Design Researcher Design Researcher
Introduction
IBM has a rich history of design that extends into our IBM Z business. At IBM Z, our systems power the world’s most important industries, and our clients are the architects of the future. Transforming our business to deliver on that future is at the heart of our Design mission.
Join us as we continue innovating across enterprise Z products to provide our clients with solutions that power their mission. We're looking for a well-rounded Design Researcher to join the zSecurity and Compliance team. In this role, you will be responsible for conducting user research and executing design strategy to create the best solutions for data security, threat detection, cybersecurity automation and more.
You’ll work directly with a cross-functional team to tackle complex business challenges alongside other creators and strategists. You have a passion to learn more about our technology stack to improve the client experience. You are a systematic thinker, able to see the big picture but also enjoy diving deep into important details.
Your Role and Responsibilities
We are looking for a bright and energetic person to join our IBM Z Design team.
Did you know you interact with an IBM Z system every day? IBM Z processes most credit card transactions around the world. As part of the key team member, you’ll have a direct impact on the offerings we bring to market through uncovering key customer insights, understanding their pain points, and validating experiences we design.
As an IBM Z Design Researcher, you will contribute to the design deliverables on your product, either as an individual contributor or part of a team, under the direction of an Advisory Designer or Design Lead. You will collaborate with cross-discipline teammates to define optimal user experiences and own the creation of low and high-fidelity design artifacts. You have good presentation and storytelling skills and can present work in an engaging, compelling way. You have a passion for technology and the capacity to learn and understand complex technical details.
With an established foundation and technical understanding of the product you’ll work on, your focus will turn to strengthening your craft skills, deepening your domain knowledge, and growing your eminence inside IBM. You will actively contribute to our design community’s health, culture, and success through your participation and involvement in community-focused initiatives. Finally, your responsibilities will grow over time to provide you with opportunities to acquire new skills and assume greater degrees of ownership over design outcomes.
Key/Strategic Responsibilities
Conduct thorough user research and translate insights into actionable design solutions.
Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers to define and implement innovative solutions for the product direction, visuals, and experience.
Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs that effectively communicate interaction and design ideas.
Lead design reviews and feedback sessions to iterate on designs and improve usability.
Advocate for the user throughout the design process, ensuring their needs are met and their experience is optimized.
Gain clarity on your overall product strategy and how your product fits within it.
Develop a deeper understanding of your portfolio / ecosystem and the relationships between its products.
Deepen your technical knowledge of your primary product.
Develop a basic knowledge of the platform on which your product runs.
Acquire knowledge in and understand how to apply User Experience and Research Metrics.
Research Responsibilities
Independently lead research sessions and planning.
Challenge, reframe and refocus research requests.
Assist in the recruitment of sponsor users.
Plan and execute research activities.
Establish new relationships with customers and users
Conduct analysis and synthesis of research activities; tailor playbacks for different audiences.
Actively develop and maintain personas and archetypes.
Help designers shape scenarios and user flows through insights of generative research
Translate business requirements into research goals, and conduct research using qualitative and quantitative methods to develop actionable insights that drive both strategic and tactical decision-making
Communicate findings as actionable artifacts such as user personas, empathy maps, scenarios and journeys, mental models, market analysis, and much more.
Required Technical and Professional Expertise
9+ years professional experience
Expertise in design thinking/human-centered design
In-depth knowledge and experience within a relevant design discipline (User Research, User-Experience Design, Visual Design, Interaction Design)
Research experience with ability to scope research, lead fieldwork, conduct interviews, perform desktop research, lead synthesis and communicate findings
Ability to facilitate design thinking workshops with diverse product and functional teams
Strong interest in complex, technical systems
Strong written and verbal communication skills (i.e. storytelling and documentation)
Experience using agile principles towards the delivery of product
Develop mid-level literacy in AI
Proficiency with design research tools such as Figma,Mural, Airtable, Keynote, research survey tools, and other design software tools.
Preferred Technical And Professional Expertise
None
About Business Unit
IBM Systems helps IT leaders think differently about their infrastructure. IBM servers and storage are no longer inanimate - they can understand, reason, and learn so our clients can innovate while avoiding IT issues. Our systems power the world’s most important industries and our clients are the architects of the future. Join us to help build our leading-edge technology portfolio designed for cognitive business and optimized for cloud computing.
This job requires you to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated prior to your start date and proof of vaccination status will be required before your start date. During the Onboarding process you will be asked to confirm your vaccination status, in case you are unable to get vaccinated for any reason, you can let us know at that stage. Please let us know if you are unable to be vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons. IBM will consider such requests on a case by case basis subject to submission of required proof by the candidate before a stipulated date.
Your Life @ IBM
In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.
Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.
Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.
Are you ready to be an IBMer?
About IBM
IBM's greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.
Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 50 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.
At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.
Location Statement
When applying to jobs of your interest, we recommend that you do so for those that match your experience and expertise. Our recruiters advise that you apply to not more than 3 roles in a year for the best candidate experience.
For additional information about location requirements, please discuss with the recruiter following submission of your application.
Being You @ IBM
IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.
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