Senior Interaction Designer at Department for Work & Pensions, Manchester, 6 Months, £Contract Rate

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. As such, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Working with DWP, you will be helping us to drive our priorities to:

• Help people to move into work and support those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation.
• Help people to plan and save for later life, while providing a safety net for those who need it now.
• Provide effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of claimants who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society.
• Improve experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayer.

As a Senior Interaction Designer your main responsibilities will be to:

• Demonstrate best practice in user centred design, for digital and non-digital interactions.
• Work effectively across multidisciplinary teams, adapting quickly to change.
• Accessibility and inclusion, considering the impact of new technologies.
• Collaborate with designers in other teams, give constructive feedback on other’s work and contribute to developing design patterns.
• Use research and analytics to understand user needs and identify opportunities.
• Create prototypes using appropriate tools and methodologies, advising others on prototyping best practice.
• Lead and coordinate design work, supporting other designers where necessary.
• Actively support the design community in DWP and across government.

We’re looking for a Senior Interaction Designer who can demonstrate skills and experience in the following:

User focus 

Work with User Researchers to plan and develop research activities that help teams to better understand users.

Evidence and context based design 

Lead the design of solutions that are based on evidence and help identify any gaps in knowledge.

Prototyping 

Use a variety of prototyping tools and methodologies, advising others on prototyping best practice.

Communication

Present your work and explain ideas in a way that people understand. Actively listen to other people’s input and facilitate discussions.

Accessibility

Promote the importance of inclusive design and how to design with accessibility in mind. You need to be familiar with the WCAG 2.1 guidelines and able to design to meet AA standards.

Collaboration

Work in the open, engaging others in the design process. Offer advice on improving working practices, leading to better collaboration across teams.