User Researcher

IBM; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job description

Introduction

In this role, you’ll work in one of our IBM Consulting Client Innovation Centres (Delivery Centres), where we deliver deep technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients around the world. Our delivery centres offer our clients locally based skills and technical expertise to drive innovation and adoption of new technology.

A career in IBM Consulting is rooted by long-term relationships and close collaboration with clients across the globe. You’ll work with visionaries across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Your ability to accelerate impact and make meaningful change for your clients is enabled by our strategic partner ecosystem and our robust technology platforms across the IBM portfolio, including Software and Red Hat.

Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation to success in IBM Consulting. In your role, you’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, investigate ideas outside of your role, and come up with creative solutions resulting in ground-breaking impact for a wide network of clients. Our culture of evolution and empathy centres on long-term career growth and development opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

We Offer

• Regular and frequent promotion and progression opportunities to ensure you can drive and develop your career with us
• Feedback and checkpoints throughout the year; no one off annual reviews here
• A multitude of training opportunities from classroom to e-learning, mentoring and coaching programs as well as the chance to gain industry recognized certifications
• Diversity & Inclusion as an essential and authentic component of our culture through our policies and process as well as our Employee Champion teams and support networks
• A culture where your ideas for growth and innovation are always welcome
• Internal recognition programs for peer-to-peer appreciation as well as from manager to employees
• Tools and policies to support your work-life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programs, 1 month paid paternity leave, 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday, a gym discount scheme, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Program, a group personal pension plan of an additional 5% of your base salary paid by us monthly to save for your future.
  
  

Your Role And Responsibilities

IBM is seeking a skilled User Research Specialist with a focus on the public sector. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in conducting user research, utilizing user-centered design methodologies, and creating tools such as pain point and experience trackers. The successful applicant will be responsible for understanding user needs, identifying pain points, and designing solutions that enhance user experiences within the public sector domain.

An Experience Consultant specializing in Research is responsible for conducting a range of methodologies to gather customer insights for creating engaging and interactive digital experiences, including web, mobile, and other digital platforms. These techniques may encompass ethnographic research, generative research, quantitative research, workshops, third-party research, surveys, focus groups, social listening, prototyping, usability, and accessibility testing. The role requires interpreting and analyzing research data, extracting valuable insights, and applying analytical skills and technical or statistical backgrounds to uncover user needs and behaviors. Ultimately, the Experience Consultant in Research plays a crucial role in shaping brand experiences and communications that resonate with target audiences.

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Conduct user research using both qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews, surveys, usability testing, and analytics analysis.
• Employ user-centered design methodologies to inform design decisions, focusing on empathy, iterative design, and evidence-based practices.
• Develop and implement strategies to identify and document user needs, pain points, and expectations.
• Design and maintain user personas, user journey maps, and experience trackers to visualize and communicate user insights effectively.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders, to ensure user needs are considered at all stages of the development process.
• Conduct heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs to improve interface design and user flow.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in user research and user-centered design.
  
  

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. However, for you to be eligible for this role, you must have the valid right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we do not offer visa sponsorship and have no future plans to do so. You must be a resident in the UK and have been living continuously in the UK for the last 10 years. You must be able to hold or gain a UK government security clearance.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, or Cognitive Science. An advanced degree is preferred.
• Experience in user research, preferably within the public sector.
• Proven experience with user-centered design methodologies and their application in a professional setting.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret research findings and translate them into actionable insights.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to effectively share findings with diverse audiences.
• Proficiency with research tools and techniques such as A/B testing, card sorting, and contextual inquiry.
  
  

Desirable Certifications

• Certified Professional in User Experience (CXP-IU) by the International Association of UX Professionals (IAUXP).
• Certification in User Research by the User Research Association (URA), if available.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) certification.
  
  

This role requires a candidate who is passionate about understanding human behavior and how to leverage those insights to create meaningful, effective, and accessible digital solutions for the public sector. If you're a detail-oriented, empathetic, and analytically skilled professional looking to make a significant impact on public services through user research, we encourage you to apply.