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User Experience Lead, Belkin
Dec 01 04
Source: ID Discuss
Job opening: Hollywood, CA USA
Interaction Design / User Experience Lead Design the Total Experience. Get in on the ground floor.
At Belkin we think about the entire consumer experience. As the leader of our new team, you could be doing strategy and design work for web apps, in-store signage, packaging, manuals, product graphics, and product software. If you have a holistic vision for the user's experience, this job is for you.
Belkin Corporation is a leading manufacturer of high technology products for consumers and business. Our very broad product lines include our popular iPod accessories, industry leading Pre-N wireless networking gear, wireless TV, KVM, and Bluetooth accessories. Belkin products are globally recognized in the marketplace for their high quality, excellent performance, and good value to the customer. Headquartered in Los Angeles California, the company has twice made Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S. Check us out at
* In this role you will be a visionary, a designer, and a manager
* You will become the evangelist for usability throughout the company
* Your charter will be setting out and delivering on the strategy and tactics to take Belkin's user experience to the next level
* In addition to supervising the work of others, you will also have your own very interesting design projects
Responsibilities
* Build the user experience team and expand its reach in the company
* Evolve from the current state -- pilot projects in one business unit-- to regular projects in all business units
* Improve and standardize the user-centered design methodology
* Recognize improvement opportunities and initiate projects to pursue them
* Create project deliverables, such as personas, flowcharts, wireframes, and detailed designs
* Interact with Belkin's product development and marketing teams
* Manage your own projects, as well as overseeing others
* Recruit, hire, and mentor staff
* Oversee user research and design validation studies
* Supervise outside vendors
Qualifications
* Minimum 7 years experience in user centered design (10 years experience preferred)
* Preferred: Masters degree in interaction design. Acceptable: Bachelor's degree in interaction design, human-computer interaction, industrial design, graphic design, human factors, or related field
* Experience and expertise in user centered design processes and techniques.
* Years of experience in product creation and/or software/site development processes
* Intuitive understanding and empathy for everyday users: their motivators, their goals, their barriers
* Ability to turn complex design challenges into innovative elegant solutions, and to put those solutions into tangible form.
* Proven track record of user centered design projects and deliverables (portfolio required).
* Years of experience working with other related disciplines such as usability engineering and prototyping/coding.
* Experience leading design efforts involving multiple people, and interfacing with multiple departments
* Ability to explain usability and user experience to other departments-- in their language.
* Experience participating in or running lab and/or field based research methods
* A good understanding of graphic design and an ability to use visual design techniques to organize information and improve usability
* Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills
* Ability to work collaboratively or independently
* Ability to prioritize projects and to meet critical deadlines
* Ability to run presentation meetings, design reviews, and creative workshops
Qualifications- not required, but desired
* Experience building interaction design, user experience, or usability teams
* Experience managing designers and other usability professionals
* Experience evangelizing to clients or colleagues.
* Proven track record of working with people on all levels in a company-- executive suite to the warehouse
* Experience building usability labs
Basic job information
* Position is located in the fun and creative Industrial Design Group studio in Hollywood California.
* Position reports to Belkin's Design Director, and has a great deal of autonomy
* Job collaborates with upper management, Marketing, Branding, Industrial Design, Research & Development, E-Commerce, and Customer Support.
* Travel to the HQ (20 miles away) is usually needed 2-4 times a month. Other travel is only occasional.
Benefits
* 401(k) with vested matching and profit sharing allocation
* Health insurance: Blue Cross PPO or HMO
* Vision care: Vision Service Plan (VSP)
* Dental insurance: Delta Dental
* Life Insurance: Blue Cross
* Voluntary supplemental plans available trough Allstate
* Education Reimbursement
* Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
* For more information about Belkin, go to
To Apply
* Go to
Belkin Corporation is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer