Principal UX Researcher (CDI Design)

About the Team

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology (DEEP&T), we’re reimagining ways to create magical experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future. Whether that’s evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world. 

 

About the Role

We are looking for a Principal UX Researcher to join our Product Design team. In this role, you will develop a systematic approach to research, analyze human needs, motivations, and trends, and provide valuable insights to guide near-to-long-term strategic planning.

 

As a Principal UX Researcher at DEEP&T, you will work on products used by millions of Disney customers each year. You will conduct evaluative user research using methods like interviews, literature reviews, and usability testing. You will also conduct generative research through activities like design sprints, customer journey mapping, and diary studies. Working within a product design organization you will determine the best approach for translating research findings into actionable outputs.

 

A few reasons why we believe you’d love working here:

• Impact – We are shaping the future of Disney Entertainment. Our design and research drive innovation across our entire portfolio, from Disney+ to ESPN and beyond, creating magical experiences for audiences worldwide.

• Collaboration – Our team includes the industry's most talented designers, UX engineers, design operations experts, and leaders, all working together to push the boundaries of creativity and user experience.

• Innovation – We pioneer groundbreaking products and techniques that redefine industry standards, transforming how audiences engage with sports, entertainment, and news.
   

What You Will Do

A Principal UX Researcher plays a critical role in leveraging research, data, and human-centered design methodologies to inform product strategy today and drive innovation tomorrow. This role focuses on identifying key user needs, guiding the development of data-driven, user-centric solutions and operationalizing key research practices. As part of a multidisciplinary design team, the role will collaborate with experts across design, UX, and data to create cutting-edge products that enhance user experiences and drive business impact.

 

• Develop & Manage Research Programs: Build and maintain a program for collecting, synthesizing, and communicating  insights on human needs, motivations, and trends, to inform near and long term strategic efforts and programs. You operationalize key systems and processes to help benefit the broader business.

• Conduct In-Depth Research: Lead qualitative and quantitative research efforts, including user interviews, surveys, market analysis, usability, and other research methods to gather deep insights into customer needs and behaviors. 

• Translate & Present Insights: Clearly translate research findings and data into actionable recommendations and present them concise and impactful manner to designers, partners and leadership teams. 

• Drive Rapid Prototyping & Testing: Develop and test prototypes of new solutions to validate concepts and gather feedback quickly.

• Collaboration with Design & Product Teams: Work closely with design and product teams to understand and quantify user behavior, needs, and goals, ensuring research informs key business decisions.

• Execute End-to-End Research: Design and execute a wide variety of research projects from early discovery and ideation to design validation, ensuring thorough insights at every stage.

• Generate Actionable Insights & Strategic Recommendations: Synthesize research data to create compelling recommendations that directly influence product designs and strategic decisions.

• Create Strategic UXR Frameworks: Build strategic customer frameworks curated from individual research projects to guide broader business strategies.

• Mentor & Educate Teams on Research Methods: Lead by example and mentor colleagues across the company, empowering them to conduct effective customer research, from guerrilla methods to formalized studies.

• Pioneer Innovation Research Methods: Drive innovation by exploring, refining, and codifying new research methodologies, setting the standard for the team and organization.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 10+ years of applied product/design research or equivalent experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Human Factors, HCI, Psychology, Sociology, Cognitive Science, Research & Strategy, Anthropology or related field.

• Strong portfolio or set of case studies showcasing a range of projects demonstrating your research process, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree not required but a plus
   

Additional Information

This role is based out of New York, NY or Los Angeles, CA


 

The hiring range for this position in Glendale/Santa Monica is $167,700 to $224,900 per year, in NYC or Seattle is $175,800 to $235,700 per year and in San Francisco is $183,700 to $246,400 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.