As an XD Researcher you will be an influential contributor in improving the overall user experience of hundreds of thousands of insurance providers and consumers. You will partner with the other XD team members, Product Managers, Product Owners, and Software Engineers to identify design problems and create useful, usable and innovative design solutions.

You will be part of a highly visible and growing team of experienced designers who focus on creating user-centered designs grounded in research. Our team thrives on cross-functional collaboration and connecting one-on-one with our customers to gain a deep understanding of their needs. Insurance is complicated, but we believe its software doesn't have to be!

At Vertafore, we value diverse perspectives, perpetual learning, and continuous improvement. Each day we bring an open mind, a willingness to give and receive feedback, and a dedication to creating quality user experiences. Our Product Development teams solve problems with a strong customer focus and collaborate in an open, inquisitive, and positive manner. As creative technologists, we see the beauty of humanity in each other and therefore show respect for ourselves and those around us. This allows us to show up for our team and take risks, knowing it's okay to fail.

We regularly engage in coaching, mentoring, agile ceremonies, and fun team activities. We endeavor to do things in new ways that add value to our world. All of these factors create a Product Development environment that is fun, collaborative, and innovative. This is highlighted by our quality delivery, happy customers, and diverse, highly empowered team with career mobility.

Core Requirements and Responsibilities:

Essential job functions included but are not limited to the following:

• Foster a deep understanding for our customers and our industry
• Collaborate with XD, Product and Development to identify and prioritize research opportunities
• Plan and execute various types of user-centered research, including but not limited to concept-testing, competitor analysis, contextual inquiry/observations, surveys, interviews and usability testing
• Communicate results, translating findings into actionable recommendations and advocating for their implementation

· Actively participate in design studios, design critiques and other design ideation activities.

· Build amicable, productive, trusting relationships with partners and team members.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· You're a self-starter and a clear communicator who asks a lot of smart questions.

· You have a nuanced perspective and ask questions to get to the heart of the problem at hand.

· You have a strong knowledge of and experience with XD research best practices, including study design, recruiting, facilitation, analysis and reporting.

· You know how to adapt research approaches for the context of each project with minimal guidance.

· You have strong knowledge of XD best practices for enterprise software, including content-first, mobile-first, responsive design, and accessibility standards.

· You gladly share your knowledge and expertise with other team members.

· You have a good grasp of design thinking methodologies, using empathy and critical thinking to understand and frame problems.

· You can negotiate productively, bringing clarity and priority to user needs.

· You can collaborate and negotiate, weighing trade-offs between user impact and levels of effort.

· You are a passionate advocate for your user but know when to look beyond their requests to understand the true problem.

· You thrive on working as a part of a collaborative team, both giving and receiving feedback.

· You are able to contribute to 2 projects (at various stages) concurrently, meet deadlines, and adapt quickly to changing priorities in a fast-paced agile environment.

· You clearly and concisely communicate ideas, perspectives, user research, design problems, and design solutions in a diplomatic and persuasive manner.

· You balance passion for your craft with a dedication to on-time, on-target delivery of quality work.

Qualifications:

· You have 2+ years of professional experience doing user research.

· Your wealth of expertise is demonstrated by a compelling portfolio that showcases your research, facilitation and presentation skills.

· You have demonstrated proficiency in various research methodologies, such as survey design, in-person and remote facilitation, and contextual inquiries.

· You demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills and an ability to persuasively articulate design rationale.

· You are adaptable and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

· Your working style demonstrates respect, initiative, ownership, transparency, and accountability.

· You can easily move between considering the forest and paying attention to the trees.

· (Preferred) You have experience in an agile software environment.

Additional Requirements and Details:

· Travel required up to 10% of the time.

· Ability to work remotely with a stable internet connection on an as-needed basis

· Located and working from an office location (when required)*

· Occasional lifting and/or moving up to 10 pounds.

· Frequent repetitive hand and arm movements required to operate a computer.

· Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision (working on a computer, etc.).

· Frequent sitting and/or standing.

*Our offices are currently closed due to COVID-19 and are scheduled to re-open mid 2021.