Substrate Experiences is looking for an influential Interaction Designer who doesn’t shy away from being a pioneer. As an Interaction Designer in the team, you design the systems that power human productivity at the planet-scale. This role is a unique opportunity to unleash your talents and work in a new space with some of the best and brightest designers, researchers, engineers, and program managers anywhere.
We believe that human-centered design does not stop at the margins of a user’s screen. To create engaging experiences that impact today’s complex world, we need to apply design thinking at every step of the process. The Substrate Experiences team brings design thinking to a deeply technical audience at Microsoft while also staying connected to a broader design community. Without you, the work of thousands of people within Microsoft and millions of people who use our products won’t be able to live up to their full potential.
You work well with technology and business counterparts to deliver on thoughtful, integrated design solutions. Most importantly, you will need to have conviction in your approach and provide holistic experiences that are both emotionally and functionally irresistible.
The ideal candidate is a no-ego, inclusive design leader who is passionate about working across a complex design landscape, is human-centered, tenacious, and able to bring clarity through design that moves people and technology. In this role, you will drive cross-discipline collaboration with Program Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, Design, and Research to create world-class experiences that inspire. You are outcome-focused, utilizing storytelling, craftsmanship, and partnership along with your insight to develop creative and pragmatic solutions. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to execute high-quality design work within time and technical constraints, amid competing priorities and multiple stakeholders. As a Senior Designer, you advocate for the value of design excellence across all disciplines at Microsoft and are committed to building a vibrant and diverse design community.
You must be an excellent experiential systems thinker and set the stage with strong framing, architecture, interaction, and visual skills. You have a proven track record of building compelling design systems from start to finish through prototypes, mock-ups, task analysis, user flows, wireframes, style guides, navigational structures, and affinity diagrams. You contribute to a collaborative design process by delivering rapid prototypes, user stories, concept sketches, experience storyboards, information architecture, interaction design, and design research.
Finally, you have best in class storytelling capabilities by taking complex ideas and simplifying them into easy-to-understand stories and concepts to help others understand customer needs and motivations. You are excellent at expressing ideas and concepts through multiple mediums - print, web, slides, video, prototypes, and atmospheric environments.
If you love pioneering and tackling interesting design problems, we are looking for you!
5-7 years of hands-on interaction design experience for software OS or large-scale service, including experience with information architecture, interaction design user research, and usability testing.
A minimum of a BA/BS degree in Interface Design, Interaction Design, Communication Design, Architecture, or equivalent experience.
Expertise in creating a variety of interaction design documents including storyboarding, wireframing, creating design specifications and guidelines, user scenarios, task flows, conceptual models, competitor analysis, heuristic analysis, and annotated wireframes.
Work samples emphasizing design contributions and outcomes (portfolio review is required)
Proficiency in creating high-craft presentations and communication with executive audiences.
Excellent communication, presentation, and organizational skills
Possess the ability to think conceptually about design and information architecture.
Understand the array of technical constraints, user goals and business requirements that shape current and future products.
Ability to quickly produce elegant and easily understood diagrams, wireframes, and other artifacts.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Microsoft 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. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
