UX researcher

What does an UX researcher do?

A UX researcher studies how people use products and services, then turns what they learn into findings that teams can act on.

The work covers interviews, usability tests, surveys and analysis of user behaviour.

In Singapore, UX researchers work in banks, government agencies and their digital teams, e-commerce firms, telcos, healthcare groups and software companies. Some sit in a design team. Others sit in a product or customer insights team.

You work with product managers, UX/UI designers, engineers, data analysts and business owners. You also work with the customers and staff you recruit for each study.

What the work involves

• Plan a study: agree the question with the product team, pick a method and write a recruitment brief.
• Run user interviews and usability sessions, in person or remotely, and take clear notes.
• Set up surveys and unmoderated tests in tools such as Qualtrics or Maze, then check the results.
• Analyse notes, recordings and survey data to find patterns and the problems behind them.
• Map user journeys and write short reports or run workshop sessions that show teams what to fix first.
• Review designs and prototypes in Figma with designers before and after testing.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills an UX researcher needs

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UX researcher job description

We are looking for a UX researcher to find out what our customers need and where our products let them down.

You will plan and run studies, share clear findings and help product and design teams decide what to build or change next. You will join a cross-functional team based in Singapore.

Responsibilities

• Work with product managers and designers to turn business questions into research questions.
• Choose suitable methods, such as interviews, usability tests, diary studies and surveys.
• Recruit participants in Singapore and manage consent, scheduling and incentives.
• Moderate interviews and usability sessions with a neutral, open style.
• Run unmoderated tests and surveys using tools such as Maze, UserTesting, Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey.
• Analyse qualitative and quantitative data and check that the findings hold up.
• Build user journey maps and other artefacts that show where people struggle.
• Present findings and recommendations to designers, engineers and senior stakeholders.
• Keep a shared record of past research so teams do not repeat studies.
• Work with designers on Figma prototypes that are ready for testing.

Requirements

• A degree in psychology, human-computer interaction, design, social science, information systems or a related field is common. Experience and a strong portfolio can also count.
• Typically 2 to 4 years of research experience for a mid-level role. Entry roles often accept internships or project work.
• Hands-on experience with interviews and usability testing, shown through a portfolio of case studies.
• Working knowledge of statistics for survey analysis, including sample size and basic significance testing.
• Familiarity with Figma, Maze or UserTesting, and a survey tool such as Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey.
• Clear written and spoken English. Skills in Mandarin, Malay or Tamil help for some studies.

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UX researcher career path

UX research careers in Singapore usually move from running studies, to owning research for a product area, to setting research direction for a whole organisation.

1. Junior UX researcher or research assistant

   Entry

   You support studies by recruiting participants, taking notes, running simple tests and preparing data for analysis.

2. UX researcher

   Mid

   You plan and run studies on your own for a product team and present findings to designers and product managers.

3. Senior UX researcher

   Senior

   You lead complex studies, choose methods for unclear problems and coach less experienced researchers.

4. Lead or principal UX researcher

   Lead

   You set research priorities across several teams, shape standards and advise senior leaders on product direction.

5. Head of UX research

   Head

   You build and lead the research function, manage budget and hiring, and link research to company strategy.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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UX researcher interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you decide between a qualitative and a quantitative method for a research question?

   What a good answer covers

   • Starts from the question: why or how points to qualitative, how many or how much points to quantitative
   • Gives an example of each, such as interviews to find causes and a survey to size them
   • Explains that the two often work together in sequence
   • Mentions time, budget and access to participants

2. Walk me through how you plan a usability test, from goals to final report.

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines goals and the decisions the results will inform
   • Writes realistic tasks and success measures
   • Recruits participants who match real users and runs a pilot
   • Records observations, severity ratings and clear recommendations
   • Shares results in a format the team will read

3. How many participants do you use for a moderated usability test, and why?

   What a good answer covers

   • Says small groups, often around five per round, can reveal most major problems
   • Explains that repeated rounds work better than one large test
   • Notes that more participants are needed for different user groups
   • Says quantitative claims need larger samples

