Human Factors Engineer / Researcher

Apple Inc.; Cupertino, Northern (CA, KY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 278,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock purchase plan

Discretionary bonuses

Relocation assistance

Educational expense reimbursement

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking an experienced Human Factors Engineer/Researcher to apply user-centered design to health features across Apple Watch, iPhone, AirPods, and the Health app.

The role requires rapid relationship-building with design, engineering, clinicians, and regulatory partners, delivering rigorous studies and actionable insights for product development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in human factors, industrial engineering, cognitive psychology, biomechanics, experimental psychology, or HCI.
• 3 years of relevant research experience managing human factors projects and driving cross‑functional programs.
• Experience designing rigorous experiments and prioritizing insights for product design and development.
• Experience with usability studies and interview techniques.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with attention to detail and aesthetic sensibility.
• Ability to distill research insights into presentations for engineers and designers.

Responsibilities

• Apply Human Factors Engineering methods at all stages of product/technology development.
• Design experiments and data collection plans, analyze data, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Develop user study criteria and detailed UI testing methodologies for multiple projects.
• Lead user-centered research for design concepts across diverse populations.
• Provide timely feedback to cross-functional teams with clear insights.
• Collaborate with design, engineering, clinical, marketing, and product teams.
• Inform feature direction through research and maintain awareness of global HFE publications and standards.
• Ensure compliance with research ethics and IRB processes.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Presentation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s/doctorate preferred

Tools

Statistical analysis

Job description

Cupertino, California, United States Hardware

At Apple, we create products that enrich people's lives — and our health products are central to that mission. Join one of the core teams helping to bring that vision to life.We are the Human Factors team, focusing on designing and conducting research to understand our users, informing the development and continuous improvement of impactful Apple health and wellness features. We are a dynamic, diverse, and collaborative team of researchers that work at the crossroads of research and product development.We are looking for an experienced human factors engineer / researcher to apply user-centered design principles to the research, design, and development of its health features. You will scope and execute the right research, uncover insights, and directly inform health product development. You'll have the unique opportunity to contribute to various products like Apple Watch, iPhone, AirPods, and the Health app and across broad health domains such as cardiac health, sleep, hearing health, women's health, and fitness.

Description

This role sits at the intersection of various disciplines in health product development, requiring close collaboration with designers, engineers, clinicians, and regulatory partners. The ideal candidate can rapidly build relationships and partner with cross-functional teams to understand and align on research priorities, while managing multiple concurrent projects. Success requires both rigorous scientific expertise in human factors research methodology and the ability to translate complex user experience problems and questions into well-designed research efforts. The ideal candidate can then ultimately convert that understanding into actionable insights that directly inform product design and development decisions.

Responsibilities

• Apply Human Factors Engineering (HFE) methods and principles at all phases of product/technology development.
• Exercise independent judgment in development of experimental design, data collection efforts, data analysis, conclusions, and design recommendations.
• Develop user study criteria and detailed methodology for user interface testing for several concurrent projects.
• Lead user-centered research and evaluation for design concepts for diverse user populations utilizing experimental data.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research and analysis of data and provide clear and concise feedback to teams in a timely manner.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with design, engineering, clinical, product marketing, and product development groups.
• Inform feature development and direction of new Apple features through research.
• Maintain an active working knowledge of worldwide human factors publications, standards, and both cognitive and physical heuristics.
• Comply with all principles of research ethics and collaborate with legal and institutional review boards to ensure alignment with human research guidelines and regulations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with a concentration or extensive work in human factors, industrial engineering, cognitive psychology, biomechanics, experimental psychology, and/or human-computer interaction.
• 3 years of relevant research work experience managing human factors projects and driving research programs cross-functionally and independently.
• Expertise in creating rigorous experimental designs, utilizing scientific method, and prioritizing research insights that have implications for product design and development
• Expertise in conducting usability studies and interview techniques related to product use. Mixed methods expertise to combine quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, patience, and aesthetic sensibility.
• Ability to distill research insights into presentations for engineers and designers in a concise way.
• Expertise with health software and hardware usability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's/doctorate, with a concentration or extensive work in human factors, industrial engineering, cognitive psychology, biomechanics, experimental psychology, and/or human-computer interaction.
• 5 years of relevant work experience managing projects and driving research programs cross-functionally
• Relevant experience in medical device usability evaluations and documentation.
• Expertise in leading research programs informing wearables including smart watches, fitness trackers, and/or virtual reality headsets.
• Experience applying regulations and best practices for medical device human factors a plus (e.g. IEC 62366, AAMI HE75, FDA Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices).
• Expertise in conducting and interpreting various statistical analyses (e.g., t-tests, ANOVA, regression, bootstrapping).

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.