Director, UX Research

As the Director, UX Research at Strava, your main responsibilities include leading the User Experience Research team, defining and implementing research roadmaps, managing research plans and timelines, and conducting a variety of qualitative and quantitative research studies. Your insights will directly influence product strategy and ensure that our community of athletes has the best possible experience with our app.

To be considered for the Director, UX Research position at Strava, you should have 8+ years of experience in UX research within a corporate agile environment, alongside a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Sciences, or Human-Computer Interaction. A Master’s or PhD is preferred. Additionally, expertise in a variety of research methodologies and strong communication skills are essential.

The UX Research team at Strava plays a crucial role in the company’s overall strategy by driving insights that shape product development and improve user satisfaction. By understanding athlete behaviors and motivations, the team informs decisions across departments, ensuring that strategies are data-driven and focused on delivering exceptional user experiences.

In your role as Director, UX Research at Strava, you'll engage in extensive qualitative and quantitative research methodologies such as usability studies, interviews, focus groups, large-scale surveys, and competitive analysis. This variety ensures a comprehensive understanding of user experiences and helps generate actionable insights that influence our products.

Strava fosters a collaborative and diverse work culture for the Director, UX Research role. You'll work in a supportive environment that values creativity, empathy, and innovation. Our flexible hybrid model allows for a balance of collaborative on-site work and independent remote tasks, encouraging personal growth while driving impactful research.

When answering this question, focus on a few key projects where you led the research efforts. Explain the methodologies you used, the outcomes of your projects, and how your research influenced design decisions. Be sure to emphasize collaboration with cross-functional teams as it's crucial for a role at Strava.

To effectively answer this question, discuss your approach to aligning research initiatives with company goals and user needs. Mention tools and frameworks you use to assess priorities, such as impact vs. effort matrices, and provide examples of how you have successfully prioritized research initiatives in the past.

When responding, outline your methods for synthesizing and visualizing research findings. Highlight the importance of storytelling with data, and provide examples of reports, presentations, or workshops that successfully conveyed insights and engaged stakeholders in the decision-making process.

Discuss your collaborative approach with design and product teams. Explain how you establish a clear communication process and advocate for user needs while presenting research insights. Cite specific experiences where user feedback led to design improvements.

Convey your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities by discussing specific challenges you've encountered. Whether it's recruitment issues for studies or stakeholders skeptical about findings, emphasize how you applied your skills to find solutions and foster a culture of understanding around UX research.

Respond by outlining your expertise in both research areas, providing examples of studies you've conducted in each domain. Explain how you leverage the strengths of both qualitative insights and quantitative data to enhance user understanding.

Discuss your commitment to continuous learning, including following industry publications, attending conferences, and participating in UX communities. Mention how staying current informs your approach and enriches your work at Strava.

Highlight the significance of empathy in understanding user needs and motivations. Offer examples of how empathy has guided your research questions or methodologies to ensure that user perspectives are deeply considered in design decisions.

Talk about your approach of facilitating discussions where conflicting feedback can be explored. Discuss your method of grounding discussions in research findings and user-centered perspectives, striving to reach consensus that aligns with user needs.

This is an opportunity for you to show your enthusiasm for Strava’s mission and culture. You can discuss your passion for sports and fitness, the company's commitment to athletes, and how your background aligns with their values and goals—especially in driving user experience and insights.