Description
User Experience Researcher - 12-Month Contract Opportunity

Note: This role is fully remote and open nationwide, qualified candidates from all time zones are encouraged to apply!

Position S ummary ...

The User Experience (UX) Researchers work to answer the challenging questions in design. In this role, you will reveal what our users need from our products by conducting primary research, exploring the behaviors and motivations of our users, and working with teams of Designers, Product Managers, Engineers and others to develop new features.

The User Experience Researcher will be primarily responsible for designing, conducting, analyzing, and reporting on user-centered design research and usability testing for the company 's product suite , including identification of user needs and goals, task and workflow modeling, ethnography and persona development as well as rapid iterative usability testing, and more formal, in-depth user testing. The User Experience Researcher must be able to work with minimal supervision on multiple concurrent projects.

Responsibilities ...

• Conduct usability research both online and in the field and provide recommendations for improvement.
• Collect and analyze user behavior through server logs, online experiments (A/B testing), benchmark studies, lab studies, and surveys.
• Serve as a member of a team that acts as a 'repository' of research-based usability knowledge.
• Work with project business representatives and team members to test business requirements using heuristic/qualitative methods.
• Work with designers, product managers, engineers, and research managers to prioritize research opportunities in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Determine user needs by conducting task-focused analyses.
• Channel results into the creation of UX artifacts such as personas, wireframes, and mockups.
• Understand and incorporate complex technical and business requirements into research.
• Advocate research findings to diverse audiences through written reports and oral presentations.
• Work with graphic designers to test proposed look & feel initiatives.
• Coordinate, conduct and moderate user group studies, interviews, and surveys

Skills and A bilities ...

• Ability to conceptualize the abstract and manufacture the concrete
• Ability to create simple and intuitive solutions to complex problems.
• Creative ability to envision and articulate the user experience
• Ability to work with partners and internal expe rts to develop user personas
• Expert knowledge of Internet functionality and comparative browser features
• Working knowledge of HTML and other Web technologies ( e.g. CSS, JavaScript, others are a plus )
• Advanced knowledge of best practices in usability as it applies to Web sites and on-line applications
• Superior facilitation, presentation, written and verbal communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Logic and analytical skills
• Proven leadership skills

Competencies ...

• Instill trust: gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity
• Communicate effectively: develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Customer focus: build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions
• Drive results: consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances

Education and E xperience ...

• Minimum Bachelor's Degree in H uman C omputer I nteraction (HCI) , Human Factors, Information Design, Web Design or related field, or comparable experience in the Industry . An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered in lieu of a degree
• Three to five years' experience in documenting and creating interactive solutions to meet the clients' business requirements and objectives (provide portfolio of implemented user designs)
• Three to five year s of exhibited knowledge in developing products or systems, or comparable education.
• Two to three years' experience leading the designs of one or more complex application(s) or services
• Knowledge of accessibility and accommodation requirements related to User Interface development preferred
• Management experience a plus

Who We Are...

NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.