thelab
UX Designer
Mid-Senior Level | Full-Time | Hybrid
We're looking for a strategic UX Designer who transforms business problems into elegant, user-centered solutions. You'll lead discovery and research, architect information flows, and create the structural foundation that our visual designers bring to life.
This role is essential to our design process-you'll work directly with clients to uncover user needs, collaborate with our Design Directors, Content, and visual designers to shape experiences, and ensure every project is grounded in solid strategy and user insights.
You'll have the autonomy to lead research and discovery, the support of a collaborative team, and the time to think through your work.
What You'll Do:
Research & Strategy (40%)
- Lead user research initiatives: interviews, surveys, usability testing, competitive analysis
- Synthesize research findings into actionable insights and recommendations
- Develop user personas, journey maps, and behavioral models
- Conduct stakeholder interviews to understand business goals and constraints
- Identify user needs and pain points that inform design strategy
- Present research findings and strategic recommendations to clients
- Create site maps, user flows, and information architecture documentation
- Design low and mid-fidelity wireframes that solve user and business problems
- Develop interactive prototypes for testing and stakeholder validation
- Map content strategy and navigation systems
- Define interaction patterns and functional requirements
- Collaborate with Content and Design Directors on IA and content planning
- Partner with Visual/UI designers to transition from wireframes to high-fidelity designs
- Work with developers to ensure feasibility and communicate technical requirements
- Participate in client presentations explaining UX rationale and design decisions
- Create detailed documentation: annotations, specifications, user stories
- Contribute to design system development with reusable UX patterns
- Participate in weekly design critiques and cross-functional reviews
Essential Skills
- 4-6 years of UX design experience for digital products and websites
- Portfolio demonstrating UX thinking: research, strategy, wireframes, and problem-solving
- Strong facilitation skills for workshops, interviews, and stakeholder sessions
- Proficient in Figma for wireframing and prototyping
- Experience with user research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative)
- Knowledge of usability principles, accessibility standards (WCAG), and inclusive design
- Excellent systems thinking-you see the big picture and how pieces connect
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for documentation and presentations
- Strategic thinkers who ask "why" before jumping to solutions
- Curious researchers who genuinely care about understanding users
- Clear communicators who translate complexity into simple, compelling narratives
- Collaborative partners who work seamlessly with visual designers and developers
- Organized minds who balance multiple projects and manage ambiguity
- Empathetic designers who advocate for users while respecting business constraints
- Problem-solvers who find elegant solutions within real-world limitations
- Familiarity with analytics tools (Google Analytics, Hotjar, etc.)
- UX writing experience
Culture
- Creative excellence with space to do your best work
- True work-life balance: no weekends, realistic timelines, protected focus time
- Collaborative team of UX designers, strategists, and developers
- Lead UX small and medium scale projects from full websites and complex platforms
- Ownership of research and strategy phases-your recommendations shape direction
- Direct client interaction and presentation opportunities
- Salary: $110,000/year
- Comprehensive health, dental, vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- PTO
- Hybrid work Tues-Thurs in Madison Square Office
- Latest UX tools and technology