Design Researcher, Hugo - Corgan (London, UK)
Overview
At Corgan we are passionate about great design. We are also passionate about great people, whether they’re clients, consultants, or coworkers. Corgan creates opportunities for personal and professional growth that bring out the best in ourselves and those around us by sharpening skills, leveraging technology, and encouraging communication. Our strength lies in our people, and those people consistently exceed expectations.
We are actively recruiting a Design Researcher to join our Hugo team based in our London office location. Hugo is Corgan’s Research and Innovation team, who investigates both emerging technologies and human behavior to gain insight on how these shifts may impact or change the future of architecture design. As a Design Researcher, you will work under the direction of the Hugo Director to create data-driven solutions, conduct visioning workshops, and foster innovative research that adds value to our projects and clients.
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What you'll do
Work closely with multidisciplinary teams, including designers, engineers, stakeholders, and other experts in certain fields of study to conduct research, refine concepts, and ensure feasibility.
Support and facilitate research by conducting user studies and interviews, creating surveys, compiling secondary research, analysing and organising user data, and archiving research efforts
Conduct or assist in user testing sessions and on-site user observation, analyse feedback, and iterate solutions based on findings
Conduct or assist in visioning workshops and/or critique sessions to help with overall visioning support
Explore new subjects, draw conclusions, and use critical thinking to create new ideas both for our clients and our internal design teams
Help establish the evolving design research practice at Corgan and the integration of innovation practices across sectors
Address design challenges with creative solutions and a user-centered approach
Manage your time across multiple projects and deadlines
Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies and general thought leadership
Author and edit thought leadership articles for publication
Provide support to director by assisting in ongoing research, website development, and studio projects as needed by recommending creative approaches and research methodologies
Decipher efficient ways to gather information and present findings to clients
Use data-driven insights to develop innovative design solutions, prototypes, and proofs of concept, that address user needs and integrate architectural and interior design principles and skills.
Identify opportunities that can help establish partnerships with external experts
What you'll bring
5-10 years of experience in design research required; architecture or design background required
Professional degree with a focus on Design Research, Design and Environmental Analysis, or Human-Centered Design
Professional degree in architecture or design is desirable
Experience working in the Architecture or Interior Design industry, or related field
Experience (familiarity) with User Experience Research, Design Strategy and/ or Evidence Based Design
Experience with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research
Understands how to use appropriate methodologies depending on the research context
Can recommend creative research approaches to uncover unmet needs and opportunity zones
Can effectively communicate design ideas and research findings effectively to clients, team members, and stakeholders
Receptive to feedback and constructive when providing it to others
Enjoys working through ambiguous environments and working on cross-disciplinary teams
Passionate about creating successful user experiences within the build environment and possesses a “curiosity-first" mindset
Experience with academic research and publication efforts
Graphic design capability for Data Visualization is a plus
Experience with design and implementation, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Revit or other 3-D modeling programs is a plus.
Experience with UserTesting, dscout, Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, Microsoft Forms, Power BI, Tableau, and other usability platforms is a plus
At Corgan, we believe social responsibility should be a holistic approach to supporting the community and environment. We commit our time and talent through service, provide financial support through giving, balance elevated design with responsible, sustainable solutions, and cultivate equity and inclusivity inside and outside our firm.
We share a deep curiosity about how we can improve lives through design. We are curious about the world we have — and the world that is emerging. This passion, drive for excellence, and abiding curiosity guide us each day in our interaction with our clients, partners, associates, and with each other. Our commitment to the highest standards of professional ethics is unwavering. Maybe that is why so many of our client relationships span decades.
From our earliest days, the Corgan philosophy of work and life balance was an important and valued part of our culture. As we’ve grown, our commitment to the well-being of our employees has only become stronger and more defined. Corgan promotes a healthy balance by removing obstacles and allowing you to focus on what you love doing, both inside and outside the office. We also offer a competitive compensation and benefit package which may be viewed here.
Additional Notes
Hugo is the research and innovation team at Corgan, an international architecture and interior design firm. We work across sectors to build thought leadership tackling timely industry topics, building tools and services to support design work, and engage in education and awareness. Our focus includes human experience, environmental analysis, and future trend forecasting.
This role is the first to start growing the Hugo team’s presence in Europe. We are looking for a candidate that can both conduct the research and be the main contact for our work abroad as well as support our larger efforts as a department.
