Freelance User Experience Designer Jobs in Springfield, MA

This is Us
The our client Connecticut is embarking upon a digital transformation to uplift the lives and well-being of our residents, businesses, and employees. Our goal is to improve access to our programs and services, making interaction with government easier. When you join the Connecticut Digital Service, you'll be part of a team creating simple experiences personalized for everyone. If you enjoy solving complex problems with a curious, supportive, high-performing team, then the our client Connecticut is the place for you.
Is This You?
Innovation. You enjoy designing services, products, websites, and graphics tied to existing and new digital products.
Big Picture Thinking. You strive to improve internal processes and externally facing solutions.
User-centric. You derive joy from working with people to drive user-centered research and testing.
Embrace Change. You have experience thinking outside of the box, understanding the perspectives of others, interpreting and validating data.
Service-Oriented. You are passionate about government innovation and improving services for citizens.
About the Role
The UI/UX Designer will work closely with our cross-functional project team focused on building and improving the our client Connecticut's digital government services. The UI/UX Designer will support the mission by developing and implementing service design, graphic design, and website design with new and ongoing projects. Furthermore, the UI/UX Designer will work with the team to implement user-centric analysis and testing methodologies to improve each digital product.
An ideal candidate should be a talented and knowledgeable designer with fresh, creative ideas, and an excellent eye for detail. In addition to understanding user experience design and development methodologies, the candidate should also have experience working in an Agile environment.
Experiences Required for This Role
User Centered Service Design - At least 5 years of experience and use cases with the following:
• Building and communicating understandings of the users and their behavior
• Working with a cross-functional team to prioritize work to meet user needs
• Providing insights on how users interact with the service or product
• Designing and redesigning services
Website & Graphic Design - At least 5 years of experience and use cases with the following:
• A portfolio of work including examples of at least 2 real-time projects
• Understanding of design thinking and design principles related to designing and developing graphics, user interface, user experience, content for website development, social media and print
• Designing layouts, typography, line composition, color, and other graphic design fundamentals
• Performs the most complex duties in design and preparation of electronic graphic artwork using various media
• Understanding component-based development within a CMS
• Experience in responsive development across all media platforms: web, mobile, etc..
• Experience working with an enterprise CMS platform such as Sitecore, Adobe Experience Manager, Drupal, Joomla, etc.
• Coding experience and understanding HTML 5, Bootstrap 4.0+, CSS 3
• Understanding image optimization for web and mobile
• Confer with supervisors and others as to most appropriate media and method of design
• Performs a full range of graphic art activities
• Design and maintain websites
User Acceptance Testing - At least 3 years of experience and use cases with the following:
• Building and running tests (ideally automated) to confirm the service or product meets user and stakeholder needs
• Helping to discover problems while the service is being developed
• Checking the operating environment to make sure test results are valid
• Helping increase user and agency confidence in future service or product delivery
• Helping reduce the risk of reputational damage
• Recruiting and leading testing groups; running research sessions with users
• Understanding accessibility issues and engage with team to build with equality
Digital Platforms, Tools, & Discipline - At least 3 years of experience and use cases with the following:
• Working with enterprise scale digital platforms and products
• Using productivity and analysis tools to manage iterative delivery, such as JIRA, Google Analytics, Git Repository, MS TEAMS, Confluence
• Experience working in the Agile development methodology
Performance in Complex Situations - At least 3 years of experience and user cases with the following:
• Communication and collaboration with state-wide partners
• Encouraging an interactive, cooperative, collaborative, and customer-focused work environment
• Comfort in blazing a path through an ambiguous work environment
• Judgement fitting to the ever-changing environment

• Government-specific task management

Knowledge, Skills and Ability
UI/UX Design
• Experience in designing, managing, and optimizing websites
• Experience working in an enterprise component-based CMS
• Experience in wireframing, prototyping, mock-up creation, IA mapping, user flows
• Proficiency in HTML 5, Bootstrap 4.0+, CSS 3
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite: including Adobe XD, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Proficiency in Figma, Miro, Zeplin
• An understanding of social media management and content creation
• Understanding of image and video optimization for online media
• Understanding and application of visual design principles
• Understanding responsive design
• Understanding the importance of accessibility and the development requirements to meet compliance with WCAG standards
• Experience with A11Y testing tools
• Experience in Agile development process
User Acceptance Testing
• Knowledge of best practices for user experience research and testing
• Willingness to participate in ethnographic research and interviews
Performance in Complex Situations
• Ability to distill complex concepts into simple ideas
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, handle and prioritize simultaneous requests, and manage laterally and upwards
• Comfort in blazing a path through an ambiguous work environment
• Prioritization, organization, and triage in an independent environment
• Understanding of the Agile development process
Team Player
• Supporting teammates' skills and behaviors development and delivery
• Communication and collaboration with state-wide partners
• Creative and analytical thinking with strong problem-solving skills
• Judgement in dealing effectively and diplomatically with government staff
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
Preferred Skills & Qualifications
• An associate degree or higher in UI/UX design, HCI design, graphic design, web design, or web development
• 5 years' professional experience in web design, graphic design, web development
• A portfolio of work including 2 examples of real-time work
• 1 year of user-centered design
• 1 year of user research and analytics
• 1 year of customer relationship management platforms such as Salesforce
• 1 year of web content management platforms such as Sitecore
Administrative Considerations
The UI/UX Designer will work as part of an iterative team using agile sprints. Work will be assigned based on items in the product backlog associated with Website Improvements. These tasks may be adjusted, reduced, or expanded as the project progresses through various phases. The contract employee shall be expected to maintain and provide written documentation on any work performed in conjunction with this engagement.
The engagement will be for a period of up to 12 months. All work will be done on eight (8) hour shifts, Monday to Friday, excluding State holidays. If workflow dictates an on-site presence is not needed, consultant may work remotely. All extended remote work will need approval by Chief Digital Officer or the designated manager. Payment will be on a time and material basis and paid only for hours worked. Travel to various state offices will be required. State Agencies are in downtown Hartford and the Greater Hartford area. Local Travel Reimbursement is not provided.
Use of State Resources: The contractor will share dedicated office space and will be provided with all software needed to execute and perform the duties for this program.
Security/Privacy Considerations: Information accessible by the contractor may be sensitive, confidential, or subject to the Privacy Act and/or HIPAA considerations. Contractor personnel must be familiar with and comply with the provisions of appropriate regulations and/or instructions. Signing of a confidentiality agreement will be required. Daily sign-in to the facility may be required. The contractor employee must always display an access badge while presenting in state facilities. A background check will be required.
Contact:
Tom Brophy, UX/UI Manager