UX Researcher Tokyo, Japan - answerlab

AnswerLab helps pioneering leaders Own the Unknown, transforming uncharted territory into clarity, direction, and competitive advantage. We build strategic insight through deep human understanding and validating future possibilities with real people in real contexts. We believe that the future of experience strategy relies on continuous learning and cross-functional expertise, enabling us to guide clients through unprecedented challenges across every phase of the product lifecycle.

Role Summary

As a UX Researcher, you will join our Rapid Research program, a dedicated, embedded research team that delivers fast, high-quality insights (typically within 1–2 weeks) to a major global technology client.

Rapid Researchers are based across the US, EMEA (UK, Zurich), and APAC (India, Korea), providing global research coverage for the client's key audiences, including General Populations, Content Creators, Teens, and accessibility-focused populations.

This role is based in Japan and adds dedicated APAC coverage and Japanese-language research capabilities to the program, enabling the team to conduct research with both Japanese- and English-speaking participants and to better support stakeholders across the region and in other international markets, including stakeholders in Zurich and US-based stakeholders.

You'll spend the majority of your time leading Rapid Research studies end-to-end, with the opportunity to contribute to longer-form Custom Research projects (e.g., diary studies, benchmarking, or focus groups), as needed.

You are passionate about research: you love learning new methods, testing new tools and technologies, and thinking deeply about the human-centered issues we face as researchers. You see yourself as a partner to stakeholders, bringing them into the research process and listening closely to their needs.

You're proactive, adaptable, and organized, with time management skills to keep multiple fast-moving studies on track simultaneously. Rapid Researchers are typically prepping their next study while fielding and reporting on the current one.

Ideal candidates have at least 4 years of hands-on experience leading research studies and partnering with stakeholders or clients throughout the research process.

Key Responsibilities

1. Rapid Research Delivery

• Lead Rapid Research studies end-to-end, delivering fast, high-quality insights within a 1–2 week (or accelerated 1-week sprint) timeframe.
• Consult on research methodology and scope, and develop kickoff/alignment documents and moderator guides
• Moderate remote and in-person interviews (In-Depth Interviews, unmoderated studies, heuristic evaluations) with Viewers, Creators, Teens, or accessibility-focused participants
• Conduct literature reviews and competitive analyses as needed
• Deliver end-of-day session summaries during fielding and lead key-takeaway alignment with stakeholders