User Interface Designer, 12 Month Contract

•The User Interface Designer will work in a scientific software development setting to lead the design and implementation of the user interface aspects of products in the Drug Discovery space.

•Will work to understand the needs of an application's users – mainly scientists and chemists - and translate that knowledge into the creation of tools that promote an intuitive and appealing User Interface, with special emphasis on the usability of the tool.

•As a member of the design team, will work closely with Usability Engineering, Product Management, Product Development, Marketing, and clients to translate product requirements into highly usable applications while applying cutting edge technology.

•Must be comfortable addressing complex and diverse set of UI problems, and researching and/or developing new solutions to design/technology challenges.

•Is expected to keep abreast of technological advances in the field and be able to identify new areas for use of advanced technology in the organization.

•Must be comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, with good time management skills, solid team experiences, and proven judgment in order to plan, prioritize and accomplish goals.

•Strong creative skills and effective decision-making skills are required.
REQUIREMENTS
•Minimum of 5 years of experience designing highly interactive, complex applications is required.

•Strong fluency of electronic art packages and tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and PowerPoint).

•Expert in principles and practices of user interface design, interaction design, and information architecture.

•Experience creating high level and/or detailed storyboards, and mockups to effectively communicate design ideas.

•Develop conceptual models, scenarios, flowcharts, detailed UI design requirements, and interface designs.

•Assist in the prototyping and testing of user interface designs.

•Can evaluate designs and existing systems using basic usability tests

•Create and document user interface (UI) development guidelines. Ensure that these guidelines are followed during the development and maintenance of application systems.

•Produce release quality graphics.

•Create visual designs that address business, brand, market, and user requirements, including the design and production of screen layouts, color palettes, typography, and user interface elements.

•Understand the business use of systems and the associated process flow in order to provide efficient designs for user interface systems

•Keep abreast of new UI and human factor issues and technology including best practices in the industry through continued education, development and training.

•Lead or participate in usability analysis efforts.

•Actively communicate status and issues to project managers and users.

•Lead and/or participate in educational sessions, staff meetings, and individual discussions to educate users about UI design standards and human factor issues.

•Act as a liaison between business users, developers, and testers to ensure the delivery of user interfaces that are consistent with design principals in support of efficiency and human factors issues

•Collaborate with application developers to ensure UI designs are implemented and tested correctly.

•Participate in all phases of the software development life cycle as required to ensure UI and human factors design and development is completed is a fashion consistent with established standards.

•Design user interfaces with the goal of optimizing ease of learning and ease of use as well as compatibility with existing systems.

•Perform heuristic evaluation of new and existing systems and make constructive suggestions for change.

•Ability to understand business objectives and functional specs and be able to apply those to user interface design.

•Ability to translate usability findings and other feedback mechanisms into design enhancements.

•Ability to thrive in a multi-tasking environment and react quickly to shifting priorities.

•Deadline driven with the ability to plan and work efficiently.

•Ability to apply consistency across the suite of products and maintain strong attention to detail.

•Strong scientific background in the areas of Chemistry and Drug Discovery is preferred.