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Design Research Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Taste Labs

Design Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$90 - $120/hr

You will help to decode the fuzzy problem of what "great" means in design and have this wisdom feed into interfaces, eval design, and crafting products with our engineering and research teams. You ...

Tastelabs

Design Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$90 - $130/hr

You will help to decode the fuzzy problem of what "great" means in design and have this wisdom feed into interfaces, eval design, and crafting products with our engineering and research teams. You ...

Vuori, Inc

Director, UX Design & Research

Carlsbad, CA · On-site

The Director, UX Design & Research leads UX strategy, design, and research across Vuori's ecommerce, omnichannel, and retail store experiences - setting the vision for how customers discover, shop ...

Zoomcar

Head of Design Operations

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180 - $300/hr

Design & Research Operations sets the operational foundation for how our design and research teams function -- ensuring designers can focus on craft and researchers can generate insights that ...

Superhuman

Head of Design Operations

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$285K - $417K/yr

Design & Research Operations sets the operational foundation for how our design and research teams function - ensuring designers can focus on craft and researchers can generate insights that ...

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All JobsDesign Research JobsDesign Research Jobs in California

Design Research information

See California salary details

$36.5K

$104.6K

$140.6K

How much do design research jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for design research in California is $104,624.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,600.00 and $102,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is design research?

Design research is a field that focuses on understanding users’ needs, behaviors, and experiences to inform and improve the design process. It combines methods from social sciences, such as interviews and observations, with design thinking principles to gather insights that help create user-centered products, services, or systems. Design researchers work closely with designers, product managers, and stakeholders to ensure that solutions are both innovative and practical, ultimately enhancing the user experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a design researcher, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Design Researcher, you need a solid understanding of research methodologies, user experience principles, and data analysis, often supported by a degree in design, psychology, or a related field. Familiarity with tools like UserTesting, Qualtrics, and data visualization software is commonly required. Strong communication, empathy, and critical thinking skills help researchers effectively interpret insights and collaborate with cross-functional teams. These skills ensure that research findings directly inform user-centered design solutions, leading to better products and experiences.

How does a design researcher typically collaborate with designers and product teams throughout a project?

Design Researchers work closely with designers, product managers, and engineers to ensure user insights are integrated at every stage of the development process. Early in a project, they help define user needs and pain points by conducting interviews, surveys, or usability tests. As the project progresses, they facilitate workshops, share findings through presentations or reports, and recommend design improvements based on research data. Effective communication and a collaborative mindset are essential, as researchers often act as the bridge between users and the product team.

What is the difference between Design Research vs User Experience Designer?

AspectDesign ResearchUser Experience Designer
Primary FocusUnderstanding user needs and behaviors through research methodsDesigning and improving user interfaces and interactions
Required SkillsQualitative and quantitative research, data analysis, user interviewsWireframing, prototyping, visual design, usability testing
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, field studies, collaborative teamsDesign studios, product teams, cross-functional collaboration
Common UsageGathering insights to inform design decisionsCreating user-centered designs based on research findings

While both roles focus on improving user experiences, Design Research primarily involves understanding user needs through research, whereas User Experience Designers apply those insights to create and refine digital interfaces. Both roles often collaborate closely within product teams to ensure user needs are effectively addressed.

How much do design researchers make?

Design researchers typically earn a median annual salary between $70,000 and $110,000, depending on experience, location, and industry. Entry-level roles may start around $60,000, while senior positions can exceed $130,000, especially in tech or large organizations. Skills in user research, data analysis, and familiarity with tools like Sketch or Figma can influence compensation.

What does a design researcher do?

A design researcher studies user behaviors, needs, and preferences to inform the development of products, services, or interfaces. They use methods such as interviews, surveys, and usability testing, often working closely with designers and product teams to ensure user-centered solutions.

What are the most commonly searched types of Design Research jobs in California?

The most popular types of Design Research jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Design Research jobs in California?

For Design Research jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Design Research jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Design Research jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Design Research jobs?

Cities in California with the most Design Research job openings:

Design Research jobs near you
Infographic showing various Design Research job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 82% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $104,624 per year, or $50.3 per hour.

Design Research Engineer

Taste Labs

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$90 - $120/hr

Other

Re-posted 6 days ago

Job description

About the company

Taste Labs is building the data and infrastructure layer for taste.

Our goal is to end AI slop. To make AI feel right, not just be correct. We raised $18.5M in seed co‑led by Amplify and CRV, and most frontier labs are already customers.

AI has nailed objective domains and can generate anything. The hard part left is judgement: what fits, what feels like you, what's actually GREAT. We're turning that into something measurable, starting with design.

We do it on two sides: building the post‑training data and RL environments that teach taste to frontier models, and the context and verification tools agents need to produce work that's more creative, more on‑brand, more right.

About the role

This is not a typical design role. At Taste, design is the product. You will help to decode the fuzzy problem of what “great” means in design and have this wisdom feed into interfaces, eval design, and crafting products with our engineering and research teams.

You will spend more of your day in code or with researchers than you will in Figma. If you’re curious, have an absurdly high bar for quality and are AI pilled, this is for you.

Types of questions you’ll be thinking about:
  • What is creativity? How do we break down components of creativity?
  • What leads to great and bad visual design? How can this be turned into an eval
  • What are creative, interesting ways we can collect data
  • How do we classify design styles?
  • What is the best interface to collect designer feedback on their reasoning behind why they love or hate a particular design?
  • What are fundamentals of typography, color, layout, alignment? How do I make this measurable?
  • How would I develop a framework around what “great design” means?
  • What is AI slop? How can I spot it?
What we’re looking for:
  • You have amazing taste. You’ve honed your taste for years, you’re opinionated and have wide references, and you have the ability to separate what’s a personal preference vs. a ground truth
  • You are deeply curious and think like a researcher
  • You are AI forward - you tinker with AI tools, you’re in claude code/cursor/codex, you ship design in code
  • You are great at collaborating with others across design, product, research, engineering, customers
  • Bonus: you’ve worked in creative technology companies, research labs or did your own personal projects on the subject.
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