4. You are interviewing small business owners about how they pay suppliers. How do you write the discussion guide?

   What a good answer covers

   • Opens with easy background questions
   • Uses open, non-leading questions about past behaviour, not opinions about the future
   • Plans probes such as asking for a recent example
   • Leaves room to follow unexpected topics
   • Tests the guide in a practice interview

5. How do you build a user journey map from research data?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines the persona and the scenario first
   • Builds stages from real interview and behaviour data, not assumptions
   • Shows actions, thoughts, emotions and pain points at each stage
   • Marks opportunities and who owns each one
   • Checks the map with users or the team

6. Your survey has 300 responses. Group A rates ease of use higher than group B. How do you check whether the gap is real?

   What a good answer covers

   • Looks at group sizes and spread, not only averages
   • Picks a suitable test for the data type, such as a t-test or a non-parametric test
   • Reports effect size and confidence intervals as well as the p-value
   • Checks for bias in who answered
   • States the limits simply for stakeholders

7. When would you pick an unmoderated test in Maze or UserTesting instead of a moderated session?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses unmoderated tests for clear tasks, quick answers and larger samples
   • Uses moderated sessions to probe reasons and explore unclear problems
   • Notes that unmoderated tasks need very clear wording
   • Mentions checking recordings for low-quality responses

8. How do you reduce bias when you set up a survey in a tool such as Qualtrics?

   What a good answer covers

   • Writes neutral questions and avoids double-barrelled ones
   • Randomises answer order where it matters
   • Uses skip logic so people see only relevant questions
   • Pilots the survey and checks completion time
   • Plans screening questions and attention checks

9. How do you use ChatGPT in your research work, and where do you not use it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it for drafting survey wording, first-pass theme ideas or summarising non-sensitive notes
   • Checks every output against the raw data
   • Keeps identifiable participant data out of public tools
   • Treats it as a helper, not as a source of user insight

1. A senior stakeholder wants you to run research that confirms a decision the team has already made. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks what decision is still open and what would change the plan
   • Explains the risk of research designed to get one answer
   • Proposes a fair test with clear success criteria
   • Agrees how results will be used before the study starts

2. Usability test results say users like a new checkout flow, but analytics show more people drop out. How do you investigate?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks whether test tasks and participants match real users
   • Looks at where in the flow people drop out
   • Compares stated opinions with observed behaviour
   • Plans a follow-up test or session-recording review
   • Tells the team what is known and what is still open

3. You have two weeks and almost no budget to learn why new users leave a mobile app. What is your plan?

   What a good answer covers

   • Reviews existing data such as support tickets, reviews and analytics first
   • Recruits a small set of recent users through the customer base
   • Runs short interviews and a quick unmoderated test
   • Shares early findings during the work, not only at the end
   • States what the quick study cannot answer

1. Tell me about a time your research changed what a team planned to build.

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes the situation and the original plan
   • Explains the evidence and how it was presented
   • Shows how the team responded and what changed
   • Gives the result, even if partial

2. Describe a time you disagreed with a designer or product manager about what the research showed.

   What a good answer covers

   • Stays on the data and the user problem, not personal views
   • Listens to the other view and checks for missing context
   • Finds a way to settle it, such as a further test
   • Keeps the working relationship

1. You are researching a government service used by older adults and by new residents. How do you recruit and run sessions for them?

   What a good answer covers

   • Recruits across age, language and digital confidence
   • Offers sessions in English, Mandarin, Malay or Tamil, or uses a trained interpreter
   • Chooses accessible venues and simple devices
   • Allows more time and avoids jargon
   • Plans to observe real behaviour as well as listen

2. How do you handle participant consent and recordings so your study follows the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Tells participants what is collected, why and how long it is kept
   • Gets clear consent before recording and allows withdrawal
   • Stores data securely with limited access
   • Removes or masks personal details in shared reports
   • Checks with the organisation's data protection officer for current rules

Common questions about an UX researcher job

Sources