailed mockups and interactive prototypes.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to competitor analysis and market research in your case studies, outlining how you synthesized this information to inform your design strategy.
• Illustrate your process for developing user personas and customer journey maps, and explain how these artifacts were used to guide product development.
• Provide examples of how you have documented research findings and presented actionable recommendations to cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Showcase your experience with iterative design processes, including how you incorporated feedback and conducted further testing to refine designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "fast-paced environments with frequent changes and rapid iteration cycles" and the need to support products with "significant marketing investment," portfolios should emphasize speed, agility, and measurable impact. Case studies demonstrating how research and design contributed to rapid user acquisition, conversion rate improvements, or scaling metrics will be highly regarded.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As an independent contractor role in a remote setting across multiple European countries, compensation is highly variable. Based on industry benchmarks for Mid-to-Senior UX/UI Researchers with 2+ years of experience in comparable European markets (e.g., Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Estonia), a competitive hourly rate would likely fall within the range of €25-€50 per hour, or an equivalent monthly retainer. This translates to an estimated annual equivalent of €52,000 - €104,000, depending on experience, specific location cost of living, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Remote Work Environment: Full flexibility to work from any location, promoting work-life balance and autonomy.
• Unlimited PTO: Generous paid time off policy allowing employees to take time off as needed for rest and personal commitments.
• Paid National Holidays: Observance of national holidays with paid time off, facilitating cultural and personal engagement.
• Company-provided MacBook: Provision of a high-quality Apple MacBook to ensure optimal productivity and access to necessary tools.
• Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement: Opportunity to work as an independent contractor, offering potential tax advantages, networking opportunities, and entrepreneurial freedom. This arrangement is detailed further in a provided document.

Working Hours: This role is designated as Full-Time, typically equating to approximately 40 hours per week. The remote nature and requirement to align with CET time zones offer flexibility within standard business hours for effective collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement" is a significant aspect of the compensation and benefits. Candidates should thoroughly review the provided document to understand the implications, including tax responsibilities, benefits administration, and the nature of the working relationship, as this differs from traditional employment. The salary estimate is based on general European market rates for experienced UX professionals in remote roles and should be considered a benchmark, as actual compensation will be negotiated based on the contractor agreement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Ruby Labs operates across diverse and innovative sectors, including HealthTech, EdTech, and Entertainment. This multi-industry focus allows for broad application of UX principles and exposure to varied user needs and market dynamics.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the mention of "dynamic teams," "diverse portfolio," and "fast-growing team" suggests a company that has moved beyond a small startup phase but is still agile and rapidly expanding. This implies an environment where individual contributions are highly visible and impactful.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's emphasis on "cutting-edge consumer products," "shaping the future," and a "journey of transformation" indicates a forward-thinking and ambitious organizational ethos.

Team Structure:

• The UX/UI Researcher will be part of a product development team, likely collaborating closely with Product Managers, UI Designers, and Software Engineers.
• The reporting structure is not detailed, but in a fast-paced environment, direct collaboration with product leadership is common.
• Cross-functional collaboration is explicitly stated as a key aspect of the role, indicating a team-oriented approach where UX insights are integrated early and often into the product development lifecycle.

Methodology:

• Data analysis is a core component of this role, with an expectation to use research findings and analytics to drive decisions.
• Workflow planning and optimization will be integral to how research is conducted and how designs are iterated upon.
• The emphasis on "frequent changes and rapid iteration cycles" and "pushing updates regularly" points to an agile development methodology.

Company Website: https://rubylabs.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's positioning as being at the "forefront of innovation" and "crafting cutting-edge consumer products" suggests a culture that embraces experimentation, embraces new technologies (like AI), and values rapid learning and adaptation. This is crucial for a UX role that needs to keep pace with evolving user expectations and market trends.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-to-Senior UX/UI Researcher. This implies a level of autonomy, the ability to manage research projects independently, and the capacity to mentor or guide junior team members if applicable. The scope includes not just execution but also strategic input into product direction based on user insights. In a GTM context, this means influencing product-market fit and user acquisition strategies.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly defined, in a remote, fast-paced environment, this role likely reports to a Head of Product, Lead UX Designer, or a Product Manager who oversees the user experience domain. The emphasis on collaboration suggests frequent interaction with engineering and product leadership.

