About the role
General
There are four (4) distinct delivery phases in which user experience designers (task based I&IT consultants) produce deliverables following Ontario Digital Service Design playbook, which outlines the standard process for user experience design.
Delivery Phase 1) Discovery:
Before building a solution, a project team needs to find out whether users need it and whether other solutions exist. The UX Designers responsibilities during this phase are to build an understanding of the problem space/statement, the long and short-term business goals, and the user and business needs.
Deliverables:
Facilitate the Kick-off meeting with the project team to produce such outputs as:
Business Model Canvas
5 Whys
User Personas
Stakeholder Mapping
Strategy Map
Short- and Long-Term Goals
Fears and Challenges
Problem Statement
Facilitate user research activities to produce such outputs as:
User interview topic Maps, a summary of interrelated topics for the user interview
User Interview Scripts to plan and guide user discussion
User Interview Synthesis (collection, aggregation and analysis) of written observations recorded during each interview
User research findings report
Inception (Science Fair Day):
Showcases the work and key findings from this stage to stakeholders outside of the core project team
Aligns entire team (business, technical) on what the next steps will be
Planning activities for next phase (Alpha)
Other deliverables typically delivered in this phase include:
User Storyboard to communicate a story through images displayed in a sequence of panels that chronologically maps the storys main events.
Technical Service Blueprint, a diagram that displays the entire process of service delivery including support systems by listing all the activities that happen at each stage, performed by the different roles involved
Defined business Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Delivery Phase 2) Alpha:
Alpha is about testing hypotheses and experimentation. The purpose of Alpha is to determine how to meet the user needs that were identified in discovery. This phase is an opportunity to quickly test different approaches with users before building a service.
Deliverables:
Optionally conduct Google Ventures five (5) Day Design Sprint (or variation). This sprint is a five (5) day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers
Produce clickable prototypes of multiple possible solutions
Validate "clickable prototypes with users through usability testing sessions and produce research findings report
Iterate (improve) on clickable prototypes with insights garnered from research findings report
Identify and document existing processes or policies that will need to change to support the new product or service
Produce a business proposal to justify funding for the next phase (Beta)
Define a clear vision for the solution that will be built in Beta
Create a plan and prioritized list of features to be completed in the Beta phase
Define user solution, and delivery of KPIs
Delivery Phase 3) Beta:
The goal of Beta is to build a real service that works well for a larger group of people. The prototypes that were developed and tested during Alpha are used to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for deployment in a live, user-facing environment. Executed within the context of Scrum methodology, the UX Designer performs the following Agile ceremonies: Stand-up meetings, Sprint Planning, Backlog grooming, Reporting, Acceptance, and Retrospective.
The designers are at the spearhead of this methodology, creating and validating user stories for the developers (typical) one iteration ahead.
Deliverables:
User story creation and validation:
Participates in deciding which priority to tackle
Sketching workshop to create visual representation of ideas or user flows
Create designs
Enhancements made to designs
User Interviews (for validation)
Synthesizing individual and overall interview findings
Enhancements to designs made from synthesis
Get product owner sign off and input story into backlog for future iteration planning
Rinse and repeat for each feature, function within a given iteration
Conduct accessibility compliance testing of the solution within each iteration.
Conduct regular usability testing sessions on the MVP built as part of the Beta phase.
Delivery Phase 4) Live:
Live begins when the service has reached a point of maturity and all of the main features in the backlog have been built. While most people understand the purpose of live, its not always given the attention and resources it deserves.
Continuous improvement is one of the core principles of service design and thats what live is all about. The goal is to continuously monitor, research, test and iterate for as long as the service is active.
Deliverables:
Continue to facilitate user research activities to produce such outputs as:
User interview topic maps, a summary of interrelated topics for the user interview
User interview scripts to plan and guide user discussion
User interview synthesis (collection, aggregation and analysis) of written observations recorded during each interview
User research findings report
Conduct regular accessibility compliance testing of the live build as improvements are released.
Conduct regular usability testing sessions on the live build.
Analyze usage analytics and user behaviour patterns to track and measure key performance indicators.
SkillsExperience and Skill Set Requirements
Sr. User Experience Designer Evaluation Criteria
User Experience Design 40%
Extensive experience in using UX design best practices to design solutions, and a deep understanding of mobile-first and responsive design.
Ability to iterate your designs and solutions efficiently and intelligently.
3+ years of relevant experience in participating in complex projects (products) of different sizes, ensuring alignment to plans, best practices and incorporating user-centred design processes and agile (scrum) methodologies.
Degree or diploma in graphic design; degree or certification in usability, human-computer interaction, and technical writing a plus
Experience in facilitate User Research and Usability testing. Accessibility compliance testing is a plus.
Experience in facilitate User Research and Usability testing activities to produce such outputs as:
User Interview Topic Maps
User Interview Scripts
User Interview Synthesis (collection, aggregation and analysis) of written observations recorded during each interview
User Research Findings Report
Relationship Management - 20%
Demonstrated experience in communication and mediation skills with business teams and core team members to ensure Client projects (products) are progressing according to schedule
Experience with strategies and actions to overcome resistance to change and capitalize on forces in support of change during all stages of projects Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live or similar delivery methodologies
Ability to deliver on a (project) product with a balanced team (product owner, user experience designers, developers) by participating in Agile (SCRUM) delivery methodologies
Technical Skills - 30%
Expertise in UX software such as JustInMind, InVision, Sketch, Adobe Creative Cloud, Axure, Figma, and Zeplin. HTML5, CSS3, and JS skills (React, Angular, NodeJS), are a plus.
Soft skills - 10%
Ability to clearly and effectively communicate design processes, ideas, and solutions to teams and clients.
Be excited about collaborating and communicating closely with teams and other stakeholders via a distributed model to regularly deliver design solutions for approval.
Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
Strong presentation, verbal and written communication skills
Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills
Must haves:
Extensive experience in using UX design best practices to design solutions, and a deep understanding of mobile-first and responsive design
Originally posted on Himalayas