Senior Design Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Design Researcher

Company: Hudl

Location: Lincoln, NE, United States; Omaha, NE, United States (Remote options available in Kansas City, MO; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Product Research

Date Posted: 2026-06-01T20:50:26

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid/Remote Eligible

🚀 Role Summary

• Serve as the dedicated research expert for Hudl's Hardware business unit, focusing on automated capture and wearable technology.

• Drive product strategy and inform design decisions by conducting deep qualitative and quantitative research across hardware and software domains.

• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, elevating research practices and ensuring insights directly influence product outcomes.

• Leverage AI-assisted tools fluently to accelerate research synthesis and pattern recognition, optimizing feedback loops for product development.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Designers to define research objectives and communicate findings through compelling storytelling and clear metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is primarily focused on Design Research, with a strong emphasis on hardware product development, user needs analysis, and the strategic application of AI in research processes. The Senior level indicates a need for leadership, mentorship, and the ability to independently drive research initiatives.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design research initiatives for the Hardware business unit, encompassing automated capture and wearable technology products.

• Conduct comprehensive qualitative research, including in-depth interviews, usability studies, focus groups, field studies, and prototype evaluations.

• Execute quantitative research methodologies to gather data, analyze user behavior, and measure product performance.

• Embed within product teams to maintain direct customer connections and ensure product development aligns with user needs and market opportunities.

• Develop and own research plans, ensuring alignment with product roadmaps and business objectives.

• Synthesize complex research data into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives for diverse stakeholders, including Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and leadership.

• Utilize AI tools fluently to enhance research efficiency, particularly in synthesis, pattern recognition, and generative research tasks.

• Mentor and guide junior designers and cross-functional team members in research best practices, methodologies, and effective insight translation.

• Champion a user-centered design approach by advocating for user needs and ensuring research findings directly inform product strategy and design decisions.

• Collaborate with Product Managers and Designers to right-size research objectives, scope, and timelines for maximum impact.

• Present research findings and recommendations through compelling visualizations, storytelling, and data-driven metrics.

• Track and measure the impact of research insights on product outcomes and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on research execution, strategic leadership, and cross-functional enablement. The emphasis on hardware research, AI fluency, and connecting insights to product outcomes are key differentiators for this Senior Design Researcher role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Five or more years of professional experience as a Design Researcher or UX Researcher within technology environments.

• Proven track record of successfully connecting research insights directly to design outcomes and product development.

Required Skills:

• Hardware Research Mastery: Deep expertise in research methodologies specifically applied to hardware products, consumer electronics, and wearable technology.

• Qualitative Research Expertise: Proficiency in a wide range of qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, usability testing, field studies, focus groups, and prototype evaluations.

• Quantitative Research Acumen: Ability to design and execute quantitative research to gather data, analyze user behavior, and measure product impact.

• AI-Assisted Research Fluency: Practical experience and a strong point of view on leveraging AI tools to accelerate research delivery (e.g., synthesis, pattern recognition) without compromising rigor.

• Insight Generation & Translation: Exceptional ability to extract critical contextual information about users, environments, and tasks, and translate these into actionable insights that address product obstacles and inform design decisions.

• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability in data visualization and compelling storytelling to make complex research findings approachable for various audiences.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with Product Managers, Designers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to define research objectives and integrate insights into the product development lifecycle.

• Mobile: Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% of the time, both domestically and internationally, for research and team collaboration.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working with software product teams and understanding the unique research requirements in digital product development.

• Familiarity with a broad range of research tools and platforms, including those for qualitative data analysis, quantitative surveys, and AI-assisted research.

• Experience in defining and tracking key research metrics and KPIs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on hardware research, AI fluency, and the specific requirement for 5+ years of experience in tech environments positions this as a senior-level role. The preference for an advanced degree in relevant fields further underscores the academic rigor expected.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of the product development lifecycle, from discovery to iteration, with a focus on how research informs each stage.

• Showcases a minimum of 2-3 significant projects where your research directly led to measurable product improvements or strategic shifts.

• Clearly articulates your role, the research methodologies employed, the challenges faced, and the impact of your findings.

• Includes examples of research conducted on hardware products, consumer electronics, or similar physical goods.

• Highlights your proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, with distinct examples for each.

Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, clearly outline the research objectives and how they were defined in collaboration with product and design teams.

• Detail the specific research processes and methodologies used, explaining the rationale behind your choices.

• Describe how you managed and synthesized research data, including any use of AI-assisted tools for pattern recognition or accelerated analysis.

• Illustrate how findings were communicated to stakeholders, including the types of deliverables (e.g., reports, presentations, workshops) and the methods used for storytelling and visualization.

