As Senior UX Designer for State of Decay 2, you will work across multiple teams to design features that appeal to both new and existing players. You will work closely with the Design Director, Game Designers, Product Owners, and Producers to ensure we continue to deliver high-quality player experiences in our content releases and gameplay updates.
As a senior member of the product team, you will have the opportunity to help guide the future vision of the game and the franchise. You will help set player-focused goals and metrics for all future updates to our game, as well as research and advocate for accessibility and human-factors usability. Your expertise and focus on player experience will help our State of Decay 2 team continue to deliver a game which satisfies a large and growing audience of millions of players. You will be designing new features to support that growth, as well as improving the existing game to maximize the players’ understanding and enjoyment of our complex simulation experience.
At Undead Labs, we work in highly collaborative, cross-discipline teams because we understand that the best ideas are ones we generate together. We are creators of the hit survival-fantasy franchise State of Decay, played by millions, and we operate independently as part of a network of first-party Microsoft studios. We have a rich history of entrepreneurship and empowerment that will carry us forward as we reach new levels of quality, ambition, and polish.
Core Responsibilities & Objectives:
- Participate in feature planning meetings and discussions
- Work closely with Product Leads to help identify and prioritize future work on State of Decay 2
- Work with our Analytics and User Research team to set goals and evaluate player behavior metrics
- Gather, evaluate, and identify player requirements via feedback from surveys, user interviews, etc.
- Design usability and accessibility improvements for the game
- Collaborate with a Senior UI Designer to ensure that all in-game information is presented clearly
- Create lo-fi prototypes for usability testing and user research studies
- Quickly produce elegant and easy-to-understand diagrams, wireframes, and other artifacts
- Create and deliver high-craft presentations and communication with stakeholders
Core Traits (Skills, Knowledge, Experience)
- Knowledgeable about user behavior and making heuristic evaluations
- Able to analyze and interpret player feedback (both qualitative and quantitative)
- Passionate about designing for accessibility / human-centered design
- Proficient with a rapid prototyping tool such as Sketch, Figma, or Adobe Xd
- Excellent layout and visual hierarchy skills
- Thoughtful consideration for all in-game touchpoints (audio, motion, in-world vs UI screens, etc.)
- Disciplined at writing and sharing documentation including standards and best-practices
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to collaborate with non-designers
- Ideally has 4-8 years of experience
Bonus Traits and Experience
- Background or experience with human cognitive development and response as studied in fields such as psychology, education, library or information science
- Hi-fi prototyping skills (CSS, HTML, Adobe Animate, etc.)
- Experience researching and developing user personas
Physical Requirements
- Close vision to monitors and screens, consistently working on computer equipment such as keyboards and monitors, long periods of sitting
- Noise levels are low to moderate in the work environment
Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This position reports to the Senior Design Manager.
Undead Labs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.
We look forward to hearing from you!