UPA Job Bank: December 2011

The Job Bank is a service of the Usability Professionals' Association, listing jobs for usablity and user experience professionals.

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Posted on: 23 December 2011

Are you looking to get some big brands on your resume? If you fit the following qualifications then we have your solution! Our client is looking for a flash guru that can join them for a long-term contract. This production guru will be expected to know just the right tricks to bring to life a printed brochure. This is strictly a technological focused project, no design needed. So if you know flash and actionscript and enjoy taking a traditional brochure into an electronic version, and you have strong samples to show then we want to hear from you! This client is located on the south shore. Please contact lmanning@cmaccess.com.

Senior Information Architect / User Experience Designer
Thomson Reuters
Eagen, MN

Posted on: 23 December 2011

As a Senior Information Architect / User Experience Designer, you will define and create innovative online experiences for market-leading legal research and practice management applications.

You will be part of the New Product Development UX team, which plays an integral role in the design, research, and implementation of web and mobile solutions across the legal industry. This role will suit a creative problem solver, looking to work with a talented team in a fast-paced, agile environment.

Experience

• 5+ years experience as an information architect, user experience designer, or interaction designer
• Portfolio of work
• Significant experience developing interface mockups, annotated wireframes, and design specification
• History of defining application functionality and creating interfaces in the absence of business requirements
• Demonstrated ability to document complex designs

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Significant experience documenting user interfaces with Visio or similar tools
• Familiarity with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS design capabilities
• Solid understanding of principles of information organization and user interface design
• Thorough understanding of established user interface standards as well as cutting-edge design conventions and interactions
• Knowledge of fundamental design principles and disciplines that affect typography, color use, animation, composition, use of space, distribution of information, etc.
• Excellent written, oral, and visual communication skills
• Strong presentation skills
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize
• Ability to communicate design concepts effectively, build consensus, and justify decisions

Scope of Influence

• Collaborate with User Experience team to design elegant user interfaces and rich user experiences
• Interact with and provide direction to technology, content, and product development teams
• Influence and cooperate with other departments to ensure consistency and quality across the platform
• Present concepts and designs to senior management

Preferred Education, Experience, and Capabilities

• Degree in information science, information design, human-computer interaction (HCI), or related fields
• Visual design experience
• Prototyping skills
• Experience designing for iOS and other mobile platforms

If this sounds like you, please contact us. We look forward to meeting you!

Please apply directly through the Thomson Reuters career website at: https://toc.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=TEC00020181

Sr. User Experience Designer
CreateSpace
Seattle, WA

Posted on: 10 December 2011

Sr. User Experience Designer
CreateSpace, part of the amazon group of companies
Seattle, WA

Company Overview
CreateSpace, part of the Amazon group of companies is the leading provider of independent publishing tools that enable authors, filmmakers and musicians to produce, polish, publish and distribute their work to customers around the world. CreateSpace is also a leader in manufacture on-demand (MOD) capabilities for Books, CDs and DVDs. If you'd like to help us build a great Independent publishing and MOD company, this is your chance to make history in a rapidly-growing fast-paced environment. We are looking for a dynamic, creative individual to join our team as Senior User Experience Design in our Seattle, WA location.

Position Overview
The User Experience Designer reports to the Sr. Manager of Marketing for CreateSpace and will run all aspects of UX and Design concepting, development and delivery for CreateSpace. The right candidate will be able to convert business requirement inputs into superior user experiences. A keen eye for design, excellent understanding of user experience and a working knowledge of HTML and other frontend web technologies is a must. The UX Designer will work closely with the Product Management Team and the Development teams to assure business requirements come to life in a timely and engaging manner.

In a fun and fast-paced environment, this position requires excellent communication and creative skills, technical knowhow, a deep understanding of the customer and the site experience and analytical bias. The person in this key role must have the ability to build solid relationships within a matrixed organization.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop deep understanding of CreateSpace prospects and members.
• Continually raise the quality bar on the CreateSpace customer experience and look and feel.
• Build world-class design and user experiences.
• Deliver work that not only user-friendly, esthetically engaging but also produces results.
• Work cross functionally with development, marketing and project management teams to implement and rollout initiatives.
• Manage on-going relationship with external design/editing resources as needed.

• Understand all products and service offerings, and actively strive to be the subject matter expert on behalf of the customer
• Build productive working relationships with peers, leadership, and other departments
• Uses design and business knowledge to set priorities, goals and develop project plans that enable CreateSpace to meet its goals. 
• Exercises sound judgment in making decisions, solving complex customer issues and proactively heading off negative service trends.

• Develop, plan, and implement short- and long-range goals
• Continually reevaluate existing design, UX and workflows to help our customers succeed

Basic Qualifications:

• BA/BS required
• 7+ years  Web Design and UX experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Highly creative and innovative idea generator.
• Experience delivering excellent design and UX projects. The ability to engage with multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Must be a self-starter with strong organizational skills and an ability to work in an unstructured environment.
• Proficient with all industry standard design software and basic HTML/Flash development tools.  HTML, Java or Flash development skill a plus
• Ability to think strategically and execute methodically
• Experience designing consumer-facing web design and UX.  
• History of teamwork and willingness to roll up one’s sleeves to get the job done.
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills, and experience working with cross-functional teams; demonstrated ability to understand and apply technical concepts and communicate with technical teams
• Relevant work experience in the publishing, printing, and/or content distribution industries a plus

CreateSpace is part of the Amazon group of companies and is an equal opportunity employer.

