Job: Product Designer at Desire2Learn

Product Designer

Desire2Learn makes industry-leading web-based enterprise eLearning systems. Our products are used by hundreds of clients to deliver accredited courses for both on-campus and distance education programs. Our applications deliver material to millions of users worldwide every single day.

Product Designers are responsible for taking requirements from Product Management and refining and translating them into detailed functional specifications that support the overall product strategy. The Product Designers will work with clients, partners, as well as stakeholders from several business units to ensure functionality meets the needs of our targeted markets. Additionally, the Product Designer will assist the Product Manager with assessing cross product and operational impacts of proposed development projects.

Division/Department: Product Development
Type of Position: Full-time
Location: Kitchener, Ontario

Main Duties

• Researches market trends, competitive offerings and industry standards to ensure that designs are informed and complete
• Facilitates user-centered design process by conducting focus groups, running surveys and interacting with our user community
• Refines and details user and functional requirements as laid out by the Product Manager
• Conducts design reviews with internal and external stakeholders
• Initiates and manages communications with these parties, escalates to Product Manager when needed
• Creates and maintains detailed production-level functional specifications
• Creates detailed product designs to meet functional specifications
• Utilizes mock-up tools to prepare product prototypes
• Works with Architecture and Quality Assurance to ensure feasibility of detailed design
• Works with Usability Specialists to ensure adherence to best practices, define usability testing requirements and make appropriate design changes based on design reviews

Work Experience Recommendations

• 1-3 years of experience directly related to the duties listed above
• Superior technical writing skills
• Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Familiar with web technologies and Software Development Life Cycle
• Knowledge of web services and distributed web-based systems
• Familiar with Web 2.0, JavaScript, AJAX, XML and other leading-edge web technologies
• Proven experience managing people and projects an asset

Education Recommendations

• Bachelors degree or equivalent in a technical field with high academic achievement

This is your opportunity to make a big impact in the area of next-generation eLearning applications! Candidates that have the combination of skills and abilities as outlined are invited to submit their qualifications in confidence today.

Apply now!

Job: User Experience Designer, Harris Broadcast Communications Division

Company: Harris Broadcast Communications Division

Location: Waterloo, Ontario

Description

We are looking for a User Experience Designer who is ready to move into a junior designer/information architect role. You will be involved in many projects spanning from iOS apps for the iPad to Windows based productivity applications and web based solutions. You will drive the usability of our products, by producing the visual tools that serve as blue prints for the overall information architecture and user experience. Some of the main responsibilities are to help define user requirements, interactively design, prototype and build user interfaces. This includes the definition of software components and behaviours for immediate use in our leading edge broadcast computer graphics product line. The candidate will also be responsible for maintaining the consistency of the user’s experience across the entire product line both from a branding and interaction perspective.

Responsibilities

• Lead the effort with product managers and development staff to understand and define project requirements.

• Conduct usability studies, focus groups and user observations with customer and end users.
• Collaborate in the creation of Personas, Use Cases, and Task Flows that help teams focus on the user needs.
• Collaborate in the development of prototypes to demonstrate interactive concepts and/or facilitate usability research.
• Conceptualize and wireframe user interfaces.
• Produce killer visual design and assist with the production of user interfaces across multiple platforms.
• Work closely with other members of the project team to negotiate implementation issues and support the development effort.
• Maintain, improve and audit UI specifications and guidelines against existing products and competitor products.
• Research into design and usability best practices to maintain best of breed.
• Performs other tasks as may be required by the Company (demos, icons, broadcast graphics, etc.).

Essential Skills & Requirements

• 4+ years combined educational experience with a Degree in Graphic Design, HCI, Information Design and/or industry experience.
• Proven interactive design experience and knowledge
• Solid experience of working across a range of design projects from websites to new media.
• Excellent understanding of user centered design principles and methods.
• Must be detail-oriented, deadline driven, and able to multi-task with solid organizational, time management, and follow through.
• Able to collaborate with members of a multidisciplinary team.
• Detail oriented with the ability to learn quickly in a constantly changing environment.
• Proficient knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator.

Value Add

• Experience and understanding of XAML, Silverlight and WPF platforms (including Expression Blend, Visual Studio)
• Experience with designing user interfaces for iOS (iPad, iPhone)
• HTML5/CSS3 experience

Send your resume with a cover letter to Matt Campbell at MCAMPB07@harris.com

March Recap- 7 Minute Soapbox on User Experience

 In our March 7 Minute Soapbox event, we had uxWaterloo members share their ideas in an open format!  The only catch was that they had 7 minutes on the podium.  Our volunteers braved this challenge and shared some great insights with our group!   Notes from each session have been posted below and thank you to all of our volunteers for sharing their ideas.

