UPA Job Bank: May 2012

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

Back to the Job Bank

Posted on: 31 May 2012

Apply at: https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/job_summary.jsp?job_id=GBS-0487821
Typical travel requirements: spending 4 days at client site and 3 nights at client location.
This position requires 75% travel.

Job description
IBM Global Business Services - Help Make the World Work Smarter

The world is getting smarter, triggering unprecedented change. IBM's unparalleled ability to bring together deep business insight, advanced research, analytics, and technology enables IBM Global Business Services to help position its clients for the future. We leverage the proven roadmaps and frameworks that have been developed across 17 industries and the unique combination of skills and experiences of our teams in over 170 countries - unmatched capabilities. When you join IBM, you'll partner with our clients, and leverage these capabilities to deliver real business value.

As a member of the world's leading and largest consulting organization, you'll tap into resources that only a global leader like IBM can provide: access to a vast and diverse network of talented professionals; enjoy unparalleled career opportunities; be provided with ongoing training and education that you'll need to succeed; and work on some of the most interesting projects on the planet, helping everyone from organizations to local governments, work smarter.

IBM User Research & Design National Practice: Consult with us and join the largest user research group on North America.

As part of IBM Interactive and IBM Global Business Services, our group helps top-tier clients solve their most complex business and technical issues while assuring that solutions and user experience are consumable, i.e., are useful, usable, and engaging, meeting both business needs and user needs. As a Managing Consultant, you will deliver innovative application design and management that incorporates aspects of business consulting, business process design and systems integration to leading commercial and public sector organizations in 17 industries worldwide. As a consultant with access to resources that only a global leader can provide, you will learn valuable skills, gain access to a vast and diverse network of talented professionals, and enjoy unparalleled career, training, and educational opportunities.

Our group is a multi-disciplinary consulting practice developing and bringing the tools and methods of user-centered research and design into all stages of application requirements, design, and development. We support iterative design and development for consumable applications in a range of contexts from waterfall processes to Agile software development methods.

As a Managing Consultant in our group, you will coordinate with multi-disciplinary consulting teams from IBM and vendors, and be primarily responsible for:
- Analyzing business requirements and user requirements and understand the synergies and stress points between them (e.g., Task Analysis, Ethnography, Focus Groups, Surveys, Personas, Scenarios, Use Cases, etc.)
- Working with clients to develop an understanding of the characteristics of the intended user segments as well as the ultimate context of application use
- Understanding the baseline (e.g., heuristic assessments of competitive solutions or prior solutions)
- Experimental & Inspection Methods (e.g., Cognitive walk-throughs, Think-Aloud Protocols, Remote Usability Testing, etc.)
- Design (e.g., Concept Modeling, Rapid Prototyping, Iterative Design, etc.)
- Development (e.g., communicating designs and requirements to developers, evaluating interim software deliveries)
- Mentoring and leadership

Clients are typically aligned with Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods, Life Sciences/Pharmaceutical, Financial Services (Banking/Insurance), Electronics, Telecommunications, Distribution and Media & Entertainment Industries.

Typical travel requirements: spending 4 days at client site and 3 nights at client location.
This position requires 75% travel.

For more information on our world-class Application Innovation solutions and services, please visit: http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/ais/  

Required

• High School Diploma/GED
• Basic knowledge in user Experience design, development and delivery of interactive applications for clients
• Basic knowledge in a leadership consulting position, working on complex interactive projects including user interface approaches/frameworks, design principles support, high-level content organization
• Basic knowledge in Dreamweaver, Visio, Photoshop, iRise, Rational Team Concert, and/or other prototyping tools
• Basic knowledge in with teams of business analysts, business transformation consultants, information architects, solution architects, software architects, and developers
• Basic knowledge in experimental and quantitative skills
• Basic knowledge in Web Analytics
• Basic knowledge in UI/UX Design - Familiarity with HTML/CSS, Javascript, RIA toolkits (like Dojo and jQuery) as well as design applications like Dreamweaver and Photoshop
• Basic knowledge in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and/or other analytical/reporting techniques
• Basic knowledge in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques
• Readiness to travel Up to 4 days a week (home on weekends-based on project requirements)
• English: Basic knowledge

