Volunteer UX/UI Researcher

Volunteer Microplastics UX/UI Researcher

Who We Are

Seaside Sustainability is a nonprofit organization based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Seaside Sustainability's mission is to protect and restore our oceans by educating people of all ages about the critical issues that threaten our environment; promoting best practices for sustainability; and inspiring meaningful advocacy and hands-on action. Seaside works with schools, cities and towns, environmental groups, technology companies, and individuals. Together, we strive to ensure the healthy future of oceans, rivers, wetlands, and estuaries around the world.

Department Summary

The Microplastics Institute, a Seaside Sustainability initiative, is an integrated research, education, and community engagement organization dedicated to advancing the understanding, monitoring, and prevention of microplastic pollution and its implications for ecosystems and human health. Microplastics are increasingly recognized as a widespread environmental contaminant, with particles detected across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments. As scientific understanding continues to develop, there is a growing need to better understand where microplastics occur, how they move through the environment, how people and ecosystems may encounter them, and what these exposure pathways may mean for environmental and human health.

The Institute brings together scientific research, environmental monitoring, education, community participation, workforce development, and professional services within a single coordinated framework. Rather than treating these areas as separate efforts, the Institute connects them so that research informs education, education builds scientific capacity, community participation expands environmental monitoring, and professional services help sustain the infrastructure needed to support long-term environmental science. This integrated model is designed to make meaningful participation in environmental science accessible to students, educators, volunteers, researchers, organizations, businesses, and communities.

There are three sub-teams: Education, Research, and Development. As a volunteer, you will be working in the Development Subteam.

Development Subteam (Volunteers)

As a Microplastics Institute Development Volunteer, you will be crucial in advancing our marine conservation and sustainability mission through educational initiatives and community outreach. This volunteership provides a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in marine science research, curriculum development, and environmental education while contributing to impactful projects that inspire stewardship of coastal ecosystems.

Who You Are

The UX/UI Researcher will be part of a small team of at least two researchers studying how the Microplastics Institute’s various user groups (educators, students, school administrators, researchers, Seaside staff, and curriculum partners) interact with and experience the Microplastics website. Through interviews, usability testing, and synthesis of findings into personas and journey maps, the team will produce actionable insights that shape how the platform is structured, navigated, and designed.

Responsibilities

• Conduct user interviews with key stakeholder groups (educators, students, school administrators, researchers, Seaside staff, curriculum partners, and parents where relevant) to understand needs and behaviors
• Test website structure, navigation, and wireframes/prototypes for usability
• Evaluate core user workflows, including registration, curriculum search, and submission processes
• Assess interface elements (buttons, typography, visual hierarchy, icons, mobile layouts) for clarity, usability, and brand/student-friendly consistency
• Develop user personas and journey maps for key user groups
• Synthesize usability findings and prototype feedback into clear, actionable recommendations for navigation, features, and design

• Contribute research-based input to inform overall website requirements

  Qualifications and Skills

• 2-4 years of UX research experience, including direct experience conducting user interviews, usability testing, and synthesizing personas/journey maps
• Strong ability to synthesize qualitative research into clear, actionable recommendations
• Preferred: familiarity with UI/visual design principles (typography, visual hierarchy, layout) to inform usability evaluations
• Preferred: experience with student/education-focused products
• Preferred: familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g. WCAG)
• Ideal candidate traits: strong interviewing/listening skills, comfort synthesizing input from many different user types into a coherent narrative

Work Environment

• This is a remote position, and all volunteers work from their individual home offices across the globe.
• Volunteers must have access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection to perform duties, attend meetings, and communicate effectively.

Duration

• Duration: 2-3 months (flexible)
• 5-10 hours per week (flexible)

Equal Opportunity Statement for Employment: Seaside Sustainability Inc. offers Internship and Volunteer opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. Seaside Sustainability prohibits workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.