Ethnographer / Design Researcher - Industrial Design (Hardware)

Location: San Francisco, CA (Onsite - SFO Area)
Duration: 12 Months (Full-Time, 40 hrs/week)
Client: Fortune 50 Company
Submittal: Resume + Portfolio (2-3 case studies required)
Pay Range: $70 to $80/hr W2

Job Summary

A Fortune 5 company is seeking a talented Ethnographer / Design Researcher to support its Industrial Design team. This role focuses on deep in-home customer research, translating real-world behavior into hardware design insights, and shaping future zero-to-one device concepts.

You will be part of a team that creates new product categories working on technologies and ideas that do not currently exist in the market.

This is NOT a UX Designer role.
Ideal candidates come from companies like IDEO, Frog, NewDealDesign, Ammunition, Huge, or similar innovation/design consultancies.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, and analyze ethnographic and contextual research, primarily in-home field studies.

• Conduct interviews, observations, diary studies, and behavioral analysis to capture deep user insights.

• Transform raw research into clear product recommendations, insights, and actionable design requirements.

• Translate behaviors and unmet needs into concepts, hardware specs, and design direction.

• Collaborate with Industrial Designers, Product Managers, Hardware Engineers, and Research teams.

• Facilitate concept workshops and contribute to early-stage explorations (V0 product development).

• Present findings through strong storytelling, written narratives, and executive-ready reports.

• Participate in global/remote research planning, when needed.

• Support rapid prototyping by validating early design hypotheses with real user behaviors.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as an Ethnographer, Design Researcher, Design Strategist, or Insights Researcher.

• Deep expertise in in-home customer research, contextual inquiry, and observational methods.

• Experience supporting hardware, industrial design, or physical product development.

• Strong writing, storytelling, and synthesis skills; ability to create persuasive research reports.

• Experience translating qualitative data into tangible product/design requirements.

• Proficiency with Keynote, PowerPoint, and concept-based tools (Figma / Adobe Creative Cloud).

• Ability to work onsite and collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams.

• Portfolio with 2-3 detailed ethnographic case studies demonstrating research rigor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in innovation/design firms such as:
  IDEO, Frog, NewDealDesign, Ammunition, Huge, Smart Design, Lunar, Continuum, Artefact.

• Experience working on V0/zero-to-one product explorations.

• Human Factors, Anthropology, Psychology, or Design Research academic background.

• Hardware usability, ergonomics, or physical prototyping exposure.

Disqualifiers:

• Primarily UX/UI Designers
• Only usability testing experience
• No ethnographic fieldwork or customer-in-home research
• No portfolio or weak storytelling in case studies

Benefits:
Russell Tobin offers eligible employee s comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans), supplemental coverage (accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity), 401(k)-retirement savings, life & disability insurance, an employee assistance program, legal support, auto, home insurance, pet insurance and employee discounts with preferred vendors.

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