Note: Our inclusive language policies have changed since this post was written. We have added strikethroughs where problematic language occurs, of note, our note about beer has been changed to be more inclusive of all different preferences and needs surrounding alcohol consumption in the office.
If you’re passionate about game play, game mechanics, game theory, sports, poker, first person shooters, beer and socializing, we want to hear from you. Well, only if you can design too. Say Yeah is hiring designers with Web, mobile and mobile app experience to support our gaming clients (console, PC and mobile) in their efforts to build a stronger, more rewarding relationship with their users, whether on Web or mobile devices, consoles, or elsewhere.
A little about Say Yeah!
Say Yeah, the app design agency, is a leader in aligning business needs with consumer expectations through exceptional and iterative design processes. By understanding consumer behaviour, we’re able to design applications that work for consumers, helping them reach their goals as efficiently and enjoyably as possible, all while driving action around defined business needs. Whether Web, mobile, or desktop, Say Yeah designs apps that help make your consumer’s work and play life simpler so they can focus on doing the things they love.
Position summary.
Say Yeah is seeking an experienced interaction designer to help us move from strategy to screens for a variety of Web and mobile app projects, with a particular focus on the gaming industry. You’ll be part of a user experience team which includes research, strategy and design capabilities, working directly with top development partners and our internal QA and usability testing team.
Responsibilities.
In addition to working with other interaction designers and user experience strategists, you will be working closely with product management and dev teams.
You’ll be expected to have a keen understanding of design standards, development considerations across a variety of Web and mobile platforms, and user expectations and behaviours, all focused on taking user experience and business strategy docs and realizing these in feature complete, lush screen designs.
This of course means you’ll be expected to sweat the small stuff to help make user’s lives easier and more enjoyable, without sacrificing functionality, budget and timelines.
In the end, you’ll be responsible for creating user interface designs, graphics, animations, icons, style sheets, color schemes, templates and layouts, while identifying common typeface standards and ensuring consistency on a project by project basis.
We expect you to be thoughtful, intelligent and objective in your approach to design and be willing to collaborate across disciplines, while ensuring concepts meet user needs and business goals.
Essential skills and qualifications.
The prerequisites below focus on our senior designer requirements, but we’d love to hear from some smart juniors who feel they can solve some of these problems.
- Graduate or post-graduate degree in a design related field such as; Interaction or Interface Design, Graphic Design, Multimedia, HCI, or the equivalent experience and training in an area directly relevant to this position.
- 3-5+ years experience as interaction designer with at least 1 year of experience developing handheld applications.
- Understand the importance of aligning business goals with user goals.
- A well structured and user centric design methodology.
- A keen understanding of design and communication tenets, including visual and written look and feel.
- A particular disdain for bad typography, Web and otherwise, and an unhealthy determination to define and stick to a grid, or break it in a fever of inspiration.
- An understanding of the capabilities of web browsers, mobile applications and user interactions and an interest in keep abreast of the latest capabilities.
- A passion for understanding game theory and game mechanics and helping users discover apps organically while rewarding them for their efforts.
- Ability to communicate design principles and rationale to non-designers, including clients and developers.
- Ability to build relationships across different disciplines and the ability to define success as a team effort, not individual pursuit.
- The desire to delight users across a variety industries and interactive media, while tackling a number of different projects on a weekly basis.
- An interest in making magical apps that can only come from solving difficult problems.
Additional assets.
Some more software specific capabilities and beneficial experience:
- Experience prototyping Web apps and handheld devices, including user testing and research.
- A familiarity with or experience working on agile development projects.
- Experience with software tools such as OmniGraffle, Visio, Balsamiq.
- Fluent in graphic/media design software, particularly Adobe Illustrator and OSX.
Work hard. Play hard.
We share an incredible office space with a fantastic development and product management shop in a wonderful downtown studio at Portland and Richmond in Toronto.
There’s beer in the fridge along with a kitchenette and private washroom within our space, and a vine covered back patio. We have room to play and share ideas, including an event space to collaborate in groups or one to one in ways that can challenge and inspire us, all while making sure there’s a dedicated space for you to focus on heads down work when you need to.
How to apply.
Please send an email to team@yousayyeah.com with a list of your accomplishments, portfolio and design interests.
We’re looking for:
- An experienced Web and mobile app designer (with the prerequisites noted above.
- A seasoned Web and mobile app designer, less experience, but equally diverse skill set, as noted above.
- A junior Web and mobile app designer, capable of bringing creative insight to the table and not afraid of spending hours in Illustrator making vector magic.
If you feel you’ve got the chops, don’t hesitate to reach out. That said, we’re too busy to breathe right now so I’m afraid we can only get back to people we’ll be interviewing.
We look forward to hearing from you!