Job Description

At Microsoft, we have bold ambitions: empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. To make that a reality for 3D spatial-computing, the Mixed Reality Design and UX Research team drives the experience-strategy and product-design for Mixed Reality. We’re a team of futurists, technologists, scientists, and artists. But above all we are a team of optimists. We believe that the tools we create will bring people together in new ways—whether that’s scientists “meeting” on the surface of a virtual Mars, or some yet undreamt-of possibility. And empower them to make the world better, in ways both big and small.

We’re a growing team dedicated to putting technology on a human path. We work across all devices, including Microsoft HoloLens, the Internet of Things, phones, tablets, desktops and Xbox. We design and deliver across all platforms, and we serve multiple audiences, including consumer, enterprise, developer, and IT admin.

Our Mixed Reality Design and UX Research team comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, previous work histories and life experiences. We’re united in our curiosity, open-mindedness and imaginations. We’re eager to maintain and grow that diversity, and we’re excited to add divergent thinkers and makers. Join us if you are passionate about groundbreaking Mixed Reality technology, and want to work on a team dedicated to a culture of inclusion, growth mindset and collaboration. You’ll join a team that explores and learns by making. As well as obsesses over every degree, pixel, word and sound wave. And each day, you’ll bring your curiosity about the world to re-imagining the relationship between people and technology. Your work will shape the future of Mixed Reality, to empower people to achieve more and live a more wonderous future. Together, we’ll put humans at the center of all we do.

About The Role

Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Design and UX Research team is looking for a Senior Experience Designer with expertise in human-centered product design, interaction design, and/or 3D UX design.

You will conceive, design, and prototype new types of product concepts that bring to life opportunities for mixed reality. This vision will direct hardware and software decisions across a roadmap of products. In all areas, you will collaborate closely with other designers (industrial design, service design, creative technologists, brand, inclusive design), researchers, and other engineering and marketing disciples.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Experience Designer, you will have the following responsibilities:

Provide human-centered design thought leadership that drives the experience roadmap for Mixed Reality, including user journeys, design fiction, and narratives of product essence

Work with fellow designers and engineers to design and deliver detailed concepts, demos, flows, and prototypes that showcase rich and engaging experiences in 3D

Deliver to deadlines agreed-to by Design leads and tracked by Producers to ensure on-time, quality delivery

Iterate with designers, researchers, and developers to quickly move assumptions and learnings forward

Document and communicate design rationale and recommendations that articulate both the “why” and the “what” of mixed reality solutions

Advocate for Design thinking within an engineering organization by building relationships, introducing new processes, and communicating trade-off’s that keep the human in the middle of the conversation

Identify risks in advance and drive the team towards successful resolution

Be a positive, collaborative, and creative force on the team

Qualifications

• BA/BFA in Product Design, Interaction design, Architecture or equivalent industry experience
• 5+ years of experience as a product designer, interaction designer, or related experience, with demonstrated experience thinking about Mixed Reality environments
• Technical acumen and expertise; an understanding of designing, prototyping, building, delivering, and maintaining product to inform the right trade-off's between desirability, feasibility, and viability
• A track record of working well with PM’s and engineers, and advocating for a human-centered, design-driven approach to product development
• Storyteller - proficient in storyboarding or film-making to showcase the end-to-end user experience
• Expert-level proficiency with common design tools (e.g. Sketch, Photoshop, After Effects, Framer, etc.).
• Experience with 3D content tools (e.g. Cinema 4D, Unity, Maya, Rhino, Unreal)
  

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.