Job Application for User Experience Research Intern - Masters or PhD at Insomniac Games

User Experience Research Intern - Master's or PhD

Burbank, CA

About the Team:

Are you passionate about creating exceptional user experiences for games? Insomniac Games is seeking a dedicated User Experience Research Intern who is eager to learn and grow in the world of UX studies. If you are excited about the iterative development process and collaborating with various departments to refine gameplay, interfaces, and overall user experience, this opportunity is for you!

What You'll Be Doing:

Assist research teams in defining test goals, including areas of concern, player demographics, and content to be tested.
Support research studies focused on game content, balance, and usability, including tasks like site layouts, navigation design, and error handling.
Install the latest builds and collaborate with IT and team members to ensure tests run smoothly without technical issues.
Help recruit internal employees to participate in early development testing.
Create surveys using templates and questions from the research and design teams.
Assist with usability study moderation, including one-on-one sessions, focus groups, and multi-participant playtests.
Take detailed notes during tests to identify trends, player behaviors, and usability issues.
Present reports on internal research findings to the development team.
Use game telemetry data to generate insights that inform stakeholders, research teams, and the development team.
Identify gameplay issues, including system dynamics and player exploits.
Develop surveys for studio teams outside of game testing to improve workflow processes.

What We're Looking For:

Currently pursuing a Master’s or PhD in psychology, human-computer interaction, human factors, or a related field.
Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to real-world situations.
Strong ability to read, analyze, and interpret scientific and technical documents. Capable of writing well-structured reports and presentations for management and public groups.
Skilled at solving practical problems and working with various types of information where limited standardization exists.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Spreadsheets, and survey tools such as Qualtrics or Survey Monkey.
Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills. A passion for user research and a love for video games are essential!

Eligibility:

Able to work during one of the following periods: May 19th - August 8th or June 16th - September 5th.
Must be available for the entire 12-week internship period.
Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates.

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.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.

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.

Intern Pay Range

$39.75 - $42.50 USD

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile

Website

Are you projected to graduate between December 2025 - June 2026?

Select...

Are you familiar with using qualitative research methods (e.g., interviews, 1:1 user tests, focus groups) to gather user insights?

Select...

Do you love to play video games?

Select...

Are you able to work in the Los Angeles are for the duration of the internship program? Relocation assistance is available for eligible interns.

Select...

Have you ever worked for a Sony company previously?

Select...

Are you authorized to work in the United States?

Select...

Will you now, or in the future, require sponsorship to work in the United States?

Select...

Will you need relocation assistance to work at this role's specified location?

Select...

Are you related to, or in a close personal relationship with, anyone who currently works for SIE or any SIE-affiliated studios? (This includes spouses, domestic partners, and significant others.)

Select...

If yes, please state their name, the department or studio they work for, and their job title (if you know it).

By selecting "Yes", I am certifying that, to the best of my knowledge, the information I have provided in this employment application is true and correct.

Select...

US Voluntary Demographic Question

Voluntary Self-Identification

Our vision at PlayStation is to bring out the best in our global team members by creating a sense of belonging, being a place where they can grow, and ensuring everyone feels valued, heard, and supported so we can push the boundaries of play. That vision begins our candidates, and we are working to better understand the diversity of our candidate population.

This data will also be aggregated and sent to the government for reporting purposes. Please know that the completion of this form is entirely voluntary. Your personally identifiable information (name, address, etc) will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you choose to provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file for XX time.

Protected Veteran

You are a “protected veteran” under United States law if any of the following apply to you:

Disabled Veteran: a veteran of the U.S. military who is entitled to compensation (or who would be entitled to compensation if not for the receipt of military retired pay) under the administration of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and/or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
Recently Separated Veteran: a veteran who has discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. military within the last three years.
Armed Forces Service Medal Veteran: a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, participated in a U.S. military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Disability

Under U.S. law, you are considered to have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity, or if you have a history or record of such an impairment or medical condition.

Identifying yourself as an individual with a disability is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer will be maintained confidentially and will not be seen by selecting officials or anyone else involved in making personnel decisions, nor will it be shared with our accommodations team . Completing the form will not negatively impact you in any way, regardless of whether you have self-identified in the past.

Gender

Select...

Gender Identity

Select...

What are your personal pronouns?

Select...

Sexual Orientation

Select...

Are you Hispanic/Latinx?

Select...

Please identify your race/ethnicity

Select...

Are you a protected veteran?

Select...

Do you have a disability?

Select...

User Experience Research Intern - Masters or PhD

Apply for this job

US Voluntary Demographic Question