Human Factors Specialist (Fixed Term, 12 Months)

Snap•Santa Monica, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Snap Inc is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company operates Snapchat , a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world, and Specs Inc. , a wholly-owned subsidiary dedicated to making computing more human, in addition to Bitmoji , Saturn, and other digital services. What you’ll do As a Human Factors Specialist, you will develop and apply human-centered research methods, objective measurement systems, and rapid prototyping techniques to improve the comfort, fit, wearability, and user experience of next-generation Augmented Reality devices. Working closely with Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, and User Research, you will translate human insights into measurable engineering requirements and product improvements. Design and execute quantitative and qualitative human-subject studies to evaluate comfort, fit, wearability, thermal comfort, and overall user experience using lab instruments, surveys, and user assessments. Collect, analyze, and interpret ergonomic, anthropometric, and biomechanical data—including IPD, head shape, ear-to-forehead geometry, hinge forces, and other wearability metrics—to generate actionable product insights. Develop novel measurement methods, instrumentation, and experimental protocols to objectively characterize wearability and human-device interactions. Design, fabricate, and validate instrumented prototypes, wearable devices, laboratory fixtures, and custom measurement systems. Integrate sensing technologies—including pressure, force, temperature, motion, eye tracking, and physiological sensors—into research prototypes and experimental platforms. Support rapid product iteration through CAD modifications, prototype development, engineering characterization, and experimental validation. Collaborate with Industrial Design, Engineering, Product Design, and User Research to translate human factors insights into product requirements and design decisions, balancing user needs with technical and product constraints. Build and maintain human factors datasets, engineering guidelines, and standardized research methods that enable future product development. Document experimental methods, calibration procedures, and research findings to improve measurement quality, repeatability, and organizational knowledge.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Factors, Ergonomics, Biomechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Kinesiology, or a related technical discipline.
3+ years of experience conducting human-subject research and supporting product development, engineering validation, or applied research for wearable devices, consumer electronics, medical devices, or related physical products.
Experience designing and executing quantitative and qualitative human-subject studies, including experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
Experience developing and applying quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, laboratory instrumentation, and engineering characterization techniques for wearable devices and physical products.
Hands-on experience designing, fabricating, instrumenting, and validating research prototypes, laboratory fixtures, or custom measurement systems.
Experience analyzing experimental data using MATLAB, Python, R, or similar analytical tools.
Demonstrated ability to translate human factors research into engineering requirements, product decisions, and design improvements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in Human Factors, Ergonomics, Biomechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Kinesiology, or a related technical discipline.
Experience developing novel measurement methods to characterize physical interactions between wearable devices and the human body.
Experience with pressure mapping, force sensing, thermal characterization, eye tracking, motion capture, physiological sensing, or other human factors measurement technologies.
Experience designing and developing instrumented wearable prototypes, custom laboratory fixtures, and engineering test systems.
Experience with embedded systems, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, microcontrollers, or custom data acquisition systems.
Experience using 3D scanning, anthropometric datasets, digital human models, or other human-centered design and evaluation tools.
Experience supporting multidisciplinary hardware product development from concept through product launch.

Responsibilities

Design and execute quantitative and qualitative human-subject studies to evaluate comfort, fit, wearability, thermal comfort, and overall user experience using lab instruments, surveys, and user assessments.
Collect, analyze, and interpret ergonomic, anthropometric, and biomechanical data—including IPD, head shape, ear-to-forehead geometry, hinge forces, and other wearability metrics—to generate actionable product insights.
Develop novel measurement methods, instrumentation, and experimental protocols to objectively characterize wearability and human-device interactions.
Design, fabricate, and validate instrumented prototypes, wearable devices, laboratory fixtures, and custom measurement systems.
Integrate sensing technologies—including pressure, force, temperature, motion, eye tracking, and physiological sensors—into research prototypes and experimental platforms.
Support rapid product iteration through CAD modifications, prototype development, engineering characterization, and experimental validation.
Collaborate with Industrial Design, Engineering, Product Design, and User Research to translate human factors insights into product requirements and design decisions, balancing user needs with technical and product constraints.
Build and maintain human factors datasets, engineering guidelines, and standardized research methods that enable future product development.
Document experimental methods, calibration procedures, and research findings to improve measurement quality, repeatability, and organizational knowledge.