At a Glance
- Tasks: Conduct user research to shape financial wellbeing products and services.
- Company: Join a diverse team of 40+ researchers in a leading financial services company.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Inclusive culture that values diversity and supports personal development.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable customers through impactful research.
- Qualifications: Strong UX research experience and excellent communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 84000 - 86000 £ per year.
Location: London - 2 days per week onsite
Contract: 6 months - potentially for extension
Salary: Circa £84k - £86k Annual
Hours: 35 hours, full time
About this opportunity:
We value Design Research. We're a large, experienced team of 40+ researchers. We shape product and service development. Everyone has different strengths and passions; maybe you're an expert in accessibility, skilled in quantitative research, or have a solid background in user experience (UX). We'll encourage you to test and learn new ways of doing research and foster a culture of mentoring, collaborating, and learning from other researchers.
We're looking for someone who can work collaboratively alongside a full design team and take full ownership of their design output. You'll be confident when presenting your work to stakeholders and able to adapt designs to reflect your feedback and feedback from user research and usability testing.
Our Financial Wellbeing team craft human-centred end-to-end experiences for all customers in financial difficulty. Using behavioural insights and behavioural design, we place empathy and the human experience at the heart of all we do. Across human and digital channels, we support our customers in their moments of need. With our work, we aim to transform moments of worry into moments of hope to help them back on their feet. This non-aspirational experience context often differs from other parts of financial services, and the ideal candidate will have desired experience with health, mental health, behavioural design or similar. If you want to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable customers, why not apply?
Required Skills & Experience:
- Strong UX Research, User Research or Design Research experience.
- Expertise in qualitative research methods.
- Experience conducting customer interviews and research moderation.
- Usability testing and concept testing experience.
- Discovery research experience.
- Ability to synthesise complex findings into clear insights.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
- Experience working within multidisciplinary teams.
- Experience working closely with design and product teams to identify and prioritise the right research questions.
- Able to create research roadmaps and plans to keep the team on track, helping set both short term objectives and strategic direction.
- Deep qualitative research experience using techniques such as usability testing (moderated and unmoderated), concept testing, and depth interviews.
- Synthesise insights in an impactful and actionable manner to generate a shared understanding of user needs and opportunities.
- Able to communicate and influence wider business stakeholders with clarity and conciseness.
- Ethnographic experience (such as contextual enquiry or diary studies).
- Experience triangulating research and data from different sources to tell compelling customer stories.
- Experience with accessibility research and/or vulnerable customers.
Responsibilities:
- Plan and conduct end-to-end user research activities.
- Deliver discovery, evaluative and generative research.
- Conduct customer interviews, observations and moderated research sessions.
- Facilitate usability testing and concept validation.
- Analyse qualitative and quantitative data.
- Generate actionable insights and recommendations.
- Collaborate closely with Service Designers, Product teams and stakeholders.
- Present findings to senior stakeholders and influence decision-making.
- Working in a multi-disciplinary design, product, and engineering team, you'll develop and lead the research strategy for a key area of our business.
- Responsible for managing the research plan and roadmap for your service or product area.
- Deliver research to solve customer problems, unlock new opportunities, and guide what is created.
- Working on varied research across the product development life cycle, from generative to evaluative research.
Desirable Experience:
- Mixed-methods research (qualitative and quantitative).
- Behavioural Research, Behavioural Science or Psychology exposure.
- Experience researching vulnerable customers or sensitive customer journeys.
- Healthcare, health-tech, financial services or customer-focused industry experience.
- Familiarity with behavioural design principles.
Our focus is to ensure we're inclusive every day, building an organisation that reflects modern society and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We want our people to feel that they belong and can be their best, regardless of background, identity or culture. And it's why we especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We are disability confident. So if you'd like reasonable adjustments to be made to our recruitment processes, just let us know.
Design Researcher - UX Researcher (Financial Wellbeing) employer: Pontoon
As a Design Researcher in our Financial Wellbeing team, you'll join a large, collaborative group of over 40 researchers dedicated to shaping impactful product and service development. Our inclusive work culture fosters continuous learning and mentorship, providing you with ample opportunities for professional growth while making a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable customers. Located in London, we offer a flexible working arrangement with two days onsite, ensuring a balanced work-life experience in a vibrant city.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Design Researcher - UX Researcher (Financial Wellbeing)
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Pontoon for a Design Researcher - UX Researcher (Financial Wellbeing), make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Pontoon before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Design Researcher - UX Researcher (Financial Wellbeing)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Design Researcher - UX Researcher (Financial Wellbeing) at Pontoon, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Pontoon does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Pontoon. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Pontoon.
How to prepare for a job interview at Pontoon
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Pontoon, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Pontoon might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Pontoon!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Pontoon is looking for.
