Principal UX Designer

ICON is looking for a Senior UX Researcher to join the BuildAI team. As a Senior User Experience Researcher at ICON, you will be responsible for identifying effective ways of exposing ICON’s design technology and capabilities to prospective homeowners, architects and engineers. You’ll advocate for user needs in our pursuit to further ICON’s mission of making dignified housing accessible to everyone and advance humanity with our technology. This role is based at ICON’s Austin, TX headquarters and will report to the Head of UX and Product Strategy on ICON’s BuildOS team.

BuildAI is ICON’s AI-powered software platform for housing design. We're on the cusp of a revolution in architecture. Generative AI and digital design together will radically improve the home construction process. ICON has a unique opportunity to lead this change and further its vision to make affordable, dignified and beautiful architecture available to everyone.

Given the uncharted nature of what we do, we’re looking for someone who is able to quickly understand new problems, pivot quickly and coordinate deeply with subject matter experts and customers. ICON is an early-stage company, with a highly collaborative environment. Our flexible work schedule and open office culture set us apart; to make that work we’re looking for a responsible, efficient, and seasoned individual.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct generative research to identify industry opportunities and derisk product strategy.
• Create and test UX ideas for products where users and AI work together closely.
• Understand and represent the needs of home buyers, designers, architects and engineers through the home design and construction process.
• Create research plans and conduct discovery research for emerging technologies.
• Coordinate with product teams to help guide product strategy and development.
• Collaborate with product teams to define research goals and identify target users.
• Share research insights regularly with the development and product teams.
• Advocating for our users at every stage of research and development.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years conducting user experience research and user testing in industry or academia on digital products. Both in person and virtual sessions.
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, anthropology, HCI or related field, graduate degree preferred.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing user and usability research studies.
• Experience in qualitative research methods such as contextual inquiry/ethnographic field research, heuristic evaluations, in person and remote usability testing, & discovery based research with a focus on delivering insights that directly inform product roadmaps.
• Some experience in quantitative research methodologies such as surveys, card sorting, A/B testing, and desirability studies.
• Experience with participant recruitment and protocol development.
• Exceptional at empathic listening, identifying users’ needs, delivering an unbiased/data driven view of users, and translating user insights into action items for product teams through cohesive storytelling and knowledge sharing.
• General understanding of effective design, usability heuristics and UX best practices.