• Showcase evidence of how your research insights influenced design decisions and product outcomes, ideally with accompanying metrics or qualitative feedback on the impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the senior nature of the role and the emphasis on connecting insights to outcomes, a robust portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase research skills but also the ability to drive product strategy and demonstrate tangible impact, particularly within hardware contexts. The AI fluency requirement should be evident in how research processes were optimized.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $112,000 - $187,000 USD per year.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: This range is based on the provided salary information. Starting salaries are expected to be near the middle of this range, determined by individual experience, skills, and education, in line with internal pay equity practices. This range is competitive for a Senior Design Researcher role in major tech hubs like Chicago, Austin, and Dallas, and aligns with industry benchmarks for experienced professionals in these locations. For Lincoln and Omaha, this range may be at the higher end, reflecting the senior-level expertise required.

Benefits:

• Work-Life Harmony:

  • Flexible vacation time.
  • Company-wide holidays.
  • Timeout (meeting-free) days.
  • Remote work options.

• Autonomy & Trust:

  • Open and honest culture with trust from day one.
  • Agency to own work and try new ideas.

• Career Growth:

  • Lifelong learning environment with abundant resources and opportunities for professional development.
  • Encouragement of professional development.

• Supportive Environment:

  • Well-invested office spaces designed with employees in mind.
  • Provision of necessary tech stack and hardware for optimal performance, whether in-office or remote.

• Wellbeing Support:

  • Employee Assistance Program.
  • Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
  • Fitness partner, Peerfit.

• Health Coverage:

  • Comprehensive medical insurance with multiple plan options.
  • Vision insurance.
  • Dental insurance.
  • Fertility healthcare benefits.
  • Family forming benefits.

• Retirement Savings: Working Hours:

• This is a full-time position, typically expecting around 40 hours per week. While specific hours can be flexible to accommodate work-life harmony, core collaboration times will likely be established within standard business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance, professional growth, and employee wellbeing. The inclusion of fertility and family-forming benefits, along with robust health coverage and 401(k) matching, are significant advantages.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Sports Technology / Software as a Service (SaaS) / Hardware Technology. Hudl serves the sports industry, providing video analysis, scouting, and performance tracking tools for teams at all levels. The Hardware unit specifically focuses on automated video capture and wearable technology within this ecosystem.

Company Size: Hudl is a well-established company, indicated by its presence on Newsweek's Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces. While exact numbers are not provided, its broad reach and investment in hardware suggest a significant employee base, likely in the hundreds to thousands.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but Hudl has been recognized for its workplace culture in 2023, indicating a mature and established organization with a history of employee focus.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Design Researcher will be embedded within specific product teams, likely within the Hardware business unit.

• This role will report into a Design leadership position, potentially a Director or VP of Design, or a Head of Research.

• Collaboration will be frequent with Product Managers, UX Designers, Hardware Engineers, Software Engineers, and potentially Marketing and Data Science teams.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Hudl emphasizes using data and insights to inform product decisions, a core tenet of operations for any tech company.

• User-Centricity: The company's mission to support athletes and coaches highlights a deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs.

• Continuous Improvement: The emphasis on learning, growth, and innovation suggests a culture that embraces iterative development and process optimization.

• AI Integration: The explicit mention of leveraging AI fluently indicates a forward-thinking approach to research and product development processes.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Hudl's culture is described as supportive, focused on learning, and driven by a mission to impact sports. The integration of hardware development alongside their established software offerings presents an exciting opportunity for a researcher to influence physical product innovation. The "team behind the team" perspective is crucial for understanding how operations and research roles contribute to the larger mission.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level Design Researcher position. It signifies a move beyond individual contribution to include leadership, mentorship, and strategic influence. The role is expected to be a subject matter expert in hardware research and AI-assisted methodologies, capable of driving complex projects and elevating team capabilities.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Design Researcher will likely report to a design leadership role (e.g., Director of UX Research, VP of Design) and will be embedded within the Hardware business unit, working closely with Product Managers and Design Leads for that unit.

Operations Impact: The Senior Design Researcher's impact is directly tied to shaping the future of Hudl's hardware products, including automated capture and wearable technology. By translating deep user needs and market insights into actionable product directions, this role will influence product strategy, user experience, and ultimately, customer satisfaction and market adoption of new hardware innovations. This has a direct downstream effect on revenue and competitive positioning.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior researchers and designers, lead research initiatives, and potentially influence the strategic direction of the research function within the hardware unit.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in hardware research methodologies, AI-assisted research techniques, and cross-functional product development.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain experience working with diverse teams across hardware engineering, software development, product management, and potentially hardware operations and supply chain.

• Influence on Product Strategy: Play a key role in shaping the roadmap and vision for innovative hardware products, contributing to the company's growth and market leadership.

