Research Director - Future Freelance

Fantasy is building a pipeline of talented researchers to collaborate with on future project needs. We frequently work with freelancers on a project-basis, and have been known to convert to full-time employees as the right opportunity becomes available. Feel free to submit your information and we would be happy to connect.

Realize the unimagined

Fantasy is a digital product and innovation company. We realize the unimagined for the world’s most ambitious organizations. Founded in 1999, our global reputation is based on our teams’ unique ability to think beyond the ordinary and launch ground-breaking products and services. We believe that our phenomenal team is the core reason for our success, our growth, and our thriving culture.

The Role

As Research Director, you’ll think beyond the ordinary and help develop the insights, understanding, and empathy required to ship world-class experiences that millions of people not only use, but love.

In this role, you will design and deliver mixed-method research approaches that cover generative and evaluative insight discovery throughout the creative development process.

You will set the insights strategy as part of a cross-functional team, working in tandem to deliver market leading experiences rooted in human-centered design.

Working with a world-class team

• You’ll see opportunities to improve design processes and lead the team in new, better ways of working.
• You’ll lead by example, inspiring those around you to think beyond ordinary.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to inform solutions that meet human, creative, and business needs.

What your success will look like

• Lead and manage researchers, providing mentorship, guidance, and support to ensure high-quality research deliverables.
• Design, plan, and lead research strategy and programs that support best-in-class customer experiences.
• Conduct a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including online co-creation communities, ethnographic studies, usability assessments, surveys, and participatory design sessions.
• Evaluate concepts and designs to help shape future experience visions and drive product requirements.
• Concisely weave together insights to create a compelling and human story across research artifacts like personas, customer journey maps, and workshops.
• Develop strategic and actionable insights that lead to prioritized recommendations for product management, UX design, engineering, marketing and executive decision makers.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging methodologies, and best practices, bringing innovative ideas to enhance our research capabilities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning within the research team, promoting knowledge sharing and professional development opportunities.

Work with forward-thinking organizations

• Planning, designing, and leading research strategy and programs that support business goals and lead to innovative solutions and best-in-class end-to-end customer experiences.
• Conducting a broad range of research methods and design techniques, including experience benchmarking, experience maps, rapid iterative studies, usability assessments, surveys, card sorting, and participatory design sessions.
• Validating product concepts and designs to help drive product requirements.
• Sharing stories of real customers and how they work through behavioral personas, customer journey maps, and other storytelling artifacts to build compassion in cross-functional teams.
• Effectively communicating research findings and actionable, prioritized recommendations for product management, UX design, engineering, marketing, and executive decision-makers.

Key Experience / Personal Qualities

• Proven experience (7+ years) in a research leadership role, preferably within an agency or large organization environment.
• Ability to lead research projects end-to-end with minimal supervision.
• Strong expertise in mixed-method research methodologies and AI-powered research.
• Proficient in data analysis and synthesis, with the ability to distill, interpret, and visualize data in ways that inspire action.
• Have a knack for demystifying complex topics, making them accessible to clients and
• colleagues of all skill levels and backgrounds.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire a team of researchers.
• Experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams, including clients, designers, engineers, and product managers, to drive user-centered design processes.

Fantasy EOE

Fantasy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Since 1999, diversity has been vital to our success and ability to create products and services used and loved by millions of people all over the world. We are committed to continually fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.