User Experience designers are responsible for interaction design on multiple projects as well as project and stakeholder management. User Experience Designers at VP level are expected to be very deep technical experts within their design discipline.
They may have formal line management capacity – However, they will certainly be leading project teams as well as mentoring more junior designers from a technical perspective.
They will need to competitively position Absa’s user experience through activities that improve the usability, usefulness, and desirability of the digital experience, in line with the overall Group, Segment, Product and Marketing objectives.
Risk & Control Objective:
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Understand and manage risks and risk events (incidents) relevant to the role.
Key Accountabilities
Accountability: Interaction design on multiple projects across Barclays (approx. 55% of time)
- Work with the internal clients to fully understand what the business wants and to establish clear creative briefs for projects, guiding them in a suitable direction
- Work with other partners to deeply understand the needs and characteristics of target customers
- Rigorously analyse business and customer needs alongside potential design options
- Build and iterate high-quality prototypes, drawing on feedback from user testing
- Create fully-documented interaction designs, including interface specifications and other interaction design deliverables
- Ensure that the dots are joined between the different design disciplines to create a unified end-product
- Define and produce information architecture, site structures and maps, user journeys, interaction flows and wireframes in line with user requirements and business goals, while considering technical constraint
- Support developers to build the final output
- Understand and implement brand values across all creative production
- Provide useful and detailed technical guidance to the designers
- Strive continuously to elevate the quality of the experiences, products and services that we design
- Work collaboratively in a team that elicits and documents functional requirements and prioritisation from business stakeholders through workshops and relevant documentation
- Conceptualise and create artwork for online projects and campaigns
- Ability to take the designs created in Photoshop and turn that into standards compliant HTML using CSS to style mark-up
- Assist the Programmers and other Graphic Designers with design support
- Apply Brand guidelines to maintain a consistent look and feel throughout all graphic and web properties
- Provide project oversight to more junior designers – directing on best practise and providing thought-leadership based on experience
- Be integral to strategic thinking as part of the Design leadership team – driving Group design language, thinking and operating model
Accountability: Project/stakeholder management (approx. 25% of time)
- Clearly explain the design approach, process and timelines to business stakeholders
- Assist in building plans for projects, outlining the key tasks, the people responsible for them and the order in which they will be completed
- With the input of the designers, create detailed project plans outlining the key tasks, the people responsible for them and the order in which they will be completed
- Monitor progress against plan, taking action to overcome issues that are faced
- Provide regular updates of progress to senior stakeholders
- Develop scenarios, navigation models and prototypes for demonstration of concepts
- Present final outputs to senior stakeholders, including executives, and respond to questions and/or challenges
- A leadership position within the newly formed Design Department – reporting directly to Head of Design
Accountability:
- Build capability of self and others within the team (approx. 20%)
- Promote technical development through one to one mentoring and through bringing people together to share best-practice
- Foster a team environment in which designers feel engaged and motivated ? Maintain awareness of ‘best-in-class’ design
- Maintain awareness of relevant social, cultural, economic and technological trends
- Plan, design and execute user testing, including stakeholder interviews, focus groups, contextual enquiry and usability testing
- Provide mentorship and guidance to junior designers, and develop any direct reports they have
Role / Person Specification
Education and Experience Required:
- NQF Level 6
- Masters or Degree in a Design discipline such as product, industrial, service, interaction, digital or visual design or equivalent qualification
- 6 years + Technical experience
- Able to create and use personas and produce illustrated customer journeys
- Ability to communicate ideas through drawing, digital tools, prototyping, model making etc.
- Two (2) years’ experience conducting audience and usability research including benchmarking, heuristic reviews, surveys, analytics, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, contextual inquiry, and usability testing.
- Two (2) years’ experience in each of the usability and software engineering cycle phases (analysis, design, implementation, and deployment)
Knowledge & Skills: (Maximum of 6)
- Renowned subject matter expert within the field of interaction/UX design
- Advanced understanding of the whole process of developing digital solutions – knowledge of and passion for Service design, Visual design, front-end development
- Awareness of new and emerging design trends and patterns
- A thorough understanding of brand as experience
- Stakeholder management skills – able to build strong relationships, communicate effectively and, when necessary, challenge constructively. This should include the ability to steer an initial project proposition to ensure the design direction is the best one for the needs of the customer and the business and to explain in detail the approach and rationale behind a design
- Problem-solving skills – able to work tirelessly and think creatively in order to find solutions to problems/issues (for example, relating to design choices, team set up, prioritization of projects
Competencies: (Maximum of 8 competencies)
- Creating & Innovating/Continuous Improvement
- Deciding & Initiating Action/Initiative
- Entrepreneurial & Commercial Awareness/Awareness of Financial Impact
- Working With People/Building Strong Teams
- Delivering Results and Meeting Customer Expectations/Customer Service and Quality Focus
- Persuading & Influencing/Influencing
- Relating & Networking/Building & Maintaining Relationships
- Formulating Strategies & Concepts/Approaching Work Strategically
Mental & Environmental Demands (RSA Specific)
Communication and Interaction required:
Staff in own area (manager, subordinates, colleagues): [60%] Staff outside own area: [30%] Internal customers (other than staff in own area): [5%] External Customers: [5%]
Desired Skills:
- UX Design
- Mobile Designing
- Wireframing
- Visual Design