Triangle User Experience

We are searching for an Interaction Designer to join the school solutions group for one of our clients.  Using traditional materials, online learning and multimedia tools our client empowers the growth of teachers, professionals and students of all ages. Their technical innovations are changing the way people learn. This individual will report to the Manager of Interaction Design and act as critical member of the 60 person IT Department in Columbus, OH.  The Technology team is responsible for the design, development, and support of all online software.    The Interaction Designer will have direct impact on increasing the sales of software, increase user engagement, decrease site abandonment, increase adoption at the school level, and create an increase in user satisfaction.

Essential Duties

• Resolve product requirements and user data into software interface designs that feature elegance, simplicity, and ease of use
• Perform necessary business analysis to provide complete product definition
• Create and revise information architecture and interaction design documents, including: Site maps, concept diagrams, user personas or profiles, user scenarios, use cases & business rules, wireframes, flows, site inventory, template guidelines
• Define the conceptual experience strategy, information architecture, user flows and interaction design for projects
• Conduct user and domain research into user patterns, tasks and mental models with a focus on the relationship between people, products, and contexts
• Research & recommend new techniques in user interface design
• Initiate and nurture relationships with external customers and users for concept validation, focus groups, and usability testing
• Some travel required (5-10%) 

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of interaction design principles
• Knowledge of user-centered design principles and web design best practices/web standards
• Experience with designing, conducting, and evaluating usability tests is a plus
• Thorough understanding of project management and application development lifecycles, including RUP and Agile
• Experience with design & prototyping technologies including: Pencil & Paper, Visio / Illustrator / Photoshop, etc.
• Background in visual design a plus
• Knowledge/experience with CSS, JavaScript, and Flash ActionScript not required, but beneficial
• Ability to make recommendations based on incomplete or highly evolving set of requirements
• Innovative and creative thinking
• Proven ability to visualize and simplify complex systems
• Display initiative and self motivation
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet aggressive deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills are essential
• Listening skills and collaborative team skills
• Accomplished visual communicator, writer, and user experience advocate

Job Details:-         Either 3.5 month contract or 6 month contract-to-hire-         Pay: 30-40/hr

-         Location: Columbus, OH

The Senior User Experience Designer (UX Lead) is responsible for leading the User Experience team, including Information Architects, Content Strategists and User Researchers, and working collaboratively with Creative, Technology and Client Services team members to create compelling, insight-driven web sites and applications. User Experience is one of the most crucial project roles at the company as it requires an ability both to lead the project team and the client through a user-centered design process to develop meaningful experience concepts, and to execute on those concepts. The UX Lead is an ideas person who can sell “the big idea” to the team and the client, but who also loves getting her or his hands dirty in the process. The UX Lead reports directly to the EVP, Digital Marketing.

Responsibilities:

· Taking a leadership role in developing the information architecture and content strategy of transactional, informational, and marketing websites, applications and interactive experiences.

· Understanding target audiences’ needs, tasks, and goals and translating them into creative concepts

· Working closely with clients to translate business requirements into meaningful interactive experiences

· Leading and/or participating in immersive user research, concept testing, and usability testing

· Developing user personas and scenarios to clarify results of user research and focus the team’s design efforts on the needs of key users

· Collaboratively developing prototypes for demonstration of concepts to clients

· Developing and documenting detailed user experience specifications for highly interactive interfaces

· Driving User Experience thought leadership in both the company and the industry

Qualifications:

· Be on the pulse of current and emerging trends

· Demonstrated ability to lead design of complex transactional interfaces, taxonomies and metadata frameworks, and templates for content management systems

· Demonstrated ability to develop big ideas, and execute flawlessly against them in a highly collaborative environment

· Demonstrated experience conducting user research and translating user research into design decisions

· Demonstrated experience using web analytics data to inform design decisions

· Demonstrated understanding of time management and correct use of resources

· Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills

· Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously

· Experience in client services and negotiating business decisions

· Willingness to travel

· 5+ years experience as an information architect, interaction designer, or experience designer (or similar role)

· Advanced proficiency in a variety of design tools including Visio and InDesign, as well as the MS Office Suite

If you are interested in relocating to Los Angeles for this awesome opportunity, which pays $110-120k, please contact:

Laura Laser
BLT Recruiting
laura@bltrecruiting.com
phone: 310-567-2183

Registration is now open for The Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference in Nashville!

