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UX Researcher

As a leading mobile games developer, Jam City is looking to “level up” our talent. We’re searching for innovators who consider themselves dynamic, collaborative, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Unlimited Vacation, Paid Sick Days & Holidays

100% Employee Covered Medical, Dental, Vision Plan Base Plan

Life Insurance, 401k, Flexible Spending Accounts, Commuter Benefits & More

Catered Lunches & Well-stocked Kitchens

Yoga & Wellness Activities

Happy Hours

Company Events

Dog Friendly

At Jam City we have a fundamental belief that deep player understanding is key to innovation, increased player enjoyment, and marketplace growth. Reporting to the Senior Manager of User Research, this individual will lead User Research initiatives and will also support some of our player satisfaction and quantitative projects. Our ideal candidate loves mobile games and possesses a strong curiosity and passion to understand the “whys” that drive player behavior and decision-making. He/She will be adept at using traditional user research methods, as well as new approaches and original thinking. This individual excels at providing both highly analytical as well as highly creative ideas to drive design decisions. A thorough understanding of user-centered design methodologies is a must and experience in the mobile gaming space is highly preferred. Survey design and analysis is also a crucial skillset candidates must have.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead User Research initiatives across our portfolio of mobile games
• Set up and manage our internal testing lab
• Lead playtests (remote and in-person) from inception through presentation of results and recommendations
• Partner closely with game teams to understand hypotheses, goals and strategies, and develop research plans that will impact game design and overall quality for our players
• Design and execute research projects using a number of methods - including but not limited to usability testing, longitudinal studies, heuristic evaluations, card sorts and player journey mapping
• Provide design suggestions throughout the lifecycle of a game based on internal data, research findings, and expertise in the mobile gaming space
• Collaborate with data analytics, data science and consumer insights to integrate additional data sources into findings and recommendations when appropriate
• Promote UX best practices and evidence-based decision-making throughout Jam City game teams
• Partner with CI Project Manager to maintain our internal database of playtesters for in-house and remote playtesting
• Lead recruiting initiatives for all playtesting
• When needed, moderate focus groups and IDIs
• Take initiative to stay current with industry trends and best practices in the mobile games industry and in the games user research industry

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must love mobile games, particularly mid-core genres including RPG puzzles, strategy RPGs, and geolocation based games, and some interest in casual genres including Match-3, bubble shooter and narrative games
• Candidates should have an advanced degree in psychology (experimental, social, cognitive, etc.), human computer interaction, human centered design & engineering, human factors, or a related user experience field
• Three or more years leading UX research, preferably in the gaming space
• Expertise and formal training in research design, fluent in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies (e.g. in-person and remote think aloud, unmoderated remote playtests, competitive benchmarking, usability studies, expert review, questionnaire development and analysis, etc.)
• Expertise and formal training in research design, fluent in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies (e.g. in-person and remote think aloud, unmoderated remote playtests, competitive benchmarking, usability studies, expert review, questionnaire development and analysis, etc.)
• Experience in game development and design principles
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, persuasiveness, and leadership
• Ability to effectively create screening criteria, recruit research participants, build rapport with a wide range of players, and moderate playtesting sessions
• Proficient with survey tools such as Qualtrics or SurveyGizmo
• Proficient with survey design and quantitative analysis
• Self-starter with passion, energy, enthusiasm to drive results and affect meaningful change
• Strong attention to detail, written and oral communications skills
• A team player, who thrives on working collaboratively, inspiring others and bringing out the best in the wider team
• Flexibility in a fast-paced, undefined environment
• Strong knowledge of Excel

NICE TO HAVE

• A history of impact and influence on mobile game experience designs
• English language proficiency required
• Familiarity with mobile game mechanics is a plus
• SAS, R, SPSS, Tableau and/or other analytics software packages a plus
• Previous experience working with data science and analytics teams a plus
• Experience creating and maintain recruiting databases for playtesting
• Experience with remote testing software

We believe in creating games that unite people across the world and that showcase our commitment to providing an environment that is both inclusive and diverse for our players and employees. We strive to create a workforce that is reflective of our global player community as we know that we are stronger and better when we play together. To help promote an inclusive culture, we celebrate the visible and invisible diversity of our Jam Citizens through initiatives including Employee Resource Groups, cultural events, trainings, speaker series, and more.

Jam City is an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, religion, ethnicity, marital, or domestic partnerships status, disability, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, veteran status, domestic violence victim status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws. Our management is committed to following this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruiting, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.

Jam City is an award-winning mobile entertainment studio providing unique and deeply engaging games that appeal to a broad, global audience.

Led by CEO Chris DeWolfe, former MySpace co-founder and CEO, and COO Josh Yguado, former 20th Century Fox executive, Jam City is the creative powerhouse behind some of the highest-grossing and most enduring mobile games. Jam City’s global franchise Cookie Jam has generated more than half a billion dollars, and Panda Pop has more than 120 million downloads to date.

The company also is the go-to studio for Hollywood, having developed immersive, narrative-rich mobile games around iconic entertainment brands. The company’s popular RPG game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was the #1 game in more than 40 countries at its launch in April 2018.

Jam City has nine studios located in Los Angeles (HQ), Berlin, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Burbank, Cedar Falls, San Diego, San Francisco, and Toronto.