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This role is the first of its kind at Peloton. It will lead the Product Design User Research team responsible for all user research across Product, focusing on software but covering research on hardware design, content innovation, and long-term product strategy.
This role is responsible for planning, recruiting, managing, and leading User Research roles on the team, which is currently 5 persons (including 1 Research Coordinator) and has plans to grow significantly in the next 12 months. The User Research team today is highly self-managed, motivated, and organized – we’re seeking a team leader to scale and develop this team, bringing it to the next level.
This role will work directly with UX and UI Designers, Product Managers, Hardware Industrial Designers, and Content Producers and will collaborate closely with leadership roles within Product Design and across the wider Product, Engineering, Hardware, and Content teams.
This role sits on the Peloton Product Design and UX team and reports directly to the VP of Product Design and UX.
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RESPONSIBILITIES
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- Lead the Product Design User Research team at Peloton.
- The team’s research purview extends across all of Peloton’s engagement Products: Peloton Bike, Tread, App (TV, iOS, Android, Web), Studio (User and Instructor apps), and Content Management tools – as well as any future software and hardware products and experiences we may build.
- The team completes research covering problem exploration, understanding Member needs and goals, concept testing, software feature user testing, human factors and ergonomics, content experience, and more – extending beyond software design and answering tactical and strategic questions – from usability to where we should be investing.
- The team completes research using a variety of methodologies, including both moderated and unmoderated in-person and remote testing, human factors evaluations, concept testing, surveying, video diaries and photo ethnographies, cognitive walkthroughs, contextual inquiries, focus groups, et. al.
- The team primarily completes research with existing Members, but also prospective Members at times. The team also occasionally leads research to understand users across Peloton’s international markets.
- The team receives research requests from UI and UX designers and Product Managers, primarily – but also Content Producers, Industrial Designers, Engineering and various Product leadership stakeholders.
- Provide mentorship and help develop individuals on the User Research team.
- Understand the unique personalities, goals, and working styles of each team member and adapt your management style to match.
- Develop a plan for career pathing and development for team members.
- Support team members and ensure they are happy and engaged at Peloton.
- Work to unblock User Research team members and provide support in removing impediments and distractions.
- Give feedback to team members at various project stages (test plan, research execution, moderation, analysis, presentation, etc.) to improve the output, efficiency, and quality of their research execution and deliverables.
- Advance the User Research team’s ability to effectively communicate research insights in ways that makes them easily accessible and actionable by various stakeholders, such as through visual information design.
- Shepard and support User Researchers on larger and/or higher profile research projects as needed. While not responsible for executing research, the small team may need you to jump in and get hands on occasionally.
- Work alongside the Product and Design teams to create strategic frameworks, personas, and other foundational materials that help guide teams through the design process.
- Work with VP of Product Design and UX and other Product leadership to build a 5-year vision of the User Research team.
- What are the long term goals and roadmap of Peloton and where (at a high level) will research be needed?
- What does the User Research team cover (vs. other related teams)?
- What is the role of the User Research team within the wider organization?
- Build a world class User Research team and scale the group 2x-4x in the next 24 months.
- Work with Recruiting to source, qualify, and hire the best User Researchers and Coordinators.
- Onboard new employees to the team’s culture and processes.
- Plan the long and short-term quantity and mix of roles and levels on the team.
- Strategize allocation of headcount to match Peloton’s research needs and product development strategy.
- Develop headcount budget.
- Shape and nurture the team’s culture by bringing on the right persons.
- Develop the User Research team’s brand in and outside of Peloton.
- Develop strategies and standards for communicating updates on the User Research team’s work and achievements on a regular basis.
- Drive team communication around our focus, how to engage with the Research team, and the value of conducting User Research.
- Act as a thought leader in User Research and build the reputation of Peloton as an organization committed to the practice.
- Understand the full picture of all User Research asks to develop a forward looking, prioritized 3-6 month plan in collaboration with Product Design Ops.
- Support the development of a User Research roadmap that parallels the Product Roadmap.
- Continuously intake new User Research projects and understand the upcoming pipeline.
