What are "experience design and research (XDR)" roles?
Great constituent experiences require 2 core capabilities:
- Experience research helps us learn about constituents' goals. It also helps us evaluate how well our services and products work for the people who use them.
- Experience design helps us create experiences that work for everyone. It's how we design solutions, interactions, information, and more.
The job descriptions on this page cover different roles in experience design and research. Each has been used in hiring processes that led to strong candidates and successful hires.
Many of these roles are types of "experience designer"
Many of these roles focus on imagining and improving people's experiences. For example, service design, content design, and interaction design are all types of experience design. Some organizations find it helpful to call the role they are hiring "experience design" regardless of which of these skills they need. This can help you attract a wider range of candidates. It can also help you find someone with a broad skill set.
How to use these job descriptions
To use a job listing:
- Download the template listing for the role you want to fill
- Each listing has bracketed, highlighted template text. Replace the template text with information appropriate for your organization.
- Add any additional required information, e.g. diversity statement, salary range, etc.
- Review the final result to make sure you have removed any remaining template content
We're happy to help you craft a job description that's right for your organization. Submit a Digital Projects request through ServiceNow for help.
Experience Design and Research (XDR) Lead
An XDR Lead helps your organization:
- Learn about the people you serve (who they are, what they need, and the problems they face)
- Develop a roadmap for transforming people's experiences with your services
- Build your research and design skills
An XDR Lead is often your first hire. They help you start building your capacity for constituent-centered work. They need to be a strong strategic thinker and able to promote change within your organization.
Candidates will likely have a background in one of the other roles listed here, such as research or service design. Choose someone who's a good fit for the projects they'll support first. For example, if you want to better understand the people you serve, look for someone with strong research experience.
Experience Researcher
Experience researchers help you understand the experiences of your constituents. This is critical for how we design and improve government services and products.
Researchers use different methods to learn about people's behaviors, experiences, and attitudes. Typically, the kinds of research that organizations do include:
- Exploratory research: Learn about what people need or want (e.g. observations, interviews)
- Evaluative research: Assess if something works and learn how to make it work better. (e.g., usability testing)
- Generative research: Gather input from people to guide design (e.g., participatory design activities).
Researchers can be part of a team, providing continuous insights to guide development. Some organizations have a central research team instead. Then they deploy this team wherever it’s needed. Preview the lead researcher job description.
Similar titles
- User researcher
- UX researcher
Content Strategist
Content strategists create and manage information. They ensure constituents can use your websites, documents, and forms to achieve their goals.
Content strategy roles generally focus on some combination of these:
- Content marketing: Explain what you offer, tell your story, and reach more people
- Content management: Organize huge amounts of information. Keep things up to date with your current policies and programs.
- Technical and UX Writing: Make complicated information simple to understand and use
Content strategists apply a variety of methods to achieve these goals. They'll help you publish information in plain language and that meets accessibility standards. They'll optimize your website for search engines and large language models. They also coordinate information across communication channels.
Preview the lead content strategist job description.
Similar titles
- Content designer
- Digital strategist
- Content manager
Service Designer
Service design is the practice of planning and organizing all the parts of a service so they work together. Service designers:
- Map how services are delivered. This includes processes, people, and things that help you deliver it (both online and offline).
- Identify possible improvements
- Prototype solutions
- Gather input from people to guide design (e.g., participatory design activities)
Service design is especially important if your services involve many touchpoints. For example, people may need to interact with many organizations, teams, or websites. Service Designers ensure that these components work together.
Service design may also be important if the timeline for your service is long. A service designer can help you track whole experience, from the beginning to the end of a person's journey. They’ll find points of friction and opportunities to improve.
You can add a service designer to a product or service team to contribute to continuous improvement. You can also have a service designer who works with many teams across your organization.
Interaction Designer
Interaction design is about making people’s interactions with things feel intuitive. Interaction designers work on both digital and physical experiences. They design user interfaces and make them easier to use (e.g., on websites or mobile apps). They also prototype and test experiences before you release them.
Interaction designers usually work as part of product teams. They also help develop pattern libraries, or collections of reusable design elements. Pattern libraries make it faster and simpler to design applications. The Massachusetts Design System (formerly Mayflower) is an example of a component library.
Preview the lead interaction designer job description.
Similar titles
- UI/UX Designer
- Product Designer
Experience Owner
Experience owners focus on specific constituent segments (e.g., early childhood educators, business owners, families). They might also focus on a constituent journey (“finding affordable public housing”). They’re responsible for strategy, organizing resources, and leading initiatives. They work across teams to improve the experience of interacting with your services. They follow experiences across touchpoints, both online and offline.