UX Designer

UX Designer

Job Summary: Talent Software Services is in search of a UX Designer for a contract position in Minneapolis, MN. The opportunity will be six months with a strong chance for a long-term extension.

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Lead user research activities, including interviews and usability testing, to gather insights and inform design direction for an IT team.
• Design intuitive and accessible interfaces and workflows across digital platforms, ensuring consistency with design standards and project requirements.
• Develop wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes to communicate design concepts and interaction flows effectively.
• Collaborate closely with product owners, developers, and other stakeholders using Agile methodologies to iteratively refine designs and incorporate feedback.
• Ensure all deliverables comply with brand standards, accessibility guidelines, and universal design principles to provide an inclusive user experience.
• Present design concepts clearly to stakeholders and supply comprehensive documentation for smooth project handoffs and implementation/continuous improvement by development teams.
• Conduct 8–10 user interviews and 2–3 usability testing sessions per 2-week sprint to identify pain points and validate design assumptions.
• Design 20+ key interface screens and workflows for a core application module, adhering to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.
• Produce low-fidelity wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes (Mac laptop familiarity needed) for stakeholder review within 2-week iterations.
• Participate in daily stand-ups and sprint reviews with product owners and developers to incorporate feedback and refine design artifacts.
• Audit and update existing screens for brand consistency and inclusive design principles, providing rationale documentation.
• Present bi-weekly design reviews to 10+ stakeholders and hand off finalized prototypes with annotated specs for development implementation
• Knowledge transfer
• User Research Reports: Comprehensive summaries of findings from interviews, surveys, and usability testing sessions (delivered bi-weekly or per sprint).
• Wireframes and Mockups: Low- and high-fidelity designs for key interfaces and workflows (delivered iteratively within 2-week sprints).
• Interactive Prototypes: Clickable prototypes built in standard tools, including interaction flows and annotations (delivered at sprint end).
• Design Documentation: Style guides, component libraries, and handoff specs ensuring accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) and brand compliance (delivered per project milestone).
• Stakeholder Presentation Materials: Slide decks and demo sessions for design reviews (bi-weekly).
• Weekly Status Reports: Progress updates on tasks, risks, and next steps (submitted every 2 weeks).

Qualifications:

• Five (5) years' experience in User Experience (UX) designs of web-based applications
• Four (4) years' experience designing compliant webpages per accessibility standards WCAG 2.1 Level AA or higher
• Five (5) years' experience creating wireframes, protypes, and mockups
• Three (3) years' experience in information architecture and design
• Two (2) years' experience in user experience design in an agile development environment

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in UX Design, Human–Computer Interaction, or Graphic Design
• Demonstrated experience applying accessibility and inclusive design best practices
• User research and persona development experience
• Usability testing and analysis experience
• Data analysis and use of metrics experience
• Responsive and adaptive design experience
• Visual and UI design experience
• Design principles and aesthetics experience
• Universal design principles experience
• Demonstrated experience managing projects, including demonstration of time management and organization skills
• Experience with mobile app UI/UX for ticketing or payment systems
• Familiarity with transit fare structures, ticket vending machines, and validation devices
• Basic understanding of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Blazor) to facilitate development collaboration
• Exposure to data-driven design using analytics related to transit user behavior
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new technology & tools
• Empathy for users and user-centric thinking
• Critical thinking and creative problem solving
• UX certifications or training in accessibility standards and Agile methodologies
• Experience working in Figma