Qualitative Experience Researcher

Qualitative Experience Researcher

Location: Plano, TX
Duration: 3 months

Position Summary

We are seeking experienced Qualitative Experience Researchers with a strong background in consumer research to lead strategic, generative, and exploratory research initiatives. This role is specifically focused on research—not UX/UI design.

The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience conducting qualitative research that explores consumer needs, behaviors, motivations, challenges, and aspirations, particularly in studies conducted without relying on prototypes, wireframes, or digital flows.

Candidates should bring expertise in moderated research and participatory methodologies such as ethnography, contextual inquiry, concept exploration, co-creation, collaging, priming exercises, and semi-structured interviews. Experience conducting consumer research within an agency environment and/or industries such as consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, healthcare, or financial services is highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end qualitative consumer and experience research, including research planning, methodology development, participant sessions, analysis, synthesis, and reporting.

• Conduct generative, exploratory, and evaluative research to uncover consumer needs, behaviors, motivations, challenges, and aspirations.

• Define research approaches based on business objectives, stakeholder needs, and research questions.

• Lead discovery activities and stakeholder alignment prior to research execution.

• Design and facilitate moderated research sessions using methods such as ethnography, contextual inquiry, co-creation, collaging, concept exploration, priming exercises, and semi-structured interviews.

• Analyze complex qualitative data to identify patterns, relationships, themes, and meaningful insights.

• Translate research findings into clear, concise, and actionable recommendations.

• Develop compelling research reports, presentations, visualizations, and narratives that communicate insights effectively.

• Connect findings across studies and leverage previous research to inform new questions and use cases.

• Lead research debriefs and communicate findings and recommendations to cross-functional stakeholders, including senior and executive leaders.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to build a shared understanding of business challenges, consumer needs, and potential solutions.

• Provide research expertise and informed recommendations throughout the development of customer experiences.

• Manage multiple research initiatives while maintaining research rigor and data integrity.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of demonstrated qualitative consumer or experience research experience.

• Demonstrated experience conducting generative and exploratory research independent of prototypes, wireframes, or digital interfaces.

• Strong experience conducting moderated research and participant interviews.

• Experience using a variety of qualitative methodologies, including ethnography, contextual inquiry, concept exploration, co-creation, collaging, and semi-structured discussions.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize complex qualitative data into actionable insights.

• Strong pattern-recognition and thematic-analysis skills, with the ability to identify relationships and nuances across qualitative data.

• Experience translating research findings into compelling narratives, presentations, visualizations, and recommendations.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and storytelling skills.

• Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills with experience working across multidisciplinary teams.

• Ability to communicate research findings and recommendations to stakeholders at all organizational levels.

• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Proactive and self-motivated approach to research and stakeholder engagement.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, UX Research, Cognitive Science, or a related field.

Four additional years of relevant professional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience working within a research, insights, strategy, or consulting agency environment.

• Experience conducting ideal-experience or strategic consumer research.

• Experience with consumer research outside of primarily digital experiences.

• Background conducting research within consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, healthcare, financial services, or similar consumer-focused industries.

• Strong experience with insight translation and data visualization.

• Experience presenting strategic research findings to senior or executive stakeholders.

Tools

• FigJam – Cross-functional research collaboration, synthesis, and team activities.

• Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint – Research planning, qualitative data analysis, reporting, visualization, and presentation development.

• Maze – Review and support of unmoderated usability research prior to launch.