User Researcher

About the role

As a User Researcher at dxw, you’ll be a hands‑on specialist working within multidisciplinary, agile teams to help design and improve digital services that meet real user needs. You’ll work closely with designers, developers, delivery colleagues, clients and partners to ensure that user insight informs decisions throughout the lifecycle of a service.

This is a practitioner role. You’ll focus on planning and carrying out high‑quality research and analysis, communicating insights clearly, and supporting teams to make evidence‑based decisions. You’ll be supported by more senior user researchers and the wider UCD community, with opportunities to learn, grow and develop your practice over time.

Alongside project work, you’ll contribute to dxw’s research practice by sharing knowledge and helping improve how we work. You’ll also take part in wider design and company activities and may contribute to internal initiatives.

Key responsibilities

User research practice

• Plan and carry out user research to help teams understand user needs, behaviours and contexts.
• Work on services at different stages of the lifecycle, from early discovery to transformation and improvement of live services.
• Define research questions, create research plans and choose appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Recruit research participants using ethical, inclusive and effective approaches.
• Conduct research in line with the Government Service Manual and dxw’s research practices.

Working in teams

• Work as part of multidisciplinary, agile teams, often blended with client and partner colleagues.
• Actively involve other team members in research activities, helping build shared understanding of users.
• Collaborate with designers, developers and delivery colleagues to ensure research informs design and delivery decisions.
• Balance the need for further research with the need to move forward, helping teams make pragmatic, evidence‑based decisions.

Communicating insight

• Analyse research findings and turn them into clear, actionable insights.
• Communicate research outcomes in ways that are accessible and compelling for different audiences.
• Support teams and clients to use research findings to shape services and measure success.

Improving how we work

• Contribute to improving dxw’s user research practices, processes and ways of working.
• Share learning, experiences and techniques with the wider design and UCD community.
• Take responsibility for maintaining high ethical standards in research, including accessibility, inclusivity and data protection.

About you

You care about building public services that work well for the people who rely on them, and you’re motivated by understanding real user needs.

You:

• Have experience planning and carrying out user research using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Can analyse and interpret research findings, and present insights clearly to help teams make decisions.
• Understand how to recruit research participants ethically and inclusively.
• Are aware of accessibility, inclusivity and assisted digital needs, and take research ethics seriously.
• Can work with empathy and resilience as part of a multidisciplinary, agile team.
• Have an interest in human‑centred and service design principles and practices.
• Are familiar with the Government Digital Service Standard or similar design standards and approaches.

About dxw

We’re an employee-owned agency of technology, design and delivery experts who work primarily with public and third sector organisations to build usable and accessible digital services that fit seamlessly into users’ lives.

We help organisations like the NHS, the Department for Education, and Citizens Advice spend less money on technology, so that they can spend more on helping the most vulnerable. We aim not only to produce better services, but to radically and permanently improve people’s interactions with government to make it a better instrument of good.

Recent projects include improving access to adult social care, supporting rehabilitation of people leaving prison, and many more.

One of the things that makes us different is that we are employee-owned, so we are not beholden to external shareholders, and are protected against being taken over by private equity. It also means we can prioritise being an inclusive employer, reducing our impact on the planet, and working in the open. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented in tech and/or looking for flexible working arrangements.

What we offer

We want our team to feel supported both inside and outside of work. Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a range of benefits designed to promote flexibility, wellbeing, and long-term security:

• Time off & balance: A generous 28 days of annual leave per year, plus all England bank holidays. We also offer a holiday buy and sell scheme, giving you the flexibility to customise your time off to suit you.
• Family-first support: Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave to support your family, depending on your situation.
• Health & wellbeing: A healthcare cash plan providing financial support to help cover everyday medical, dental, and optical costs, plus 24/7 confidential support and counselling whenever you need it.
• Workplace flexibility: Flexible hours to support your work-life balance, top-tier tech, and a home office budget to build a comfortable setup.
• Collaborative environments: Full access to our London and Leeds offices, alongside a network of co-working spaces across the UK.
• Financial future & travel: We’ll match your pension contributions up to 6%, provide comprehensive life cover, and offer interest-free season ticket loans alongside the Cycle to Work scheme.

How to apply

We use Applied for hiring to make our process as fair as possible.

As part of our process, we’ll ask you to provide written answers to a few short questions related to the work you’d do on the job.

Our hiring panel will review these anonymously. If you score well, we’ll then review your CV and invite you to an initial chat to get the ball rolling. From there, our hiring process typically involves two stages, at least one of which is a formal interview.

Apply for this job