 We hope to see you at tonight’s uxWaterloo event, where Tammy teWinkel shares her insights from working in usability at RIM!  For more information about tonight’s event and to register, please visit: Confessions of a qualitative girl in a quant-filled world at RIM.

Mark Connolly

 Mark shared information about the usefulness of realistic data in UI mockups.  He explained that the right time to move away from fake to realistic data in your designs all depends on the project and the audience.  Sometimes you move onto realistic data early on, to get more feedback from users in testing.  But, be aware that there is some overhead with doing realistic mockups in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. 

 Sandra Loop

 Sandra showed us how she has used PowerPoint to explain concepts.  This has been a useful technique for her, as it’s very easy to share files with team members and it is a fast way to explain a concept to a development team.  She proved that the animations that are built in with PowerPoint allow you to explore a new or unusual design problem and to work on showing possible alternatives. 

 Karen Cecile

 Karen shared a story about her parents’ adventures with technology.  She emphasized that when designing for the general market, we should always keep seniors in mind.  Seniors often have unique needs and conducting a quick interview may help you quickly understand ways to tailor a product or design to them.  

 Tom Robinson

 Tom shared his journey through his personal experiences in usability.   He explained that during school, he focused on development.  As he worked in various positions and throughout grad school, the purpose of usability became clearer and he gravitated toward a user-centered approach.  While discussing, the group agreed with Tom and thought that having usability courses available in design/development course curricula would help promote usability.

 Robert Barlow-Busch

 Bob based his talk off of Jane McGonigal’s book, “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.”  This book outlines that real life can be changed into games.  For example, Prius has a fuel monitor that shows your fuel economy.  People change their driving behaviour and become better drivers because of this game.   Other examples of games are Runkeeper, which changes running into a game, and Chore Wars, which turns chores into quests. Overall, we should consider how games motivate us and can help us become better people!

 Maryam Ashoor

 Maryam let us know that when she was visiting the Google China site, she found that she could no longer navigate back to the www.google.com site.  She also mentioned that you should test to see if your webpages are translated by search engines.  You should take cultural factors like colours and text into consideration when building a webpage that will be globally accessible.

Call for Participation in Research on Work/Life Balance and Mobile Technology

Some of you may remember Sam Ladner’s presentation to UX Waterloo back in February, in which she mentioned a research project on mobile technology. Sam’s delighted to announce that she’s starting the recruitment phase of this project. More from Sam below.

Call for Participation in Research on Work/Life Balance and Mobile Technology

Are you a smartphone user? Do you want to know more about how this device is affecting our lives? We want to talk to you!

Ryerson University is seeking to recruit smartphone users to participate in a social research study on mobile technology. Hosted at the Ted Rogers School of Management, this project asks the simple question: what happens when workplace technologies like the BlackBerry come into the household? The research team is looking to recruit people who have used a smartphone for work and personal use for the last six months, preferably in the Greater Toronto Area.

The research will be publicly available. We will be sharing white papers and conference presentations with the community at large. Those interested in mobile technology will learn more about how individuals use their phones at home, the kinds of content they typically use, and what frustrates them about current software and hardware design.

All participants will remain completely anonymous.

Participants will be visited at home by a researcher, who will conduct an interview and will spend time visiting and observing the participant’s home experience with their smartphone. All participation is strictly confidential.

Recruitment will begin in April, with field work happening throughout the spring and summer. Participants from across the country will be considered, but those in Southern Ontario are preferred. The project is being lead by Dr. Sam Ladner, postdoctoral research fellow, and co-principal investigators Dr. Catherine Middleton and Dr. Ozgur Oturetken.

Learn more at mobileworklife.ca and on Twitter @mobileworklife.

Job: Usability Specialist, Desire2Learn

Bright minds creating bright futures! Desire2Learn is a leading provider of enterprise eLearning software solutions to academic clients and other organizations around the world. We have been recognized by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program as one of the fastest growing companies in Canada for the last 4 years! This prestigious award recognizes our strength and success as we continue to grow. We have also been named one of Canada’s Top 50 Small & Medium Employers, as well as one of Waterloo Region’s Top 15 Employers for 2011. Within our unique and thriving culture, our talented team is encouraged to drive innovation and excellence in an environment that promotes collaboration, continuous improvement and effective communication; not to mention having fun while doing it! We are looking for superstars who share our commitment to improving teaching and learning world-wide. Our challenging projects, company perks and overall passion for the eLearning industry are the Desire2Learn Difference! Learn more at www.Desire2Learn.com.

General Description

The Usability Specialist will work across product teams to define and implement user experience standards and best practices. They will provide research support at all phases of the design process. To drive integration of research findings, the Usability Specialist will develop written summaries and concept designs.

The usability specialist will promote inclusive design by researching, specifying, designing and advocating for accessibility-oriented features and functionality.

