User Researcher

Overview

At DVSA, user researchers help shape digital services that millions of drivers, learners and businesses rely on every day. This means getting to know our diverse users and understanding what they really need. 

User research puts people at the heart of the services DVSA delivers. By identifying the real needs of our users, we can ensure our services are not only useful, usable and used but also accessible and inclusive.  

At DVSA this means: 

• Services are built around lived experience, not assumptions 
• Design decisions are evidence based  – Our digital services work for everyone, enabling them to achieve their goal first time 

Key responsibilities

You will be involved in the end-to-end planning of user research activities.   

This will include:    

• identification of target audience  
• creating relationships with identified audience members (this could be members of the public or trade bodies)  
• planning the overall user research approach and choice of appropriate research methodology  
• Creating strategies for collecting qualitative and quantitative data  
•  responsibility for tool selection (ensuring security and suitability of any tools used especially with respects to data sensitivity)  
• determining the appropriate technique for analysing the data and visualising the results.   

Career path and development

You will likely come from a research or analyst background and have an excellent understanding of user research methods, web-based and/or mobile application services, along with experience in working with a wide variety of diverse user needs.   

You will be confident at presenting your findings, business recommendations and user insights to project stakeholders at all levels.   

While some user researchers may have educational backgrounds in related fields, this isn’t a requirement. We value diverse perspectives and recognise that great researchers can come from many different backgrounds.    

Case study

“I began my career as a user researcher in a COVID-response team, helping ensure pupils across the country could continue their education online. That experience taught me the power of understanding user needs—and that no two users are ever the same. Since then, I’ve worked across service design and user research roles, and now I’m proud to be the Lead User Researcher at DVSA for driver and rider services. 

The same principle still holds true: accessibility and inclusivity are at the heart of everything we do. I’m passionate about making sure every member of the public can easily access and use our services. It’s a privilege to be part of DVSA’s user-centred design team—an incredibly supportive group working on high-traffic services like driving tests, where user research truly makes a difference to user experience.”

Lauren Conheeney, Lead User Researcher