User Experience (UX) Research

Join a leading organization in the financial services and insurance sector, where innovation meets impact. This company is dedicated to delivering exceptional digital experiences, driven by a mission to serve diverse user groups with cutting-edge solutions. As a key contributor, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital products, directly influencing user satisfaction and driving business outcomes through insightful research.

We are seeking a dynamic and highly skilled **User Experience Research Contractor** to join our Experience Research team. In this role, you will independently scope and execute custom research across a wide array of digital assets, impacting the experiences of customers, agents, and internal stakeholders. You'll partner closely with software product development teams, including Product Owners, UX Product Designers, UX Content Strategists, business teams, and Information Technology, to align research with business objectives and technology capabilities, ensuring design solutions truly meet user needs. This is an exciting opportunity to lead impactful research projects, identifying user needs and behaviors to build best-in-class experiences.

**What You'll Do:**

* Spearhead complex research initiatives to define strategy for diverse product experiences, directly impacting user satisfaction and driving business outcomes.

* Champion end-users by seamlessly integrating insights from various sources, including primary and secondary research, industry trends, and operational data.

* Forge high-trust partnerships with colleagues across multiple teams and departments, fostering collaboration and innovation.

* Lead high-visibility research projects, collaborating closely with key stakeholders such as UX, Product Owners, IT, and Analytics.

* Lead the objective-setting and discovery process, including user persona development, journey-mapping, and interpretation of user goals.

* Influence business partners to act on research insights by providing clear, actionable recommendations and relevant business context.

* Communicate findings with clarity and impact, tailoring your message for senior and executive-level stakeholders.

* Embrace diversity of perspective and foster effective collaboration with cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals.

**What You'll Bring:**

**Must-Have Qualifications:**

* 5+ years of UX Research experience in a corporate agile setting.

* Bachelor's degree in Human Factors, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Design OR Master's degree with 3+ years of relevant experience (Master's preferred).

* Expertise in a wide range of qualitative research methods, including usability studies, interviews, focus groups, surveys, card sorts, and heuristic reviews.

* Exceptional communication skills, adept at translating data into actionable insights both verbally and in writing.

* Expertise in data-driven storytelling, transforming raw data into compelling narratives and visualizations.

* Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative research tools, as well as UX methodologies such as Design Thinking and Lean UX.

* Commitment to ongoing learning and staying current with industry techniques and tools.

* Strong organizational, analytical, critical thinking, and team-building abilities.

* Proven track record of effective collaboration with cross-functional teams.

* Proficient in standard office applications.

**Nice-to-Have Qualifications:**

* Experience in the financial services or other highly regulated industries.

* Extensive experience with agile planning and development processes.

* A track record of independent decision-making with strong business judgment.

* Flexibility to adapt and excel in a dynamic environment.

* Experience with quantitative research methods.

* A commitment to diversity and inclusion, actively embracing and promoting different perspectives.

**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. More information on our awesome benefits!

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.

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