- Suggest and evangelize Research initiatives that the Research team deems critical that are not otherwise prioritized.
- Provide a high level size, scope, and potential methodology of upcoming research projects to aid in high level planning and allocation (with an understanding that individual researchers will provide more detailed plans following allocation.)
- Help ensure proposed projects truly need research and that they are an efficient use of team resources – ask the right questions, request more definition, and suggest better times to do research when appropriate.
- Break larger initiatives into phased approaches and organize Research milestones and sub-prioritization teams.
- Link similar research projects for efficiency in allocation and efficiency.
- Handle changes to prioritization that require roadmap updates.
- Establish priorities for the User Research team based on stakeholder input, research effort, and research value.
- Allocate User Researcher resources from your understanding on previous projects and team member skill sets and affinities.
- Discuss proposed high-level Research plan and roadmap with stakeholders to get buy-in.
- Institute new User Research methodologies.
- Attempt to build User Research toolkit including interviews, surveys, usability testing, concept studies, ethnographic studies, etc.
- Quickly understand that there is no “toolkit” (and one size does not fit all) for all the individual, unique research challenges we face at Peloton.
- Observe methodologies that successfully serve trends in User Research asks and support Peloton’s evolving research needs; work with User Researchers to standardize and systematize these methodologies where possible.
- Evolve Peloton’s User Research processes and tools.
- Leverage tools (for remote user testing, surveying, recruiting coordination, etc.) to add efficiency to regular processes.
- Work with Researchers, Coordinators, and Design Ops to optimize Research processes (intake, analysis, meetings, etc.)
- Solidify our User Research vendor relationships.
- Manage relationships with Research stakeholders at Peloton and under their unique needs.
- Our stakeholders for User Research extend beyond the Product Design team.
- Includes Product Management, Engineering, Content, ID/Hardware, and Leadership teams.
- Build a relationship with these groups: understand the unique Research questions and working styles of each stakeholder group and develop processes to support their needs.
- Educate stakeholders on what Research can and cannot accomplish (at a high level and per-ask).
- Develop and communicate guidelines and best practices for Stakeholders to request research and work with the User Research team.
- Collaborate with other research and analysis teams at Peloton to answer product and design questions.
- Including Product analytics, Strategy and Consumer Insights, etc.
- Understand where we overlap vs. where we can carve out areas of ownership.
- Own the budget for the User Research team.
- Project and allocate funds for User Research based on the long-term Research roadmap and team size.
- Develop frameworks to determine the appropriate budget for each User Research project and ensure we are using funds in the right ways.
- Approve larger and/or unique User Research projects and initiatives and allocate budget towards the development of the Research lab and other tools and spaces that support the team.
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ABOUT YOU
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- Comfortable juggling a wide range of responsibilities at the same time.
- Has a collaborative, low-ego approach to working with others.
- Has a user-centered approach to product design.
- Process driven, but flexible to unique scenarios, projects, and personnel.
- Continually looking to optimize and improve research output.
- Balances direction with empowerment.
- Can lead team members with a variety of working styles
- Quickly adapts to unexpected changes in scale, priorities, and pace.
- Understands the overall strategy and roadmap and links it to research team planning and management.
- Can communicate the “big picture” of research plans and findings to stakeholders
- Thrives in uncertainty and can excel in the “first of the role” environment; self-starter.
- Experienced in planning, building, mentoring, and developing a research team.
- Experienced with a variety of research methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative.
- Experience working with Hardware (physical products) and Human Factors.
- Experienced in working with product designers, engineers and product managers to drive strategy, vision, and execution.
- Experienced in attracting and hiring research talent.
- Experienced in collaborating with leaders of other product development groups.
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QUALIFICATIONS
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- 8+ years of experience in User Research including:
- Recent experience in a product development setting within a consumer tech and software company.
- 4+ years managing a User Research team with 3 or more direct reports.
- A portfolio of relevant research work, executed either by yourself or a team that you led, that conveys an ability to drive research programs that have a lasting, positive impact on product and design decisions.
- Bonus Qualifications
- Experience managing a research team that completed projects on:
- Integrated hardware/software consumer products.
