Unlike UX designers, who are responsible for all user-facing aspects of a software product or system, interaction designers generally only look after the interaction between users and computers, frequently known as “human-computer interaction.” Writing a job description and a job ad for an interaction designer requires understanding of these differences.
IxDs are often mistakenly called user experience designers, user interface designers, or even simply graphic designers or illustrators. This confusion arises because the field of interaction design is relatively new.
Unlike UX designers, who are responsible for all user-facing aspects of a software product or system, interaction designers generally only look after the interaction between users and computers, frequently known as “human-computer interaction.”
Writing a job description and a job ad for an interaction designer requires understanding of these differences, resulting in a clear set of skills and responsibilities required from the application. There can be no ambiguity and the descriptions must list IxD-specific skills rather than UX, UI or visual skills.
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Job Description
As our internal Interaction Designer (IxD) you will be filling the role of a behavioral scientist in a design environment. Your primary mission will be to understand our business needs and product requirements and transform that understanding into user-focused and intuitive products, interfaces, platforms for mobile and web.
Responsibilities
Since you will be working closely with our product managers, marketers, designers, strategists, analysts and other key stakeholders, you must be a team player. Your tasks will include the creation of experience maps, user scenarios, mockups and flows.
Other tasks will include:
Validating ideas and designs using split A/B tests and product performance.
Collaborating and communicating professionally with clients and internal teams.
Designing user-experiences from low-fidelity sketches to hi-fidelity pixel perfect mockups.
Measuring recently released product features to establish benchmarks and to identify potential areas of improvement.
Staying abreast of UX trends and looking for creative ideas and inspiration in parallel analogous worlds.
Developing interactive reporting dashboards and different types of visualizations.
Creating rapid prototypes to validate design concepts with stakeholders and customers.
Highly detailed communication of design principles + direction, as well as design specifications to engineers
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Requirements
A minimum of five years of UX or interaction design experience; experience with responsive Webdesign and frameworks that incorporate strong grid principles, such as Bootstrap.
Proven well-designed examples of responsive grid-based layouts. Strong work portfolio that demonstrates systematic and creative design thinking as well as a deep understanding of UI/UX best practices.
Strong ability to recognize and predict use cases and user interaction, including happy path as well as edge and corner cases, and incorporate them into designs.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills (the ability to effectively sell an idea).
Deep understanding of information design / architecture, gestalt principles, and user psychology.
Ability to manage time wisely across projects and competing priorities, meet agreed upon deadlines, and be accountable for work.
Proficiency in graphic design, motion graphics, digital art, a sensitivity to typography, color, layout, and a general awareness of materials/textures.
Experience in working with a cross-functional team or large-scale software development lifecycle, including waterfall and agile methodologies.
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With the advent of mobile and web apps, demand for Interaction Design (IxD) services has skyrocketed, causing a number of issues for designers and clients alike. IxD specialists are often mistaken for UX designers, interface-designers, or even visual designers. However, IxD deals with human-computer interaction rather than user experience or visual design.
Toptal is a marketplace for top interactive designers. Top companies and start-ups choose Toptal interactive design freelancers for their mission critical design projects.
Henrique has been working as a UX designer since 2011, and he’s spent the past years designing apps and mobile sites for major Brazilian eCommerce brands. He communicates exceptionally well and loves to collaborate with teams across the globe. With a solid academic foundation in graphic design and information architecture, Henrique offers his clients a complete UX design skillset from product design concepts to final specifications.
United StatesToptal Member Since September 25, 2018
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Christian is an experienced product designer specializing in enterprise and SaaS platforms. Over the past 15 years, he's designed products that have collectively raised over $100 million in funding. He works from ideation to launch and believes in simple design, working closely with engineers, and testing products often. Christian's previous clients include British Gas, KPMG, DFS, McLaren, HSBC, and Google.
United StatesToptal Member Since November 16, 2015
Katrina is an innovative user experience and interaction designer with more than a decade of experience in product design for the web, desktop, mobile, and embedded applications. She creatively translates complex problems into elegant, usable solutions that exceed expectations and across devices. She approaches product design with a broad experience, a big picture focus, and a passionate user advocacy.
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Quan has designed digital experiences for more than 11 years, including working with the international eCommerce platform Luxury Escapes and the high-growth Australian fintech startup Simply Wall St. Quan focuses on understanding his clients' business and their challenges through effective communication. He delivers well-crafted, scalable and considered design solutions which are also thought out for development.
Matthew is a 30-times, award-winning, lead-product UX/UI designer, advisor, and creative director with more than twelve years of hands-on experience. He's worked with leading Fortune 500 brands and startups, including Disney, Samsung, Sony, Adidas, BMW, Lufthansa, to bring impact via innovation. Matthew's mission is to deliver the most efficient, engaging, innovative, and high-quality experience with an emphasis on user experience.
Kasey is an adventurer, storyteller, and design entrepreneur, helping shape how people experience the digital world around them. He's intuitive eye for core experience and passion for design result in truly engaging interactions. As a successful UX and Interaction Designer, clients and teams have come to rely on Kasey to deliver highly impactful, end-to-end digital solutions across web, mobile, and software.
Ricardo has 11 years experience as a UX designer, with four as head of UX. He has worked from brief to delivery, specializing in user research, creative strategy, and experience design. As a past developer, he understands UX for the technology space. Ricardo is the winner of the Fast Company Innovation By Design award. He is the founder of getdoin', an Airbnb for workshops, and has worked with giants such as Google, Apple, and Disney.
Jorge Juan has more than a decade of experience designing successful products used by millions of users worldwide. He designs throughout the whole product lifecycle, from concept and MVP definition to prototypes and high-fidelity visuals. A creative, detail-oriented, and strategic thinker, he loves to work in fast-moving teams and create products that deliver great value to users while incorporating technical capabilities and business goals.
Ran brings an artist's eye and an engineer's mind to approach design in a systematic yet creative way. She holds a Master of Science degree in computer science, human-computer interaction, and data visualization. In the past five years, Ran has specialized in solving complex enterprise SaaS problems by creating elegant and simple UX solutions. Ran follows an iterative, user-centered, and data-informed design process.
