UX Researcher

Overview

**This role is seeking candidates who are authorized to work in Canada and located within commuting distance to Toronto, Ontario to be on-site 3 days/week.

Our large financial services client seeks a UX Design Researcher to join their Digital Design team. In this Consultant role, you will help shape the experiences they create through each of their digital products. As part of a cross-functional team of designers, product managers, and developers embedded in a product, journey, or channel, you will identify upcoming decisions that require research input, propose methodologies, conduct fieldwork, analyze and socialize the results.

The team believes that research is not a silo or a black box that outputs ‘insights.’ If you also believe this, you can achieve this together by working closely with the rest of the team. This will ensure they participate along each step of the way.

What Will You Do

• Proactively identify research opportunities to inform product strategy and design decisions and create alignment around those opportunities and results.
• Work closely with product, design, and marketing to conduct generative and evaluative research
• Represent the users’ voice and needs by engaging with them on platforms/channels such as Alida, Maze, and the internal UAP program.
• Design and facilitate internal workshops to gather information about new work or areas of focus
• Managing multiple research activities by effectively prioritizing and communicating those priorities and their implications with peers and partners.
• Mentoring product designers in the research craft to democratize and enable research in the different pillars

Design Research Strategy

• Build relationships with key stakeholders within and outside the design team
• Support designers and business stakeholders in prioritizing potential research activities
• Develop research fieldwork approaches (moderated or unmoderated) that address business and design objectives

Research and Testing (Execution, Synthesis, Analysis):

• Develop research activities to evaluate prototypes, improve understanding of the current context, or generate new understanding of changing user needs.
• Moderate live sessions with users and RBC people covering high-complexity or sensitive topics
• Communicate core themes and implications of your research activities to the design team and other stakeholders
• Design and facilitate ideation sessions and collaborative work activities

What You WIll Bring

• 5+ years of deep experience conducting generative and evaluative, qualitative research using a variety of research methods
• Proficiency for in-person and remote workshop design and facilitation
• Strong presentation and storytelling skills
• Experience collaborating effectively with designers and members of other functional teams (Product, Tech, Business, Marketing, etc.)
• Experience managing and/or mentoring other designers and researchers
• Experience conducting research in a B2B setting (strongly preferred but not required)
• Experience working in highly-regulated industries (financial institutions, healthcare/pharma, etc.) and/or the loyalty space
• Experience with our current tool set: Alida, Maze, Fable, Figma, Mural
• Experience in community management
• Technical understanding of design research theory / design research tools
• Working knowledge of a variety of design research methodologies
• Experience working in cross-functional teams
•  BA/BS degree or a related field or equivalent practical experience

Nice to have

• MA/MS degree or certification
• Appreciation for design thinking
• Experience working within a large organization and an agile environment
• Experience contributing to digital product launch

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands. 

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. 

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment—one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.