Visual Designer

NC State University’s College of Education conducts research in support of our mission to be a voice of innovation for learning across the lifespan. While research topics are wide-ranging, most focus on educational innovation and 21st century teaching and learning. Faculty collaborate across campus, the nation and globally to advance education through interdisciplinary projects.

Dr. Jere Confrey (jere_confrey@ncsu.edu) is leading a team of researchers to conduct research on student mathematics learning and on the design and implementation of diagnostic apps for mathematics learning, in the context of the CCSS -M and relational learning clusters. The team includes math educators, teacher/outreach coordinators, a visual designer, software engineer, and a psychometrician. The goal is to forge a new kind of interface between the Academy and an entrepreneurial environment.

Essential Job Duties

Time Limited Position – Contingent Upon Grant Funding

The Visual Designer is primarily responsible for inventing visual ways to assist learners in moving around in a conceptual space, making choices, and seeing progress within personalized learning contexts. S/He will be defining, together with the engineer, the information architecture and web interaction, and be primarily responsible for the polished user interface of our product across multiple devices and screen sizes. An advocate for user-centered design, this individual has a unique talent for inspiring the teams with cutting edge UI patterns and innovations. The ideal candidate will have documented experience working with adolescents, thrive in a highly collaborative environment, be eager to apply Agile and Lean UX techniques while working alongside software Engineers, assessment and domain specialists, to designing innovative solutions with rich visual elements They will perform the following duties:

• Act as the creative lead for the visual elements of the product

• Conduct frequent user-research to understand user needs & requirements, and to validate design decisions

• Work with stakeholders to help refine user requirements, create wire-frames, and inform the visual design of web and mobile applications

• Create user interface implementation specs for the team (UI Specifications)

• Partner with engineers during development sprints to iterate on design

• Meet complex design challenges with interface solutions with other team members

• Work closely with back-end developers to ensure that products are being implemented to spec, and to find ways to push the limits of existing technologies

• Other duties as assigned by group leader and project supervisor(s)

• Other special projects as assigned

Other Work/Responsibilities

Other Special Projects as assigned.

Minimum Experience/Education

Associate’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related discipline and one year of experience in the information technology field related to the area of assignment; or bachelor’s degree and one year of experience in the information technology field related to the area of assignment; or bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related discipline; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Departmental Required Skills

• Previous design experience in UI solutions for mobile and/or web products

• Demonstrated previous experience of interaction and visual design

• Experience with storyboarding, user persona development, designing user/process flow diagrams, sketches, wireframes, click-through demos, or prototypes, or a combination thereof

• Proficiency with design and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Invision, OmniGraffle, Balsamiq, Photoshop, Illustrator etc. or some combination

• Basic understanding through high school mathematics of school content

• Intermediate understanding of HTML / CSS , with direct experience optimizing design concepts around these technologies

• Understanding of user research activities, such as interviews and usability testing, and their role in informing design decisions

• Previous visual and graphic design experience with an emphasis on user experience (youth and adult learners) and interactive design

Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design or Interaction Design, related field or equivalent work experience required

• Web-based portfolio demonstrating outstanding interaction and visual design

• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and experience working in a highly collaborative, agile environment

• Strong application design skills, including information architecture, interface design and visual design

• Ability to understand and interpret existing site design, mobile design, and style guides to inform your work

• Minimum 2–5 years’ design experience in UI solutions for mobile and/or web products

• Advanced proficiency with design and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite,Invision OmniGraffle, Balsamiq, Photoshop, Illustrator etc. or some combination

• Minimum of 2 years previous visual and graphic design experience with an emphasis on user experience and interactive design

• Strong technical aptitude, product common sense, and curiosity combined with a genuine love for products, people, and user experience

• Highly collaborative, ability to perform in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Required License or Certification

N/A

Special Instructions

Please attach resume, cover letter, and contact information for at least three professional references.