UX Researcher, Pokémon GO

Title: UX Researcher, Pokémon GO

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Job Description:

Niantic’s mission is to use emerging technology to enrich human experiences in the physical world. We build games that inspire movement, exploration, and real-world social interaction.

We are seeking an experienced User Experience Researcher to help advance our understanding of Pokémon GO players globally. You will be designing and executing mixed-method UX research to uncover player needs, behaviors, and motivations, ensuring exceptional user experiences. This role requires proficiency in Japanese, experience in games UX, and the ability to conduct fieldwork in Japan when needed.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate deeply with cross-functional partners to craft mixed methods research to better understand Niantic's game, business, and product landscape, user bases, their needs, and their motivations.
• Conduct research activities including surveys, interviews, playtests, diary studies, heuristic evaluations, card sorts, journey maps, co-design, brainstorms, workshops, focus groups, logs analysis, fieldwork, usability studies, and more—both remotely and in-person.
• Analyze and synthesize data using qualitative methods (e.g., thematic analysis, grounded theory) and quantitative techniques (e.g., descriptive and inferential statistics).
• Create compelling reports, presentations, and visualizations that tell a clear story and inspire action across teams.
• Reliably handle logistics for research, including diverse participant recruitment, communication, scheduling, and tool setup.
• Stay current on UX research methods, tools, and trends to bring innovative approaches to Niantic.
• Collaborate with the team in-person and in-office two days per week (Wednesday & Thursday).

Qualifications

• A degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Psychology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 3+ years of experience conducting UX research, with a strong focus on games UX.
• Proven track record conducting mixed-methods research, integrating qualitative and quantitative insights, and knowledge of design heuristics and principles to inform product decisions.
• Professional fluency in English and Japanese, with experience conducting interviews, surveys, and traveling for international fieldwork.
• Deep understanding of Japanese culture, player behaviors, and research methodologies tailored to Japanese audiences, including familiarity with cultural norms.
• Strong analysis, storytelling, and presentation skills to communicate findings clearly and inspire product teams, especially executive leadership.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, balancing speed and rigor on multiple projects, and adapt to evolving team priorities by seeking out new perspectives, being open to and receiving feedback, and finding creative solutions.
• Experience conducting research understanding global populations, incorporating cross-cultural design insights that are inclusive and conscientious of player needs.
• A strong portfolio showcasing a diverse range of research projects and their tangible impact on product outcomes.

Plus If...

• Passion for Pokémon GO or other Niantic games, with a strong understanding of real-world gaming.
• Technical proficiency with survey tools, A/V recording equipment, and analytics software (NVivo, SPSS, etc).

Join the Niantic team!

Niantic's global-scale augmented reality platform and digital map powers spatial computing experiences in the real world. Incubated out of the Maps team at Google, Niantic first created Ingress and then Pokémon GO, a cultural phenomenon and hit game played by tens of millions of people each month. Niantic’s Lightship platform, which powers Pokémon GO, also supports the company's other games including Pikmin Bloom, Peridot and Monster Hunter Now. Developers use Niantic’s platform to build their own AR applications and experiences, either with the Lightship Platform or directly through the web with 8th Wall.

We believe that cultivating a workplace where our people are supported and included is essential to creating great products our community will love. Our mission emphasizes seeking and hiring diverse voices, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the technology industry, and we consider this to be one of the most important values we hold close.

Niantic is a hybrid first company. We believe that in person interaction and collaboration fosters creativity, a sense of community, and is critical to our future success as a company. Our hybrid work schedules allow for a mix of remote and in-office work.

We're a hard-working, fun, and exciting group who value intellectual curiosity and a passion for problem-solving! We have growing offices located in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Bellevue, Kansas, London, Tokyo, Hamburg, Hyderabad, and Zürich. #LI-HYBRID

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