User Experience (Ux) Designer

Job Description

USER EXPERIENCE (UX) DESIGNER

Req #: 170107 Department: OFFICE OF RESEARCH INFORMATION SERVICES Job Location: Seattle Campus Posting Date: 07/25/2019 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and education. Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here. As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. All of which has allowed the UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” for five consecutive years.
Office of Research Information Services (ORIS), a division of the Office of Research, coordinates, develops, and supports electronic research administration for faculty and staff at the University of Washington. Goals include:

Improve service to Principal Investigators (PIs) and research and administrative staff, enhance their ability to obtain funding, reduce their workload, and streamline the processing of their proposals.

Provide authorized individuals with convenient access to timely information on the status of proposals and awards.

Increase the efficiency of the research community to meet growing workload and compliance demands with limited resources.

Maintain the University of Washington's position as a leading public research University.
The University of Washington’s Office of Research Information Services has an outstanding opportunity for a full time User Experience (UX) Designer.
The User Experience (UX) Designer is responsible for communicating and contributing to the strategy that guides the execution of ORIS product and user experience design. You are part of a user experience group that is the voice of the user and will work with users of ORIS products and services, product owners, business analysts, and technical resources to blend business goals, product roadmaps, and user goals to ensure successful outcomes. This role is a crucial member of development teams that will ensure our user interfaces are useful and usable. In this capacity your role is to bring simplicity to an institution with a world-leading complex research enterprise.
The person in this role must be able to communicate design concepts using a variety of physical and digital tools and technologies, and be adept at selecting the appropriate communication medium to use in any given situation. The ability to synthesize a large body of information around research administration processes, procedures, policies, guidelines, forms, topics, and concepts into simple and elegant design recommendations and working prototypes is essential. Also necessary is the ability to deftly balance creating a positive user experience with handling business requirements and technical constraints. This person will need to be comfortable working with stakeholders and product managers while skillfully promoting a user-centered design approach for Office of Research related software products. This position will act as an expert in the interaction design specialty as they interact with various technical and non-technical stakeholders across all levels of the University.
The UX Designer will help to mitigate the burden of administration required to prepare, submit, and manage grants by enhancing the design, interface, and physical interaction of the ORIS products. This position is key to support ORIS’s product suite which reduces burden throughout the entire research lifecycle. The UX Designer will understand and have empathy for all the segments of the Research Enterprise such as: applications, compliance, sponsor reporting, grant management, and career development. Reduced burden results in less frustrated researchers and research administrators, leading to more grants awarded and better retention of UW scientists.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
User Experience Design

Be a positive, engaging force for UX within the organization and be a resource for others in the organization to learn more about UX and interaction design

Conceptualize and document proposed design solutions through deliverables such as use cases, scenarios, wireframes, site maps, workflow diagrams, storyboards and conceptual models - working in an agile environment, independently or collaboratively as appropriate

Design solutions alongside domain experts and UI developers, leading collaborative design sessions and documenting outcomes via wireframes, mockups, and prototypes

Support project teams in regularly and rapidly releasing software by identifying the appropriate fidelity solution for the given timeline and project goals, while maintaining a backlog of enhancement ideas for future iterations

Support project teams through design sprints, applying user-centered design and rapid prototyping methodologies in a collaborative and inclusive manner

Contribute to our multi-device user experience strategy by designing interactions that take into account the spectrum of form-factors that need to be supported; includes considering a variety of window/screen sizes, input mechanisms, and utilizing best practices for design patterns in the context of responsive design

Provide visual design guidance and expertise through everyday design work as well as by contributing to the development of visual style guides to keep our product designs simple, elegant, and intentional

Ensure design patterns, user interface elements and layouts are accessible & usable while managing the constraints of the various platforms ORIS works within

Keep informed on the latest and greatest in human centered design practices, techniques, and tools to support professional development for self and team

Collaborate with ORIS developers to bridge the gap between prototypes, design needs, product development and operations

Create prototypes and mockups in the language of the web (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), leveraging best-in-class and ORIS home-grown CSS and JavaScript frameworks to provide a seamless transition from design to implementation

Apply best practices in web standards as they relate to accessibility and universal web design
Requirements Gathering & Analysis

Work with analysts, product managers, project managers, and user researchers to translate business requirements into user stories and acceptance criteria

Actively seek and incorporate feedback on designs from project team members, managers, subject matter experts, stakeholders, and users via formal and informal design reviews, user acceptance testing (UAT), and usability testing

Partner with product managers and business analysts to understand user needs by planning user studies, conducting user interviews and usability testing sessions, and performing data analysis activities to create artifacts such as personas, user journey maps, and process workflows

Proactively identify and document opportunities to utilize web analytics to assess performance of designs, providing specific measures that a developer can implement

Regularly analyze web analytics, identifying patterns of user behaviors to inform design decisions
REQUIREMENTS:

BA degree in Informatics, Human Centered Design, Cognitive Psychology, Visual Communications and Design, Computer Science or similar

Minimum 2 years broad experience with all facets of the user experience discipline

Ability to work collaboratively with technical and non-technical staff to determine and confirm user experience requirements and appropriate solutions

Proficient in a variety of methods to convey ideas and concepts (e.g. wireframes, prototypes, etc)

Knowledge of web-based technologies and their impact on the feasibility of design solutions

Knowledge of accessibility guidelines and best practices as they relate to user interface design

Demonstrated experience with HTML and CSS & JavaScript frameworks

Effective communicator, presenter, and negotiator

Pragmatic problem-solver with the ability to focus on meeting short term goals while not losing sight of the big picture

Strong online portfolio available for viewing
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
DESIRED:

Experience working in higher education research administration or in business enterprise software sectors

Experience working with web analytics - implementation as well as data analysis

Knowledge of lean/agile software development practices including Scrum

Knowledge of modern front-engineering building blocks such as HTML5, CSS3, Node.js, AngularJS, Angular, Bootstrap
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
This position contributes in a collaborative team work environment. Collaboration among the Business Analysts, Software Developers, Software QA, and Interaction Designer is supported through a shared space working environment, ad hoc meetings focused on problem-solving, and the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. Inflexible deadlines and non-standard working hours are occasionally necessary to support deadlines.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

The University of Washington is a leader in environmental stewardship & sustainability , and committed to becoming climate neutral.

The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 / 206-543-6452 (tty) or [email protected] .

Apply for this job