Senior Evaluative UX Researcher

Where we work

Udemy is a global company headquartered in San Francisco, with additional U.S. offices in Denver and Austin, and international hubs in Australia, India, Ireland, Mexico, and Türkiye. This is an in-office position, requiring three days a week in the office (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) and flexibility on Mondays and Fridays.

About your skills

• Mixed methods research: Skilled in conducting mixed-methods research (integrating qualitative and quantitative methods) with experimental rigor, such as surveys, controlled usability studies, and validation methods such as tree testing, card sorting, and benchmarking. Skilled in statistical validation, power analysis and regression analysis.
• Expertise in Human-Computer Interaction:  Proficient in understanding user behavior, cognitive processes, usability principles and how they should inform the design of intuitive, accessible and efficient user experiences. Combines academic HCI knowledge with applied research to address complex design challenges and improve human-technology interactions.
• Synthesis and analytics: Able to uncover, integrate and make sense of complex user behavior data and academic research into clear, actionable insights and design recommendations.
• Communication: A strong visual communicator, storyteller, and presenter, able to clearly articulate research insights in unique ways that meet the needs of different audiences.
• User advocacy: A relentless user advocate on a mission to create deep user empathy across the organization.
• Collaboration: A strong collaborator with great facilitation skills.
• Research methods: Expert in contextual inquiries, iterative testing methodologies, findability, learnability and recoverability testing, usability testing, benchmarking, mixed methods and user inspection methods like heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthroughs and PURE.
• Communication skills: Excellent English oral and written communication skills, including the ability to articulate and present rationale behind your research decisions and design recommendations.
• Design ambassador: An ambassador for design & research, who brings diverse stakeholders together to align and work together to solve problems in a human centered way.

About this role

• Overview: The Udemy Research team is seeking a highly-skilled Senior Evaluative UX Researcher to conduct impactful evaluative research to measure and perfect our learning experiences. You will serve as the methodological backbone for solution validation and optimization, applying rigorous Human Computer Interaction principles to ensure our products meet the highest standards of usability and accessibility. This role is specifically focused on the 'Develop and Deliver' phases of the double diamond design process, where scientific precision meets user advocacy. Come and join a growing team that is lighting the way toward a Udemy learning experience that transforms people’s lives through learning.
• Our why: Research is at the heart of Udemy’s goal to be obsessed with our customers, bringing their point of view to the strategy, design, voice and innovation of our products. We work ceaselessly to understand consumer attitudes, goals and behaviors.  We focus on discovering "why" people do the things they do when learning, so that we can create the most delightful, useful and innovative experiences for them.. 
• Methodological Rigor: We apply scientifically rigorous research methods with proper experimental controls and statistical validation at relevant times to validate and optimize the usability of solutions.
• Customer understanding: As a Senior Evaluative UX Researcher, you will provide insights that shape the strategy and execution for Udemy’s global consumer and B2B learning products. You will be integral in uncovering the pain points, mental model clashes and pitfalls our customers experience and communicating that to our partners so that we can create the best learning products for our learners.
• Mentorship & Advancement: You will also play a critical role in guiding and mentoring fellow researchers in applying a rigorous lens across all research efforts. You will be responsible for contributing to processes and programs for advancing evaluative UX research methods and the impact the team has in defining our incremental product strategy. You will work closely with other researchers to socialize best practices for delivering impactful and actionable insights.
• Cross-functional bridge: Most importantly, you will serve as a bridge between product, product design and business-focused partners to ensure that user goals and needs are at the forefront of the organization’s product decisions.
• Research translation: As an evaluative user researcher you are comfortable defining and conducting rigorous research efforts that translate into impactful insights and product recommendations.

