User Research Intern (Tools)- Master's

Insomniac Games; Burbank (CA); Hybrid; USD 46,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Insomniac Games in Burbank seeks a User Research Intern to gain hands-on experience researching how development tools like Jira, Miro, and Confluence are used and how workflows affect teams. You will participate in surveys, interviews, and usability studies to improve internal processes and player experiences.

You’ll work with experienced researchers and cross-functional partners, applying methods to both tool workflows and game projects while learning from the studio’s research team.

Qualifications

• Pursuing or completed degree in psychology, HCI or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience with game projects or passion for games and player experience.
• Familiarity with surveys, interviews, usability testing, or observation.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to organize findings.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with User Research and Development Management to develop research questions about tool use, workflow challenges, user needs, and workarounds across the studio.
• Design and conduct surveys with contributors and leads to understand experiences using Jira, Miro, Confluence, and related systems.
• Assist with recruiting participants and conducting interviews or observed workflow sessions, including remote sessions, with consent and recording practices.
• Organize and analyze survey responses, interview notes, and observations to identify themes and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare reports and presentations communicating findings to tool owners and development partners to inform improvements and future research.
• Support planning and execution of usability studies and playtests for game projects, including logistics and note-taking.
• Analyze player feedback and contribute to research reports helping game teams understand player experiences.

Skills

Empathetic listening

Communication skills

Research methods

Organizational skills

Curiosity

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Psychology, HCI, Human Factors, Cognitive Science

Tools

Jira

Miro

Confluence

Job description

Job ID: R-125941

Role Summary:

Join Insomniac Games and gain hands‑on experience conducting research that helps improve game development workflows and player experiences.

As a User Research Intern, you’ll collaborate with the User Research and Development Management teams to understand how individual contributors and leads use development tools such as Jira, Miro, and Confluence. You’ll explore how these tools support daily workflows, identify challenges, and help uncover opportunities to improve how teams work together.

You’ll also support player research on game projects, gaining practical experience with surveys, interviews, usability testing, observation, and data analysis. This internship offers the opportunity to apply research methods to both internal development processes and player experiences while learning from experienced researchers and cross‑functional partners.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Collaborate with User Research and Development Management partners to develop research questions about tool use, workflow challenges, user needs, and workarounds across the studio.
• Design and conduct surveys with individual contributors and leads to understand their experiences using Jira, Miro, Confluence, and related systems.
• Assist with recruiting research participants and conducting interviews or observed workflow sessions, including remote sessions, while following participant consent and studio practices for recording.
• Organize and analyze survey responses, interview notes, and observations to identify recurring themes, differences across roles, and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare reports and presentations that communicate research findings to tool owners and development partners, helping inform practical improvements and future research.
• Support the planning and execution of usability studies and playtests for game projects, including participant logistics, session preparation, observation, and note‑taking.
• Analyze player feedback and contribute to research reports and presentations that help game development teams understand player experiences.
• Apply research methods and insights from games research to internal development tool workflows, with guidance to the User Research team.

What We’re Looking For:

• Currently pursuing or have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Cognitive Science, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience gained through work, research projects, community work, or independent study.
• Experience contributing to a game project or a demonstrated passion for games and player experience.
• Familiarity with research methods such as surveys, interviews, usability testing, or observation through coursework, projects, or practical experience.
• Curiosity about how people work, with an empathetic listening style and the ability to ask clear, neutral follow‑up questions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to organize research findings and share insights clearly.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail when working with research participants, study materials, and data.
• Willingness to learn unfamiliar tools and collaborate with researchers, tool owners, and game development teams.
• Familiarity with Jira, Miro, Confluence, survey platforms, or similar tools is a plus. Prior experience with specific studio tools is not required.

Eligibility:

• Students with expected graduation between May 2026 and December 2029 from an accredited university. Advanced degree- Master’s
• Able to work during one of the following periods: May 17th - August 6th or June 14th - September 3 rd . Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates.
• Must be available for the entire 12‑week internship period.

At this time, SIE will only consider applicants who are authorized to work for any employer in the United States and who will not require work visa sponsorship from SIE now or in the future to maintain their authorization to work in the United States.

Our intern positions offer a fixed hourly pay rate. Please note that the pay rate is exclusive to the internship period and may not reflect what pay may look like following the completion of an internship.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.
Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

Intern Pay Range

$40.25 — $40.25 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.