Human-Centered Design (HCD) Strategist

divh2Human-Centered Design (HCD) Strategist/h2pLocation: Hybrid (3-4 times a week) at Naval Support Facility, Arlington, VA/ppAvailability: Immediate/ppJob Summary: We are seeking a passionate and experienced Human-Centered Design (HCD) Strategist to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Design Thinking, User Experience (UX) Research, User Interface (UI), Section 508 compliance, and Strategic Business Planning. As an HCD Strategist, you will play a crucial role in shaping our design process flows, ensuring that our products and services meet the needs and expectations of our client./ppKey Responsibilities:/pulliOwn the design strategy, client management and communication efforts related to a portfolio of projects./liliWork within agile cross-functional teams to capture key insights, pain points and opportunities for transformation of business processes, capabilities, systems and applications./liliHelp inform graphical depictions of relative content as it pertains to process improvement such as experience maps, personas, Insights reports or other graphical depictions to inform about current state. Visualize data and insights./liliIdeate an optimized future state by formulating recommendations for improvements and increased efficiency./liliConduct research and analysis./liliProvide consultation to teams on Human-Centered Design strategies and methodologies./liliIdentify operational improvements based on research and analysis./liliIdentify customer desires and help elicit their requirements./liliEvaluate success metrics./liliTranslate expertise into learning experiences to teach others how to fish./liliCreate compelling user interface content designs of the Navy Sailor user experiences across online and mobile devices./liliProduce best-in-class content strategy and help shepherd it from concept through launch collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams, product managers and internal and external technology partners./liliPrototype/draft rapidly and iteratively to identify experience issues and to drive toward elegant, simplified design solutions./liliHelp to establish and continually refine our clients business systems and processes that provide for agility, nimbleness and quality in meeting partner needs and designing successful digital channel solutions./liliLeading the solution from a Design point of view./liliProvide creative directions to the design team to align with the client expectations and vision of the engagement./liliPresenting designs for all the UX queries to the client for the stakeholder engagement./liliUse design thinking techniques and Agile processes to engage stakeholders, iteratively deliver, and pivot when needed./liliConduct stakeholder analysis./liliAnalyze the user experience, process, and data/systems./liliCreate visuals (e.g. Experience Maps) to show current state to include pain points, areas for innovation and processes to streamline./liliConduct user research activities to gain insights into user needs, preferences, and pain points./liliUtilize cross-functional Integrated Agile Teams (MIL/CIV/CTR personnel) to engage with users; develop Epic stories, testable and verifiable requirements to inform design and prototyping, and test methods to verify requirements (a verification method for each unique requirement)./liliUtilize best industry techniques (e.g. interviews, observations, functional/subject matter expert (SME) engagement)./liliExperience working with Navy or DoD programs is a plus./li/ulpQualifications:/pulliBachelors degree in design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or related field./liliProven experience 5+ years in human-centered design, UI/UX research, business process, or a similar role./liliExpertise with design thinking methodologies and user-centered principles./liliStrong storytelling and communication skills to share user insights effectively./liliStrong portfolio showcasing your design thinking process, user research, and design solutions./liliExcellent communication, organization, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively./liliProficiency in tools such as Sketch, Figma, Visio, or similar./liliProficiency in online whiteboarding tools such as Mural, Miro, or similar./liliExperience with qualitative and quantitative research methods./liliAbility to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, highly matrixed Agile environment./liliStrong problem-solving skills and a user-centric mindset./liliAdobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop InDesign) Preferred Skills:/liliFamiliarity and experience with Navy or other DOD system and processes/liliFamiliarity with data analytics and how to leverage data to inform design decisions./liliFamiliarity with Agile development practices./liliExperience working with diverse communities and global teams./liliExperience with usability and A/B testing./liliSecurity Clearance: Active Secret Security Clearance preferred./li/ul/div