User Research Intern (Tools)- Master's
Insomniac Games
CA$40 / hour
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Description
Job ID: R-125941
Role Summary:
Join Insomniac Games and gain hands-on experience conducting research that helps improve game development workflows and player experiences.
As a User Research Intern, you'll collaborate with the User Research and Development Management teams to understand how individual contributors and leads use development tools such as Jira, Miro, and Confluence. You'll explore how these tools support daily workflows, identify challenges, and help uncover opportunities to improve how teams work together.
You'll also support player research on game projects, gaining practical experience with surveys, interviews, usability testing, observation, and data analysis. This internship offers the opportunity to apply research methods to both internal development processes and player experiences while learning from experienced researchers and cross-functional partners.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Collaborate with User Research and Development Management partners to develop research questions about tool use, workflow challenges, user needs, and workarounds across the studio.
- Design and conduct surveys with individual contributors and leads to understand their experiences using Jira, Miro, Confluence, and related systems.
- Assist with recruiting research participants and conducting interviews or observed workflow sessions, including remote sessions, while following participant consent and studio practices for recording.
- Organize and analyze survey responses, interview notes, and observations to identify recurring themes, differences across roles, and opportunities for improvement.
- Prepare reports and presentations that communicate research findings to tool owners and development partners, helping inform practical improvements and future research.
- Support the planning and execution of usability studies and playtests for game projects, including participant logistics, session preparation, observation, and note-taking.
- Analyze player feedback and contribute to research reports and presentations that help game development teams understand player experiences.
- Apply research methods and insights from games research to internal development tool workflows, with guidance from the User Research team.
What We’re Looking For:
- Currently pursuing or have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Cognitive Science, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience gained through work, research projects, community work, or independent study.
- Experience contributing to a game project or a demonstrated passion for games and player experience.
- Familiarity with research methods such as surveys, interviews, usability testing, or observation through coursework, projects, or practical experience.
- Curiosity about how people work, with an empathetic listening style and the ability to ask clear, neutral follow-up questions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to organize research findings and share insights clearly.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail when working with research participants, study materials, and data.
- Willingness to learn unfamiliar tools and collaborate with researchers, tool owners, and game development teams.
- Familiarity with Jira, Miro, Confluence, survey platforms, or similar tools is a plus. Prior experience with specific studio tools is not required.
Eligibility:
- Students with expected graduation between May 2026 and December 2029 from an accredited university. Advanced degree- Master's
- Able to work during one of the following periods: May 17th - August 6th or June 14th - September 3rd. Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates.
- Must be available for the entire 12-week internship period.
At this time, SIE will only consider applicants who are authorized to work for any employer in the United States and who will not require work visa sponsorship from SIE now or in the future to maintain their authorization to work in the United States.
Our intern positions offer a fixed hourly pay rate. Please note that the pay rate is exclusive to the internship period and may not reflect what pay may look like following the completion of an internship.
At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.
Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.
About this role
Insomniac Games is looking for a Master's-level intern to conduct user research on both internal development tools and player experiences. You'll work with the User Research and Development Management teams to study how developers use platforms like Jira, Miro, and Confluence—identifying workflow challenges, unmet needs, and improvement opportunities. The role also includes supporting game project research through surveys, interviews, usability testing, and playtesting, giving you exposure to the full range of research methods used in game development.
This position suits someone with a background in psychology, HCI, human factors, or cognitive science who has practical experience with research methods and a genuine interest in games. You'll need strong communication skills to synthesize findings into clear reports and presentations, plus the organizational ability to manage participant logistics and research data carefully. Familiarity with the specific tools isn't required, but curiosity about how people work and an empathetic approach to listening are essential.
The internship runs for 12 weeks during either May 17–August 6 or June 14–September 3, 2025, and is remote-based in Burbank. You'll earn $40.25 per hour. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship and have an expected Master's graduation between May 2026 and December 2029.
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