Department Overview
Design & Research focus on creating user-centered solutions. They gather insights through user feedback and market research to inform product development, enhance customer experience, and ensure intuitive, effective interfaces. The team collaborates with other departments to design seamless, customer-friendly processes and improve overall product offerings.
What requirements and technical training is needed to get into this position?
Design: A degree in a relevant field is preferred but not required. Proficiency in design software like Figma is a must.
Research: A solid understanding of human behavior is essential, typically gained through a degree or relevant coursework in psychology, sociology, anthropology, or human-computer interaction (HCI). While not always a requirement, this knowledge is highly beneficial, alongside the development of a strong portfolio of research projects.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Design: Designers work a variety of projects but mostly focus on UX and UI-based work. This could be building flow maps to explore how a product might work to wireframing and designing high-fidelity UI to hand off to engineering partners. Designers closely collaborate with their triad functions to facilitate alignment, enhance processes, and fulfill design solutions that support both the needs of the user and business.
Research: Typically focus on planning research studies, recruiting users, conducting user interviews and usability tests (or other research methods), collecting data, analyzing findings, writing reports, presenting insights to stakeholders, and collaborating with designers to incorporate user feedback into product iterations
What days/hours does your team work?
Monday through Friday
9 AM - 5 PM
Who are the key stakeholders and who is impacted by your work (who’s your client)?
Design: Product partners, engineering partners, and leadership
Research: Our main client is our company's current and future customers.
What are the metrics/KPIs used to define success?
Design: These vary a lot! Sometimes it’s completion design assets, other times it’s the performance of a product or feature. Often you want to create designs that can be used in multiple ways across multiple business units.
Research: While metrics may vary across companies, success fundamentally lies in striking a balance between fulfilling user needs and achieving business objectives, all through a product that is both functional and enjoyable to use.
Define the micro-culture of the department and what makes it special/unique?
The design & research group is creative, curious, fun, and supportive of a work life balance. We have genuine care for each other and enjoy collaborating.
How is the work structure – independent work or more collaboration?
Design: This depends very much on the project work or business unit you’re assigned to–but I would say it’s a 50/50 split between IC work and collaboration.
What does the future in terms of growth opportunity look like for this department?
Scaling in team and designing for a broader scope of users we have not been able to serve before.
What systems are used in the core roles?
Design: We utilize software like Figma and Miro. We also work with Achieve’s Design System— a custom-built ecosystem of design and development resources.
Research: There are quite a few tools out there to help researchers conduct research, whether in person or remotely. The main ones you’ll need will fall into a few categories:
a) A platform to interview users (such as User Testing)
b) A survey tool (such as Survey Monkey)
c) A repository (such as Dovetail)
d) A transcription feature (such as Otter.ai)