UX Research Expert

Allstate•McCullom Lake, IL

1d•Remote

About The Position

UXR at Allstate As part of a broader research team, which includes Market Research and Market Intelligence, we like to say our team is here to revel the possibilities of where to play and how to win. Specifically, UXR at Allstate focuses on understanding user behavior, needs, motivations, abilities, and pain points for the purpose of innovating new features and products as well as improving existing product desirability and usability. As a result, this informs design decisions. Here’s what you can expect from a UX career at Allstate: • Participate in a collaborative, fun and friendly remote team environment that values diversity, builds and trains individuals, and supports long-term career and skills growth. • Contribute to large-scale digital systems and products that are used by millions of customers and have a meaningful impact on our business. • Join a proven UX organization that is benefitting from high growth, demand, visibility and investment. • Practice true user-centered design, supported by robust research and analytics capabilities. At Allstate, you’ll help innovate and reinvent insurance and improve customers’ lives by helping designing products to support them in their moments of greatest need, and you’ll have fun along the way. Join our diverse team of creative problem solvers using our talents for good — at work and in life. Job Summary: A UX Research Expert uses qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover users’ needs, behaviors, expectations, and motivations. They also uncover insights that guide the design and development of digital products, software applications, and end to end experiences. In this role, you will support teams across the product development lifecycle, designing and executing research that addresses the challenges faced by cross functional partners including designers, content designers, product managers, and engineers. You’ll apply human centered design thinking to help teams tackle complex business and customer problems, bringing strong research expertise and a commitment to translating insights into timely, actionable decisions. UX Research Experts are curious, collaborative, and comfortable working in fast paced agile or lean environments, helping teams make informed decisions grounded in data and user insight. Beyond leading research execution, the UX Research Expert also plays a key role in developing team capabilities—coaching and guiding less experienced researchers, directing project work, and ensuring high quality research outcomes. This mentorship and leadership are essential to elevating the impact and consistency of research across the organization. Candidates should also be able to articulate their research philosophy and demonstrate awareness of current UX research methods and industry trends.

Requirements

Seven or more years of relevant experience within a UX research function required
Demonstrated experience practicing a variety of UX research methods, such as in-depth interviews, moderated and unmoderated usability testing, surveys, diary studies, etc.
Proficient in planning and executing a variety of UX research methods.
Able to pull together qualitative and quantitative data, from primary and secondary research, to tell compelling stories and drive insight-driven decision making.
Creative problem solver – when faced with challenging constraints, develop novel ways to approach research questions, conduct research, and co-design insight-driven solutions with design partners.
Excellent communication, organization, and presentation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills – able to quickly build rapport, establish credibility, and work collaboratively with peers, managers and stakeholders across disciplines and levels .
Comfortable applying research within a variety of design methodologies and processes (Agile, Lean UX, etc.).
A smart, solid portfolio that demonstrates how you think.
Able to train peers and broader team members in proper research techniques.
Experience with usability and analytical software (e.g., UserZoom, DScout, Qualtrics, Adobe Analytics).

Responsibilities

Act as research lead by prioritizing projects that focus on meeting user needs and achieving business goals as well as building and nurturing strong relationships with stakeholders.
Plan and conduct user research, employing the best mix of methods for the research questions that need to be addressed; methods include interviews, surveys, heuristic reviews, usability testing, etc.
Analyze results and report back to your team with consumable, actionable insights and recommendations, aligning your team on the most important problems to solve and providing a forum to collaboratively turn insights into action.
Practice a lean research mindset and strong partnership with cross-functional team members, making research effective and impactful within rapid product development processes.
Be an advocate for our users, and help others do the same by bringing them into the research process
Enable and upskill non-UX Research team members to learn and adopt UX Research skills.
Work with designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to turn questions and assumptions into clear research objectives.
Continuously learn new skills and capabilities by monitoring consumer trends, attending workshops, and mentoring others (or being mentored) in UX design methodologies.
Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) and resource for other research team members, actively determine and implement new processes, and ensure established processes are followed by the entire UX team.
Train, develop, and mentor less experienced team members.