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 z/OS Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem (DFSMS) team. In this role, you will be responsible for shaping user research and design strategy to create the best experience for automating and simplifying storage management tasks.

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

• Plan, design, and conduct research using qualitative and quantitative methods to develop actionable insights that drive both strategic and tactical decision-making
• Collaborate with the cross-functional team to prioritize research needs
• Synthesize research to translate insights into actions and requirements to help define project scope, goals and deliverables
• Guide business goals to align with user needs and translate business requirements into research goals and design objectives
• Help designers shape scenarios and user flows through insights of generative research
• Communicate findings as actionable artifacts such as user personas, empathy maps, scenarios and journeys, mental models, market analysis, and much more
• Actively schedule playbacks and present research to all different levels of stakeholders

Required Technical and Professional Expertise

• 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 Mural, Airtable, Keynote, research survey tools, and other design software tools.

Preferred Technical and Professional Expertise

• None