UI/UX Designer
Location
Manchester, UK
Contract Type
Contract position
About the Project
Join a specialist software development team delivering a new, business-critical technology platform for an established international organisation. This greenfield development project involves modern cloud architecture, data-intensive applications, and AI-enabled capabilities. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside experienced software, AI, infrastructure, and design professionals, taking the platform from development through to production. Security, scalability, maintainability, data protection, and production readiness are key priorities throughout the project.
Role Purpose
The UI/UX Designer will design accessible, maintainable interfaces for complex web applications. The role covers user research, information architecture, interaction design, visual design, reusable components, and developer hand-off. Designs must translate requirements into behaviour that can be implemented and tested. Applicants must have delivered designs into production and improved them through research and implementation review, working closely with software engineers and the Technical Lead.
Main Responsibilities
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User Research and Information Architecture:
- Plan interviews and task-based research, distinguish observed user needs from assumptions, and translate findings into journey maps and information architecture.
- Define navigation, terminology, and content hierarchy for complex information.
- Ensure research findings inform design priorities and respect confidentiality.
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Interaction Design and Prototyping:
- Produce wireframes, detailed interface designs, and interactive prototypes using Figma or equivalent tools.
- Describe behaviour as well as appearance, including validation, loading, error, disabled, and permission-restricted states.
- Specify user feedback, error recovery, and workflow states for complex interactions.
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Design Systems and Visual Design:
- Establish and maintain a reusable design system with consistent typography, spacing, colour, layout, and component behaviour.
- Document component libraries with properties, variants, states, and usage guidance.
- Work with engineers to align design assets and coded components, considering accessibility and maintainability.
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Accessibility and Responsive Design:
- Specify accessible interactions against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 level AA.
- Define responsive behaviour through layout rules and conduct manual accessibility testing.
- Address accessibility findings before release.
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Engineering Collaboration and Hand-off:
- Agree design priorities with the Technical Lead and prepare implementation-ready work for development sprints.
- Provide approved components, interaction rules, accessibility annotations, and testable acceptance criteria.
- Review technical constraints and resolve questions during implementation.
- Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and component-based frontend development is required for decision-making.
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Usability Evaluation and Design Quality:
- Run task-based usability tests, assess completion and errors, and recommend evidence-based changes.
- Review implemented interfaces, record defects, and work with engineers to resolve them.
- Maintain up-to-date design files and decision records for continuity.
- Use research and product analytics to identify improvements after release.
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AI Assisted Interactions:
- Design interfaces that clearly distinguish AI-generated content, accepted information, source evidence, and human decisions.
- Support inspection, correction, acceptance, rejection, and deferred review of AI outputs.
- Address missing evidence, conflicting information, processing failure, and provide usable manual alternatives.
- Ensure clear interface wording for next actions and consequences.
Essential Technical Experience
- Substantial professional UI/UX experience with production web applications, including responsibility for research, interaction design, and delivery.
- A portfolio demonstrating implemented work, personal contribution, addressed constraints, and user feedback-driven improvements (visual mock-ups alone are not sufficient).
- Advanced proficiency in Figma or equivalent tools, including reusable components, variants, layout constraints, shared styles/variables, and interactive prototyping.
- Experience building or maintaining a design system and collaborating with engineers to apply it in component-based applications.
- Practical experience in user research, information architecture, responsive design, and accessibility.
- Ability to explain interaction states, provide developer specifications, evaluate implemented behaviour, and prioritise usability defects.
- Comfortable working independently within a multidisciplinary team and discussing design trade-offs with technical colleagues.
- Experience designing complex workflows, data-heavy interfaces, and permission-sensitive interactions.
Desirable Experience
- Experience with React or Next.js teams and coded component libraries.
- Experience in accessible data visualisation, localisation, and usability research involving assistive technologies.