- Content/media–based products
- Localized products across international markets.
- Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Human Factors, HCI, Psychology, Sociology, Cognitive Science, Research & Strategy, Anthropology or related field.
ABOUT PELOTON
Founded in 2012, Peloton is a global interactive fitness platform that brings the energy and benefits of studio-style workouts to the convenience and comfort of home. We use technology and design to bring our Members immersive content through the Peloton Bike, the Peloton Tread, and Peloton Digital, which provide comprehensive, socially-connected fitness offerings anytime, anywhere. We believe in taking risks and challenging the status quo by continuously innovating and improving. Our team is made up of passionate brand ambassadors, and we know that together, we go far.
Headquartered in New York City, with offices, warehouses and retail showrooms in the US, UK and Canada, Peloton is changing the way people get fit. Peloton has been named to many prestigious industry lists, including Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Crain’s New York Business’ Tech25 and Fast50, as well as TIME’s Genius Companies. Visit www.onepeloton.com/careers to learn more about joining our team.
- BS or MS in Interaction Design, Cognitive Science, HCI, Anthropology, Psychology, or equivalent experience
- 6+ years of experience planning, conducting, and communicating the findings from user research for digital products and services; familiarity with an Enterprise setting is a plus
- Experience planning and conducting both quantitative and qualitative user research at all stages of product development
- Ability to frame key questions, create research plans to address those, conduct research, and synthesize the findings into meaningful, actionable insights
- Ability to design and conduct user testing and concept validation – i.e. identify potential solution options for a stated user need and design experiments that help elicit the most viable solution for users
- Strong ability to generate and communicate compelling & actionable insights, both verbally and visually
- Deep understanding of digital product lifecycle; comfort working with designers, technical & business teams; deep knowledge of an array of research methodologies
- Solid knowledge of and experience with Agile software development
- Strong collaboration – you partner well with others to solve problems and actively incorporate input from various sources; experience working with others on a global basis
- Ability to navigate multiple stakeholder groups and influence others
- Passionate about creating value through great design and user experience
- Ability to structure ambiguous problems and define tasks needed to bring clarity
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
You’ll join us in our Waltham office as part of our Technology function, where we are developing the tools to power the next generation of management consulting.
You will be a core member of the Design & Innovation team. You will be part of a global team that is distributed across Boston, New York, New Delhi, and Prague.
The Design & Innovation team is responsible for using user-centered methods to inform the development and delivery of technology-enabled products and services used across the firm. This work ensures that we create experiences that make the work of our colleagues faster, easier and more effective. And that we incubate new ways of working that will move the firm forward.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
As a member of our Design & Innovation team, you will contribute to all aspects of the product development lifecycle. You will advise product teams on how to craft and conduct user research to generate insights into what will create a highly engaging and intuitive user experience and often work closely with team to put those plans into action. You will often own multiple projects at the same time, often working independently and at other times with the support of collaborators from within our Design & Innovation team.
You will lead design and delivery of best practice user research, including helping frame key questions, create research plans to address those, conduct research, and synthesize findings into meaningful, actionable insights. In addition, you will create professional-level deliverables that clearly and persuasively communicate the UX strategy, findings, and reasoning behind it. These deliverables include research plans and protocols, research findings, personas, journey maps, workflows, and wireframes.
You will collaborate closely with product managers, product designers, developers, and various other stakeholders to identify what will be most critical to the success of a product. You will actively look for opportunities to apply new tools and technologies that can help enrich the capabilities the firm provides to our colleagues to do their work.
You will also have the opportunity, to be an advocate and coach for design thinking, helping others in the firm develop the best practices for user research, and capabilities in the use of empathetic, inventive and iterative methods for product development.
We’re one of the fastest growing homeownership companies in America. Why? Because we’re making homeownership simpler, faster — and most importantly, more accessible for all Americans.
By combining smarter technology with a desire to not just change one piece of the journey but the entire makeup of what it’s like to buy and own a home in this country, we’re building things that don’t exist yet.
