UX/UI Researcher

Yaqeen Institute

10d

About The Position

Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research is seeking a UX/UI Researcher to help its product teams understand how people discover, use, and value its research and learning products, and apply those insights to product design and improvement. The initial project is a study of the institute’s free English-language ebook library. The researcher will review prior research and current survey results, define study objectives with the Product Manager, and own the research process from planning through synthesis and presentation. The role is a four-month contract that may be extended or converted into a longer-term, full-time role. The researcher will conduct one-on-one interviews with ebook readers to explore reading and listening preferences, discovery and search behaviors (including use of AI tools), what readers do after finishing books, desired library features, and topics readers want covered. Findings will be compared with the 2024 study and presented in a written report and stakeholder readout, with prioritized recommendations for product, editorial, and marketing teams. The role also supports measuring the impact of Yaqeen’s products on users’ religiosity using BASIC, the institute’s religiosity framework. The researcher will share methods and findings across product teams and help establish reusable research practices, including participant recruitment and data-handling processes. Participant information must be handled carefully, with informed consent, data minimization, anonymization, and respect for requests to change or delete data. Yaqeen Institute values and promotes workforce diversity. Career opportunities are subject to a three-month probationary period.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human-computer interaction, psychology, sociology, anthropology, information science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Experience planning and conducting qualitative user research, especially in-depth interviews, from recruitment through synthesis.
Ability to write neutral, open-ended interview questions and probe for behavior rather than opinion.
Strong synthesis skills, including affinity mapping and thematic analysis, and ability to turn patterns into prioritized recommendations.
Clear writing and presentation skills for audiences across product, editorial, and marketing teams.
Familiarity with digital content products such as reading, video, or learning platforms, and comfort interpreting survey data alongside interview findings.
Understanding of the Muslim community and sensitivity when discussing faith, doubt, and personal practice with participants.
Ability to work independently and support more than one product team at a time.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree or formal research training.
Prior experience researching Yaqeen’s audiences.

Responsibilities

Review the 2024 ebook-reader research and early results from the current reader survey, and work with the Product Manager to define study questions and objectives.
Write an interview discussion guide that connects research questions to product outcomes, including downloads, library discovery, and users’ progression to other Yaqeen content.
Screen and recruit participants across reader segments from survey respondents who opt in to follow-up interviews.
Conduct and record one-on-one interviews with ebook readers about their post-reading behavior, reading and listening preferences, search habits and AI use, desired library features, and future content interests.
Synthesize findings, compare them with the 2024 research, and identify what has remained stable, changed, or newly emerged.
Deliver a written report and present findings to stakeholders, including prioritized recommendations for product, editorial, and marketing teams.
Protect participant data by obtaining informed consent, collecting only necessary information, anonymizing personal details, and honoring requests to change or delete data.
Help measure the impact of Yaqeen products on users’ religiosity using BASIC, including incorporating its measures into surveys and discussion guides and tracking change over time.
Share research methods, templates, and findings with other product teams, and advise them on opportunities for user research.
Help establish reusable research practices, such as a participant panel, standard consent forms, and a shared findings library.