Title: Director, Design Research
Location: London
Reporting to: VP, Product Design and VP, Product Measurement
WHO WE ARE
Choreograph is WPP’s global data products and technology company. We’re on a mission to transform marketing by building the fastest, most connected data platform that bridges marketing strategy to scaled activation.
We work with agencies and clients to transform the value of data by bringing together technology, data, and analytics capabilities. We deliver this through the Open Media Studio, an AI-enabled media and data platform for the next era of advertising.
We’re endlessly curious. Our team of thinkers, builders, creators, and problem solvers are over 1,000 strong, across 50+ markets around the world.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
The Director, Design Research is a specialist role, ensuring our product decisions are backed by rigorous research and user insights. The role involves conducting research for new products, analyzing behavioral data, and identifying opportunities for improvements across existing applications.
You are:
* Skilled in qualitative and quantitative research methods, translating user data into actionable insights.
* Comfortable analyzing analytics data to uncover trends, gaps, and opportunities for product enhancements.
* Passionate about understanding customer needs, behaviors, and pain points to inform design and development.
* A strong leader with experience managing and mentoring research teams.
* Able to synthesize complex data into meaningful recommendations that guide product and UX/UI teams.
* Confident in articulating research findings to diverse stakeholders, influencing product direction with evidence-based insights.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
Research & Insights Generation
* Develop and communicate a clear vision and roadmap for research activities aligned with business and product goals.
* Conduct user research through interviews, focus groups, workshops, surveys, usability tests, and field studies to uncover pain points and opportunities.
* Analyze behavioral and analytics data (e.g., heatmaps, session recordings, funnel analysis) to identify patterns and areas for product optimization, reconciling with primary research sources to provide a holistic view of user behavior.
* Develop user personas and journey maps to visualize behaviors and inform product design.
* Synthesize research findings into actionable insights that drive new features and product improvements.
* Stay up to date on industry trends, competitor research, and emerging user behaviors to anticipate future needs.
Team Leadership & Strategic Direction
* Lead and manage the Design Research team, including Senior Researchers, Managers, and Junior Researchers.
* Set strategic direction for research initiatives, ensuring alignment with business objectives and the Open Design System.
* Oversee resource allocation for research projects, ensuring efficiency and high-quality outcomes.
* Collaborate with product design and QA specialists to maintain consistency and alignment across research-driven initiatives.
* Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the team.
* Provide mentorship and guidance to researchers, supporting their growth and development.
Collaboration with Product & Design Teams
* Work closely with product managers, UX/UI designers, and data analysts to integrate research insights into product development.
* Collaborate with designers to translate research findings into design solutions, including wireframes and prototypes.
* Support product design QA processes by reviewing and validating design implementations against research insights and user needs.
* Advocate for user needs in product discussions, balancing business goals and usability.
* Partner with analytics teams to develop A/B testing plans and measure the impact of design changes.
* Represent the voice of the user, advocating for user-centered decision-making among senior leadership.
Experimentation & Continuous Improvement
* Define key metrics and KPIs to measure the impact of research-driven decisions.
* Assist in setting up experiments and prototyping studies to validate concepts.
* Iterate on research methods to continually improve insights gathering.
* Contribute to establishing research best practices across products.
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
* 8–10+ years of experience in user research, UX research, or product design research.
* Strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including design, sampling, facilitation, analysis, and communication.
* Experience in UX/UI design, including wireframes, prototypes, and design QA.
* Proven leadership and management experience in research teams.
* Experience with research tools such as UserTesting, Optimal Workshop, and Hotjar.
* Ability to work with data analytics tools like Google Analytics; experience with Pendo is a plus.
* Excellent communication and storytelling skills for translating complex findings into recommendations.
* A user-centered mindset with a passion for digital experience improvement.
* Strong collaboration skills for effective cross-functional teamwork.
* Highly organized, detail-oriented, with a focus on research quality.
* Proactive problem-solving abilities.
* Experience mentoring and educating team members.
* Ability to adapt to fast-paced environments and changing priorities.
WHY JOIN US?
If you are ready to lead in the AdTech industry, shaping its future and driving success for Choreograph and our clients, we encourage you to apply and join our team.
Choreograph is at the heart of data inside WPP’s media investment group, GroupM, responsible for over $60 billion in annual media investment. Discover more at www.choreograph.com.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
GroupM and its affiliates embrace diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team representing various backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the greater the work we can create together.
(Please note this is a UK-based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location)
#LI-Promoted
#J-18808-Ljbffr