Position Summary: Kelley Blue Book is looking for a Lead User Research Specialist to conduct qualitative and quantitative studies that will improve the user experience on Kelley Blue Book’s website, kbb.com. This person will report to the Director of User Research and work closely with other researchers, product managers, and KBB auto industry liaisons to deliver insights about the consumer and customer (auto industry) experience with Kelley Blue Book. The ideal candidate has a passion for user research of all types, is a creative thinker with a strong foundation in research but a flexible approach, open to exploring out-of-the box kinds of research as a member of this growing team. The ultimate goal of the user research team is to help provide user experiences that delight kbb.com users!

Position responsibilities:

• Work closely with peers in User Experience, Product, and other teams to identify and understand research questions and construct qualitative and/or quantitative studies that will provide useful insights.
• Plan and design qualitative research studies, including scheduling, recruiting, and writing research plan that outlines study goals and methodology.
• Identify recruiting requirements, write screeners, and work closely with recruiters to obtain most appropriate users possible for research studies.
• Run qualitative research studies, both formal (e.g., lab, remote) and informal (e.g., person-on-the-street interviews).
• Analyze results from all types of qualitative research and report at various levels, from detailed identification of issues and recommendations for product teams to high level executive overview.  Present results of study as appropriate.
• Design, write, and report on quantitative research (surveys).  Work closely with Analytics team (who will run appropriate statistical analyses on data) to ensure data will yield what’s necessary to answer questions posed.
• Program surveys using survey tool (for internally run surveys) or coordinate with vendor for externally run surveys.
• Provide innovative, customer centric, information and visual design recommendations that contribute to an enhanced user experience.
• Contribute subject matter expertise in the areas of user behavior, usability testing, and industry standard user research best practices.
• Minimal overnight travel (up to 10%) by land and/or air.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Essential skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Proven ability to be a contributing member of a cross-functional team and inspire team confidence in and respect for the contributions of research to enhance user experience.
• Thorough understanding of best practices in user research, web design and user interface/information architecture conventions.
• Proven experience with techniques in qualitative research, including formal and informal usability testing, ethnographic research, contextual inquiry, etc.
• Proven experience with techniques in quantitative research, including survey construction, understanding results of website analytics and multivariate analysis, etc.
• Strong knowledge of task and use-case analysis, heuristic analysis, and user personas.
• Strong understanding of online design, marketing and advertising.
• Good understanding of the benefits and constraints of current Internet technologies.
• Bachelor’s degree must be in a qualitative research-related field such as Cognitive Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Experimental Design, Human Factors; plus a minimum of 8 years of user research experience for an established, heavily trafficked, consumer facing web site or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; or four to six years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Please apply online by clicking the following link: https://jobs-kbb.icims.com/jobs/2056/job

Comparative Ethnographic Studies of Census Enumeration Methods and

Coverage in Race/Ethnic Groups

The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking up to 18 ethnographers to do short-term research in nine race/ethnic research sites during Census 2010 field data collection operations as contractors for 4-6 months. Past research has shown that race/ethnic minority subpopulations are differentially miscounted, with implications for possible imbalances in congressional representation and allocation of federal funds. Examples of miscounts include persons not included on the census form who should be counted in the household, persons counted in more than one place or in the wrong place, and missed housing units. The study aims to document how and why miscounts happen, who is affected, and what can be improved to reduce miscounting in future censuses.

This comparative qualitative study of enumeration methods and coverage in nine race/ethnic sites will be conducted in 2010 in three census operations. The objectives are to identify 1) types of coverage error; 2) sources of coverage error (e.g., questionnaire issues, interviewer error, residence rules, socio-cultural and/or language factors, complex households, etc.); and 3) characteristics of households and persons with coverage error; and to 4) assess the extent to which these are similar or different across the race/ethnic groups, and to 5) recommend how to improve coverage of race/ethnic groups.

Current Summary of Scope of Work:  Each researcher will receive training at Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. Each researcher will go to his/her designated race/ethnic site for 7-9 continuous days during one of three specific census data collection time periods to accompany census interviewers as they conduct 35 interviews. The researcher will tape and unobtrusively observe and listen to the census interview for cues of possible coverage errors and/or household relationships not identified with the census relationship question. If there is such a cue, the researcher will conduct an immediate targeted semi-structured debriefing with the respondent to resolve questions as to where each person should be counted, according to the census residence rules, and to clearly delineate household composition. The researcher will transcribe interviews (perhaps at a Census secure location), analyze data, write case studies, write a site report addressing the objectives and other factors identified in the research, and give a Census Bureau talk. The methodology may change somewhat before it is finalized.

Race/ethnic subpopulations: We seek 2 ethnographers to do studies in each group:

American Indian (reservation)                        Alaska Native

African American                                           Asian

Hispanic/Latino                                               Middle Eastern

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander         White (non-Hispanic)

Generalized site

Research Sites:  Will be designated by the Census Bureau

Specific Time Periods for Field Research: Census operations are on a strict timetable and just one researcher will be in each site in each operation. To ensure each site and operation is covered, all selected researchers must commit in writing to full-time work for 7-9 continuous days in their designated sites during one of the following time periods.

March 29  – April 9:                American Indian reservation

May  5      -  May 22:              Sites other than the Indian reservation

August 30 – Sept. 30:              All sites

Compensation:  To be determined soon.

If You are Interested and Would Like to Learn More: Compile the following:

Cover letter, including information directly relevant to this study and its methodology:

• Any experience with past censuses and/or surveys
• Experience with unobtrusive observation and debriefings
• Identification of the race/ethnic subpopulation with which you have done past research, and the specific US research locations (preference will be given to those with past or present race/ethnic research sites in the US)
• Any foreign language fluency, with level of fluency in conversation
• State your US citizenship status (you must be a US citizen)

Attachments:

• Current resume or CV
• Brief summary of your past research with the race/ethnic group you have chosen, including research design and methods employed. Identify the specific US location(s) where you conducted your past research
• Please specify if you are/are not of the same race/ethnicity as the group you wish to study
• Representative paper or report showing methodology and/or results relevant to this proposed study (less than 25 pages)
• Dates of observation in this study: State which of the three observation time period(s) listed above when you will be available to spend 7-9 continuous days of observation at the site (you will need to commit to one of these time periods in writing in order to be selected for this study).

Send these materials: 1) if by e-mail, send to all contact people below, OR 2) if by regular mail, send to just one:  Laurel Schwede, Matt Clifton, or Rodney Terry.

By regular mail:                                              By FEDEX or UPS:

U.S. Census Bureau,                                       U.S. Census Bureau

Statistical Research Division,                         Statistical Research Division

4600 Silver Hill Road                                     4600 Silver Hill Road

Washington, D.C. 20233                                Suitland, MD  20746

Deadlines:  American Indian site: February 1, 2010. Other sites:  February 10, 2010.

Contact:

Laurel.K.Schwede@census.gov 301-763-2611

Rodney.Terry@census.gov 301-763-5475

Matthew.Clifton@census.gov 301-763-3086