User Research Intern | Silicon Valley AI Startup (H1-26)

Phygtl, a Silicon Valley-based AI startup, is building Vyry with the mission to cut student social isolation by up to 40% by replacing the awkward hello with shared, playful IRL quests and collaborative creation on campus, blending AI and AR into a new kind of consumer experience.

If you’re the type of person who’s genuinely curious about why people behave the way they do—and you’re excited about AI + AR + gaming/social mechanics in mobile apps—you’ll feel at home here.

Tasks

The role

As a User Research Intern, you’ll coordinate, run, and support qualitative research that shapes product decisions. You’ll learn how to plan sessions, moderate high-signal conversations, and turn messy qualitative input into crisp, usable insights.

This role is hands-on, not watching from the sidelines.

What you’ll do

1) Coordinate and moderate user research sessions (core)

• Plan and facilitate focus groups and/or interviews using our guides and structure
• Ask strong follow-ups (“ask, don’t tell”), stay neutral, and manage group dynamics
• Keep sessions focused, respectful, and high-signal

2) Plan sessions with intention

• Translate research goals into a discussion guide and session flow (templates provided)
• Align questions to current product hypotheses and decisions

3) Deliver clean research outputs (required)

Leverage tech to transcript + structured summary (insights, quotes, implications, follow-ups)

4) Work like a remote-first teammate

• Track tasks and deadlines in Asana
• Share a short weekly update (what you ran, what you learned, what’s next, blockers)

Requirements

Who qualifies

Required

• 3rd/4th year student (Junior/Senior), 2nd year outliers
• Fluent English; comfortable leading live conversations
• Reliable follow-through (you hit deadlines and communicate early if blocked)
• Curious by default: you naturally ask “why?” and you’re not afraid of silence

Strong preference: You’re genuinely excited about:

• AI and AR (and where consumer tech is heading)
• Gaming, social products, and mobile consumer apps
• Building a mission-driven product (not “another internship”)
• Remote-first execution: proactive communication, strong writing, self-management

Tools comfort (important)

• Comfortable learning and using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Asana, shared docs, and forms.

Nice to have

• Any facilitation background (clubs, tutoring/teaching, community leadership, RA/peer mentor, etc.)
• Any qualitative research exposure (class projects count)

Nice to have (GREAT+)

• OpenClaw agentic process setup (agentic workflows/automation that speeds up research operations)

Time expectations

• 10–15 hours/week on average (flexible around classes)
• You’ll ramp into a steady rhythm of ~1–2 sessions/week once trained and consistent

Benefits

What you get

Skills that actually compound

• Moderation reps + coaching (how to ask better questions, stay unbiased, and go deeper than surface opinions)
• Synthesis practice: turning transcripts into patterns, insights, and recommendations
• Stronger communication: writing and presenting findings clearly
• Work alongside engineers, designers, and PMs
• Unlock your entrepreneurial DNA by collaborating with the founders

Portfolio-ready proof

• You’ll produce real research artifacts (sanitized summaries/insight memos you can reference in a portfolio)

Career clarity

• You’ll learn what it’s like to work on a real consumer product where research directly changes decisions
• Learn first-hand how to use LLMs, LWMs, and agents, skills that catapult you into your professional career

Why Join Phygtl:

• Work on technology addressing important social challenges.
• Collaborate with a team experienced in academia and industry.
• Flexible remote work environment

Who Should Apply: We seek candidates who genuinely care about solving social isolation. Ideal applicants are motivated by meaningful social impact and committed to applying their technical expertise to address significant societal issues.

Apply Now:

If our mission resonates with you and you have the skills to contribute, click "Apply" to join our team.