Design Researcher - Contractor

Conifer Research; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

Conifer Research is seeking a Design Researcher passionate about understanding people to guide innovation. This role involves working on diverse projects, conducting qualitative research, and translating insights into business strategies. Ideal candidates should possess strong communication and presentation skills, as well as relevant educational backgrounds.

Qualifications

• Experience in a consultative research environment.
• Strategic and flexible in approach.
• Engagement in design research community.

Responsibilities

• Conduct qualitative research and innovation programs.
• Translate research findings into actionable recommendations.
• Create presentations and deliverables for clients.

Skills

Research experience

Qualitative research

Communication skills

Presentation skills

User advocacy

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Design or related field

Master's Degree in relevant field

Tools

Keynote

Remote research software

Job description

DESIGN RESEARCHER

People are endlessly fascinating, don’t you think? We do. Conifer Research is seeking a curious and empathetic Design Researcher who is passionate about humans, learning, and guiding clients to understand what makes people tick and drive strategy and innovation. Conifer provides opportunities to work on projects across numerous industries, wearing many hats along the way – from researcher to strategist to storyteller to user advocate. We are currently looking to hire on a project/contractor basis.

ABOUT CONIFER

Conifer Research brings practical insight to companies that wish to change and innovate. Through an ethnographic approach to research, we help our clients embed their creativity into an understanding of the everyday lives of people they hope to engage – customers, workers, and end-users. Our seasoned team of anthropologists, strategists, and information designers act as consultants, facilitators, and coaches helping organizations gather deep insights.

Clients come to Conifer for many reasons, but with a common challenge: How do we align business activities better with the real lives and needs of customers? We have experience in retail, consumer goods and lifestyles, financial services, healthcare, and digital products. Some clients include Sonos, Samsung, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Google, Discover, Lowe’s, CarMax, and Ferrara Candy Company.

RESPONSIBILITIES

A successful candidate will be expected to:

• Work with internal and client teams through all phases of qualitative research or innovation programs, including: planning, research design, data collection, rigorous analysis and synthesis, identifying patterns, developing key insights, ideation and opportunity definition.
• Execute research programs drawing from established methodologies for ethnography, remote research, evaluative testing, and co-creation.
• Translate research into actionable recommendations and innovation opportunities.
• Contribute to synthesis and sensemaking to create narratives that frame research findings in a way that clearly demonstrates the business implications of insights and opportunities
• Create deliverables and client presentations
• Be adaptable and creative in order to conduct rigorous remote research

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The qualities of an ideal candidate include:

• Relevant experience in research or insights, including experience in a consultative environment
• Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Design or a related field
• Experience designing and fielding remote ethnography and online community research
• Being strategic, flexible, collaborative, and passionate about advocating for user needs
• Confident presentation skills and passion for communicating user stories and insights
• Active engagement in thought leadership within the design research community
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proficient with Keynote and remote research software

Bonus points for:

• Experience with video editing (Final Cut, Adobe Premiere and After Effects), Figma, and/or visual storytelling preferred.
• Visual communication and presentation design skills
• Previous experience with quantitative research including survey design and quant data analysis
• Proficiency with video, still photography and audio recording equipment.
• Foreign language fluency
• Thought leadership and public speaking experience

APPLICATIONS: Please share a cover letter, portfolio and relevant work samples in addition to resume.