Operations Impact: The UX/UI Researcher's impact is directly tied to enhancing user experience, which in turn drives key business metrics. This includes improving user adoption rates, increasing customer satisfaction, reducing churn, and ultimately contributing to revenue growth by making products more compelling and effective for target audiences. The role's focus on supporting products with significant marketing investment highlights its direct contribution to optimizing marketing spend ROI through better product-market fit and conversion rates.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific research methodologies (e.g., advanced qualitative analysis, quantitative modeling, AI-driven UX tools, accessibility auditing).
• Leadership Development: Transition into a Lead UX Researcher role, managing a team, setting research strategy, and influencing product roadmaps at a higher level.
• Cross-functional Expertise: Develop a deeper understanding of product management, marketing operations, and development processes, potentially leading to roles in Product Strategy or GTM Operations.
• Industry Exposure: Gain broad experience across HealthTech, EdTech, and Entertainment, allowing for specialization or a broad understanding of diverse user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "0 to millions in spend within months" aspect of the role's impact suggests potential for rapid career advancement for individuals who can demonstrate significant contributions to user acquisition and conversion in high-growth scenarios. Success in this role could quickly lead to opportunities in growth-focused product or GTM leadership positions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, offering the flexibility to work from any location.

Office Location(s): The company operates within the CET (Central European Time) zone, and applicants are welcomed from any country located approximately ± 4 hours of CET. This ensures core working hours overlap for effective real-time collaboration. The specific countries listed (Armenia, Moldova, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Montenegro, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine) fall within this broad geographical and time zone requirement.

Workspace Context:

• The remote nature fosters an independent work environment, emphasizing self-discipline and time management.
• Collaboration is facilitated through digital tools, requiring strong communication skills and proactive engagement with team members.
• Access to a company-provided MacBook ensures a consistent and high-quality technological setup for all necessary design and research tasks.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time (approximately 40 hours per week). While remote and flexible, adherence to CET working hours is expected to facilitate seamless collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders. This allows for focused work sessions interspersed with scheduled meetings and team syncs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement to be within ± 4 hours of CET is a critical factor for remote collaboration. Applicants should consider their local time zone and its alignment with typical European business hours to ensure they can effectively participate in meetings and real-time discussions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Review (3-5 days): Initial screening of applications for a potential fit.
• Recruiter Screening (40 minutes): An initial conversation to assess general fit, motivation, and basic qualifications. Prepare to discuss your experience with fast-paced environments and your understanding of the role's impact on product growth.
• Final Interview (60 minutes): A more in-depth discussion, likely with a hiring manager or senior team member, focusing on your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and strategic thinking. Be prepared to dive deep into your portfolio and discuss specific research methodologies and design decisions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Impactful Case Studies: Select 2-3 projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end UX research and design process, focusing on those with measurable outcomes.
• Highlight Rapid Iteration: For projects developed in fast-paced environments, emphasize your ability to adapt, iterate quickly, and deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Quantify Success: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced task completion time).
• Explain Your 'Why': Clearly articulate the research questions you aimed to answer, the methodologies you employed, and the strategic reasoning behind your design choices.
• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Be ready to speak to your experience with Visily, Figma, and any analytics or A/B testing tools used in your projects.

Challenge Preparation:

• Hypothetical Scenario: Be prepared for a scenario-based question where you might be asked to outline your approach to researching and designing a new feature or solving a specific user problem. Focus on your process and how you'd incorporate user feedback and data.
• Design Critique: You might be asked to critique an existing interface or a proposed design, demonstrating your understanding of usability principles and user needs.
• Collaboration Scenarios: Prepare examples of how you've collaborated with product managers and developers to ensure research insights translate into effective product solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Since the role emphasizes supporting products with significant marketing investment and rapid scaling, be prepared to discuss how your UX research and design efforts have directly contributed to growth metrics, user acquisition, or conversion rate optimization. Frame your portfolio and interview responses around business impact and ROI.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in Visily (preferred) and Figma is essential for creating wireframes, prototypes, and mockups.
• User Research Platforms: Experience with tools for conducting user interviews, usability testing, and surveys (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, SurveyMonkey, Typeform).
• AI-Powered Tools: Familiarity and experience with AI tools for accelerating design workflows, user research analysis, or prototyping.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Experience with platforms like Google Analytics to track user behavior, analyze engagement, and identify trends.
• Heatmaps & Session Recording: Familiarity with tools such as Hotjar to visualize user interactions on web pages.
• A/B Testing Platforms: Experience with tools that facilitate A/B testing for design validation and optimization.

CRM & Automation:

• While not primary tools for a UX Researcher, understanding how UX impacts CRM data and user journeys within automated workflows could be beneficial. Familiarity with how user behavior tracked via analytics feeds into CRM systems or marketing automation platforms is a plus.

