User Experience Researcher

Job Description Summary
The User Experience Researcher leads collecting, entering, processing, and analyzing data obtained through user-centered research projects on established and emerging technology solutions and concepts for people with disabilities. This role also helps lead in designing research projects, recruiting participants, ensuring data integrity and security, and writing user-needs/user-experience research reports, manuscripts for publication, and grant proposals. This role also involves directly engaging with study sponsors and other relevant parties within and outside Shepherd Center. The ability to perform research and program activities independently and to collaborate with the rest of the team as needed is critical. Strong skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity are essential to success in this position.

Accountabilities:

• Lead design of research studies on assistive technologies and product usability, accessibility and disability.
• Lead planning for study implementation.
• Lead accessibility compliance audits.
• Recruit and interact with research participants.
• Organize and maintain research participant records.
• Coordinate/lead quantitative and qualitative data collection for individual projects.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Write research reports, papers, articles, and presentations.
• Conduct literature searches for research manuscripts, identifying articles relevant to a selected topic.
• Maintain detailed study records.
• Track progress of projects and provide updates in regular team meetings.
• Prepare administrative reports as required.
• Maintain and update project management tools and files related to data collection activities, presentations, publications, or other dissemination activities as needed.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current and emerging assistive and consumer technologies for people with disabilities, as well as accessibility regulations, policies and guidelines.
• Contribute to program development as needed.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree required, preferably in human computer interaction, public-health, software engineering, design, or related fields.
• Two years research, engineering, or clinical experience in industry, educational, or health care setting, preferred.
• Two years of experience conducting user centered or user experience research for product development.
• Demonstrated expertise in accessibility design principles, guidelines and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to lead development and implementation of new service line focused on accessibility compliance audits for mobile, web, and physical environments
• Experience collaborating with diverse, cross-functional product teams.
• Knowledge and experience in research methods, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and report writing, including evaluating consumer information and communication technologies (ICT), and user-experience/user testing research.
• Skilled in use of productivity software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) required.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience using quantitative data analysis software.
• Strong analytical, writing, and organizational skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to independently solve problems, coordinate communications among research and clinical staff on site and at partner institutions and manage administrative functions and records.
• High level of attention to detail and ability to multi-task.
• Ability to engage/communicate independently with external stakeholders, including project owners on the client side and research participants with disabilities.

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of web and mobile software development environments.
• Experience conducting accessibility audits.
• Doctoral degree and/or certifications in accessibility or user experience research and design.
• Experience leading production of manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed research journals.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in psychology, public-health, engineering, social sciences or related fields.
• Two years research, engineering, or clinical experience in industry, educational, or health care setting, preferred.
• Preference for knowledge, skills, and/or experience in research methods, data analysis, and writing/communication, including evaluating consumer information and communication technologies (ICT), and user-experience/user testing research.
• Skilled in use of productivity software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) required; knowledge of SPSS preferred.
• Strong analytical, writing, and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to solve problems, coordinate communications among research and clinical staff on site and at partner institutions, and manage administrative functions and records.
• High level of attention to detail and ability to multi-task.
• Ability to communicate with external stakeholders and engage/recruit people with disabilities.
• Ability to engage/communicate independently with external stakeholders, including project owners on the client side and research participants.
• Must possess or obtain CITI program certification in human research subjects protection.