Acquity Group has a proven track record of developing tailored solutions that leverage our breadth of expertise and deep understanding within strategy, design and technology to help companies enable their digital channel. Acquity Group possesses not only the knowledge to conceptualize and build our clients brand, but the experience needed to elevate their business.
Headquartered in Chicago, IL we have offices in Irvine & Los Angeles, CA; Overland Park, KS; Scottsdale, AZ and Dallas, TX serving many leading brands including United Airlines, General Motors, Kohl's, Motorola, Shimano and American Express.
We are looking for a highly effective User Experience Architect who is able to bring an in depth understanding of user centered design theory and practice to our ever growing UX practice. This individual must be able to understand a target audience's needs and other motivating factors and translate them into concepts for compelling interactions and experiences. Able to thrive in both the big picture and fine-detail worlds, the UX Specialist will act as the user experience lead and must be able to convincingly articulate ideas, be open to change, and be prepared to iterate deliverables throughout aggressive timelines.
All candidates will be asked to provide a portfolio of past UX deliverables such as page schematics, site maps, user personas, page flow diagrams, usability test scripts and competitive audits.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
* Participate in client discover sessions and assist in defining business requirements, discover user personas/archetype and interpret user goals/priorities
* Serve as an expert consultant during the detailed design phase by reviewing interaction design, copy and visual design for usability best practices
* Conduct both formal or guerilla user research
* Plan, facilitate and manage usability evaluations through usability labs, paper and live questionnaires, live interviews, surveys and benchmark testing
* Conduct audits of existing systems and web sites, based on clarity and usability best practices, and prepare reports of findings and improvement recommendations
* Develop detailed site maps that will define the page hierarchy, navigation schema, taxonomy and nomenclature
* Architect complex content and information systems into usage scenarios and use cases, wireframes, content outlines, mocksups/storyboards, interaction notes as well as paper and interactive prototypes
* Develop content and workflow maps indicating process and systems implications, navigation and content relationships
* Provide heuristic evaluations and reviews of early visual mockups and/or prototype designs
* Assist in the development of standards, methodologies and repeatable processes for delivery of UX services
* Assist in structuring engagements and preparing cost estimates
* Partner with Art Directors, Search Specialists, Technical Leads, Copywriters and other Interactive Marketing team members on strategies for clients
* Mentor less experienced team members
Qualifications
* Minimum five years experience working at an advertising or design agency leading the creative execution of large scale web and software application user-interface design projects including ecommerce, content portals, kiosks, intranet/extranets, e-mail marketing, online advertising and web-based application design
* Process-oriented with ability to work with different UI materials and rapid prototyping
* Thorough understanding of best practices in web design, user interface/usability/information architecture and general web analytics
* Strong knowledge of fundamental digital marketing and search engine optimization best practices as it relates to UX design
* Solid understanding of the latest Internet trends, business models and technologies
* Strong analytical, communications and organizational skills with an ability to thrive in a fast-paced production deadline-driven environment
* Experienced in leading formal and informal presentations
* Proficient in most MSOffice applications as well as both Windows and Mac operating systems
* Mastery of Visio and contributing web technologies
Education and/or Experience
* Bachelor’s (Master’s a plus) of Arts degree in Marketing/Advertising/Interactive Design/Graphic Design or equivalent experience
Certifications, Licenses and Additional Requirements
Desired knowledge or expertise (one or more of the following areas):
* HFI Certification a plus
* Graphical Interface Design
* Motion Graphic Design
* SEO – Search Engine Optimization
* Digital Marketing
* Web Analytics
* HTML and CSS skill a plus
* Flash
* ActionScript
Travel
25% more or less depending on project; candidate should be comfortable with travel and overtime as client commitment requires.