About the position
We're hiring a highly motivated and skilled UX Researcher for Custom Applications to join our team! In this role, you'll utilize both qualitative and quantitative research methods to help teams understand user needs, behaviors, and motivations. Your insights will be invaluable in driving decisions to enhance the user experience and satisfaction across our suite of applications and services. This position resides in the User Experience group of the Application Development Division in the Information Technology Services Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation's biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 7,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are essential for enabling the execution of ORNL's broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.
Responsibilities
- Plan and execute all stages of user research studies to uncover insights about user needs, preferences, and behaviors.
- Conduct usability testing, interviews, surveys, and other research methods to collect data from users.
- Conduct heuristic analysis to identify usability and accessibility opportunities for improvement.
- Analyze research findings and synthesize them into actionable insights for the design and product teams.
- Collaborate closely with UX/UI designers, developers, and other stakeholders to translate research findings into design recommendations and improvements.
- Advocate for the user throughout the product development process, ensuring that user needs are prioritized and addressed.
- Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in UX research.
- Deliver ORNL's mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service.
- Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace.
Requirements
- A BS degree in human-computer interaction, psychology, sociology, or a related field of study and five (5) to seven (7) of aligned professional experience is required for consideration.
- Demonstrated expertise in conducting user research to inform UX decisions within the realm of software or application development.
- Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including usability testing, interviews, surveys, and data analysis.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to translate research findings into actionable insights.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to effectively communicate research findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience working in an agile development environment.
- Familiarity with UX design principles and Figma.
Benefits
- Medical and retirement plans
- Flexible work hours
- On-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities
- Prescription Drug Plan
- Dental Plan
- Vision Plan
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Contributory Pension Plan
- Life Insurance
- Disability Benefits
- Generous Vacation and Holidays
- Parental Leave
- Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection
- Employee Assistance Plan
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Accounts
- Wellness Programs
- Educational Assistance
- Relocation Assistance
- Employee Discounts