Additionally, they will act as an ambassador for Desire2Learn accessibility and user experience both internally and within the larger user community.

Main Duties

• Conducts research into ergonomics and human-computer interaction (HCI)
• Ensures consistency and ease of use of the product
• Conducts design reviews
• Responsible for accessibility reviews and evangelism
• Conducts remote and in-person user research
• Facilitates user-centered design practices throughout the Product Design function
• Creates and maintains all necessary patterns and design guides

Work Experience Recommendations

• 3-5+ years experience working in a professional environment on user experience design and research
• Ability to dialogue with cross-functional teams (from product management to development)
• Experience planning and facilitating usability testing, focus groups, and customer interviews
• Knowledge of eLearning and/or Learning Management Systems is an asset
• Familiar with web technologies and Software Development Life Cycle
• An exceptional understanding of fundamental design principles and graphical design fundamentals
• A proven ability to articulate design concepts
• Superior technical writing skills
• Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills

Technical Expertise (Strongly encouraged)

• 3+ years of experience with C#, .NET and Microsoft tools and technologies
• Fluent in CSS, HTML and JavaScript with understanding of cross-browser design issues and clean work-arounds
• Experience working with Web Standards and Accessibility Standards
• Experience with enterprise web applications
• Experience with web-based security is considered an asset

Education Recommendations

Post-secondary degree in human factors or interaction design (or equivalent professional experience)

This is your opportunity to make a big impact in the area of next-generation eLearning applications! Candidates that have the combination of skills and abilities as outlined are invited to submit their qualifications in confidence today through our website at www.desire2learn.com/careers. We thank all applicants in advance for their interest. Only those applicants whose profiles closely match our requirements will be contacted directly.

(April 2011) Confessions of a qualitative girl in a quant-filled world at RIM

In recent uxWaterloo events we’ve heard from Adam Baker on how Google uses large-value sampling to drive design decisions and  heard Sam Ladner discuss the merits of qualitative vs. quantitative methods. Now, come and experience some of Tammy teWinkel’s reality at RIM in trying to deliver qualitative user experience insight to quantitative-based communities. Can qualitative data be used with quantitative data? What works; what doesn’t – for the corporation? What works, what doesn’t – for the user experience group? Ultimately, what works for the user?

Tammy is a user experience researcher, currently enjoying professional life as a User Experience Architect at RIM. Tammy has been with RIM for three years, but before that has had the opportunity to work in a number of different environments including software development companies, agencies, and, as a consultant with small interaction design firms. That experience has provided the opportunity to practice user experience across a wide variety of applications, services, and technologies providing deep insight into the practice and process of making software more usable for people.

Tuesday April 19, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo

RSVP

(March 30, 2011)- Design Meets Efficiency in Waterloo Mixer

uxWaterloo’s very own Robert Barlow-Busch is going to be speaking at next week’s  Design Meets Efficiency in Waterloo Mixer!
 
Pivot Design Group is hosting this event and it will be a great chance to discuss discuss how we as designers can really begin to think about designing more efficiently. Network among colleagues and friends in the Waterloo area and share in open discussions with industry professionals. With 5 ideas and 5 images, prominent, local speakers will discuss the idea of Efficiency in Design as it relates to design in the 2010’s.

Please check out the details for this event and we hope to see you there!
 
List of speakers & Registration: http://designmeetsefficiency.eventbrite.com/
 
When: Wednesday, March 30,  5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Where: Caesar Martini’s – 140 University Ave. W, Unit 1A, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

(March 2011) 7-Minute Soapbox on User Experience

Tuesday March 22, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo
[Map]

An evening of bite-sized ideas

This month, we’re harking back to our roots to repeat one of the very first events we held in 2007: the 7-minute soapbox. At this fast-paced event, we’re giving people a chance to share ideas about UX — for no more than seven minutes each.

If you prefer simply to take it all in, you’re welcome to participate as an audience member. But of course you’re sure to have the most fun by stepping onto the soapbox yourself!

Format

You get up to seven minutes on the soapbox to talk about anything related to user experience. At seven minutes: BZZZZZZT! You’re done. After each soapbox talk, we’ll spend a few minutes in discussion or Q&A.

Visual aids are not required, but feel free to use them if you’d like. We’ll have a laptop hooked up to a projector and speakers. If you have a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation, bring it along on a USB drive or email it to uxgroup@gmail.com in advance. The laptop will also be connected to the Internet if you’d like to demonstrate something online. Available browsers include Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.

Topics

Anything goes, as long as it’s related to user experience. Obvious choices might include design (product, Web, interaction, industrial), usability, and information architecture, but please don’t feel limited by those examples. Our field draws from so many disciplines that we couldn’t possibly list them all.

