Principal Associate, UX Researcher

161 Bay Street (93021), Canada, Toronto,Toronto, Ontario,Principal Associate, UX Researcher

Our Capital One Experience Design Team

At Capital One, we don’t just hire people - we invest in them. We’ve worked hard to create and foster a culture that values people, collaboration, integrity, and respect for one another. We pride ourselves in being a place of opportunity that empowers our team of disruptors, dreamers, and doers. And we’re not your typical bank; we’re on a mission to change banking for good by bringing ingenuity, simplicity and humanity to the work we do. Antiquated legacy platforms have no place here; we’re building a leading information-based technology company where you’ll be partnering with other talented people across the organization on complex projects, contributing to the value we deliver every day. We measure our efforts by the success our customers enjoy and the advocacy they exhibit, and we succeed only when they do. 

We’re currently seeking a Principal UX Researcher to join our Experience Design (XD) team. Our team is at the forefront of enriching our customers’ digital experiences and represent the voice of our customers. We champion a thriving environment of collaboration, authenticity and healthy critique, in which we honour diversity of thought, create a culture of belonging, and elevate one another. 

Because we’re a human-centred organization obsessed with delivering products and services based on customer research and feedback, UX research is at the heart of our work. We believe empathy and curiosity (we ask a lot of questions) are at the core of understanding our customers so we can deliver best-in-class products and services. We represent the voice of our customers and focus on being the source of truth for our customer insights.

Working with us

How do we do things at Capital One Canada? We listen — to our people, and to our customers. We change with the times and have adopted a flexible hybrid model. Associates working in the hybrid model are expected to come into the office 3 days a week across Tuesdays and Thursdays, reserving Mondays and Fridays as company-wide virtual days. As was true before the pandemic, expectations of being in the office will be balanced with personal life flexibility. We recognize that everyone has a unique working pattern so we’re open to discussing flexible working arrangements that will best accommodate you.

At Capital One we’re committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging. We strive to build a culture where diverse perspectives are valued, innovative ideas are encouraged and inclusive behaviours are embedded in everything we do to positively impact associates. Strive to build a culture where diverse perspectives are valued, innovative ideas are encouraged and to help challenge the status quo and create the best outcomes for everyone. 

We’re focused on helping associates live well—physically, financially and emotionally. When you join us, we support you and those who are most important to you, offering full coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. We’ve designed our benefits program to be flexible, comprehensive and consistent across our organization. From health and fitness center discounts, to training and professional development programs—and much more—you’ll discover that Capital One is committed to helping you live your best life. 

Capital One Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We consider all qualified applicants and will meet the needs of those requiring reasonable accommodations.

About you

You have exceptional research skills and understand the balance between scrappy and rigour, and ultimately how research translates into design and product decisions.

You have a keen desire and curiosity to learn new skills and develop new methods of uncovering user needs.

You can plan and lead moderated research studies remotely and in person, along with unmoderated research (using online tools).

You believe in the strength of collaboration, and have exceptional communication, organizational, and multitasking skills with the ability to act independently and meet tight deadlines.

You are comfortable with consolidating, documenting and presenting research findings, often from multiple sources, in short, concise, actionable, compelling stories to large audiences at varying levels of the organization.

You can adapt existing research methods to the project's needs and to define new research methods according to the organization's needs

Responsibilities

Improve the usability, usefulness and desirability of our products, services and customer experiences in collaboration with Product Designers, Service Designers, Product Managers, Software Developers and other key stakeholders.

Conduct user research (e.g., empathy interviews, ethnographies and/or contextual inquiries, diary studies, usability testing, etc.) to influence the strategies and initiatives of Design, Product, and business partners.

Present and communicate research and analysis clearly and effectively across various teams and lines of business in engaging and impactful ways.

Create usability templates and guidelines, establish and share best practices, build research documentation, and leverage raw data to facilitate a growing UX Research team's work.

Actively monitor and analyze research, data and trends from internal and industry sources, academic research and published reports to inform and improve our research methods and insights.

Leverage analytics tools and techniques, in partnership with other insight disciplines (e.g., Brand, Market Research, Data Analysis), to measure success, triangulate insights and develop a shared understanding of a product or experience – in turn identifying and presenting opportunities and supporting decision-making and prioritization.

Influence Product teams by showcasing the importance of research in helping them integrate users into the product life cycle.

Regularly engage with teams across the business to help them uncover research opportunities, advocate for the optimal research method(s) to meet their needs, and build and maintain a UX Research roadmap. 

Facilitate company-wide exercises to build empathy for our current and prospective customers.

Mentor fellow researchers to develop their skills.

Empower Product teams through training and coaching so they’re equipped to scale research activities beyond the core UX Research team.

Education and Experience

Basic Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in HCI/UX, Psychology, Consumer Insights or a related field, or equivalent experience.

At least 4 years of experience in research within a digital work environment, leveraging quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Preferred Requirements:

Master’s degree in HCI/UX, Psychology or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Experience in design thinking and workshop facilitation.

Experience teaching research best practices within a corporate environment (in financial services, if possible).

Associates working in the hybrid model are expected to come into the office 3 days a week across Tuesdays and Thursdays, reserving Mondays and Fridays as company-wide virtual days. As was true before the pandemic, expectations of being in the office will be balanced with personal life flexibility.​

We may use your information for automated decision making. We may, for certain purposes, render a decision based exclusively on automated processing of your personal information as a part of the candidate screening process.

Capital One Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We consider all qualified applicants and will meet the needs of those requiring reasonable accommodations.

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