Lead Accessibility Designer - Diablo IV | Albany, NY or Irvine, CA

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Job Description:

The Diablo IV team is seeking a Lead Accessibility Designer to own the design, development, and direction of all accessibility features of the game. As lead, you will be accountable for ensuring that as we continue development, we continue to push the envelope of accessibility from release to release, continually moving us towards becoming a first class accessible IP! You are responsible for developing and designing out long-term release strategy for new features within the accessibility sphere.

You will partner with our UX department along with Online, Engine, and Gameplay engineering as the primary design owner for continued improvements to the game’s accessibility features, and be the design point of contact for any future hardware/platform expansions as pertains to accessible game design.

Additionally, this role is required to maintain a pioneering knowledge of the competition and what new trends are burgeoning in the accessibility space, attend appropriate conferences, and also provide internal training for the team as we believe accessibility being a core thought from the base IC level is the best way to have a truly accessible game.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Albany, NY or Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

• Develop expert knowledge of platform technologies on PC and console to make the best design choices for our players.
• Plan, prioritize, and design ongoing accessibility feature updates based on real user needs and input.
• Draft our continued roadmap of accessibility features to be developed per live release.
• Design individual accessibility features and work with engineering, art, and design, to scope and schedule work, and usher those designs through to completion.
• Support the design of hardware-specific feature implementations, such as haptic feedback, adaptive controls, touchpads, or other in tandem with the platform lead.
  

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience as an accessibility or UX designer in an interactive design field.
• 2+ years of experience in a senior accessibility design role on AAA game products or large-scale cross-platform applications.
• Deep understanding of governmental accessibility regulations as well as the current XAG guidelines.
• Expert knowledge of design patterns for a wide range of accessibility needs.
• Familiarity with the barriers that people with disabilities face in gaming.
• Understanding of the disability rights movement, social model of disability, and the barriers that people with disabilities face in gaming.
• Experience mentoring and training other designers.
• Self-motivated, collaborative, excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Coordinate with ATVI’s Inclusive Game Design Team and bridge their methods and work with the Diablo team.
  

Pluses

• Experience going through MGATS.
• Being certified through the AbleGamers accessibility course.
• Proficient in multiple design tools (e.g. XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, Framer, etc).
• Hands on experience with front-end implementation (e.g. XML, HTML5) and/or scripting.
• Passion for the Diablo franchise and/or ARPG genre.
  

You will need these things to apply

• Resume.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com . General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, we’ve been creating genre-defining games for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. We’re on a quest: bring our dreams to life and craft the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Hard work, iteration and polish go into the Blizzard “secret recipe,” but the most important ingredients come from talented people who share our vision. If that sounds like you, join us.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/ .