Senior Interaction Designer - HO - G7
Government Digital & Data -
Data Services and Analytics is a critical service delivery unit comprised of a number of services and programmes.
The main aim of DSA is to deliver a robust Data Analytics capability to drive an intelligence-led evidence-based organisation, in order to help make our communities safer and improve the public's customer experience of interacting with the Home Office.
We are looking for a Senior Interaction designer to work in a multidisciplinary team, alongside researchers and developers etc, to deliver user-centred public services, designing accessible public services that are simple enough for everyone to use.
Job description
We’re looking for people who are passionate about designing accessible services that are simple enough for everyone to use.
You will work in a multidisciplinary team, alongside researchers and developers, to deliver word-class, user-centred services for the public and civil servants. Your role will be to design accessible services that are simple enough for everyone to use.
As a Senior Interaction Designer, you’ll determine the best way for users to interact with services, the overall flow and individual design elements. You will mentor and train other designers, supporting the growth and development of the interaction design team.
You will have an understanding of the way the internet works, experience of designing in an agile environment and be driven to help government transform the way it delivers services so that they are simpler, faster and easier to use.
What you will do
Your main day to day responsibilities will be:
- identifying, developing and using best practice and standards to design services consistent with the rest of government and the Home Office
- line managing, supporting and mentoring Interaction Designers, allocating tasks and providing them with guidance, training and constructive feedback
- advocating for users and understanding user needs to design simple, effective and accessible services
- creating prototypes and concepts to communicate and test ideas with users and improving with evidence
- mapping user journeys, processes and visualising design problems
- collaborating within a multidisciplinary team on large, complex services by facilitating the design process, participating in research activities, workshops and communicating design decisions to the team and stakeholders
Person specification
UK residency and security requirements - You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years.
Essential criteria
As a Senior Interaction Designer, you will have experience of:
- coaching and mentoring other Interaction Designers, growing skills, and providing constructive feedback on work
- talking about, and advocating for user-centred design to various audiences and stakeholders, in a way that other people understand
- understanding how the internet works and the technology constraints that may need to be considered in design
- using your extensive knowledge of visual and interaction design to create usable, accessible and responsive user interfaces
- running workshops, leading discussions and facilitating the design of the service through collaboration with other professions
- understanding user needs, participating in research activities and interpreting user research to inform design
- sketching, concept creation and designing prototypes at different levels of fidelity
Technical skills
The skills listed below are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework (based on the industry standard SFIA framework).
We will use these skills to form our interview questions, and we will assess you against these as well as evidence against the Essential criteria in the selection process.
Use the levels of responsibility to understand what level of responsibility would be expected for each technical skill listed.
- Evidence-based design – Advising on or creating usable and responsive user interfaces through applying visual and interaction design methods and standards – Level 4
- Prototyping and concept creation – Advising on or creating product, service or policy concepts and prototypes using sketching, design software, physical mock-ups or code – Level 4
- Interaction design – Advising on or creating usable and responsive user interfaces through applying visual and interaction design methods and standards - Level 4
- Accessibility and inclusion – Designing or researching with accessibility and inclusion in mind by applying accessibility standards, having an understanding of inclusion, disabilities and barriers and the tools and techniques to address them – Level 3
- Communicate, persuade and advocate – Presenting, discussing and advocating for user-centred design with confidence to various audiences and stakeholders in a persuasive and impactful way both verbally and in presentations – Level 4
- Managing people and leading – Mentoring, line managing, motivating or supporting an individual/team/community through coaching, feedback or performance management. At more senior levels this also would involve building teams and setting a vision and strategy – Level 3
Please also refer to the attached Home Office UCD Skills Library pack, which includes detailed descriptors of the listed skills at each level of capability to assist with your application.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Evidence-based design – Level 4
- Prototyping and concept creation – Level 4
- Interaction design –- Level 4
- Accessibility and inclusion – Level 3
- Communicate, persuade and advocate – Level 4
- Managing people and leading – Level 3
