Design Researcher

Apple•Culver City, CA

About The Position

The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. At Apple great ideas have a way of becoming great products, services, and customer experiences. We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Design Researcher to join our Services Design Research team in an exciting and fast-paced organization. The ideal candidate has a passion for understanding user needs and behaviors, and a keen ability to identify where research can drive meaningful impact across a large, complex organization. You'll work collaboratively with experienced researchers and cross-functional teams to uncover research opportunities, shape how the organization thinks about research, and ensure insights reach the teams and leaders who need them. You'll combine strong research execution with operational thinking to continuously evolve how we conduct research to scale impact and efficiency. DESCRIPTION The App Store & Games Design Research team is seeking a hands-on design researcher who will be an integral part of our research function across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. As a design researcher, you will support the planning and execution of research projects that drive meaningful impact on the App Store, Apple Arcade & Apple Games. In this role, you will contribute to the design and execution of research studies using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies ranging from foundational to evaluative approaches. This includes scoping research questions, recruiting participants, facilitating research, analyzing data, and delivering insights that directly influence product decisions. Your research will inspire teams to tackle complex problems and design solutions that surprise and delight our users. As you conduct research, you'll embed operational excellence into every stage of the research process. This means thinking strategically about how we recruit participants, manage vendors, and move research from intake through project completion by anticipating bottlenecks, streamlining workflows, and identifying process improvements that make quality research easier to deliver at scale. You'll work with guidance from experienced researchers to continuously refine how we conduct research, ensuring our operations scale as our impact grows. You’ll play an active role in strategically navigating, and shaping the research function within our larger organization. You'll work with cross-functional teams such as Design, Engineering, Production, Product Marketing, and Senior Management to identify high-impact research opportunities, articulate desired learning objectives, and define long-term research goals. You'll take responsibility for defining where research can have a meaningful role in organizational decisions by surfacing blind spots, proposing new research directions, and building the case for research investment where it matters most. You flourish in a dynamic, ever-changing, and deadline-driven environment. You are a great collaborator and communicator, with the ability to present research insights clearly in large team settings. You take initiative to solve problems, and manage multiple tasks and deadlines with strong organizational skills. The impact of your research will be seen and experienced by millions of people around the world, every month.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in sociology, psychology, human computer interactions (HCI), human factors, cognitive science, anthropology, or related field 5+ years experience working within a technical environment
Proven experience with multi-disciplinary teams (Research, Design, Engineering, Business, R&D, and others) to ideate, iterate, launch, and refine new product designs
Experience in conducting research ranging from foundational to evaluative approaches (such as contextual inquiry, in-depth interviews, usability tests, surveys, and diary studies)
Able to function independently and in a team environment, with excellent collaboration skills
Excellent communication and presentation skills; both written and verbal
A passion for Apple, it’s products, and its customers is a requirement

Nice To Haves

Experience working in consumer-facing product environments
Familiarity with research coordination and operations
Knowledge of Apple's ecosystem and familiarity with Apple products

Responsibilities

Support the planning and execution of research projects that drive meaningful impact on the App Store, Apple Arcade & Apple Games.
Contribute to the design and execution of research studies using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies ranging from foundational to evaluative approaches.
Scope research questions, recruiting participants, facilitating research, analyzing data, and delivering insights that directly influence product decisions.
Inspire teams to tackle complex problems and design solutions that surprise and delight our users.
Embed operational excellence into every stage of the research process.
Thinking strategically about how we recruit participants, manage vendors, and move research from intake through project completion by anticipating bottlenecks, streamlining workflows, and identifying process improvements that make quality research easier to deliver at scale.
Work with guidance from experienced researchers to continuously refine how we conduct research, ensuring our operations scale as our impact grows.
Play an active role in strategically navigating, and shaping the research function within our larger organization.
Work with cross-functional teams such as Design, Engineering, Production, Product Marketing, and Senior Management to identify high-impact research opportunities, articulate desired learning objectives, and define long-term research goals.
Take responsibility for defining where research can have a meaningful role in organizational decisions by surfacing blind spots, proposing new research directions, and building the case for research investment where it matters most.