UX Researcher

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4. UX Researcher

At GitLab, UX Researchers collaborate with our UX designers, front/backend engineers, product managers and the rest of the community to assist in determining what features should be built, how they should behave, and what the priorities should be. User Experience Researchers report to the UX Lead.

Responsibilities

All UX Researchers are responsible for:

• The upkeep and promotion of GitLab First Look.
• The development and upkeep of the UX Research sections of the handbook and the GitLab Design System.
• Writing blog posts and responding to comments about GitLab’s user experience.

Junior UX Researcher

A Junior UX Researcher has some practical experience but needs regular guidance and training to produce their best work and develop their skills.

• Understands user research methods, when to use them and how to apply them correctly. This may include, but not be limited to: usability testing, user interviews, surveys and competitor analysis.
• Understands basic methods to analyze and synthesize research data. Interprets data correctly.
• Translates research findings into actionable recommendations in conjunction with the Product team and UX Designers.
• Plans, designs and conducts usability testing and user interviews. Effectively undertakes associated tasks such as participant recruitment and scheduling, producing test materials, setting up test environments, analyzing and delivering findings.
• Assists in the creation of research deliverables such as personas, customer journey maps, etc.
• Responsible for their own personal development, actively seeks out opportunities to improve their skill set.

UX Researcher

A UX Researcher is able to undertake all forms of research. They lead on research initiatives and are capable of working independently.

• Understands and has experience of a wide range of research methods. Knows when to use those methods and how to apply them correctly. This may include, but not be limited to: usability testing, user interviews, card sorts, tree tests, surveys, competitor analysis and diary studies.
• Leads progressive, iterative research across milestones.
• Employs robust methods to analyze and synthesize research data.
• Translates research findings into actionable recommendations in conjunction with UX Designers and the Product team.
• Challenges assumptions, ensures UX Designers and the Product team action findings from users.
• Instigates and suggests research projects based on the needs of UX Designers and the Product team.
• Participates in product discovery. Helps to generate ideas for features and improvements.
• Creates research deliverables such as personas, customer journey maps, etc.

Senior UX Researcher

A Senior UX Researcher is an experienced practitioner who is able to lead on more complex research studies. They mentor other UX Researchers.

• Understands and has experience of a wide range of research methods. Knows when to use those methods and how to apply them correctly. This may include, but not be limited to: usability testing, user interviews, card sorts, tree tests, surveys, competitor analysis and diary studies.
• Conducts user research for features with challenging requirements and complex user journeys.
• Advises UX Researchers on choice and use of research methods to assure best practice.
• Understands and can help UX Researchers apply a range of methods to analyze research data and synthesize findings.
• Supports the UX Research Manager with UX Research Group Conversations.
• Improves the team’s workflow by contributing to processes and identifying new tools for the team to use.
• Interviews potential UX Research candidates.

Tools

Tools used by UX Researchers at GitLab are flexible depending on the needs of the work.

Success Criteria

You know you are doing a good job as a UX Researcher when:

• You are contributing research to resolve UX / UI issues assigned to milestones well before the milestone comes up.
• You are contributing ideas and solutions beyond existing issues.
• Users are overwhelmingly happy about your contributions.
• You collaborate effectively with Frontend Engineers, Developers, and Designers.

UX Researcher Interview Questions

The UX Researcher Interview determines if a UX Researcher is a good fit for GitLab. Here are some questions we might ask:

1. What is your research process?
2. What are some existing case studies or research results we can see as an example of your work?
3. When you did x project, what was the biggest problem that you had to solve and how did you solve it?

Relevant links

• Engineering Handbook
• Engineering Workflow
• GitLab Design Kit

Apply

Please note that if we are actively hiring for a position, you will see it listed on our jobs page, where all of our current openings are advertised. To apply, please click on the name of the role you are interested in, which will take you to our applicant tracking system (ATS), Greenhouse.

Avoid the confidence gap; you do not have to match all the listed requirements exactly to apply. Our hiring process is described in more detail in our hiring handbook.

About GitLab

GitLab Inc. is a company based on the GitLab open-source project. GitLab is a community project to which over 1,000 people worldwide have contributed. We are an active participant in this community, trying to serve its needs and lead by example. We have one vision: everyone can contribute to all digital content, and our mission is to change all creative work from read-only to read-write so that everyone can contribute.

We value results, transparency, sharing, freedom, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, directness, kindness, diversity, boring solutions, and quirkiness. If these values match your personality, work ethic, and personal goals, we encourage you to visit our primer to learn more. Open source is our culture, our way of life, our story, and what makes us truly unique.

Top 10 reasons to work for GitLab:

1. Work with helpful, kind, motivated, and talented people.
2. Work remote so you have no commute and are free to travel and move.
3. Have flexible work hours so you are there for other people and free to plan the day how you like.
4. Everyone works remote, but you don't feel remote. We don't have a head office, so you're not in a satellite office.
5. Work on open source software so you can interact with a large community and can show your work.
6. Work on a product you use every day: we drink our own wine.
7. Work on a product used by lots of people that care about what you do.
8. As a company we contribute more than we take, most of our work is released as the open source GitLab CE.
9. Focused on results, not on long hours, so that you can have a life and don't burn out.
10. Open internal processes: know what you're getting in to and be assured we're thoughtful and effective.

See our culture page for more!

Work remotely from anywhere in the world. Curious to see what that looks like? Check out our remote manifesto.