Principal UX Researcher (News & Sports)

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world. 

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. 
• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Design is centrally responsible for the design supporting all consumer-facing and business products and tooling for the Disney Entertainment & ESPN portfolio, including sports, entertainment, enterprise, UX, creative services and design research.

About the Role

We are looking for a Principal UX Researcher to join our Product Design team. In this role, you will develop a systematic approach to research, analyze human needs, motivations, and trends, and provide valuable insights to guide near-to-long-term strategic planning.

As a Principal UX Researcher at DEEP&T, you will work on products used by millions of Disney customers each year. You will conduct evaluative user research using methods like interviews, literature reviews, and usability testing. You will also conduct generative research through activities like design sprints, customer journey mapping, and diary studies. Working within a product design organization you will determine the best approach for translating research findings into actionable outputs.

A few reasons why we believe you’d love working here:

• Impact – We are shaping the future of Disney Entertainment. Our design and research drive innovation across our entire portfolio, from Disney+ to ESPN and beyond, creating magical experiences for audiences worldwide.
• Collaboration – Our team includes the industry's most talented designers, UX engineers, design operations experts, and leaders, all working together to push the boundaries of creativity and user experience.
• Innovation – We pioneer groundbreaking products and techniques that redefine industry standards, transforming how audiences engage with sports, entertainment, and news.
   

What You Will Do

A Principal UX Researcher plays a critical role in leveraging research, data, and human-centered design methodologies to inform product strategy today and drive innovation tomorrow. This role focuses on identifying key user needs, guiding the development of data-driven, user-centric solutions and operationalizing key research practices. As part of a multidisciplinary design team, the role will collaborate with experts across design, UX, and data to create cutting-edge products that enhance user experiences and drive business impact.

• Develop & Manage Research Programs: Build and maintain a program for collecting, synthesizing, and communicating  insights on human needs, motivations, and trends, to inform near and long term strategic efforts and programs. You operationalize key systems and processes to help benefit the broader business.
• Conduct In-Depth Research: Lead qualitative and quantitative research efforts, including user interviews, surveys, market analysis, usability, and other research methods to gather deep insights into customer needs and behaviors. 
• Translate & Present Insights: Clearly translate research findings and data into actionable recommendations and present them concise and impactful manner to designers, partners and leadership teams. 
• Drive Rapid Prototyping & Testing: Develop and test prototypes of new solutions to validate concepts and gather feedback quickly.
• Collaboration with Design & Product Teams: Work closely with design and product teams to understand and quantify user behavior, needs, and goals, ensuring research informs key business decisions.
• Execute End-to-End Research: Design and execute a wide variety of research projects from early discovery and ideation to design validation, ensuring thorough insights at every stage.
• Generate Actionable Insights & Strategic Recommendations: Synthesize research data to create compelling recommendations that directly influence product designs and strategic decisions.
• Create Strategic UXR Frameworks: Build strategic customer frameworks curated from individual research projects to guide broader business strategies.
• Mentor & Educate Teams on Research Methods: Lead by example and mentor colleagues across the company, empowering them to conduct effective customer research, from guerrilla methods to formalized studies.
• Pioneer Innovation Research Methods: Drive innovation by exploring, refining, and codifying new research methodologies, setting the standard for the team and organization.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 10+ years of applied product/design research or equivalent experience. 
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Human Factors, HCI, Psychology, Sociology, Cognitive Science, Research & Strategy, Anthropology or related field.
• Strong portfolio or set of case studies showcasing a range of projects demonstrating your research process, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ph.D. or Master’s degree not required but a plus.

The hiring range for this position in California is $187,900.00 to $252,000.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.