Sr. UX Researcher

Avalara is seeking a Senior User Researcher to join our dynamic UX team, working remotely from India. This role will be integral in driving the research efforts for our global products, with a primary focus on the U.S. and European markets. You will collaborate closely with product managers, UX designers, and engineers to uncover user needs, behaviors, and motivations, providing insights that shape product experiences and drive business impact.

As a Senior User Researcher, you will lead the planning, execution, and synthesis of user research projects, ensuring a deep understanding of our customers to inform the design and development process. You will employ a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods and work with cross-functional teams to create user-centered solutions.

• Research Leadership: Lead end-to-end research projects, from scoping and planning through to execution, analysis, and delivery of actionable insights.
• Collaboration: Partner with product teams, UX designers, and engineers to identify research needs and define research goals, ensuring a user-centered approach in product development.
• Research Methods: Conduct a variety of research activities, including usability studies, user interviews, surveys, ethnographic studies, and heuristic evaluations to gather insights into user behavior and preferences.
• Global Focus: Perform research with U.S. and European-based users and customers to understand the unique needs and preferences of these markets.
• Data Synthesis: Analyze both qualitative and quantitative data, creating clear and compelling narratives that communicate research findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Advocacy: Be a vocal advocate for the user, ensuring user research insights influence decision-making across the product life cycle.
• Documentation & Reporting: Document findings in user personas, journey maps, reports, and presentations that influence and drive design and product strategy.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay updated on industry trends and best practices in user research and recommend new methods or approaches for ongoing improvements.

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in user research, with a proven track record of conducting research for digital products, preferably in global or cross-market contexts.
• Research Skills: Expertise in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including usability testing, interviews, focus groups, surveys, and field studies.
• Global Perspective: Experience working with users in the U.S. and/or European markets is highly desirable.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex findings into simple, impactful insights.
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills, with experience working cross-functionally in product development teams.
• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with UX design principles, product development processes, and a basic understanding of analytics tools and data analysis.
• Adaptability: Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, handling multiple projects simultaneously, and adapting research approaches to meet business needs.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, or a related field.

• Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and engineers to understand research needs and define research goals.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive user research plan for product development, enhancements, or new features.

• Conduct various types of research activities, including:
  • Usability testing: Evaluate how users interact with products and identify areas for improvement.
  • User interviews: Collect in-depth qualitative insights into user needs, motivations, and behaviors.
  • Surveys: Gather quantitative data on user preferences and satisfaction levels.
  • Field studies/ethnography: Understand users in their natural environments (when possible) to gather contextual insights.
  • Heuristic evaluations: Conduct expert reviews to identify usability issues based on established design principles.

• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative data from research findings to identify key patterns and insights.
• Develop user personas, journey maps, and other visual artifacts to communicate user behaviors and needs.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for stakeholders, summarizing findings and providing actionable recommendations.

• Present research findings to product teams and leadership, ensuring insights are incorporated into design and development decisions.
• Advocate for user-centric approaches, ensuring that the voice of the customer is at the forefront of product development.

• Work closely with UX designers, content strategists, and product managers to ensure research insights are translated into design solutions.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure design and research recommendations are feasible and aligned with technical requirements.

• Monitor product performance and user satisfaction through continuous research.
• Identify opportunities for future research based on evolving product goals, market changes, or user feedback.
• Engage with users throughout the product lifecycle, from concept testing to post-launch evaluations.

• Innovate and improve research methodologies, ensuring best practices are followed across all research activities.
• Stay informed about the latest user research tools, techniques, and trends to introduce new methods as needed.

• Conduct research with users from U.S. and European markets, ensuring insights are relevant to those specific regions.
• Adapt research methods to account for cultural differences, market expectations, and user behaviors across different geographies.

• Maintain a well-organized repository of research findings, reports, and insights for reference by other team members.
• Ensure that research learnings are easily accessible to various stakeholders across the company.