• Advancement: Potential pathways to Lead Design Researcher, Research Manager, or other leadership roles within the broader design or product organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior level implies a significant scope of responsibility, including strategic input and team enablement. Growth opportunities are geared towards leadership, specialization, and influencing product direction, aligning with typical career progression for experienced researchers in tech.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hudl offers a hybrid work environment. While they have invested in physical office spaces designed with employees in mind, they also support remote work for eligible candidates in specified locations. This suggests a flexible approach to where work is performed.

Office Location(s):

• Primary locations for in-office work: Lincoln, NE; Omaha, NE.

• Remote-eligible locations: Kansas City, MO; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices are designed to foster collaboration, suggesting meeting rooms, common areas, and potentially open-plan workstations conducive to team interaction.

• Technology-Rich: Employees are provided with the necessary tech stack and hardware to perform their best work, whether in the office or remotely. This likely includes high-performance laptops, monitors, and access to relevant software and tools.

• Cross-functional Interaction: The embedded nature of the role means frequent interaction with various disciplines (Product Management, Design, Engineering), fostering a dynamic and collaborative work environment.

Work Schedule:

• A standard full-time work schedule (approx. 40 hours/week) is expected.

• The company promotes "work-life harmony," implying flexibility in daily scheduling as long as core collaboration times and project deadlines are met. This allows researchers to manage their time effectively for deep work and personal commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and remote-eligible model, along with invested office spaces, indicates a modern approach to work. The emphasis on providing the right technology underscores their commitment to enabling productivity regardless of location.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and resumes, focusing on experience with hardware research, AI fluency, and overall fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will likely present their portfolio, showcasing 2-3 key projects. This will involve detailing research objectives, methodologies, findings, and the impact on product outcomes. Expect in-depth questions about your role, decision-making process, and how you tackled challenges.

• Skills-Based Interview: A focused interview with design or research leaders to assess methodological expertise, AI application knowledge, problem-solving skills, and communication abilities. This may include scenario-based questions or a brief design research challenge.

• Cross-functional Panel Interview: Interviews with Product Managers and/or Designers from the Hardware unit to evaluate collaboration style, ability to translate insights, and understanding of product development workflows.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Design, VP of Product) to discuss strategic alignment, leadership potential, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business and product impact of your research. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "led to a 15% increase in user satisfaction," "informed a product pivot that resulted in X").

• Hardware Specificity: Ensure your portfolio includes strong examples of hardware research, detailing the unique challenges and methodologies you employed.

• AI Integration: Highlight specific instances where you used AI tools to accelerate research processes (synthesis, pattern identification) and explain the benefits and any considerations for rigor.

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as narratives. Clearly define the problem, your approach, the key insights, and the actionable recommendations and their outcomes.

• Visual Clarity: Use clear visuals, charts, and mockups to illustrate your points and make complex data easily digestible.

• Tailor to Hudl: Research Hudl's products, particularly their hardware offerings (e.g., Hudl Focus, Hudl Sideline), and frame your experience in a way that demonstrates an understanding of their market and user base.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for potential discussion around research challenges, such as navigating constraints in hardware testing, dealing with ambiguous user needs, or integrating AI into established workflows.

• Think about how you would approach defining research objectives for a new hardware product at Hudl.

• Practice articulating your research process concisely and persuasively, anticipating questions about trade-offs, ethical considerations, and stakeholder management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize practical application of research skills, particularly in hardware, and the strategic use of AI. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly demonstrates impact is crucial for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Research Platforms: Tools for conducting interviews, usability testing, surveys, and remote research sessions (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

• AI-Assisted Research Tools: AI platforms for qualitative data analysis, synthesis, pattern recognition, and potentially generative research (e.g., Dovetail, Atlas.ti with AI features, specialized AI synthesis tools).

• Prototyping & Design Tools: Familiarity with tools used by design partners (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) for understanding prototypes and user flows.

• Hardware Testing Equipment: While not explicitly listed, experience with or understanding of tools and environments for testing physical hardware products will be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Software: Proficiency in tools for analyzing quantitative data (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, SPSS, R, Python for statistical analysis).

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience creating clear and impactful visualizations (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Google Data Studio, or built-in features of analysis tools) to present research findings.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, an understanding of how user feedback and research insights are captured and utilized within product development workflows is valuable. This may involve experience with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) and documentation platforms (e.g., Confluence, Notion).

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI fluency suggests a need for familiarity with modern AI-powered research tools. Experience with both qualitative and quantitative analysis tools, along with data visualization, is standard for a senior researcher role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user, ensuring that product development is driven by genuine needs and experiences.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing evidence-based insights to guide strategy and product iterations, moving beyond anecdotal feedback.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering an environment where cross-functional teams work together openly, share information, and support each other to achieve common goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Learning: Encouraging the exploration of new ideas, methodologies (like AI in research), and technologies to drive progress and personal growth.

