Company:          The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Position:            Various Hong Kong based positions in HSBC User Centered Design (UCD) team

Application method: For further details, please refer to the HSBC Hong Kong website.

Closing Date:            9 Jan, 2007

We have multiple exciting positions for those who have a passion for user experience to join our team in Hong Kong.

Manager - User Centered Design (Ref: HTSA/UCD/001/UPACN)

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will lead the efforts of the User Centered Design (UCD) team in IT Department to promote and support the end users’ goals by consulting with business units, design teams, and development teams on estimates, project plans, and resources for e-commence and staff-facing application projects.  You will manage UCD staff activities and professional development to provide highest level of service towards development of interactive products and services, set human factors and creative direction for all products and services and ensure a unified sense of quality, optimal user experience and aesthetics.  Specifically, you will:

• Market UCD roles and its processes to business units, project managers and development teams
• Define and develop the process and delivery of user research principles, prototype testing standards, information architecture standards and browser-based brand and implementation standards
• Promote opportunities for business units, project teams, and developers to increase knowledge and acceptance of UCD activities and processes
• Represent UCD in key strategy meetings
• Create and facilitate team goals for staff development
• Develop deliverables, timelines and resource estimates for release and maintenance projects
• Maintain allocation, forecasting, and reporting spreadsheets for tracking purposes
• Manage team budgets and expenses and foster the effective selection, development and reward of subordinates while contributing to initiatives supporting HSBC’s diversity programmes

Requirements

• Master’s degree in human-computer interaction, library and information science, interactive/multimedia, graphic design, computer science or equivalent preferred; bachelor’s degree holders with demonstrable experience will also be considered
• At least five years’ experience in user experience, information architecture or interactive/multimedia design management
• At least five years’ experience conceptualising and creating user processes and interface designs for high-traffic, dynamic websites with a focus on e-commerce design
• Strategic and tactical mindset with the ability to decipher and blend user research data, brand standards, business requirements and competitive analysis findings into real site-building tactics
• Able to multitask, managing and prioritising team workflow against project budgets and timelines in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Strong sense of user experience, aesthetics and technical quality
• Passion for UCD principles with an understanding of human factors, usability heuristics and methodologies, industry best practices, and social research methods
• Able to foster collaboration and mediate different parties, and to critique teams in a sensitive and encouraging manner if appropriate
• Demonstrable samples of site documentation for both project and administrative work
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills with proficiency in spoken and written English, fluency in Cantonese or Mandarin is an advantage
• Willingness and flexibility to travel
• Knowledge of cross-cultural and multilingual design and experience in content management will be an advantage

Senior User Interface Designer (Ref: HTSA/UCD/002/UPACN)

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will use your research and design skills to discover, understand, promote and visually communicate the goals of end users while balancing the needs of the business and the brand.  Specifically, you will:

·       Participate in research (field observations, contextual interviewing, usability testing, competitive analyses) to uncover user and business needs and define the visual context of various projects

·       Evaluate and translate research findings into actionable insights and user interface improvements

·       Lobby for refinements to business requirements if they conflict with user needs

·       Create site architecture documentation (interaction models; information structuring, navigation, labelling, and search systems) and translate visual experiences to offer insight into technological impact

·       Design effective, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interface mock-ups with one or more diagramming and design tools (Visio, Adobe Photoshop, or equivalent)

·       Partner with User Researchers and Web Production Engineers to communicate research and design results to business and other clients

·       Create materials for usability testing, including paper prototypes, electronic click-through prototypes and live system testing

·       Keep abreast of current trends in technology, design, e-business, marketing and financial services to identify opportunities to enhance the experience design of interactive products and services

·       Act as creative lead and manage complex projects, including creative scheduling, deliverables, quality control, art direction, and marketing of User Interface Design services

·       Foster a collaborative and creative work environment by sharing critiques and participating in project and team brainstorming sessions

·       Provide design direction and act as a leader to User Interface Designers

Requirements

·       Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in interactive/multimedia design, graphic design, studio art, human-computer interaction or a related discipline

·       At least five years’ experience creating and developing experience design solutions for high-traffic, dynamic, interactive products or services, with a focus on e-commerce environments

·       Solid understanding of HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, major graphic design applications, digital media editing software and standard office productivity applications

·       Understanding of user-centered design principles, industry standards and best practices

·       Knowledge of personalization, customization, and content management systems and experience in product and application design in a consulting environment will be an advantage

·       Able to prioritise and meet deadlines

·       Able to work people from difference cultures; ideally possess knowledge of cross-cultural and multilingual design

·       Proficient in written and spoken English; fluency in Cantonese or Mandarin is an advantage

·       Good analytical and problem-solving skills with a willingness and flexibility to travel

·       Portfolio that demonstrates a strong understanding of, and passion for, experience design and graphic design principles is a must

Senior User Researcher (Ref: HTSA/UCD/003/UPACN)

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will use strong research skills to discover, understand, promote and communicate the goals of end users while balancing the needs of the business and the brand.  Specifically, you will:

·       Plan, conduct, and evaluate user research efforts (ethnographic research, field observation, contextual interviewing, task analysis, competitive analysis, industry trends, social trends, stakeholder interviewers, contextual injury) to uncover users’ needs, define projects’ contexts and guide design solutions

·       Coordinate, develop and facilitate usability tests; work with User Interface Designers to develop test materials (paper prototypes, electronic click-through prototypes, live system testing), as required

·       Evaluate and translate research findings into design artefacts (user personas, use scenarios, concept models), actionable insights, and design recommendations

·       Provide input into business strategy based on user research; drive adoption of best practices across business units

·       Partner with User Interface Designers and Web Production Engineers to communicate research and design results to business and other clients

·       Apply user-centered design and human factor principles, usability heuristics and methodologies, industry standards, best practices and social research methods

·       Facilitate group collaboration and consensus building within the UCD team and on projects

·       Manage and act as user research lead on complex projects (scheduling, deliverables, quality control, research direction, and marketing of User Research services)

·       Provide research direction and oversee any User Researchers assigned to projects

Requirements

·       Master’s degree in human-computer interaction, cognitive science, human factors, usability engineering, anthropology, library science, or related field preferred; Bachelor’s degree holders or equivalent experience will also be considered

·       At least five years’ experience applying user research methods in high-traffic, dynamic, interactive products or services, with a focus on e-commerce environment

·       Expert knowledge of usability engineering and user research methodologies

·       Proven interviewing, observation, and laboratory testing skills

·       Strong project management skills, with a willingness and flexibility to travel

·       Proficient in written and spoken English; fluency in Cantonese or Mandarin is an advantage

·       Able to work with people of different cultures, ideally possess knowledge of cross-cultural and multilingual design

·       Portfolio that demonstrates a strong understanding of, and passion for user research and user centered design is a must