  Preferred

• Master's Degree in Psychology
• At least 3 years experience in user Experience design, development and delivery of interactive applications for clients
• At least 3 years experience in a leadership consulting position, working on complex interactive projects including user interface approaches/frameworks, design principles support, high-level content organization
• At least 3 years experience in Dreamweaver, Visio, Photoshop, iRise, Rational Team Concert, and/or other prototyping tools
• At least 3 years experience in with teams of business analysts, business transformation consultants, information architects, solution architects, software architects, and developers
• At least 3 years experience in experimental and quantitative skills
• At least 3 years experience in Web Analytics
• At least 3 years experience in UI/UX Design - Familiarity with HTML/CSS, Javascript, RIA toolkits (like Dojo and jQuery) as well as design applications like Dreamweaver and Photoshop
• Certified in BCPE Certification (CPE, CHFP, CUXP)
• English : Fluent

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Senior Designer UX (IA)
Comcast Interactive Media
Philadelphia, PA

Posted on: 30 May 2012

Title: Senior Designer UX (IA)
Reports to: Senior Art Director UX, Associate Director UX or Director UX, Senior Director UX or Executive Director UX

Key Responsibilities

As a Senior Designer UX (IA) in the CIM User Experience group, your key responsibilities will encompass product ideation and exploration with an expert understanding of user experience best practices and the application of the experience within a wide variety of scenarios.

You will showcase your ability to concept, create, lead and present user experience concepts to a broad audience and ensure the UX team stays on target and on time. This position also requires an expert ability to assist team members in identifying tasks, as well as the ability to participate in generating solid estimates.

The Senior Designer UX (IA) concepts and creates IA design UX solutions, as well as collaborates solutions with directors, art directors, designers, architects and other UX specialists for all CIM products and features, and is an integral member of the UX team’s creative process in delivering world class customer experiences.

Job Duties

• Provide UX IA design leadership, expertise, and support, helping define project approach to accommodate constraints while delivering the best user experience.
• Collaborate with and participate in ideation and concept explorations with the UX team throughout any project lifecycle, facilitating and driving UX solutions, discussions and planning.
• Deliver UX IA designs (heuristics/flows/wireframes) in alignment with overarching business and user experience goals.
• Articulate and track project milestones, deliverables and risks with the UX team, in addition to communicating progress, near term tasks/deliverables, issues and accomplishments.
• Serve as a liaison between the UX team members, identifying and managing UX specific project IA designs. This includes concept sketches, heuristics, flows or wire frames, click-through demos/prototypes, assisting on visual design leadership and assists in the creation of associated mitigation plans.
• Prepare and deliver UX presentations and road shows representing the user experience organization with in-depth knowledge of why design and information architecture choices are being made.
• Contribute to the growing library of knowledge around user centered design both through the products developed and best practice research.
• Take the lead on external vendor communication directly related to UX IA design support.
• Mentoring and coaching of designers (visual and IA) on core UX skills and project oversight.

Qualifications

• Minimum involvement of 5-8 years designing Internet, mobile or equivalent interactive experiences with an expert ability to successfully organize, prioritize and manage multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment.
• Bachelors Degree in Design, Computer Science, Human Factors or equivalent work experience with any combination of expert Visual Design, Writing, Information Architecture, Presentation and Collaboration skills.
• Excellent facilitation, brainstorming and collaboration skills with expert user experience orientation and exceptional people skills.
• Proficient with diverse writing, presentation, project management software.
• Demonstrable knowledge of multiple software applications, web services, and cross platform execution.
• Must have an expert understanding of Visio (or other wire frame related software).
• Must be comfortable working with established UX guides and/or the ability to assist in their continued evolution.
• Experience designing robust Flash and HTML web sites and/or mobile with highly intuitive or deep User Interfaces and navigation schemes.
• Superior IA literacy and expert understanding of typography, illustration, color theory, wire framing, and photo manipulation.
• Must have expert verbal communication skills, including the ability to speak effectively before staff or other internal groups.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries with the ability to prioritize and execute.
• Knowledge and practice of UX industry best practices including User-Centered Design.
• Expresses a passion and desire to innovate and push boundaries.
• Proven experience as a design leader developing products to large consumer base.
• Experience in an agency environment executing UX a plus (e.g., Razorfish, Sapient, AKQA, etc.); track record of product development-oriented projects preferable.
• Experience with internal/external teams and/or partner relationships and resources.
• An expert portfolio of solid web, mobile and multi-media are required. Broadcast, print, identity, packaging, storyboard sketches are a plus,

