Senior UX Researcher - Software Development
Z's Associates, Inc

Job Info

---

ZS is a professional services firm that works side by side with companies to help develop and deliver products that drive customer value and company results. From R&D to portfolio strategy, customer insights, marketing and sales strategy, operations and technology, we leverage our deep industry expertise and leading-edge analytics to create solutions that work in the real world. Our most valuable asset is our people-a fact that's reflected in our values-driven organization in which new perspectives are integral and new ideas are celebrated. ZSers are passionately committed to helping companies and their customers thrive in industries ranging from healthcare and life sciences, to high-tech, financial services, travel and transportation, and beyond.

Senior User Experience Researcher

The Software Development (SD) team at ZS is a diverse, collaborative and smart group with offices in India and the United States. The UX team within this group conducts user-centered strategy, research and design in support of ZS' software products and productized assets. In this team you will have an immediate impact on the full lifecycle of our solutions as we bring a user-centered design approach to software development, configuration and ongoing administration of our clients' business processes.

Role Overview

We seek a Senior User Experience Researcher to join our fast growing team in Evanston, IL. User Experience team members make ZS solutions useful, usable and desirable for people. We seek someone who is passionate about applying user-centered design methods to solve complex business problems and deliver a best-in-class user experience.

This role works across various lifecycle stages, from discovery to continuous enhancement, as we integrate UX into the work of multi-disciplinary teams and broad range of client engagements.

Your expertise will enable us to provide quantitative and qualitative research and insights to our clients and stakeholders. We expect relevant, hands-on experience in a wide range of methods used in the enterprise user experience space, including ethnographic studies, user interviews, usability testing, card sorting, heuristic reviews and surveys. The Researcher provides clarity and insight into user needs, and articulates user requirements for business processes, systems and tools. Under the direction of the UX Research Lead, you will:
• Participate in UX research
• Contribute to the design of the research approach based on business goals and desired outcomes
• Assist in the execution of research to capture user insights and elicit requirements for client engagements and internal ZS initiatives
• Support the analysis, preparation, and communication of research findings for executive reports and presentations
• Produce deliverables that communicate user research insights in an effective way
• Enable the translation of findings into actionable plans
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams throughout the project lifecycle, including documentation of user types (personas), scenarios, tasks, conceptual models and process flows
• Support and inform the creation of wireframes, mock-ups, prototypes and other related design artifacts
• Strive for optimal usability and user engagement for the end-to-end experience by leveraging industry standards Contribute to development and dissemination of UX expertise inside ZS
• Teach and mentor junior team members about UX research findings that support or establish new design best practices and industry standards
• Contribute to a design thinking culture within and beyond the Business Technology / Software Development practice area at ZS

Qualifications

ZS welcomes candidates who hold a Masters or PhD degree in Human Computer Interaction, Human Factors, the social sciences (Anthropology, Psychology, Cognitive Psychology), or a related field.

We are looking for individuals with 5-7 years of experience in the field of User Experience, with a focus on enabling and delivering complex, high-volume, high profile business applications, portals, mobile applications, interactive dashboards, data visualization and information design.

The most critical qualifications include:

Business Knowledge and Acumen:

• Ability to understand complex business processes and how they manifest in enterprise software to support end-users.
• Functional understanding of enterprise software is required, including portals, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, content management systems, collaboration technologies, and Business Intelligence (BI) systems.
• Ability to collaborate with technical teams to produce feasible solutions in support of Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, and Analytics teams.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to deeply and quickly understand varying business needs holistically.
• Previous experience working in pharmaceutical industry and knowledge of healthcare is preferred.

User Experience:

• Demonstrated experience applying human factors engineering and ergonomics to optimize user interfaces in digital tools.
• Portfolio featuring user-centered design studies that lead to positive business outcomes.
• Strong experience working within a user-centered design (UCD) process and leveraging user research techniques such as ethnographic studies, user interviews and usability testing; the demonstrated ability to execute and facilitate a research study end to end is required.
• The ability to incorporate insights from research studies into synthesized findings in a manner that is easily understood by clients and ZS project team members.
• Demonstrated aptitude for user research report writing.

Client Management and Communication:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, especially the ability to clearly articulate and document research findings, recommendations and decisions; keeps UX and Project Team leads up-to-date;
• Excellent collaboration skills and the ability to contribute to design discussions using research to obtain consensus on project requirements;
• Ability to participate in a team environment where individuals can communicate and contribute freely. Listens carefully to client and user needs and issues; asks questions that drive discussions forward;
• Addresses open issues and inquiries in written and oral dialogue to advance projects.

Additionally, we seek individuals with the following personal skills:

• Curious, results driven, confident and committed to professional growth

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively on several projects simultaneously in a matrixed and fast paced environment, with a tolerance for and a commitment to overcome ambiguity

• Can work independently, prioritize time and is quick on his/her feet

• An engaging, active partner in identifying user experience recommendations

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to listen to and build rapport with study participants, designers, project teams and executives

Candidates should have the ability to travel to client locations (25%) to work with teams and provide in-person expertise.

Candidates must possess permanent work authorization for their intended country of employment.

An on-line application, including a cover letter expressing interest and a user research portfolio with a formal writing sample is required to be considered.

ZS is a global consulting firm. Fluency in English is required; additional fluency in at least one European or Asian language is desirable.

Candidates must possess or be able to obtain work authorization for their intended country of employment. An on-line application, including a full set of transcripts (official or unofficial), is required to be considered.

ZS offers a competitive compensation package with salary and bonus incentives, complete medical/dental/life insurance programs and retirement savings benefits. ZS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment and advancement opportunities without regard to any class protected by applicable law.

ZS is committed to providing and maintaining a safe workplace. Must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire to be considered. Proof of vaccination will be required. Religious/Medical Exemptions can be requested on a limited basis upon hire.

NO AGENCY CALLS, PLEASE.

This job has expired.