We are looking for a Principal User Researcher who can help to shape the product direction by building a deep understanding of users, competition, and markets. You’ll work with designers, product managers, and developers to strategize together on ambiguous and ambitious challenges. You’ll apply a broad set of research techniques to create empathy and gather insights that influence the product roadmap. You’ll use your storytelling skills to inspire change at all stages of product development by delivering engaging, insightful, and action-oriented recommendations that are easy to digest and act upon.

Your primary job as an advocate for our users is to turn their needs into reality by helping the product team understand what would make a user’s experience more useful, valuable, and delightful. You’ll be joining Microsoft’s larger community of researchers across the globe where we share best practices and celebrate our learning in an annual conference, publications, mentorship programs, and more. Our team is dedicated to creating an inclusive culture to build the most diverse and talented group of employees possible. If you embrace a growth mindset, have a record of accomplishment and of delivering results, and find energy in collaborating with others, this is a team and role for you.

Responsibilities

• Proactively identifies research needs and potential problem areas that need to be researched while balancing reactive research requests by PM and design teams.
• Work closely with cross-functional product teams to develop a research strategy that includes generative and evaluative research studies, and ensure the right data is being collected to positively impact the product direction.
• Conduct a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research activities to inform product design, including but not limited to: usability studies, heuristic evaluations, interviews, surveys, user journey maps, benchmarks, telemetry analyses, and personas.
• Communicate your findings in a clear and concise manner to our key stakeholders on the product and design teams, and drive meaningful action based on those findings.
• Help foster a diverse and inclusive team environment that empowers our team members to do their best work.

Qualifications

• A minimum of MA/MS in Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Human-Computer Interaction or a related field, OR significant industry experience
• 7+ years' experience in user experience research, design research, product research or equivalent
• Proven track record of collaborating across many disciplines - data science, marketing, design, program management, and engineering - to influence product strategy and roadmap
• In-depth understanding and demonstrated experience with using and appropriately selecting a wide variety of design research methodologies including but not limited to: usability studies, prototype testing, concept value testing, field/remote studies, in-depth interviews, heuristic evaluations, user journey mapping, personas, competitive reviews, benchmark studies, and surveys
• Ability to quickly and effectively analyze research data and present rich findings simply and clearly to influence product design and direction
• Strong leadership skills to deliver projects and customer insights within and across product teams that result in strong product impact
• Experience in emerging technologies such as mixed reality applications and/or computer vision
• Proven ability to develop and communicate a research plan that balances strategic and tactical needs
• Passion for learning new technologies and understanding the needs of users across a wide range of technical abilities
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal, and analytical skills
• Comfortable and effective at working with ambiguity and fast-paced environments