User Experience Researcher
AnswerLab
San Francisco, CA or New York, NY

Posted on: 30 May 2012

AnswerLab - a Company on the Move

AnswerLab conducts both qualitative and quantitative research that provides actionable insights into customer experiences with websites, software, and mobile applications. As our client list suggests, we are a successful, rapidly-growing company with a reputation for high quality research. We work with industry leaders such as Wal-mart, Microsoft, PayPal, Honda, ESPN, eBay, Yahoo!, and Cisco. In fact, we were recently named in the Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in America and the San Francisco Business Times' List of Top 100 of Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area two years in a row.

Your Opportunity

We are recruiting an outstanding User Experience Researcher in our San Francisco office, who will be a rockstar trusted advisor to our blue-chip client base. Your mission will be to deliver trusted research solutions that enable clients to achieve their business objectives. This position is an opportunity to:

• Become a trusted advisor to your clients: AnswerLab's product involves information and insights -- and these insights help executives at some of the country's most recognizable firms to solve complex business issues. In addition to the knowledge and learning you'll be exposed to, you'll have the added satisfaction of seeing your clients achieve success as a direct result of our research services.
• Grow your expertise & reputation: Since 2004, AnswerLab has been building a stellar reputation within the research industry; our NetPromoter score is best-in-class. You will have the opportunity to learn from the best and brightest UX researchers in the industry, while trying innovative new research methods.
• Build something: You will have the opportunity to impact a rapidly-growing company that is becoming the leading company in our category.

We are located in the Financial District in the heart of San Francisco. We are a 5-minute walk from the Embarcadero BART, and walking distance to countless restaurants and coffee shops.

The Job

AnswerLab is a growing UX research firm that assists clients in measuring and improving the experience of their online customers. Example research methods include one-on-one usability studies, remote usability studies, online and in-person focus groups, mobile device testing, card sorting, and quantitative benchmarking studies.

The qualified candidate will be responsible for:

• Working with clients to understand business needs and to craft UX research solutions
• Developing screener surveys for isolating clients’ target users
• Overseeing the participant recruiting process
• Developing moderator guides
• Consulting with clients on the development of prototypes for testing
• Managing technical setup for in-person labs
• Moderating remote and in-person user experience research studies
• Analyzing the results of the research
• Developing PPT presentations to communicate findings
• Presenting to executives
• Keeping projects on schedule and within scope
• Building a trusted advisor relationship with clients
• Contributing to AnswerLab’s knowledge library
• Collaborating with colleagues to solve research challenges

We understand that outstanding candidates can come from a variety of backgrounds. While specific experience is important, we are ultimately looking for candidates who have the personal characteristics to thrive in a growing client-focused business. The ideal candidate will meet most of the criteria listed below.

• Leading consulting engagements with clients -- either in research specifically or with a management consulting firm that uses analytical data to support conclusions
• Personally moderating many 1:1 usability studies, particularly on large scale websites, web-based applications or mobile devices
• Designing and writing discussion guides, screeners, test protocols, and final reports
• Using online/remote usability tools (i.e. WebEx, GoToMeeting, etc.)
• Conducting presentations with senior-level business managers and executives
• Working with the Internet and web-based tools

Ideal candidates will also possess the following:

• Demonstrated ability to 1) work independently and drive towards deadlines, 2) produce high-quality deliverables for clients, and 3) think creatively and solve problems.
• Ability to engage with business and research managers in Fortune 500 companies.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to facilitate discussions
• Presentation skills, including building PowerPoint presentations and presenting results and recommendations to clients
• Undergraduate and/or advanced degree – preferably an educational background in Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Human Computer Interaction, or other related discipline with a solid foundation in research-based design using both quantitative and qualitative methods

Senior candidates (those with at least 5-7 years of experience) will need to:

• Provide a highly strategic level of insights
• Leverage insights across studies to make recommendations
• Demonstrate autonomy in project management
• Guide clients and project teams to the correct research methodology
• Mentor and train research colleagues

This is a full-time position. AnswerLab offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with your experience.
If interested, please send your resume to Elise Holland via eholland@answerlab.com. Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you.

