User Experience (UX) Researcher

Responsibilities

• Own the studio's player research and playtesting program, including planning, scheduling, participant recruiting, moderation, reporting, and maintaining the playtest calendar
• Design and execute a variety of research studies, including moderated and unmoderated playtests, usability studies, interviews, surveys, focus groups, and first-time user experience (FTUE) evaluations
• Evaluate gameplay, onboarding, progression, controls, UI, accessibility, monetization flows, and overall player experience throughout development
• Recruit and maintain relationships with diverse player communities through schools, after-school programs, libraries, community organizations, families, and other player groups
• Translate player observations into clear, evidence-based insights and actionable recommendations for development teams
• Identify usability issues, gameplay friction, comprehension problems, balance concerns, and opportunities to improve player engagement
• Distinguish between individual player preferences and broader behavioral patterns supported by research
• Partner with Product and Analytics teams to combine qualitative player research with quantitative behavioral data, helping explain why players behave the way they do
• Validate new features, mechanics, tutorials, progression systems, live events, and design concepts before release
• Report and communicate insights across the organization through concise, well-organized research reports, highlight videos, presentations, player journey maps, and executive summaries
• Maintain a centralized repository of research findings, historical learnings, player personas, and best practices to build institutional knowledge
• Present research findings to leadership and cross-functional teams in a way that supports informed product decisions
• Advocate for the player while balancing business goals, technical constraints, and development priorities
• Contribute to improving studio-wide research practices, testing methodologies, and player-centered development processes

Qualifications

• Exceptional observational and analytical skills with strong attention to detail
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and experience managing multiple research initiatives simultaneously
• The ability to think critically about player behavior while remaining objective and evidence driven
• A passion for mobile games and creating outstanding player experiences
• Experience facilitating discussions and communicating with players especially kids
• Experience conducting UX research, player research, usability testing, playtesting, product research, or consumer research
• Experience working on mobile or free-to-play games
• Familiarity with research platforms such as PlaytestCloud, UserTesting, Lookback, Maze, or similar tools
• Experience with analytics platforms such Tableau
• Experience working with project management tools such as Asana
• Experience with children's games, educational products, family entertainment, or subscription based mobile games