1

Interactive Design Jobs in Durham, NC (NOW HIRING)

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games' Fortnite team is looking for a Design ...

Senior Mainframe DevOps Architect

Durham, NC

$125K - $170K/yr

Lead interactive design workshops with customer technical, business, and executive stakeholders to map out multi-phase implementation roadmaps. * Relationship & Portfolio Alignment: Build deep ...

Cornerstone comprises four interactive, aspirational home and apparel lifestyle brands: Ballard ... As a Design Consultant, you will be responsible for elevating our guest experience with an emphasis ...

Ability to explain game loop architecture, player psychology, balancing mechanics, and iterative design while preparing students for game development careers and interactive media programs.

Video Game Design Tutor

Durham, NC · Remote

$18 - $40/hr

Ability to explain game loop architecture, player psychology, balancing mechanics, and iterative design while preparing students for game development careers and interactive media programs.

Ability to explain game loop architecture, player psychology, balancing mechanics, and iterative design while preparing students for game development careers and interactive media programs.

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is seeking an experienced Senior Game ...

Game Designer, Activities

Cary, NC · On-site

$143K/yr

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is seeking a Senior Game Designer ...

They are seeking a Principal Gameplay Engineer to work within their Interactive team, focusing on core gameplay systems and collaborating with design and creative leadership to tackle ambitious ...

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Gameplay Designer to ...

Responsibilities : • Work with Quadient Inspire, Scaler, Dynamic Communications, and Interactive to design and develop customer communications. • Collaborate with IT and business teams to suggest ...

Lead Technical Trainer

Durham, NC

$31.50 - $41.75/hr

This person will work with a team of NC FAST trainers tasked to design and deliver virtual interactive webinars and in-person training to county Child Services staff. In addition to resource ...

Senior Systems Designer, Progression

Cary, NC · On-site

$94K - $101K/yr

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Senior Systems ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Interactive Design information

See Durham, NC salary details

$18

$57

$81

How much do interactive design jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 4, 2026, the average hourly pay for interactive design in Durham, NC is $57.50, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $46.01 and $70.62 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What can you do with an interactive design degree?

An interactive design degree prepares individuals for roles such as user experience (UX) designer, user interface (UI) designer, web designer, or multimedia artist. Graduates can work in digital media, app development, advertising, or software companies, utilizing skills in design tools like Adobe Creative Suite and prototyping software. The degree often involves understanding human-computer interaction and may require a portfolio to demonstrate design skills.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an interactive designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Interactive Designer, you need a strong background in visual design, user experience (UX), and proficiency with design principles, often supported by a degree in design or related fields. Familiarity with design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Sketch, and prototyping platforms is typically required. Creativity, collaboration, and effective communication are essential soft skills to excel in this role. These skills ensure engaging, user-friendly digital experiences that meet both user needs and business objectives.

How does an interactive designer typically collaborate with developers and other team members during a project?

Interactive Designers work closely with developers, UX researchers, and product managers throughout the project lifecycle. They often participate in brainstorming sessions, share design prototypes, and gather feedback to refine user experiences. Regular meetings and collaborative tools help ensure that design concepts are technically feasible and align with project goals. Effective communication and adaptability are key, as Interactive Designers may need to adjust their designs based on technical constraints or user testing results.

What does an interactive design do?

An interactive designer creates engaging digital experiences by designing interfaces, user interactions, and visual elements for websites, apps, or multimedia projects. They use tools like Adobe XD or Figma and focus on usability, user experience, and visual appeal to ensure effective communication and functionality. Their work often involves collaboration with developers and clients to meet project goals.

What is interactive design?

Interactive design is a field focused on creating engaging interfaces and experiences that allow users to interact with digital products, such as websites, apps, and software. It involves designing the elements, behaviors, and workflows to ensure the product is intuitive, user-friendly, and meets the needs of its audience. Interactive designers use principles from user experience (UX), visual design, and technology to craft responsive and meaningful interactions. The goal is to enhance usability and create memorable digital experiences.

What is the difference between Interactive Design vs User Experience Design?

AspectInteractive DesignUser Experience Design
FocusDesigning interactive elements and interfacesOverall user experience and satisfaction
SkillsUI/UX principles, prototyping, coding basicsResearch, user testing, information architecture
Work EnvironmentWeb and app development teams, digital agenciesDesign studios, product teams, digital agencies
CertificationsUI/UX certifications, design tools proficiencyUX certifications, research methodologies

Interactive Design primarily focuses on creating engaging and functional interactive elements within digital products, while User Experience Design encompasses the broader process of enhancing overall user satisfaction and usability. Both roles often overlap but serve distinct purposes in the product development cycle.

Infographic showing various Interactive Design job openings in Durham, NC as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $119,592 per year, or $57.5 per hour.

