Early Career Game User Researcher

At Player Research we want the world to experience brilliant games; ones full of adventure, surprise and intrigue – the ones you can’t put down, and those you talk about for days.

Across the world we partner with game development teams to realize their creative visions by providing meaningful insight into how real players experience play.

We are the world’s premier partner for games user research.  From our Brighton and Montreal studios we design and conduct award-winning user experience studies for video games: usability testing, expert reviews, engagement diaries, full playthroughs, training courses, accessibility testing… and so much more.

We uncover insights that drive game development forward.

As an external research studio we collaborate far and wide: game developers, publishers, platform owners, incubators, indies, and beyond. Around one third of our projects are commissioned by games user research teams inside studios and publishers to extend their reach and capabilities.

Hundreds of game development studios rely on our insights into usability, UX, appeal, and play.

Our projects come in all shapes and sizes, from testing user interfaces to interviewing super-fans; game console UI improvement, to toys-to-life; AAA full-playthroughs, discovery research, difficulty balancing, narrative comprehension, and so much more. Our consultant Researchers are brought into the heart of design decision-making in projects of all types. Some spanning years of development, some as one-off studies.

We are exceptionally proud of our decade-long reputation for authenticity, transparency and rigor. And we’d love to make you a part of it.

Player Research is an exceptional place to work and grow.

Our team is a healthy mix of expert practitioners and academically trained staff, each bringing their unique perspectives; each offering rich insight to our client studios, and one another.

We maintain a strong vision of company culture and values: rooted in deeply-held trust and empathy among peers, deliberate communication, self-determination, and taking pride in the work we deliver together.

Do you fit the role?

You are a few years into your games user research career, in a commercial setting. You bring a passion for games, psychology, and applied user research. You’re winning the trust of your stakeholders and colleagues, and you want to take on bigger challenges. You’re ready for a career turbo-charge: more stakeholder time, more ownership of projects, and more responsibility for insight.

We expect you to bring unique and relevant knowledge from your prior academic and industry experience, and in turn help your co-workers deliver evermore persuasive consultative guidance to our client teams.  You’ll work alongside Researchers, Participant Coordinators, Client Relations Managers and more, building your knowledge and practice of user research as a key part of our vibrant and impactful agency.

You’re passionate about seeing effective research delivered, be that longform or short form studies. You have a strong instinct for what good study design looks like, can anticipate obstacles and identify solutions to tackle them. You are ready for the move from tactical execution towards strategic client partnership, all toward making unforgettable games through player-centric development.

All of our Games User Researchers execute research as part of small, agile teams. Partnered with our highly experienced, world-class Games User Researchers, you will confidently contribute to the entire process of running successful playtests and expert-led research.  Our smoothly run and insightful studies reliably help developers understand their audience and improve game design.

Core Responsibilities

• Project managing and delivering exceptional games user research, on time and on budget
• Executing a variety of methods including large lab playtests, concept tests, usability playtests, writing competitor and expert analyses, remote research studies, desk and secondary research
• Analysing findings and writing compelling, actionable reports tailored to the clients' research aims
• Presenting findings and research-backed UX/UI recommendations to clients, to effectively embed user feedback and player-centric design philosophy into their development processes
• Using your initiative to improve our internal processes for the benefit of colleagues and clients
• Applying continuous improvement of yourself through training, writing, and evaluating the user experience of varied video games
• Capturing your knowledge by authoring training materials, articles, talks, and committing yourself to giving and receiving feedback

Management: You’ll have two managers: a People Manager and a global Head of Research Craft, ensuring your professional and technical skill growth respectively.

Requirements

• 1-3 years’ commercial user research experience either in a games or mainstream technology setting OR previous relevant experience in a commercial game development role
• We are seeking candidates with diverse academic backgrounds, such as human computer interaction (HCI), psychology, interaction design, or product design. Providing that you have the commercial experience, we will review all candidates regardless of university degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD) or equivalent industry experience.
• A proven knowledge of the basics of user research methodologies, including designing studies to a client's brief, writing questionnaires, running user research studies, and conducting competitor and/or expert analysis.
• An understanding of the game development process, and the role (and limitations of) user research at each development stage
• Experience building trust and rapport, collaborating effectively and problem solving with confidence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication adaptable to a range of environments and levels within an organization
• Good negotiation and influencing skills. Work well with and win-over our cross-functional stakeholders, including designers, producers, engineers, artists and studio leadership.

Location and starting

• For immediate start; we are willing to wait for the right candidate.
• In order to facilitate playtest lab-based research, relocation to Montreal (Canada) is required. We are pleased to offer financial support for relocation within Canada.
• Candidates must be authorize to work in Canada for any employer.
• We work hybrid. In-office time is required as part of in-person testing, training, and collaborative work. Working from your choice of location – in-home or from our delightful offices at all other times.
• You should expect occasional work on weekends and evenings as part of our research with school-age children.

Benefits

• Great salary, in line with regional games user research pay
• Annual bonus, based on your personal goals and company commercials
• Insurance coverage
• Unlimited occasional personal leave days
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Extra pay for occasional research run on weekends and/or on national holidays
• Volunteer Time Off (VTO): 1 day per year paid for all employees
• RRSP & TFSA – employees can enroll after 3 months of continuous employment
• Discounts and offers with STM, BIXI, Telus, Bell, Dell, Nautilus Gym, Dialogue, Bonjour-Santé, and more
• Employee and Family Assistance Program
• Friendly, inclusive teams with a range of interests and activities to join

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well-established Equal Opportunities Policy. We endeavor to create a workplace, which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Please be advised that Keywords Studios does not consider unsolicited resumes, or any form of contact initiated by unauthorized third parties, including recruitment or placement agencies, unless a pre-existing, valid agreement is in place. Any fees incurred by unauthorized third parties will not be compensated by Keywords Studios. 

Privacy Notice

By providing your information in this application, you understand that we will collect and process your information in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. For more information, please see our Applicant Privacy Notice at  https://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice.

Role Information: EN

Studio: Keywords Studios

Location: Americas, Canada, Montreal

Area of Work: Marketing

Service: Engage

Employment Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full Time, Hybrid