• Impact & Accountability: Focusing on delivering tangible results and taking ownership of research initiatives to ensure they contribute meaningfully to product success and company objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded & Integrated: Researchers are expected to be deeply integrated within product teams, working hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Designers.

• Partnership-Oriented: The approach is collaborative, viewing Product Managers and Designers as partners in the research process, from defining objectives to acting on insights.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: Senior members are expected to guide and uplift others, fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement in research practices.

• Iterative Feedback: A willingness to engage in constructive feedback loops, both giving and receiving, to refine research approaches and product solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Hudl's stated values and culture emphasize collaboration, user focus, and continuous improvement. The "team behind the team" ethos means operations and research roles are integral to the company's success, requiring strong partnership and communication skills.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Hardware Research Complexity: Navigating the unique challenges of researching physical products, including logistics for testing, environmental factors, and the interplay between hardware and software user experiences.

• AI Integration & Rigor: Balancing the efficiency gains of AI-assisted research with maintaining robust methodological rigor and avoiding potential biases or oversimplifications. Developing a clear strategy for AI tool adoption.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent understanding and buy-in for research insights across diverse teams (Hardware Engineering, Software, Product, Marketing) with potentially different priorities.

• Defining "Next": For a business unit focused on defining the future of technology (automated capture, wearables), there's an inherent challenge in researching nascent needs and speculative futures.

• Travel Requirements: Managing the 20% travel commitment, balancing its necessity for research with personal commitments.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Hardware Research Techniques: Opportunities to refine and expand expertise in specialized hardware research methodologies and consumer electronics testing.

• AI in Research Mastery: Becoming a leader in the practical application of AI to accelerate and enhance research processes, potentially influencing company-wide best practices.

• Product Strategy Influence: Gaining deeper experience in shaping product roadmaps and long-term strategies for innovative hardware products.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership skills through mentoring junior team members and leading significant research initiatives.

• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences related to UX research, hardware development, or sports technology to stay abreast of trends and network.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are rooted in the specifics of hardware product research and the integration of new technologies like AI. Growth opportunities focus on deepening specialized expertise and developing leadership capabilities within a growing tech company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used research to significantly influence the direction of a hardware product. What was the outcome?" (Prepare a STAR method answer focusing on impact and methodology).

• "How do you balance the need for deep, qualitative insights with the efficiency of AI-assisted research? Can you provide an example of how you've used AI in your process?" (Focus on your process, tools, and how you ensure rigor).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Hudl's mission and its impact on sports?" (Research Hudl's mission, values, and recent news).

• "How do you foster collaboration with Product Managers and Designers, especially when research findings might challenge existing assumptions?" (Highlight your communication, empathy, and influencing skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, clearly present: 1. The Problem/Opportunity, 2. Your Role & Objectives, 3. Methodology (highlighting hardware specifics and AI use), 4. Key Findings & Insights, 5. Recommendations & Impact (quantified if possible).

• Visuals: Use clean, professional slides with clear charts, graphs, and mockups. Avoid dense text; use keywords and speak to the details.

• Storytelling: Weave a narrative that demonstrates your problem-solving process and your ability to translate complex data into compelling stories that resonate with stakeholders.

• AI Integration Showcase: Explicitly call out how AI tools were used in your process and the benefits achieved (e.g., "Used AI for rapid thematic analysis, identifying key themes 30% faster").

• Hardware Focus: Clearly articulate the unique challenges and considerations of researching hardware products within your case studies.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your presentation to fit within the allotted slot, leaving ample time for Q&A.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating practical application of research skills in hardware, strategic use of AI, and ability to drive impact. Tailoring examples to Hudl's context and products will be highly beneficial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Design Researcher position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application form via the provided link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Customize your resume to highlight your 5+ years of experience in design research, specifically emphasizing your work in hardware, consumer electronics, and your proficiency with AI-assisted research tools. Use keywords from the job description such as "hardware research," "AI-fluent," "qualitative research," "quantitative research," and "user needs analysis."

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your ability to conduct hardware research, leverage AI tools, and drive product impact. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your role, methodology, key insights, and tangible outcomes. Practice presenting your portfolio concisely and persuasively.

• Research Hudl: Thoroughly research Hudl's products (especially hardware), mission, values, and recent company news. Understand their market position and target users in the sports technology space.

• Practice Interview Responses: Prepare answers using the STAR method for behavioral questions, and practice articulating your strategic thinking for scenario-based questions related to hardware research and AI application. Be ready to discuss your portfolio in detail.

• Connect with the Role: Frame your experience and career aspirations in the context of Hudl's mission and the specific challenges and opportunities within their Hardware business unit.

⚠️ 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.