Research Associate
Design Science
Philadelphia, PA

Posted on: 10 December 2011

DESCRIPTION

Design Science specializes in research to support medical device design.  We are currently seeking mid-senior level Research Associates to manage, perform, and analyze research.  Candidates will work closely with both internal and client teams to improve the usability and appeal of new and existing products.

Responsibilities include:

• Writing and revising interview guides, participant screeners, and testing procedures
• Consenting research participants and moderating usability testing
• Working closely with clients and senior staff
• Analyzing data and writing reports
• Managing projects

POSITION TYPE
Full-time /Part-Time/Contractor

QUALIFICATION

Requirements:

• Previous experience with usability testing
• Strong analytical, writing, and presentation skills
• Project management and client interaction experience
• Proficiency in MS Office, especially Excel
• BA, required, MA or other graduate degree beneficial

*Experience working with medical devices and/or design is beneficial, but not required.
**Experience with, or knowledge of, FDA regulatory guidance on usability and medical devices a plus.

Note: To apply, please send resume and cover letter to the contact listed below.

CONTACT INFORMATION

User Experience Researcher
State Farm
Bloomington, IL

Posted on: 10 December 2011

WHY STATE FARM?
Our commitment to customers makes us the No. 1 insurer of cars and homes in the United States and an insurance leader in Canada. The same commitment to our workforce is how we got here and how we stay here. Our 90-year track record highlights State Farm as an employer of choice committed to providing career opportunities that last a lifetime. From diverse backgrounds and talent, to meaningful work and comprehensive benefits, “Like a good neighbor…” isn’t just a slogan. It’s who we are and how we do business.

WHAT ARE THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS POSITION?

• Serves as an advocate for State Farm product end users (i.e., customers, Agencies, employees)
• Conducts user-centered research (e.g., user and task analysis, conceptual design, iterative usability testing, and assessment usability testing) to guide the design, selection, and refinement of products and processes throughout the product development lifecycle
• Establishes and maintains relationships with business areas to align strategic goals, UCD strategy, and tactical plans
• Conducts novel research on Human Factors topics

WHAT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ARE NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS POSITION?

• Works with clients to analyze needs for information and converts them into action items, requests or projects
• Applies specialized knowledge of Human Factors/UCD research concepts and techniques to a broad range of products and processes
• Utilizes available internal/external resources to assist with various phases of research
• Recognized by others as an authority/professional resource in his/her area of expertise
• Routinely interacts across department lines to strategically leverage skills/resources throughout the Enterprise

ITEMS OF NOTE

• May represent State Farm with external industry/vendor/consultant/governmental agencies in area of expertise
• May assist in units planning and/or budgeting processes
• Job may require travel via commercial transportation and/or driving motor vehicles to regional locations, professional association meetings, seminars, and other State Farm locations

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The User Centered Design and Research Group at State Farm Insurance is looking for multiple User Experience Researchers to join our growing team of existing UCD professionals. In this role, you will design and conduct user research for a wide range of software & non-software products.

This includes applications used by our customers on statefarm.com® and business tools used by our sales force and employees to sell and maintain insurance and financial services products. In addition, you could be asked to evaluate and provide input into IVR systems, business processes, and hardware/software purchase decisions. You will collaborate with other UCD practitioners, software developers, and business leaders across the organization. State Farm continues to work hard to be our customers' first and best choice and recognizes that UCD is paramount to accomplishing this goal.

Requirements

The skills required for the position are typically associated with an advanced degree in Human Factors, Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, or related field. Ideal candidates should have:

• Excellent research skills including the ability to analyze large and small sample quantitative and qualitative data sets.
• 2-3 years performing research on user issues for software development in a laboratory setting, online, and in the field.
• Experience supporting UCD in a large corporate environment is a plus.
  

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Meet with internal and external clients to identify user experience research questions, design and conduct studies, and communicate results to interdisciplinary project teams.
• Conduct user analysis which will drive the design process using techniques such as ethnography, interviews, and surveys.
• Conduct rapid iterative usability testing to improve product designs early in the design cycle.
• Work with business partners to create conceptual designs based on user data.
• Perform post-development usability testing to determine whether finished products have met business and usability objectives and inform designs of future releases.
  
• Translate research findings into design recommendations.
• Brainstorm with project teams to understand business and technical constraints.
• Utilize statistical analysis packages (SAS, SPSS, etc.) to perform analyses when appropriate.
• Develop innovative strategies to answer user experience research questions with limited resources.
• Stay current on UCD issues and literature
  

BENEFITS: TOTAL REWARDS
Our Total Rewards benefits package includes:

• Competitive starting salary
• Annual merit reviews
• Annual bonus potential

You may also be eligible to participate in Medical, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance, Vision, 401(K) Plan (Savings & Thrift in Canada), Credit Union, a fully funded retirement pension plan, and more. State Farm Insurance is an equal opportunity employer.

Please visit our Corporate website at: www.statefarm.com and apply to the Senior User Experience Researcher at job number: 29212

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