Director, Product Design Research

Description

About WPP Media

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com

About Choreograph: A Leading WPP Media Brand

Choreograph is WPP’s global data products and technology company. We’re on a mission to transform marketing by building the fastest, most connected data platform that bridges marketing strategy to scaled activation.

We work with agencies and clients to transform the value of data by bringing together technology, data and analytics capabilities. We deliver this through the Open Media Studio, an AI-enabled media and data platform for the next era of advertising.

We’re endlessly curious. Our team of thinkers, builders, creators and problem solvers are over 1,000 strong, across 20 markets around the world.

Role Summary and Impact

The Director, Design Research is a specialist role, ensuring our product decisions are backed by rigorous research and user insights. The role involves conducting research for new products, analysing behavioural data, and identifying opportunities for improvements across existing applications.

Research & Insights Generation

• Develop and communicate a clear vision and roadmap for research activities aligned with business and product goals.
• Conduct user research through interviews, focus groups, workshops, surveys, usability tests, and field studies to uncover pain points and opportunities.
• Analyse behavioural and analytics data (e.g., heatmaps, session recordings, funnel analysis) to identify patterns and areas for product optimization, reconciling with primary research sources to provide a holistic picture of user behaviour.
• Develop user personas and journey maps to visualize user behaviours and inform product design.
• Synthesize research findings into actionable insights that drive new features and product improvements.
• Stay up to date on industry trends, competitor research, and emerging user behaviours to anticipate future need

Team Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Lead and manage the Design Research team, including Associate Directors (Senior Researchers), Managers (Researchers), and Senior Associates (Junior Researchers).
• Set strategic direction for research initiatives, ensuring alignment with business objectives and the Open Design System.
• Oversee resource allocation for research projects, ensuring the team operates efficiently and delivers high-quality outcomes.
• Collaborate closely with product design and design QA specialists to maintain consistency and alignment across all research-driven initiatives.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the research team.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to researchers, empowering them to grow their skills and thrive in their roles.

Collaboration with Product & Design Teams

• Work closely with product managers, UX/UI designers, and data analysts to integrate research insights into product development.
• Collaborate with UX/UI designers to translate research findings into design solutions, and contribute to wireframes, prototypes, or other design deliverables as needed.
• Extend product design efforts when required, ensuring alignment with the Open Design System and maintaining high standards of usability and accessibility.
• Support product design QA processes by reviewing and validating design implementations against research insights and user needs.
• Advocate for user needs in product discussions, ensuring a balance between business goals and usability.
• Partner with analytics teams to develop A/B testing plans and measure the impact of design changes.
• Represent the voice of the user and advocate for user-centred decision-making among senior product leadership.

Experimentation & Continuous Improvement

• Define key metrics and KPIs to measure the impact of research-driven product decisions.
• Assist in setting up experiments and prototyping studies to validate new concepts.
• Iterate on research methods to continually improve insights gathering.
• Contribute to the establishment of common research best practices across products.

Skills and Experience

At WPP Media , we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media ’s shared core value s:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust .
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise .

• Experience in user research, UX research, or product design research.
• Strong understanding and hands-on experience with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including research design, sampling, facilitation, analysis, and communication.
• Experience in UX/UI design, including the ability to contribute to wireframes, prototypes, and design QA processes.
• Proven experience leading and managing research teams, with a track record of fostering collaboration and growth.
• Experience with research tools such as UserTesting, Optimal Workshop, and Hotjar.
• Ability to work with data analytics tools such as Google Analytics to extract insights. Experience with Pendo is a plus but not mandatory.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills to translate complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• A user-centred mindset with a passion for improving digital experiences.
• Strong communication and collaboration capabilities, able to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• A highly organized and detail-oriented approach, with a focus on research rigor and quality.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving, able to identify and address potential challenges in the research process.
• Experience as a mentor and educator, passionate about sharing your knowledge and empowering others.
• Past exposure to fast-paced working environments, with an ability to adapt to changing priorities.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we’re just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location

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While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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