User Experience Research Manager
AnswerLab
San Francisco, CA

Posted on: 30 May 2012

AnswerLab - We provide clients with assurance, direction and success

We work with Facebook, eBay, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, FedEx, Zynga, ESPN, PayPal, Firefox, Walmart, Logitech, Harley Davidson, Honda, Genentech. . . all of these companies rely on AnswerLab's research to support key business and product decisions. We are a growing leader in a rapidly-growing industry and we’re looking for someone to help take us to the next level.

AnswerLab delivers trusted customer insights that help the world’s leading brands build outstanding digital products and services. We focus exclusively on user experience research to understand what people see, do, think and feel when using web sites, mobile applications, and other digital products. AnswerLab’s clients depend on our recommendations about product concepts, features, design and messaging to create more engaging customer experiences that drive results.

We’ve been profitable and have grown our revenues each year and are continuing to invest and grow. We intend to be the most trusted brand in the world for user experience research. We were recently named in the Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in America and the San Francisco Business Times' List of Top 100 of Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area 3 years in a row. 

Your Opportunity
We are looking for a top-notch User Experience Research Manager to play a key role in driving the success of our clients’ online businesses.

This role should interest you if you:

• Enjoy managing client relationships and overseeing research programs
• Like to exercise both the analytical and creative sides of your mind
• Derive job satisfaction by doing high quality work and from being considered a trusted advisor
• Are interested in contributing to the growth of a research/consulting company

The qualified candidate will be responsible for:

• Managing the work of researchers and contractors, across quantitative and qualitative projects, ensuring high-quality research deliverables and client experiences
• Providing clients and sales team with consultation and advice to help plan and scope research projects, crafting methodologies that meet the research objectives with the business’ goals; partners with the sales team to consult during pitches and proposals
• Drive thought-leadership and development opportunities at AnswerLab, contributing to the company’s strategic goals both internally and externally
• 50% Time on Managing Delivery of UX Projects, 40% Time on Consulting Clients & Sales, 10% Time on Company Leadership

The successful candidate should be able to handle multiple concurrent projects while managing tight deadlines.

The User Experience Research Manager will build trust with clients by:

• Understanding the client business issues that are driving the need for research
• Helping to define and creatively address client needs
• Crafting the most appropriate research methods and tools to meet each need
• Overseeing the research process, providing feedback on key deliverables including the final report and analysis
• Providing clients with high-quality, accurate information and business insights derived from customer input
• Responding quickly to client requests

While specific experience is important, we are ultimately looking for candidates who have the personal characteristics to thrive in a growing client-focused business. The ideal candidate will likely have experience with most or all of the following:

• Developing solutions, discussing options and writing proposals for clients
• Leading consulting engagements with clients
• Conducting quantitative and qualitative usability research and/or market research studies, particularly on large-scale websites or web-based applications
• Conducting analysis using Excel, SPSS or other analytics tools
• Designing and writing discussion guides, screeners, test protocols, and questionnaires
• Moderating one-on-one usability sessions and conducting other types of usability studies
• Using online/remote usability tools and survey software
• Conducting presentations with senior-level business managers and executives
• Worked for a market research firm or working with the Internet
• Demonstrated ability to 1) work independently and drive towards deadlines, 2) produce high-quality deliverables for clients, and 3) think creatively to solve problems.
• Experience building and leading a team of researchers and managing the P&L / utilization of the team
• College degree and preferably an educational background in Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Human Computer Interaction, or other related discipline with a solid foundation in research-based design using both quantitative and qualitative methods
• Consulting experience, either in research specifically or with a management consulting firm that uses analytical data to support conclusions
• Ability to engage with business and research managers in Fortune 500 companies.
• Excellent communication skills- written and verbal
• Effectively facilitates discussions
• Presentation skills, including building PowerPoint presentations and presenting results and recommendations to clients
• Strong initiative and the drive to succeed

Why consider working at AnswerLab? 