What you will do:

• Conduct Evaluative user research: Conduct evaluative user research (contextual inquiries, card sorting, task analysis, PURE, cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic evaluation, usability studies, benchmarking studies) to uncover and determine the severity of the pain points learners and educators experience with our learning experiences.
• Apply Methodological Rigor: You'll focus on the right research to ensure we are “making our products right” by defining, planning, and executing studies to determine the efficiency, effectiveness and usability of our product experiences. This includes identifying research goals, selecting appropriate qualitative or quantitative methods, and advocating for a consumer-grade user experience.
• Plan Research: Working in close partnership with Udemy’s Design, Product and Development teams, you will identify key research topics and build a research roadmap. You'll be responsible for communicating this plan regularly to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with team priorities.
• Synthesize Data into Actionable Insights: A core function is to analyze and synthesize research findings (both primary and secondary) into clear design and product recommendations. You will also develop metrics to measure user experience quality, effectively communicating results to influence decisions and advocate on behalf of the customer. 
• Strengthen Analysis with Cognitive and/or Behavioral Science:  Leverage expertise in behavioral science, cognitive science, and information science to analyze user behavior and cognition, providing actionable insights that enhance the design and usability of digital products.
• Conduct post-launch evaluation: Execute longitudinal studies and comparative usability benchmarking to assess solution effectiveness and identify optimization opportunities.
• Maintain Metrics & Measurement Frameworks: Together with the rest of the Evaluative Research Team, you will contribute to the creation and maintenance of JTBD  measurement frameworks and competitive landscape frameworks that assess the health of our overall product experience relative to competitors and allow us to identify innovation gaps and incremental improvement opportunities. You will also collaborate heavily with our strategic researchers to understand new JTBD emerging from discovery research and incorporate those into the framework. 
• Integrate AI into Workflows: You are expected to have experience with critically evaluating and incorporating AI into your workflows. This includes leveraging AI-powered tools, automating workflows, and analyzing AI-driven insights to enhance problem-solving and decision-making within your role.
• Build Relationships: Build trust and effective relationships with cross-functional teams by always seeking alignment via stakeholder interviews, workshops or other alignment activities.

What you’ll have 

• Experience: 5+ years conducting customer-centered research, ideally in EdTech, learning experiences, or digital products, or equivalent education. Ability to navigate ambiguity, and drive clarity that brings the user, technology, and business together.
• Preferred background: M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Human Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Behavioral Science or Psychology, Human Factors, or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrated expertise in an applied UX research role. Experience working in complex, cross-functional environments.
• Language skills: Fluency in English
• Research tools: Familiar conducting evaluative research with tools like Qualtrics, Usertesting.com, Maze, Dscout, UserZoom, etc.  Familiarity with design & collaboration tools such as Miro, Figma, Figjam, Adobe CC, etc..

Diverse background: We understand that not everyone will match each of the above qualifications. However, we also realize that everyone has unique experiences that can add value to our company. Even if you think your background might not perfectly align, we’d love to hear from you!

Life at Udemy

• Inclusive environment: We aspire to be as vibrant and dynamic as the communities we serve, as inquisitive as those who use our platform, and as revolutionary as the future we strive to open for everyone. We’re invested in creating an inclusive environment that welcomes a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. From creating employee resource groups, ensuring we’re a Fair Pay Workplace, and building a flexible work culture, our belonging, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BEDI) initiatives always put our people first. We want you to be able to bring your authentic self to work because when we all do, we’re better for it.
• Learning opportunities: Learning is what we do - inside and out. Our Learning & Development team is second to none, helping ensure your journey is one of continuous progression. You’ll also have unlimited access to Udemy courses, monthly UDays (meeting-free professional development days), and a generous annual professional development stipend.
• Innovation mindset: Our reason to exist is to revolutionize learning - that calls for taking risks and learning from failures. Whether it’s our hackathons (a company-wide effort to envision new possibilities for our product) or sharing our prototypes, we see experimentation as a crucial step on the path to success. We’re committed to creating world-class employee experiences and are proud of the recognition of this by Great Place to Work and Built In Best Places to Work.
• Meaningful impact: Of course, the best thing about being part of Udemy is knowing your work makes a difference for people and organizations around the world. You’ve got the skills; why not use them to help others develop theirs?

Equal opportunity: At Udemy, we value diversity and inclusion and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, medical condition, or disability. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at recruitingaccommodations@udemy.com. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

 

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