Associate Experience Designer

Why Zynga

Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games. To date, more than one billion people have played Zynga’s franchises including CSR Racing™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, Merge Magic!™, Toon Blast™, Toy Blast™, Words With Friends™ and Zynga Poker™. Z ynga’s games are available in more than 150 countries and are playable across social platforms and mobile devices worldwide. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with locations in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, India, Turkey, and Finland. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or follow Zynga on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or the Zynga blog.

About Role

Do you possess the delicate balance of research, analysis, and visual thinking?

Do you have a passion for gaming as a player and as a User Experience designer?

Do you aspire to continuously learn and develop new, unique methodologies with the best in the domain?

Zynga is looking for a creative, dynamic Associate Experience Designer like you to join our team!

You will be responsible for crafting user-centered design solutions that promote ease of use, employ best-in-class game/interaction design, and optimize the user experience universally.

This includes all phases of the design process including conceptual design/development, Interaction models, prototypes, user/task flows, usability evaluation and interface design.

You will work closely with UX Lead/Manager to establish, maintain the visual integrity, interaction methods, brand standards, and consistency for the game, and collaborate with partner functions for execution of the final product.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Approach work with consideration for the overall experience and flow of a product. Employ a strategic, methodical design process that organizes the needs of the players, development, and business goals considering the scope as well as limitations of the pipeline.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to set the North Star for a product and then break that into smaller achievable, measurable outcomes.
• Approach deliverables, for example, UI Kits with a systems-oriented mindset that is organized, easy to use by all and extensible/scalable for the future.
• Use well-known interaction models and patterns when designing for learnability, engagement, and delight to appeal to a broad audience.
• Utilize pre-visualization techniques such as user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes to quickly explore and assess various directions to help build consensus and guide the project toward a final conceptual target.
• Actively analyze other top-performing, innovative games and genres in the marketplace to identify and understand the trends, behaviors with other developers and audiences, and then apply that insight to our product development.
• Work to understand, support and conduct research activities (Qualitative & Quantitative) and apply the learnings.
• Actively build a technical understanding of the platform’s abilities, limitations and engage best practices.
• Deliver high-quality presentations that are well organized and easy to understand by non-UXers. Moderate design critiques that allow people to be heard while keeping the discussion on track and moving forward and always keeping the player experience (user empathy) the center of attention/decision making.
• Apply Visual and Graphic Design (contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity) principles to increase ease of use, enforce/establish hierarchies and help the product meet its player, business objectives. Create designs that consider and maximize the effectiveness of typography, icons, grid, color systems to layout the screens for best results.
• Use storyboarding and prototyping to plan for delightful animation by orchestrating typography, color, imagery, form, technology, and content to create ‘motion with meaning’ that entertains, communicates. Direct attention to design the interactions and animations that reinforce the product by providing player feedback, simplifying the cognitive load, preventing change blindness, and improving recall.
• Demonstrate a broad understanding of pipelines and toolchains in a production environment. Actively look for opportunities to automate or otherwise streamline production processes.
• Maintain an empathetic mindset and an understanding of user accessibility needs – for example, color blindness, physical disabilities (temporary or otherwise), dyslexia etc. Ensure UI art reinforces a product to be robust, understandable and specific.

REQUIRED:

• 0-3 years’ experience in UX Design.
• Online portfolio with case studies ( Instagram links will be disregarded )
• Strong graphic/visual design skills required for UI deliverables.
• Expertise in initial data gathering, competitive analysis, stakeholder interviews, information architecture, usability evaluation, interaction design for co-creation of the spec and driving product conversations, strategy in new/large features, optimizations, and experiments.
• Experience in conducting user research and willingness to adapt/build non-traditional research methodologies.
• Should have worked in a team of UI and UX designers.
• Should be able to operate independently with minimal supervision and check-in.
• Expected to evangelize the UX methodologies across the production pipeline, evaluate and establish best practices.
• Hands-on experience or knowledge of Unity 3D and motion design is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, articulation.
• Excellent presentation skills
• Real passion for gaming
• Bachelor’s degree in graphic arts, interaction design, or equivalent industry experience in design discipline.

WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING IN GAMING?

• Creative
• Collaborative
• Fun (no points for guessing!)
• Engaging
• Challenging
• All of the above!

What we offer you:

• Work in a studio that has complete P&L ownership of games.
• Create next-gen games that will be played and loved by millions of players around the world.
• Work in a collaborative team that invests in your development and growth on-the-job.
• Competitive salary, bonus plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• 20 days annual leave + company holidays
• Extended medical coverage that includes OPD, dental, vision and telehealth
• Group Life, Disability and Critical Illness insurance
• Equitable Childcare facilities for all employees
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Family planning and nurturing support programs
• Comprehensive leave options and flexible working hours to ensure work life balance.
• Keep your health on track with our wellbeing programs covering fitness expenses and complimentary meals served around the clock.
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Around the year employee events and casual dress every single day
• A diverse team of friendly, fun and supportive co-workers to work with and, impact millions of daily players.
• Re-engage with your special interest by being a part of our employee resource groups that connect Zyngites through inclusivity, culture, lifestyle and fun.