Check out the great lineup of speakers and sessions.  TriUPA members can use the User Group Discount Code, WD2MAL5 to receive $200 off the Core Conference. If you register before May 2, you’ll get the Early Bird price of $1095, in addition to the user group discount of $200, bringing your price to $895.

Freelance Technical Director will be responsible for project and technical oversight and also develop solutions that have a positive impact—someone who can act as a thought leader and business partner internally, and through advanced technical knowledge pushes the boundaries when developing complex technical solutions.

Ideal candidate is fluent in understanding effective and creative design as well as efficient, elegant code that drives the interface and backend.  Candidate has demonstrated ability to guide and direct programming teams to keep them on budget and schedule–while continually inspiring them to innovate for our clients; solid understanding of web production processes; and ability to work with a diverse range of talents, personalities and teams.  You are a leader who is able to inspire and motivate, open to new ways of doing things, and a strong communicator.  You thrive within a fast-paced, creative, deadline-driven environment.

Ideal candidate has direct experience and skills in brand marketing and understanding of online marketing tactics; has proven ability to achieve desired effects with Flash rapidly and understands the implications of technical decisions; has experience using Advanced Flash functions in innovative ways based on prior experimentation and experience; understands basic to intermediate concepts of object-oriented programming and architecture; understands and has experience using Actionscript 2.0 (3.0 a plus).  You are familiar with localization techniques and the issues related to providing international (non-English) content within Flash.  You have experience with variable data driven design; with using Actionscript and understanding of basic JavaScript; with theories related to interface design and usability; with video editing, cell-based animation and 3D; with Flash Remoting MX and Flash Communications Server and/or Unity2.

As the technical lead in an ad agency, you have expert knowledge of emerging advertising platforms and technologies, as well as a strong understanding of web servers, database servers, general networking, protocols, HTTP, FTP, etc.  You command a solid understanding of web development and of programming logic, and have experience with C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, MS SQL Server, XML-driven architectures, HTML, JavaScript, AJAX, Ruby, etc.  You also have an appreciation for software engineering best practices, QA throughout the development process, and for collaboration.  Bachelor’s degree required with 7-10 years experience in an advertising agency or similarly creative/marketing environment desired.

• Conduct heuristic reviews of internal and external websites- Assist with usability testing of websites and web-based applications
• Conduct user research and document observations
• Work with business owners to gather requirements for small projects- Create user experience documentation for small projects.

Position Requirements:

• Course work in Information Design, Cognitive Psychology, Information Science, Human Factors/Ergonomics and/or Library Science required (Master’s student preferred).
• Experience designing websites and interest in user-centered design.

Other internship requirements:

• Must be able to work up to 40 hours per week
• Must be able to provide own housing during summer in Chapel Hill/Durham area- Must have permanent, unlimited work authorization in the US
• Rising Senior (completed Junior year by Summer 200 or Master’s student preferred
• Minimum 3.0 GPA required
• Must have experience with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills
• Must have excellent interpersonal, collaborative and team building skills
• Must have ability to think analytically, present ideasprofessionally, and work in project teams

Interested students should email their resumes to Mindy Haase (mindy.haase@bcbsnc.com) by Monday, March 3, 2008.

IxDA was kind enough to video the entire Interactions ‘08 conference, and post the conference sessions online.  The keynotes by Alan Cooper and Bill Buxton are especially worth watching.