• As a growing company we offer you the opportunity to make significant contributions to the success and direction of the company.
• You’ll have the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 companies on a variety of interesting projects.
• The compensation package includes a competitive base salary, attainable bonus and a fantastic benefits package that includes: medical insurance for employee and dependents, EAP, vision and basic life, 401(k), PTO, paid holidays, insurance, gym membership reimbursement, technology benefits, maternity/paternity paid leave and the ability to work for a highly successful company with a strong corporate culture, working with smart, down-to-earth people and “A” Players, who value a “get it done” attitude as well as a good dose of humor during our work day.   
• You will earn bonuses based upon client satisfaction and the overall success of the company.
• We are located in the Financial District in the heart of San Francisco. We are a 5-minute walk from the Embarcadero BART, and walking distance to countless restaurants and coffee shops.

If you share these traits and want to join a growing organization, we look forward to hearing from you. Please send your resume to Elise Holland via eholland@answerlab.com. Thank you!

Director of User Experience
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Hoboken, NJ

Posted on: 30 May 2012

John Wiley and Sons, Inc. a global provider of content and workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional and personal development; and education.

The Director of User Experience is responsible for the interface design and usability of Wiley’s digital businesses and applications.  We seek a highly respected authority in the area of information architecture and user research to work closely with project managers, business leaders and design resources to direct the growth and development of our digital products worldwide.  This role entails a mix of both project-based hands-on involvement with a more strategic oversight function.

We offer a challenging environment and the opportunity to work on sites of varying sizes and scope targeting a range of primary audiences and business models such as ecommerce shopping sites, ad supported consumer content sites, and subscription-based education and research products. 

Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain usability standards and information architecture best practices for use across the organization
• Customize and utilize standard product discovery and development tools including but not limited to; personas, user scenarios, competitive reviews, analytics, gap analyses, user research, contextual inquiry, wireframes, and functional specifications
• Communicate and champion the value of user centered design and provide leadership and advice to all technology initiatives where interaction design is a key requirement for success
• Determine need for formal user research and user testing and orchestrate and oversee the process
• Manage a team of information architects, analytics specialists and user research resources, both on staff and contractors

Requirements:

• 5+ years of dedicated UX responsibilities encountering a variety of usability challenges
• 3+ year managing people and projects in a leadership role
• Experience developing digital products from initial concept through to implementation.
• Experience with the tools and techniques associated with complex user design challenges for websites and mobile applications

Interested candidates should submit a resume, samples, and cover letter which must include salary requirements to:

http://tbe.taleo.net/NA4/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=WILEY&cws=1&rid=3118

EOE AA m/f/d/v

Although we appreciate your interest, only those candidates with whom we are interested in interviewing will be contacted.

User Experience Architect/Designer
BrainPOP
New York, NY

Posted on: 30 May 2012

User Experience Architect/Designer
Consulting position based out of our New York City office, reporting to Creative Director. Entails work across several time zones, so flexible work hours will sometimes be required.

BrainPOP, a global leader in online animated educational resources, seeks an excellent User Experience Architect/Designer with a solid background in data-driven web-based applications for kids. You will work on an educational platform used by school administrators, teachers, and elementary and middle school students.

Responsibilities:

1. Design engaging interaction models for core functionality of the platform
2. Construct elegant, innovative application pages based on UI guidelines to ensure pages are standards compliant, universally accessible, and cross-browser compatible
3. Evaluate and improve upon existing page and interface designs, while creating templates for new pages and interfaces
4. Present recommendations on functionality, navigation, scalability, user accounts and moderation/storage of user generated content
5. Update developers and creative team on current user interface best practices and emerging technologies
6. Identify needs, and translate key concepts into information architecture
7. Rapidly create static and dynamic prototypes for a web-browser based platform

Requirements:

