Design Researcher II

Job Description:

Design Researcher II

The Design Research team at Milwaukee Tool sits within a collaborative user-centered design and technology development group focused on the fuzzy front end of product development. We are tasked with informing the entrepreneurial spirit of the company, influencing and inspiring the direction of the business through strategic and functional findings. In this role you will be leading the research efforts of highly collaborative and diverse teams of Engineers, Industrial Designers, and Product Managers to inspire and influence key decision makers on new solutions for the construction industry.

You must be permanently eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship for this position.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and execute multi-faceted research plans to learn about all aspects of the construction trade. These plans typically include qualitative discovery research on jobsites, primary and secondary research exercises to understand the competitive product set, and evaluation of mock-ups and preliminary concept prototypes in field.
• Build, grow, and maintain a network of users to understand their evolving needs and work context. Establishing strong relationships with our end users is critical to conducting appropriate discovery research, co-creating solutions, and eliciting honest feedback.
• Analyze and synthesize research findings into key insights that inform opportunities for new feature sets, functionalities, and business approaches.
• Plan and facilitate hands-on tool evaluations, team workshops, and analysis sessions. These participatory co-creation sessions result in a common ground of familiarity with a tool and its use, while inspiring creativity and collaboration within your team.
• Present research findings in an engaging and concise manner to key stakeholders across the business. You will need to communicate through well-crafted presentations and events that educate and inspire your team through photos, video, diagrams, storytelling and demonstrations.
• Experiment with new approaches and methodologies to achieve ingenious results. As a research group we encourage new ways of thinking, and we want you to help us build new tools and methodologies appropriate to the work we do.

Required Skills:

• You thrive when approaching potential research participants (e.g., on a construction site) to introduce yourself and engage in observation and open-ended lines of questioning
• You are curious, not just about your research topic but also the company, your co-workers, and your process
• You are ready to jump in with both feet to try new methods and learn from your mistakes
• You are comfortable working in the ambiguous “fuzzy front end”
• You are a strategic thinker who looks not only at the stated problem but at the space around it
• You are proactive and open to changing research plans on the fly based on new information
• You have strong communication skills and can get your ideas across to engineers, industrial designers, and marketers alike
• You link everything back to our core end user’s activities and needs to provide insight for developing breakthrough products
• You are a team player, focused on bringing the team along on the journey
• You have passion for the importance of user insights in the product development process and are ready to champion those insights
• You are comfortable facilitating both conversations with multi-disciplinary teams and co-creation sessions with users
• You make non-obvious connections and revel in talking about ideas
• You are proficient in Microsoft Office, online collaboration tools such as Mural or Miro, and have some experience with editing video and 2D software

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Business, or Engineering plus 3 years’ experience, or Bachelor’s degree in the same fields plus 5 years of experience (including internships)
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in product development with an understanding of innovation and design thinking
• Minimum 3 years’ experience using qualitative research methods including observation, interviewing, co-creation, participatory design, and design sprints
• 25-40% overnight domestic travel
• Must have a valid driver's license
• Upon an interview, must be prepared to present on a project and its methodology