Senior Design Researcher: Field Studies & AI-Driven Insights

McKinsey; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 133,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey is seeking an experienced user researcher based in Atlanta to join BCX, the Better Colleague Experience design team. You will partner with product, design, and engineering to conduct field studies, contextual inquiries, and surveys, translating findings into actionable insights that inform product strategy and design decisions.

Travel to client and engagement sites is required. You will drive research excellence, apply AI-assisted tools where appropriate, and stay ahead of industry

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant user research or related research experience.
• Strong observational and ethnographic methods expertise (contextual inquiry, field studies, diary studies).
• Ability to translate findings into clear, actionable insights informing product strategy and design decisions.
• Adaptability to new tools, systems, and ways of working.
• Proficiency with Figma, Miro, Dovetail, Qualtrics, Jira and related tools.
• Familiarity with Agile/Lean and AI awareness to evaluate AI-assisted research.
• Willingness to travel on short notice for in-person research.

Responsibilities

• Conduct observational and mixed-methods research to shape product strategy and design decisions.
• Plan and perform field studies, contextual inquiry, interviews, surveys, and quantitative analysis.
• Synthesize findings into insights and recommendations for colleagues across teams.
• Stay current with research methods and AI trends; apply them to internal tools and platforms.

Skills

User research

Observational research

Ethnographic methods

Mixed-methods research

Figma

Miro

Dovetail

Qualtrics

Jira

Survey design

Affinity mapping

Thematic analysis

Personas

Journey maps

AI awareness

Tools

Figma

Miro

Dovetail

Qualtrics

Jira

Job description

McKinsey is seeking an experienced user researcher based in Atlanta to join BCX, the Better Colleague Experience design team. You will partner with product, design, and engineering to conduct field studies, contextual inquiries, and surveys, translating findings into actionable insights that inform product strategy and design decisions.

Travel to client and engagement sites is required. You will drive research excellence, apply AI-assisted tools where appropriate, and stay ahead of industry