Better.com by the numbers:
- We fund $600 million in home loans per month
- Nearly $5 billion in loans funded since our inception in 2016
- 2 years running, we’re one of Crain’s “Best Places to work”
- We’re #11 on Fortune’s Best Places to Work in NYC
- And #964 on Inc.’s 2019 “5000 Fastest-Growing Companies”
- We’ve secured over $254 million from our investors to date
- …and counting
We continue to outpace the industry at every turn. We’ve recently joined forces in partnership with Ally Bank. Plus, our backers have helped build some of the most transformative tech and finance companies in history. Kleiner Perkins, Goldman Sachs, IA Ventures, American Express, Citigroup, Activant Capital, and others have all invested in our vision of redefining the entire homebuying journey.
The Role: Director of User Research
The Director of Research here at Better will lead all user research within product design and develop new capabilities. You will identify and set product strategy, create complex UX ecosystems and build a team that pushes past the boundaries of what currently exists. You will work closely with other leaders in the company while creating a customer-centric and insight mindset for the business to make informed decisions and creating the best products that meet our design standards.
What you bring:
- 8+ years experience in user research, 3+ years experience managing research teams.
- BA/BS degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, other related fields, or equivalent practical experience.
- Comfortable presenting to groups, working cross-functionally to build relationships, and crafting compelling stories from data.
- Deep understanding of different qualitative and quantitative research methods, including when and how to apply them during each product phase.
- A sincere passion for well-crafted user experiences that are beautiful and usable.
What you’ll do:
- Build and lead a team of researchers to identify new opportunities, help design and implement new products while keeping Better’s customers at the center.
- Establish the UX research vision and best practices for our products, and partner with senior leadership to advocate for solutions that support both end-user goals and long-term product visions and business strategies.
- Build Better’s research toolkit including interviews, surveys, usability testing, concept studies, participatory design, ethnographic observations, etc.
- Mentor colleagues, encouraging them to take appropriate risks, and providing constructive support, feedback, and critique.
- Conduct end-to-end research, utilizing a wide variety of methodologies to help us gain confidence in our understanding of our users (current and future), their needs and the opportunity this uncovers for our products.
- Work closely with product, design, and marketing teams to define the most important research questions, lead research, and come out with a clear POV on the most important insights.
- Help establish a consumer-centric culture and how to drive insights into our daily work. Not only will you need to drive the research capability, but how we as a team integrate research into our daily activities by teaching research curricula, so teams can learn the right way to conduct their own studies and gain insights about their customers, when appropriate.
- Help build a strong consumer-centric and design culture within Better.
- Advance our ability to effectively communicate research insights in ways that make them easily accessible and actionable by various stakeholders, such as through visual information design.
- Recruit, develop and retain world-class talent.
Things we value:
- Curiosity. Why? How? Repeat.
- Nerdiness. Financial news and trends are fascinating. Seriously.
- Relentlessness. No one here gives up. We try. We fail. We try again.
- Passion. If you don’t get excited about homeownership, mortgages, and real estate, it simply won’t work.
- Smarts: book and street. We have to use all the tools at our disposal to build Better.
- Empathy and Compassion. You understand that people’s biggest dreams are in your hands.
- Communication. Can you ask for help or put your hand up when you don’t understand?
- Building. Doing. Making. Yes, we have to do a lot of thinking and talking to figure this stuff out, but you can’t wait to leave the conversation and build it.
- Collaborate with MLB’s researchers and product and business owners to identify areas of focus across key products, like MLB.com, At Bat for iOS and Android, Ballpark for iOS and Android, and MLB.TV
- Gather qualitative data on baseball fans through a variety of research methodologies, including usability testing, contextual inquiries, card sorting, concept testing, cognitive walkthroughs, diary studies, surveys, heuristic evaluations, persona development, and task analyses
- Partner with MLB’s data analysts to surface insights from product usage data
- Create data visualizations and dashboards to communicate results to stakeholders
- Work cross-functionally with design, product, content strategy, engineering and marketing
Required Skills:
- An undergraduate degree in HCI, psychology, sociology, or a related social science field
- Some to 3 years of professional or academic experience, with demonstrable examples
- Experience working with large-scale datasets in mixed-method studies
- Knowledge of qualitative and user-centered design methods