Interactive Experience Designer (Unity)

Lucid Dream

Durham, NC • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 21 hours ago


Job description

Interactive Experience Designer (Unity)
ABOUT LUCID DREAM
Lucid Dream is a custom game and interactive experience studio. We help leaders in medical, scientific, and technical industries use emerging technology to transform the way they engage, train, and explain complex science to providers and patients. Inspired by games, we create immersive and interactive experiences for VR/AR, mobile, desktop, and web - transforming education and engagement through purposeful play.
Located in the heart of downtown Durham, NC, our office at the historic American Tobacco Campus is a short walk from world-class dining and entertainment venues including the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).
ABOUT THE ROLE
As an Interactive Experience Designer at Lucid Dream, you'll help shape the future of games-inspired science communication, immersive storytelling, and training. First and foremost, you're a designer with a keen eye for polish, brand style, and professional work - and you pair that sensibility with enough hands-on Unity experience to bring your own work to life in a scene. You'll be one artist on a small but dedicated team, contributing your craft to a shared visual vision rather than owning every experience on your own. The work is collaborative: you'll create polished assets, integrate them into Unity scenes, and handle the setup and interactivity that make them feel alive.
We're looking for the instincts of an early adopter - someone who's genuinely excited about new tools and pipelines, and who's often first to try them and bring back what works. You don't need to be a coder, but you should be comfortable with basic scripting inside Unity and curious about where emerging tools, including AI, can sharpen the creative process without compromising craft.
Please note this is a hybrid position requiring three days of in-office work per week in Durham, NC, and two days work-from-home.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Art, Scene-Building & Light Interactive Implementation
  • Create polished, design-forward art assets and contribute them to Unity scenes across VR, AR, desktop, mobile, and web-based experiences
  • Help build, organize, and polish Unity scenes alongside the team - environments, UI, animation states, lighting, materials, shaders, and visual effects
  • Partner with the Creative Director and fellow artists to translate client vision, brand requirements, and scientific content into compelling, cohesive visuals
  • Handle the basic interactivity hookups needed to bring your assets to life in a scene
  • Prototype visual and interactive concepts in Unity to quickly pressure-test ideas before they hit full production
  • Implement and refine art assets, animations, particle systems, UI elements, and interaction feedback inside Unity
  • Participate in playtesting, bug fixing, performance optimization, and polish throughout the project lifecycle
  • Support live deployments by helping troubleshoot visual or interaction issues and keeping your assets deployment-ready

Creative Production & Emerging Tools
  • Bring an early-adopter mindset to the studio - actively explore, evaluate, and pilot new tools, plugins, and pipelines (including generative AI for 2D/3D, AI coding assistants for Unity, and other emerging creative tech) and share what's worth adopting
  • Help define studio best practices for when and how new tools should be used in client-facing work, balancing speed and experimentation with quality, originality, and production needs
  • Contribute to reusable Unity templates, prefabs, interaction patterns, and production frameworks that make the team faster and more consistent over time

Creative Collaboration & Technical Problem-Solving
  • Work as a contributing artist on the team - integrating your work cleanly into shared Unity scenes and using version control to hand off, and pick up where others left off
  • Contribute to project planning by estimating asset needs and flagging production risks early
  • Troubleshoot visual, animation, and interaction issues in the work you contribute, across platforms
  • Support a complex, high-performing team where multiple, months-long projects are worked on simultaneously

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO SUCCEED
  • A portfolio that demonstrates high-quality, client-ready, brand-aligned polish - the kind of finish that holds up in marketing and client-facing work. Game-industry experience is welcome, but a reel built solely around in-game content (characters, environments, combat or weapon animation) won't show us what we need; we need to see that presentation-grade polish too
  • Strong affinity for organization and clean implementation at the project, scene, asset, and scripting levels
  • A strong artistic foundation and a refined eye for design, layout, brand style, and elegance - including visual design, composition, color, form, & motion
  • Comfort with animation fundamentals - timing, easing, motion design, and object and UI animation (character animation is not required for this role)
  • Hands-on comfort working in Unity to integrate art assets, build and polish scenes, wire up basic interactions, and optimize for performance and platform constraints
  • Comfort working with Unity C# scripts - including with the assistance of AI coding tools
  • 3-5 years demonstrated experience working as part of a collaborative studio or in-house team
  • Working familiarity with version control for Unity projects (Unity Version Control, Perforce, Git, or similar), and the discipline to onboard quickly into our source control workflow
  • A genuine early-adopter mindset - you actively seek out new tools, workflows, and pipelines, test them quickly, and bring the team along on what's worth keeping
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to explain creative and technical decisions clearly to both creative and client-facing audiences
  • Strong experience with 3D asset creation and animation
  • Experience with XR development in Unity is a strong plus

NICE TO HAVE
  • Background in having worked in agency, brand, marketing, or client-services creative, or any environment where polish and brand consistency were non-negotiable
  • Experience working with medically accurate art assets where details matter
  • Experience shipping mobile, desktop, or web-based interactive experiences alongside VR/XR work
  • Familiarity with Substance Painter, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, or similar creative tools
  • Experience creating shaders, visual effects, lighting setups, or custom Unity editor tools
  • Familiarity with Apple Vision Pro, iOS, Unreal Engine, WebGL, or other interactive development platforms
  • Experience building reusable Unity prefabs, templates, design systems, or custom editor tools

WHAT WE OFFER
  • Robust company culture committed to our core mission and values
  • Amazing group of talented colleagues, and a management team dedicated to transparent leadership and helping everyone grow and thrive
  • Competitive salary
  • Employer-sponsored health, vision, and dental
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match
  • Responsible Paid Time-Off Policy
  • Hybrid Work policy
  • Parental Leave Policy
  • Downtown Durham office with parking
  • Monthly team-building events
  • The opportunity to help shape how emerging tools - including generative AI and real-time interactive tech - show up in our creative production

Lucid Dream is an Equal Opportunity Employer that gives all qualified applicants consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees based on mutual respect. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
No recruiters - principals only please!