1. Minimum three years in front-end/UI design role for web applications
2. Experience building information architecture, wire-frames, screen designs, templates, data flow optimization and diagrams, sitemaps, logical menu flow, usage patterns, content strategy, and use-case scenarios
3. Comfort developing multi-level user group designs
4. Experience completing full project cycles, from concept to deployment, including strategy, architecture, design, implementation, debugging, and support
5. Experience working on social media applications, e-learning platforms, learning management systems, content management systems, web-based/mobile educational products, or virtual worlds/gaming environments for kids not required, but a huge plus

Skills:

1. Strong graphic design and UI sense
2. Familiarity with common design, image processing, production, and web 2.0 tools
3. Ability to hand code in HTML, CSS is a plus.
4. Excellent problem-solving, documentation, and English skills.
5. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

To apply for this job, send a brief cover letter, resume, and links to your online portfolio or sample websites reflecting your work to uidesigner@brainpop.com. Please include your full name in the email's subject. No phone calls.

User Experience Researcher
State Farm
Bloomington, IL

Posted on: 19 May 2012

Two Openings

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.

This same commitment to our work force 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 the 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 seeking a User Experience Researcher to join a team of existing UCD professionals. In this role you will  design and conduct user research for a wide range of software and non-software products; including applications used by our customers on statefarm.com® and business tools used by our sales force and employees for the purpose of selling and maintaining insurance and financial services products. In addition, you could be asked to evaluate and provide input into IVR systems, business processes, and hardware and 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 is a company that 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 usability, ethnography, 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 usability 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 usability 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.

To search for more information on careers in the U.S., visit statefarm.com/careers. To search for more information on careers in Canada, visit statefarm.ca/careers.

State Farm Insurance is an equal opportunity employer

User Experience Researcher
Rovi Corporation
Burbank, CA

Posted on: 15 May 2012

Corporate Profile

Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations, and has one of the world’s leading patent portfolios in this area, with more than 5000 issued patents and pending applications worldwide. The company licenses its patent portfolio to consumer electronics manufacturers, service providers and other third parties around the world.  Rovi also provides its own extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos, together with industry leading entertainment data, to create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form. With the recent acquisition of Sonic, Rovi has expanded its breadth of offerings throughout the digital entertainment ecosystem to include content producers, post production digitization, distribution of content ensuring both digital rights and quality of distribution in addition to ecommerce management for content distributors.  We have become an end-to-end provider of world class digital entertainment. Rovi is a global company headquartered in Santa Clara with nearly 2100 employees worldwide.

Position Overview/Responsibilities

The Product Research Specialist is responsible for planning, conducting, and analyzing usability test sessions on an iterative timeline. This individual will work closely with the Project Manager of Consumer Research with UX staff, Product Managers, and the UX Insights Analyst when scheduling, preparing, conducting and analyzing usability testing sessions of Rovi products and competitive solutions. This individual should have experience in behavioral research and conducting usability sessions with various levels of product fidelity. The individual is expected to travel ~35% of the time within the US with some international travel opportunities. The candidate that fills this position will be expected to independently manage user requirement initiatives, usability testing, field testing, task analysis, card sorting, and observational analysis methodologies. They will work with the User Experience (UX) team to drive iterative design practices, early stage concept testing, and pre-launch design verification throughout the organization. The ideal candidate will help promote research and usability testing by engaging internal teams in the discussion of best practices, frequent pit falls, easy design wins, and UCD process issues.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will help promote Rovi within our profession by publishing research articles, presenting at professional conferences, and engaging other user experience teams to discuss best practices, frequent pit falls, easy design wins, and UCD process issues.

Required Qualifications

• Passion.
  
• Effective problem solving and troubleshooting abilities.
  
• Self-motivated with the ability to independently manage multiple studies in a fast paced environment.
  
• Ability to design research protocols both independently and within a group dynamic.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in the areas of gathering user requirements, scenario development, conducting usability tests, questionnaire/survey design, etc.
  
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills. Should be able to communicate with c-level executives, business owners, customers and non-technical consumers.
• Firm ability to grasp technical details, new technology, and to clearly articulate user-centered requirements.
• Ability to travel for research studies and customer meetings. (~35% expected)

Secondary Responsibilities would include:

• Working with agencies to recruit participants with the required characteristics.
• Build and maintain an internal list of participants for quick studies and iterative design reviews.
  
