Mixed-Methods UX Researcher

Google; San Bruno (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Google is seeking a User Experience Researcher to join a multi-disciplinary UX team, collaborating with Engineering and Product Management to uncover insights and shape industry-leading products.

You will conduct field studies, interviews, diary studies, ethnography, surveys, usability testing, and logs analysis to understand user needs and drive impact across all stages of product development. The role emphasizes mentorship, community engagement, and the advancement of research tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science, HCI, Statistics, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 4 years of experience in an applied research setting (product or academic).
• Experience with quantitative research (survey design, regression modeling, R, Python, or SQL).
• Experience working with AI models and AI product development.

Responsibilities

• Lead mixed-methods research programs on user identity, privacy, and trust in search and content discovery.
• Design, deploy, and analyze quantitative studies (factor analysis, segmentation, regression, MaxDiff).
• Bridge qualitative inquiries with statistical validation to deliver product recommendations.
• Analyze shifts in consumer search/discovery across traditional search, AI assistants, and short-form video feeds.
• Translate analyses into strategic guidance for cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

AI/ML product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree (Cognitive Science/HCI/Statistics/related)

Tools

R

Python

SQL

Job description

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: San Bruno, CA, USA; New York, NY, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Statistics, a related social science field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 4 years of experience in an applied research setting (e.g., product or academic) or similar.
• Experience with quantitative research (e.g., survey design, regression modeling, R, Python, or SQL analysis) and qualitative research methodologies.
• Experience working with AI models and AI product development.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Statistics, Psychology, Anthropology, or related field.
• 3 years of experience working with senior leadership (e.g., Director level and above).
• 2 years of experience conducting UX research on products, managing projects, and working in a large, matrixed organization.
• Experience with Model UX/LLM evaluation (e.g., authoring system instructions, developing evaluations, conducting loss analysis) and psychometric scale development.
• Experience with user identity and privacy frameworks in user research.

About The Job

At Google, we "Focus on the user and all else will follow." As a User Experience Researcher (UXR), you make this possible. You will join our multi-disciplinary UX team, collaborating with Engineering and Product Management, to gather insights and create industry-leading products.

You’ll play a critical role in helping your team understand user needs and will drive impact at all stages of product development, ensuring products are useful, usable, and helpful. You will explore user behaviors and motivations by conducting primary research, including: field studies, interviews, diary studies, ethnography, surveys, usability testing, and logs analysis. You will also grow within a supportive UXR community offering mentorship, regular meetups, and exclusive internal tools.

At YouTube, we believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share, and build community through our stories. We work together to give everyone the power to share their story, explore what they love, and connect with one another in the process. Working at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and boundless creativity, we move at the speed of culture with a shared goal to show people the world. We explore new ideas, solve real problems, and have fun - and we do it all together.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $132000 - $189000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Lead mixed-methods research programs investigating how user identity, profile boundaries, and privacy choice architecture influence intentional search discovery, content engagement, and platform trust.
• Design, deploy, and analyze quantitative studies (utilizing techniques such as factor analysis, segmentation, regression modeling, and MaxDiff) to quantify latent user attitudes, privacy comfort thresholds, and search intent.
• Bridge generative qualitative inquiries (e.g., deep interviews, diary studies, mental model mapping) with statistical validation to deliver product recommendations.
• Direct research analyzing how consumer search and discovery habits shift across traditional search, conversational AI assistants, and short-form video feeds.
• Translate statistical analyses, behavioral metrics, and qualitative narratives into strategic guidance for cross-functional stakeholders.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form .