Want some ideas? Here’s a short list to get you thinking:

• Question something you’ve read recently.
• Make observations about current trends.
• Predict the future.
• Share a design problem you’re facing.
• Rant about a device you don’t like.
• Effuse about your favorite product.
• Show some results from a usability test.
• Relate an experience from work.
• Ask the crowd for advice on improving something.
• Perform an interpretive dance on applying game mechanics to enterprise software. (Someone please do this, it’d be a real crowd pleaser.)

No sales pitches, please!

Besides the 7-minute time limit, that’s our only other rule. Please do not sell anything. The goal of this event is to share ideas.

You’re welcome to demonstrate something you’ve worked on. In fact, we love hearing from each other in this way. But please do so in the spirit of teaching or sharing ideas: use your work to illustrate a more general theme or issue about UX.

RSVP and grab a soapbox timeslot

March Recap – Creative Thinking Hacks with Scott Berkun

Our latest event was an exciting success, bringing uxWaterloo attendees face-to-face with Scott Berkun for an unstructured and exciting lunch-hour dialogue on the theme of Creative Thinking Hacks. Scott is the author of two bestselling books, Making Things Happen (formerly titled The Art of Project Management) and The Myths of Innovation. The inspiring setting of Quarry Integrated Communications provided a backdrop for this event.

The format of the event was similar to Scott’s previous talk at uxWaterloo on The Myths of Innovation, where all of the content was based on questions from the audience.

Scott started the event off by giving a brief talk on who he was and what his opinions were on creative thinking, before opening the floor to questions from the audience. He gave advice and told stories about how creativity and ideas happen, and drew from his own experiences to entertain and teach.

Below is a selection of the many insights that Scott shared with the group.

Thanks to Scott, Communitech, and Quarry for making this event possible!

———–

Collecting, Developing, and Sharing Ideas

We all have ideas, but the difference lies in what we do with the ideas we have. As Scott described, epiphany is a consequence of thinking creatively. Maintaining creative habits makes those insights more likely and subsequently increases the likelihood of something being done with them.

Scott suggests that everyone carry around a notebook and write down their ideas when they occur. Later, you can look at those ideas and explore them further to help you understand which ones are actually good ideas.

You can also more easily develop your ideas by cultivating a group of individuals who act as good sounding boards for your ideas. They’ll be frank with you about your work, and will help you realize what questions need to be answered to fully flush out your ideas.

Creativity and Education

One of the discussions Scott led was about the focus on “right” and “wrong answers” in education.

If he could change the education system, Scott would put more control back in the hands of teachers so that experiences can be tailored to specific students and classrooms. For example, standardized curriculum levels the playing field but it averages out the high points and removes teachers’ power to do what they actually do best.

Scott also noted that education shouldn’t always be a means to a second goal (such as getting a job or getting a certain grade). We should focus on education and learning for their own intrinsic value and find places for there to be no “right” answer.

The Impact of Social Media on Innovation and Creativity

Asked what he thought the impact of social media (such as Twitter) was on creativity or innovation, Scott listed off significant inventions that somehow were invented without the internet or Twitter. We shouldn’t overemphasize the role of technology in innovation – it’s not essential, and sometimes keeps us from actually sitting down and being creative.

February Recap- Designers designing research: What methods do you choose?

Last week, Sam Ladner, PhD, brought to our attention that even designers have unspoken theories about social life.  These assumptions can impact how we think about the world, so we should become aware of our assumptions before starting any design research. 

What assumptions do I have?

Do you find yourself thinking “how many people did we talk to in our usability tests,” “how many hits did our site get,” or “how can I add statistics to my reports?”  This means that you have an implicit assumption that social phenomena can be counted and this leads you to focus on gathering quantitative information for your design research. 

Maybe this doesn’t sound like you, and you think that counting and numbers are just not enough!  You realize that people have different experiences, therefore you include more qualitative information into your design research.  You want to see the world through the eyes of your respondents and aspire to have your participants’ voices heard.

Which design research method is best?

Knowing your implicit assumptions will help you understand whether you will gravitate towards qualitative or quantitative research methods.  The best method is usually a mix of both qualitative and quantitative.  However, you should also ensure that your design research method coincides with the type of project you’re on, your strengths, and your clients.  You may find that you are in a situation where your clients have assumptions that everything can be counted, so you may need to be prepared to include some numerical data in your research. 

Check out the Mobile Work Life Project!

Sam and her team are working on a sociological research study of work/life balance and mobile phones.  Please let her know if you’d like to be a participant and follow the project on Twitter at @mobileworklife.  Thank you, Sam, for taking the time to share your ideas with us!

Hope to see you at our March Events!

uxWaterloo has these two events lined up for March, and we hope to see you there!

• March 2, 2011- Lunch Event- Creative Thinking Hacks with Scott Berkun
• March 22, 2011- Seven Minute Soapbox on User Experience