• Conduct competitive analysis and testing independently and on an as needed timeline.
  
• Develop and apply usability metrics for the purpose of continual product improvement.
• Conduct longitudinal studies to ensure quality of design.
  
• Assist organizational units in identifying emerging markets through consumer research.

Desired

• A graduate degree in Human Factors, Cognitive or Experimental Psychology, Anthropology, Human Perception, HCI or related field.
• An accomplished professional background with publications and history within applied research.
  
• Experience with consumer electronics devices such as: television, tablet and smart phone applications.
• Consultancy experience or a proven track record of leaving your customers (internal or external) satisfied.

Apply For Job

https://jobs-rovicorp.icims.com/jobs/9668/login

Senior User Experience Architect
E*TRADE Financial
Jersey City, NJ

Posted on: 15 May 2012

Application: https://careers.etrade.com/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?OAFunc=IRC_VIS_VAC_DISPLAY&p_svid=45675&p_spid=861575

In 1983, the first online trade was placed using early E*TRADE technology. Today, E*TRADE FINANCIAL is a global financial leader, delivering value and innovation to millions of customers in more than 40 countries worldwide.

We are looking for highly energized, dynamic professionals who are ready to join a fast-paced, world leader in the financial services industry. We move at the speed of the Internet. Our work culture fosters an incredible exposure to innovative ideas and challenges that create experience and opportunity. Many have risen through the organization to become industry leaders, in both the financial services world and in the community at large. E*TRADE is made up of some of the brightest and most talented people in the industry - are you ready to join the industry leader?

We are looking for an Experience Architect with a passion for User Centered Design and discovering how people interact with products in order to develop the most successful solutions for their needs.

The ideal candidate will not only have a broad understanding of human factors and User Centric design practices, but also knows how to collaborate with product teams to understand underlying requirements and create the most successful user experiences.

The User Experience Lead is responsible for working to develop meaningful interactive experiences. This role requires strategic thinking, leadership, and acute communication with all members of the project team. You will work closely with sponsors to help identify business needs in order to design and articulate effective solutions using complex data sets. You will generate data taxonomies, process flows, wireframes and prototypes and work closely with research to drive and conduct usability testing. You will lead the UX efforts across various products, acting as the user advocate throughout the product lifecycle.

• A minimum of 5 years work experience designing within a collaborative environment
• A passion for UCD strategies and innovative product solutions
• User centered design process background with proven scenario development skills and interaction design (a portfolio demonstrating both creative thinking and the delivery of solid design solutions for complex data delivery)
• Demonstrated skill in collaborative design and innovation for new products
• Ability to thrive in an unstructured environment.
  
• Can create and communicate concepts quickly and interactively to tell a story around a solution. (Experience with Agile development processes a plus)
  
• Understands how to evangelize and articulate concepts through illustrations, sketches, mockups, wireframes, and rapid prototypes.
  
• Has experience with user testing and strategically planning design using user research to drive and validate design direction
  
• Proficient with a range of interaction design, visualization, and rapid design prototyping tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Visio, Axure, Omnigraffle
  
• Understands web development methods, the use of patterns and has a working knowledge of CSS , HTML and Javascript standards.
  
• Strong communication and presentation skills and an ability to collaborate well with a multi-disciplinary design team
  
• Experience in Interaction Design for mobile or touch devices a plus
  
• Bachelor degree in Interaction or Information Design, Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Communications or related behavior science field with significant industry experience

Senior User Experience Specialist
MathWorks
Natick, MA

Posted on: 15 May 2012

Multiple Openings

Job Summary
MathWorks, creator of MATLAB® and Simulink®, is experiencing significant company growth based on tremendous product sales. Our growth is hastening our need to hire high performing user experience professionals to our team.

Our user experience team members are embedded with their product teams and contribute throughout the product development life cycle. The team is regarded as strategic business partners by their product teams as they develop new products, features, and enhance legacy products.
You will be responsible for leading user-centered design activities related to MathWorks products and/or Web applications. You will work with development teams to understand their projects' user-centered design requirements, and develop creative solutions for meeting those needs.