Other Tools:

• Collaboration Tools: Experience with platforms like Slack, Jira, Confluence, Asana for team communication and project management.
• UI Frameworks: Familiarity with frameworks such as HeroUI.
• Front-end Technologies: Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a plus, aiding in communication with development teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Visily as "preferred" suggests that candidates with direct experience, or a demonstrable ability to quickly learn and adapt to Visily, will have an advantage. The inclusion of AI-powered tools highlights the company's forward-thinking approach and desire for efficiency.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Agility & Speed: A core value is operating at a rapid pace, with "frequent changes and rapid iteration cycles" and the ability to "push updates and new features to production regularly."
• Impact-Driven: The company aims to "make a real impact" and is focused on "building, growing, and winning." Success is measured by results and ambition.
• User-Centricity: A strong focus on delivering "high-quality user experiences through thoughtful design, usability, and research-backed insights."
• Continuous Learning: Staying "up to date with industry trends and UX best practices" is crucial for refining approaches and maintaining innovation.
• Ambition & Drive: Ruby Labs seeks individuals who are "ambitious, driven, and ready to give their best every single day," thriving under pressure and embracing challenges.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close collaboration with product managers, developers, and designers is fundamental to ensuring seamless user experiences.
• Data-Informed Decision Making: Research findings and user analytics are key drivers of decisions, suggesting a culture where data speaks and influences strategy.
• Proactive Communication: In a remote setting, proactive and clear communication is vital for maintaining alignment and driving projects forward efficiently.
• Feedback Exchange: An open environment for feedback and iteration is implied by the rapid development cycles and focus on continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is clearly defined as high-octane and results-oriented. Candidates must demonstrate not only UX expertise but also a strong entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and a proactive approach to problem-solving and collaboration. The emphasis on "winning" and "growing at the speed of your own ambition" suggests a performance-driven environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Rapid Iteration Demands: Constantly adapting to frequent changes and delivering designs under tight deadlines while maintaining quality.
• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Effectively translating user insights into features that also drive significant marketing investment and business growth.
• Remote Collaboration Complexity: Maintaining strong team cohesion and efficient communication in a fully remote, globally distributed team operating within a specific time zone.
• Evolving Technology Landscape: Keeping pace with advancements in UX research tools, design software, and emerging technologies like AI in UX.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Methodologies: Opportunities to master specialized research techniques, including advanced quantitative analysis and predictive modeling for user behavior.
• AI in UX Specialization: Explore and implement AI tools to enhance research efficiency and design innovation, becoming a subject matter expert in this emerging area.
• Product Strategy Involvement: Contribute to strategic product roadmap discussions, leveraging user insights to influence product direction and market fit.
• Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge: Gain exposure to product management, marketing operations, and development cycles, broadening your overall understanding of the product lifecycle and GTM strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "0 to millions in spend within months" challenge is a significant growth opportunity. Successfully navigating this will provide invaluable experience in high-growth, high-stakes product development, which is highly marketable and can accelerate career progression into leadership roles within GTM or product strategy.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Product Growth & UX: "How would you approach researching and designing a new feature for a product that needs to scale rapidly and support significant marketing investment? What metrics would you track to ensure success?" Focus on your process for rapid validation and impact measurement.
• Collaboration & Influence: "Describe a time you disagreed with a product manager or developer about a design decision. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?" Prepare to showcase your ability to advocate for user needs while maintaining collaborative relationships and understanding business constraints.
• Problem-Solving: "Imagine our user acquisition funnel has a significant drop-off at a certain stage. How would you use UX research to identify the cause and propose solutions?" Emphasize your analytical approach and ability to translate data into actionable design improvements.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Ambition & Pace: "Ruby Labs operates at a high speed. Can you give an example of how you've thrived in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment?" Be ready to share specific anecdotes demonstrating your adaptability and drive.
• Remote Work Philosophy: "How do you ensure effective collaboration and communication as a remote team member?" Highlight your proactive communication strategies and experience with remote collaboration tools.
• Impact & Results: "How do you measure the success of your UX research and design efforts in terms of business impact?" Prepare to discuss how your work contributes to key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to user acquisition, engagement, and conversion.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling for Impact: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your process, the solutions you designed, and the measurable results achieved.
• Quantify Everything Possible: Present data and metrics prominently to demonstrate the tangible impact of your work. Focus on metrics related to user behavior, conversion rates, and business growth.
• Showcase Iteration: Highlight how you used feedback and data to iterate on designs, demonstrating your agility and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Tool Proficiency Demonstration: Be ready to briefly walk through key screens or interactions in Figma/Visily, explaining your design choices and how you leveraged the tool's features.
• Focus on "Why": For every design decision, be prepared to explain the user-centered rationale and how it aligns with business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the company's emphasis on rapid growth and significant marketing investment, frame your portfolio and interview responses around how your UX/UI contributions directly drive business outcomes such as user acquisition, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value. This demonstrates a GTM-aligned mindset.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX/UI Researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Ashby.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your CV and portfolio to highlight your experience in fast-paced environments, rapid iteration, and projects that demonstrate significant user growth or conversion improvements.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 2+ years of UX research and UI design experience, prominently featuring keywords like "user-centered design," "usability testing," "wireframing," "prototyping," "Figma/Visily," "data analysis," and "A/B testing."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your process and showcasing your portfolio with a focus on business impact and quantifiable results, especially in scenarios involving rapid scaling and marketing investment.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Ruby Labs' product offerings across HealthTech, EdTech, and Entertainment, and understand their stated values of ambition, speed, and impact.

⚠️ 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.

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