The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the nonprofit organization behind McGruff the Crime Dog®, needs a User Experience Researcher/Information Architect (UX/IA). We’re looking for a bright, web savvy individual who is excited about usability testing, content management, and spreading McGruff’s crime prevention messages.
At NCPC, the UX/IA is part of a small, energetic team that maintains and extends NCPC’s web properties. NCPC is engaging new and exciting web technologies, and you’ll be with us in the trenches, informing the decisions that affect our users’ experiences and making our content easier to find, organize, and consume. This position is a great learning opportunity.
The UX/IA is responsible for user research and should have experience and interest in content strategy and/or abstract design. Please see Garrett’s Nine Pillars of Successful Web Teams for what these entail. Ultimately, the UX/IA position requires a generalist who, in a given week, may:
* plan and lead/conduct usability tests to inform decisions and style guides for UI and content
* train staff to aid in usability test initiatives (e.g., how to administer tests, how to document results)
* propose actionable plans based on user research
* propose and test patterns for the improvement of content organization
* develop guidelines to ensure content is appropriately written for web delivery
* analyze requirements for new content areas and software features
* inform development of web applications and extensions to NCPC’s Plone®-based CMS with user research
* refine the existing information architecture
* develop metrics and key performance indicators to measure improvements in user experience
* develop and execute plans to increase user participation in NCPC web properties
* train staff on effective web communication and trends on the web
* train staff on how to use NCPC’s web applications
* serve as liaison between Web Team and Research & Evaluation department
* fulfill other duties as assigned (e.g., assist with content creation by blogging about crime prevention)
The ideal candidate is smart, enthusiastic, creative, and interested in all aspects of running and extending a popular website. You’ll want to have
* comfort working on a team
* a working knowledge of modern user testing (prototyping, iteration, wireframes)
* a working knowledge of modern information architecture (hierarchy, taxonomy, folksonomy, content management, tagging, asset management, pattern libraries)
* top notch research skills
* strong research documentation skills
* a strong desire to stay current with web trends
* some experience with a template-based web application or CMS
* familiarity with participatory web tools (e.g., blogs, wikis, social networks)
* some knowledge of search engine optimization best practices
* some knowledge of the principles of agile development
* familiarity with Plone
We don’t expect you to be an expert in all of these areas, but you should know what all the words mean and have a strategy for learning what you don’t know. In exchange, you’ll have the opportunity to work with a national recognized brand on a team where your expertise is respected and your passion is easily translated into action.