IxDA conference videos

I am a recruiter for a great advertising agency in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. They are looking for a digital user experience architect with at
least 3 years of experience. Salary is 70-80k. Here is the job description:

Responsibilities include:

• Create clean and concise wireframes, use cases, site maps, flow diagrams,
  screen prototypes and other artifacts to describe the intended user
  experience
• Participate in project definition and review activities with Account
  Directors and Digital Strategy
• Visualize concepts quickly and cleanly through sketching and other rapid
  prototyping methods
• Define site architecture and navigation that serves as a blueprint of the
  site upon which all other aspects are built
• Moderate and prepare documents for usability tests, including test plans,
  scenarios and questionnaires
• Participate in user studies to understand user behaviors/preferences and
  build, from this understanding, informed user interface solutions
• Participate in formal and informal design critiques
• Work collaboratively with designers to develop interface functionality
• Scope, develop and understand development / engineering leads to determine
  efficacy of a given solution
• Participate in quality assurance checks during production

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s, Masters degree or equivalent work experience in HCI, Information
  Science, design disciplines (industrial, graphic, instructional,
  architecture), or other relevant field
• 2+ years of experience as either a Junior Information Architect, or a member
  of an interactive design team.
• Highly demonstrable skills creating user flows, sitemaps, wireframes, screen
  prototypes and functional specifications
• Working knowledge of User Centered design principles and practices
• Ability to research, understand and organize specialized content
• Experience working on large, complex sites
• Experience and/or interest in mentoring others
• Excellent writing, speaking, presentation and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in Visio, Word, and Photoshop
• Solid understanding of HTML & CSS

Please submit your resume and salary requirements to:

Laura Laser
BLT Recruiting
laura@bltrecruiting.com
phone: 310-567-2183

http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralaser
aim: thelaser

Workshop on Usable IT Security Management (USM ‘0

Date: July 23, 2008

Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

The workshop is part of the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS)

USM’08 solicits short research and position papers from academia and industry about all aspects of IT security management usability. The workshop will provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners to discuss this fascinating and important topic. Those interested in participating in the workshop should submit a research or position paper of up to six pages, along with a cover letter describing their research interests, experience, and background in the area of usable IT security management.

Important Dates:

• Position papers deadline: April 13
• Notification of acceptance: May 11
• Camera ready final versions of the papers due: June 6
• Workshop: July 23

Workshop organizers: Konstantin (Kosta) Beznosov (UBC) &  John Karat (IBM)

For full call for papers and other details, visit http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/soups/2008/usm.html

Sony Ericsson is on the cutting edge of one of the most dynamic areas in modern technology. Our handsets are multiple award winning, “WOW” devices that make even grizzled hardware reviewers do a double take. We are seeking an individual to join our incredible team of designers and engineers to help us define the next generation in wireless and convergence devices. If you think you are up to the challenge and have the qualifications, drive and innovation required, read on.

 Customer User Interface Coordinator 

If you’ve read the reviews on our phones, or better yet have used one, you know we strive to look way beyond the box. We do things with our handsets that can make you scratch your head they are so unique. How did we come up with the “gesture” interface in a cell phone? How are our menus so intuitive? How can you switch back and forth so seamlessly from music to talking to data?

A big part of our innovation is due to our Customer User Interface Coordinators. They are Engineers and Listeners, Designers and Doers.

In this role you will interact with our customers, find out what they like and don’t like, what’s usable, what’s possible, and what may be possible.

You will work about 20% of your time in customer interaction roles so excellent presentation and communication skills are a must. We learn from listening to our customers. From their input you will then participate with the team in the actual design of menu’s and other user interfaces as well as tweaking and customizations of existing menu’s and designs.

The ideal candidate will have at least 2 years of experience and a 4 year degree, like a BS in interaction design or multimedia engineering, with a focus on interaction design and/or human computer interaction.

For more information on the details of this job, and to apply, go to our web site, www.sonyericsson.com. If you qualify we’ll be in touch to tell you much more, including a summary of our benefits, which we believe to be some of the best in any industry. Fully paid family health care, educational reimbursement, company contribution to your 401k whether you contribute or not, sick and kin care days, really too much to mention here.