Senior Design Researcher

About the role

The Design Research team at Milwaukee Tool is part of a collaborative user-centered design and technology development group. Our mission is to inform the entrepreneurial spirit of the company, influence and inspire the direction of the business through strategic and functional findings.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct multi-faceted research plans to learn about all aspects of the construction trade.
• Build, grow, and maintain a network of users to understand their evolving needs and work context.
• Analyze and synthesize research findings into key insights that inform opportunities for new feature sets, functionalities and business approaches.
• Plan and facilitate hands-on tool evaluations, team workshops, and analysis sessions.
• Present research findings in an engaging and concise manner to key stakeholders across the business.
• Experiment with new approaches and methodologies to achieve ingenious results.
• Champion the importance of User-Centered Design and Design Thinking throughout the company.
• Mentor and coach junior researchers as appropriate.

Requirements

• You are curious, not just about your research topic but also the company, your co-workers, and your process.
• You are comfortable working in the ambiguous “fuzzy front end”.
• You are a strategic thinker who looks not only at the stated problem but at the space around it.
• You are proactive and open to changing research plans on the fly based on new information.
• You have strong communication skills and can get your ideas across to engineers, industrial designers, and marketers alike.
• You link everything back to our core end user’s activities and needs to provide insight for developing breakthrough products.
• You are a team player, focused on bringing the team along on the journey.
• You have passion for the importance of user insights in the product development process and are ready to champion those insights.
• You are comfortable facilitating conversations with multi-disciplinary teams.
• You make non-obvious connections and revel in talking about ideas.
• You are proficient in Microsoft Office, with some experience with editing video and 2D software (ex: Adobe Creative Suite).

Desired Skills

• Experience within a design consultancy a plus.
• Some familiarity with quantitative research methodologies, study design and data analysis.
• An appreciation of how quantitative and qualitative research methodologies play best together.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Education and Experience Requirements

• A Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Business, or Engineering.
• Five years + experience in the fuzzy front end of product development with an understanding of innovation methods and design thinking.
• Two to three years + experience using qualitative research methods including observation, interviewing, and contextual inquiry.
• Twenty-five to thirty-five percent overnight domestic travel.
• A valid driver's license.