[FT, NYC] Senior Design Researcher at Openbox

[Natalie Kinnear]

Senior Design Researcher 

About us

Openbox is an independent design and research studio in New York City with a vision to make cities better for everyone living in them. Our approach combines classic people-centered design with quantitative data and deep community engagement to ensure that we create experiences, products, and services that meet the aspirations and needs for the people that use them. We are especially interested in partnering with those who share our values around inclusivity and equity: our team comes from a variety of cultures, lived experiences, and professional backgrounds. Ultimately, we believe that we design better, together.

About you

You are a natural and passionate problem solver, always looking for new and creative ways to reframe a question, experiment, and find a solution to make a positive impact on people, cities, and planet. As a senior member of the team, you’ll lead the research phases of projects. Specifically, you are:

• A practitioner with 5+ years of professional experience in the design or research field, and 3+ years specifically as a design researcher in human-centered design;

• A design researcher with many qualitative and perhaps some quantitative methods in your toolkit (co-creation, sacrificial concepts, usability studies, etc.) and an aptitude for designing your own;

• Adept at translating research findings into concrete and actionable guidelines for your team and for clients alike;

• A strong writer who moves your audience through clear, compelling language—and catches every typo;

• Comfortable and confident discussing issues around equity and justice;

• Are based in New York City (or can commute to New York City once we return to in-person work).

Your key responsibilities would include:

• Leading a multidisciplinary team through research activities

  • Research – Plan; create stimulus; recruit and screen users; moderate and document interviews

  • Synthesis – Develop frameworks, insights, design principles, opportunities

  • Design – Build and test prototypes; determine design directions; develop content and visuals

  • Delivery – Help clients implement and socialize the research learnings into their organizations

• Facilitating client workshops, presentations and collaborative work sessions

• Working with the business development team to shape pitches, business proposals, and case studies

• Adding to our culture of play, discovery and making

If this sounds like you, please send your résumé, work samples, and a cover letter to: he...@opnbx.com