UX Researcher II

We are seeking a UX Researcher II to join our team of over 50 UX researchers working on a breadth of experiences across Microsoft 365 (M365).  In this position, you’ll be part of the team responsible for leveraging AI and Microsoft Copilot to enhance the user experience of workflows that involve using multiple M365 applications, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You will work closely with designers, product managers, and engineers to define and deliver innovative AI powered solutions that empower people and teams to work more effectively and efficiently.

As a UX Researcher II, you will drive human-centered strategy, set product direction, and contribute directly to ongoing product development by integrating research insights into product plans. You will use your working knowledge of generative AI solutions and how they can improve both individual and group work to impact product strategy.  You will have the opportunity to showcase your systems thinking skills to integrate AI within the existing M365 ecosystem to create a seamless, effective, and personalized user experience for both individuals and project teams.  

This opportunity will allow you to leverage your mixed methods research background, effective communication and storytelling skills, and the ability to drive product vision and strategy based on user and market insights. You will be innovative, challenging the status quo and inspiring new ideas. If you want to transform the way people work and create a positive impact on society, we would love to hear from you.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. 

Responsibilities

• Work across organizational boundaries and across disciplines with UX Designers, Planners, UX Researchers, Data Science, Program Managers, Marketers, and Engineers to ensure that we’re addressing the most critical business and technology objectives to meet the right user needs and opportunities, landing impact from your customer-focused knowledge. 
• Identify stakeholders across Microsoft and bring them along as you provide qualitative and quantitative customer feedback to influence product development at different levels of granularity, from product strategy to cross-platform coherence to feature usability. 
• Tackle problems that require an understanding of complex technical constraints across multiple applications (M365 applications, operating system, web browser), platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) and devices (Desktop, Web, Mobile) while working to guide near and long-term investments. You should have the organizational agility and acumen to know when to push against product team resistance and when to fold constraints into your recommendations. 
• Understand complex systems by looking at the relationships and interactions between their parts, rather than just the individual parts themselves.  Demonstrate the ability to generate insights about how these systems impact the user experience of using the product across multiple dimensions.  Anticipate shifts in technical, business, and human contexts and their potential impact.
• Create research strategies and plans that leverage existing data and complement additional research that you need to execute. Derive insights from both qualitative and quantitative data.  Create clarity of purpose through scoping, alignment with stakeholders, and prioritization. Key to this accountability will be identifying opportunities for growth, gaps, and customer pain points, as well as potential customer delighters. 
• Define UX approaches, metrics, and work with others on research planning. Innovate and develop new approaches to measure user experiences, and leverage AI throughout your research process to increase impact.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: 

• Master's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 1+ year(s) User Experience Research experience
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Computer Science, Technical Communications, Information Science, Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Behavioral Science, Social Sciences, or related field AND 2+ years User Experience Research experience
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 1+ years relevant domain experience within the technology sector.
• 1+ years experience in research methods impacting both product direction and detailed experience design.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on research experience, with demonstrated skill in collecting and analyzing human behavioral data to improve plans and UX in a technology industry setting. 
• Experience impacting both product direction and detailed experience design on products leveraging AI and large language models (LLMs).
• Experience working in an angile,

 

 

UX Research IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $100,600 - $199,000 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $131,400 - $215,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 7, 2025.

 

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

 

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.