Lead UX Designer

What’s in it for you

• Help the current and next generation of music-makers and educators, work with inspirational users, and solve real-world problems.

• Lead and build the UX processes and planning for the organisation, taking ownership of a key area of a fast growing business.

• Work with complex problems, designing effective tools that bring together the needs of all our different user groups.

• Work on strategically important projects.

• Be part of a supportive team with an innovative design culture.

The role as Lead UX Designer

At nkoda we are developing new tools to improve the experience of our individual users, our institutional partners, and publishers. We have undergone a major rebranding which will launch in the next couple of months. As part of this, we are launching new projects across many different platforms - the Lead UX Designer will be responsible for bringing an exceptional level of consistent experience across all these different projects.

You will be a key member of a product and development team of 14, undertaking the research and design work to help us achieve our users’ goals.

In a typical week, you will participate in agile ceremonies with your team, plan or carry out discovery work on new concepts, create and deliver final wireframe designs for production, and coach the junior members of the design team.

What you’ll be doing as Lead UX Designer

• Lead design on all the key products areas, working closely with the CTO and CEO to drive product strategy, plans and execute designs, and prioritise design work.

• Run workshops, ideate and prototype quickly, produce detailed design deliverables, and work alongside product managers, developers and QAs to ship the designs into production.

• Ensure that the product you design meets user needs, is aligned with wider product and business goals, and is in line with our front-end and back-end technologies.

• Champion users throughout the design process. Develop a deep understanding of user needs through interviews and other research methods.

• Share insights with your team. Build empathy for users across the organisation.

• Create concept designs for new products and projects - taking them from discovery to implementation.

• Lead the work to make all the new and separate projects nkoda is launching more consistent and coherent.

• Proactively improve how the nkoda team works by exploring new tools and design processes and sharing them with the other members of the product and technology teams.

• Assist with the recruitment and on-boarding of new designers as needed.

What we’re looking for as a Lead UX Designer

Required:

• Minimum of five years’ design experience and a broad design skill set, with strong skills in user experience and excellent user interface design understanding.

• A strong portfolio demonstrating experience running and creating UX for shipped products and services (including mobile apps) that meet user needs, product requirements, and business goals.

• Hands-on experience planning, conducting, and analysing user research and usability testing.

• Experience of working on design systems or developing a common design language to unify the user experience across products.

• Great attention to detail - you can produce high-fidelity designs and prototypes using tools such as Figma, Sketch, and Invision.

• You know how design fits into an Agile environment and can work closely with product managers, developers, and QAs.

• You are an excellent communicator who can present and explain the rationale behind designs to a wide range of stakeholders.

• You are motivated, proactive, flexible, pragmatic, and good at time management and prioritisation. You want to make things better and find solutions to problems. You understand how to produce real-world designs given time and technical constraints.

Desirable:

• An understanding and knowledge of classical music and/or ability to read sheet music.

• Line management experience

• Experience working in-house in a startup organisation.

Culture

We put our musicians and the work first, our egos second.

We aim to improve the business, the projects we are working on, and ourselves by 1% every day. We are consistent, and we look for solutions before giving up. We ask for help when we need it.

We have honest, respectful, difficult conversations with our colleagues, and with ourselves, to make sure we are always accountable. We hold the highest standard in our work. We support each other, and offer solutions not obstructions. If anyone in the team has a problem, it is all our responsibility. We succeed together and we fail together.

We expect things to be hard; that's why we're here.

Place of Work

nkoda is based in London, UK. Due to COVID-19, we expect this role to be undertaken remotely until the team returns to our office. There will be flexibility on remote/in office work split.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK, unfortunately we are unable to sponsor visas at this time.

Please send your CV and cover letter to recruitment@nkoda.com

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We look forward to receiving your application!

Due to the high volume of applications being received, if you have not received a response within 10 working days, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.