Jobs

Apply Now

Applications processed via employer's online application form

Job Details

Category

Other

Location

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Share

UX Researcher

  • As UX Researcher in Fathom, your role will be to increase the capability within our multi–disciplinary team to drive results for our clients through human–centred design of their digital products and services. You will be primarily responsible for steering the research on individual projects and accomplishing the activities alongside colleagues to reach the desired outcomes.

    Outcomes will be led by research insights, subject knowledge, technology requirements and business goals. This will include originating, conducting, analysing, and reporting on human–centred design research and usability testing for Fathom clients across multiple concurrent projects.

    The UX Researcher is required to have competent to proficient experience and ability in the following 3 areas:

    1. User needs research

    • Analytical and empirical approach to problem solving
    • Promote knowledge throughout the company in research best practice and achieving statistical significance
    • Collaboration with our UX Designers to capture the key gaps in knowledge about our client’s users and identify and choose the most effective research activities to fill those gaps while forever mindful of project time versus cost, e.g. articulation of learning goals and authoring of learning plans
    • Planning and conducting primary research to uncover the behaviour, goals and motivations of users (using techniques such as contextual enquiry, preparing and running workshops and focus groups with users and stakeholders)
    • Develop user surveys and expertly analyse and synthesis research to uncover key themes and direction of travel
    • After analysing research findings, use good judgement to choose the appropriate methods and fidelity of artifacts required for effective team and stakeholder communication – ideated artifacts and deliverables should communicate research with clarity, such as heuristic / expert and comparative reviews, personas, user flows, journey and experience maps
    • Storytelling, communication and persuasion techniques used to ensure user needs are at the forefront of any potential solution

    2. Usability evaluation

    • Planning and facilitation of usability testing on prototypes and higher fidelity products and services
    • Summarise and communicate research findings and results succinctly through compelling artifacts
    • Choose the most appropriate evaluation method, e.g. moderated v unmoderated test, in lab v remote test, usability testing v expert review, usability testing v A/B test, usability testing v survey
    • Interpret usability principles and guidelines and use them to identify likely problems in digital interfaces or in service design
    • Understand how to design an experiment, and how to control and measure variables.
    • Plan and administer facilitate different types of usability evaluation
    • Log and analyse the data from usability evaluations
    • Measure usability and prioritise usability problems
    • Choose the most appropriate format for sharing findings and recommendations, e.g. a report, a presentation, a daily stand–up or a highlights video
    • Persuade design teams and other stakeholders to take action on the results

    3. Information architecture

    • Ability through research, design and testing to establish the flow between a person and a product, service, or environment
    • Uncover and describe users’ mental models of the project domain
    • Obtain, organise, structure, label and prioritise all available content, functions and features
    • Choose between different design patterns for organising content such as faceted navigation, tagging or hub and spoke based on user expectations
    • Develop controlled vocabularies based on research and user language
    • Articulate the importance and use of metadata
    • Analysis of search logs
    • Run online and offline card sorting sessions and tree tests. Interpret results and feed back any changes or impact to the wider team, clients and stakeholders

    The UX researcher is required to have beginner level experience and ability in the following 5 areas:

    1. Content writing

    • Using research to identify and recommend concise plain English content that matches user language and expectations, and meets their needs in context

    2. Prototyping

    • Using desk and usability research plus cognitive psychology and human behaviour knowledge to prototype early ideas with your team
    • It is important to be able to sketch in lo–fidelity to communicate digital product and service experience improvements and recommendations to your team and / or stakeholders

    3. Visual design

    • Using desk and usability research plus cognitive psychology and human behaviour knowledge to provide visual design guidance and assessment during generative research and evaluative stages of research

    4. Interaction design

    • Translating research into user–centred stories about the way an interaction should work
    • Knowledge of UI design patterns which are evidenced in research, user testing and proven best practices, including web standards and accessibility

    5. UX leadership

    • Assessing cost–benefit outcomes of research activities and planning accordingly.
    • Checking in and providing support with team members who are using your research to achieve project outcomes
    • Liaising with stakeholders and managing expectations while always advocating for the human(s) and their needs at the centre of all your work

    As part of the research team, the UX researcher will:

    • Work closely with other UX Researchers to ensure alignment across the research team to best practice, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement
    • As a research team, work closely with the UX Lead to continually monitor and improve our user research processes

    Essential skills / duties the UX researcher must possess include:

    • Proven track record and experience in digital product design
    • The ability to interrogate and interpret data analytic platforms such as Google Analytics
    • The ability to communicate ideas based on research in visual form during collaborative ideation sessions with the full UX team
    • Plan and facilitate workshop exercises to garner insight, knowledge and ideas
    • The successful candidate will have experience that represents how they have achieved statistically significant insights which informed design direction and led to improved results

    Desirable skill / duties for this UX research role include:

    • Contribution to our thought leadership strategy through blog writing, attending industry meet–ups and speaking authoritatively and passionately in your field at external events
    • Practical experience in service design


    Essential skills and qualities every team member in Fathom must possess:

    • To thrive in a dynamic multi–disciplinary environment working on different projects across a multitude of clients with various types of stakeholders you must possess a range of high emotional intelligence skills
    • Excellent organisational and time management skills – you need to be comfortable working on multiple work streams both independently, as part of the Fathom team and with our clients extended diverse teams with various levels of seniority
    • Knowledge, passion and practical experience for human–centred design methodology in product and service design with an inclusive design mindset in everything you do
    • Flexible approach to experience design is essential – we work within a variety of design methodologies, timescales, budgets as well as differing project teams and development methodologies. Important to be able to adapt your processes to the project’s nature and budget
    • The ability to choose the right method and tool to record and communicate your work efficiently and effectively, to create artifacts and deliverables which are easily used and understood by UX designers, developers and our clients with ease. Typically a range of software tools such as (but not limited to) Mural, Whimsical, Sketch, Invision, Figma, Keynote, Microsoft Office suite, G Suite tools, Keynote, Optimal workshop, Typeform, Confluence
    • An innovative creative spirit, who is resourceful and regularly works off initiative
    • Excellent written English, both verbal and presentation communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail throughout all your work
    • Excellent levels of critical thinking, judgement and decision making
      Open to feedback and critique in the spirit of career growth and project success. We encourage sharing through design studios and our monthly ‘Show & Tells’ to reflect, collaborate, and learn more often from smaller units of project work
    • Constant desire to share learnings on relevant topics and themes with your wider team through Lunch and Learns
      Ability to estimate work, communicate closely when needed with project managers, deliver to deadlines, and be vocal early when risk arises
    • Interest in the commercial success of the company—understand the importance of accurate time estimation in commercial contracts
    • Lastly but not least, a strong gif and emoji game for Slack!
Apply Now

Applications processed via employer's online application form