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User-interface Designer/Information Architect, mySociety.org
Dec 08 04
Source: London Usability
mySociety.org - User-interface Designer/Information Architect
mySociety - http://www.mysociety.org/ - is a new project from the community which built FaxYourMP.com and TheyWorkForYou.com. It is overseen by registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy and builds web sites and services that deliver simple, tangible benefits to civil society at very low cost per person helped. It brings Britain's grassroots civic software community together with public and voluntary sectors to get useful sites built, and to teach through demonstration.
Since September 2003 a small core team has been working to clarify and codify the project's aims and to establish and structure an organization to support it. In parallel, an open public competition for project ideas was launched and this was used to pick our five launch projects.
Now, with an appropriate legal structure identified, our first projects under development, and initial funding secured, mySociety is looking to contract an interface designer/information architect to make our sites as popular and as widely accessible as possible.
Summary matrix:
Required:
- At least 2 years experience of user focussed web design and/or information architecture (non-professional context acceptable).
- PHP experience
- Personal enthusiasm for the mySociety vision
- Fanatical obsession with usability
Desirable:
- Formal design/information architecture training.
- Expert PHP skills
- Perl/python/other scripting languages
- Experience of working in Unix/FreeBSD/Linux/Solaris environments
- Experience of working in a team with other programmers, contributing to overall design of project
- Experience of working on projects in the tradition of FaxYourMP.com
- Experience of open source community
- Familiarity with the concepts of Source Control systems and tools like CVS
- Experience of PostgreSQL databases
Personal qualities:
- Good team player
- Strong communication skills
- Strong organisational skills
- Self starter able to work on own initiative
Contracting rates are £120 per day, plus travel expenses. Candidates will be expected to work from home, or office facilities provided themselves. Contracts can be flexible, including part time work.
Applicants are invited to send a CV and covering letter in confidence to Tom Steinberg