Responsibilities

• Make recommendations to team members about which usability methods to use to answer their questions about users and design directions based on projects' needs, goals and constraints.
• Work closely with team members to conduct user research, identify pain points, develop user profiles and create task lists.
• Contribute to requirements and design documents.
• Help the development team follow a user-centered design approach as you work collaboratively to brainstorm and design innovative solutions to complex problems.
• Collaborate on paper and functional prototypes.
• Run usability tests, conduct interviews and site visits, organize surveys, and perform other usability assessments you think are appropriate.
• Help the teams interpret and understand user feedback, and provide input for design decisions based on that feedback.

Qualifications Required / Preferred

• BA, BS, or MA in cognitive psychology, human factors, or related field, or equivalent experience
• 4-8 years as a usability engineer in software design and development
• Direct experience with a variety of usability methods
• Strong leadership skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to balance needs of a large number of concurrent projects and work effectively with cross-functional teams

Pluses:

• Experience working in technical domains
• Knowledge of MathWorks products 

Multiple Openings
Apply Now

Usability Analyst
Usability Sciences Corp
Dallas, TX

Posted on: 15 May 2012

Company Overview:
Usability Sciences Corporation was founded in 1988 and has provided usability research services and technologies to more than 230 companies around the globe. Our services provide a complete usability solution for Internet e-commerce and b2b sites, corporate Intranets, and software and hardware products. USC is headquartered in Las Colinas, Irving, TX.  We offer competitive pay, great benefits, and a corporate environment that is built upon fostering the strengths of each employee to create winning teams. 

Job Summary:
We are currently seeking a usability analyst to conduct user experience research and usability tests aimed at improving the user interfaces of websites, software applications, and hardware devices.  We provide training in our research methodologies.  The usability analyst participates in all phases of the usability testing process, which include:

• Working with our clients to understand their project objectives
• Developing a usability test plan which addresses the client's objectives
• Facilitating projects such as one-on-one usability sessions and focus groups to obtain user preferences and feedback
• Scribing user feedback
• Analyzing and documenting the results discovered from the usability sessions

Note: It is the job of the client's development team to correct the issues that surface during testing, thus this position does not involve any design or programming.

Job Requirements:

• Gathers, analyzes, and documents user feedback
• Facilitates (moderates and scribes) testing sessions
• Presents feedback and recommendations to client within business and user experience framework
• Provides assistance to colleagues in support of deliverable completion
• Travel up to 20%, domestic and international

Required Skills:

• At least 2 years of experience in a professional environment
• A strong desire to make a product (website, software, hardware) "usable".  While we often work with software and hardware products, a high amount of our services pertain to websites, thus familiarity with websites is strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of consistently producing deliverables that are well-written and contain helpful information, providing solid and actionable recommendations for the client
• Strong people interaction and facilitation skills
• Project lifecycle experience
• Detail-oriented, with the ability to multi-task
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Should be self-directed and have effective time management skills
• Proven ability and desire to work effectively as a member of a team
• The ability to quickly learn and adapt in a fast-paced, highly interactive environment
• Self-starter who is comfortable with minimal day-to-day guidance and independently managing deadlines
• Ability to work well with a variety of high-profile clients 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook and virtual meeting software tools
• Good analytical and quantitative skills and the ability to make sound recommendations and decisions based on observed user behavior and prior experience
• Bachelor’s degree required

About Usability Sciences:
Since 1988, Usability Sciences continues to be the leading user experience solutions provider.  http://www.usabilitysciences.com/about-us/

Who We Are:
USC was built around a set of core beliefs and values.  Being a relatively small company, it is critical that all of our employees promote the ideals listed in our "What we believe": http://www.usabilitysciences.com/about-us/our-beliefs/

Location:
This position is being offered from our main office located in Irving, Texas (Dallas area).  Relocation expenses will not be covered.

Next Steps:
Please send cover letter expressing your interest in working for Usability Sciences along with your resume, salary requirements, and/or examples of past work to careers@usabilitysciences.com

Note:  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Usability Professionals' Association
promoting usability concepts and techniques worldwide

Job Bank and information about how to post a job: http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/usability_resources/jobs/
Phone + 1630.980.4997       Email office@usabilityprofessionals.org