UX Designer (Information Technology)

Ascend Learning is a national leader in data driven, online educational solutions for learners, educators and employers in high-growth, licensure-driven professions spanning healthcare, fitness and wellness, skilled trades, insurance, and financial services. We are passionate about accelerating learning while impacting job readiness, employment success and employee retention with the belief that our work changes lives.  

 Our culture is intentionally results-driven and selfless with a relentless focus on our customers. We believe in trust, transparency, freedom, and responsibility with a commitment to meritocracy, inclusion and diversity of thought. Continual investment in our over 1500 employees is also a core principle realized through ongoing professional development and providing opportunities to grow, develop and lead. Ascend Learning is headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and remote workers in cities across the U.S.    

 Ascend Learning is hiring a motivated UX professional with strong research and design skills. Our design team is excited to be exploring the ways that technologies such as generative AI and XR can be tapped to improve learning for our customers. As a result, we're looking for creative designers to join our team and collaborate to design products at the cutting edge of learning experiences. Together we deliver products that help students learn the right thing for them at the right time.  

This position can work hybrid from our Leawood, KS office location preferred. Working hybrid from one of our other Ascend Learning offices located in Burlington, MA, Gilbert, AZ, Minneapolis, MN, or fully remote also considered.  

Responsibilities  

• Be a key member of the centralized Design & Innovation team at our growth-oriented, user-focused company.  
• Work collaboratively with other designers and business partners in the concept and detailed design phases creating user flows, conceptual wireframes, and design prototypes.  
• Apply strong visual design skills to create modern and compelling design aesthetics.     
• Plan and conduct design research. Synthesize qualitative research findings and user behavior analytics data to derive insights that inform product design and optimize usability.   
• Apply strong critical-thinking skills to understand users, their needs, and ecosystems to design streamlined and intuitive workflows.     
• Support UX Leads in all phases of our best-practice design process, which includes using strong communication and facilitation skills to interface successfully with users, business stakeholders, engineers, and leadership.    

 Education and Experience  

• Completion of college degree or certificate program related to User Experience Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Industrial Design or related field.    
• Minimum 3 years of experience in Information Technologies, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Industrial Design OR Graphic/Visual Design field.  

  Skills and Abilities   

• Strong visual design skills and experience demonstrated through a portfolio of work.   
• Experience conducting user research, synthesizing findings, and communicating relevant insights, demonstrated through a portfolio.      
• Experience with design systems and component libraries and with prototyping tools like Axure and Figma.  
• Demonstrated product design experience working with consumer and/or business applications. Vertical specialization in areas of online learning, education, healthcare technologies and adaptive learning are a plus.  
• Passion and the ability to learn new processes and skills, and work to continuously improve the UX team's skills and knowledge through your work and experiences.  
• Willingness and ability to learn from design peers and work within an established user-centered design & innovation process.  
• Ability to work well independently and effectively move work forward even in times of ambiguity.   
• Approaches design process with open curiosity about customers and markets and seeks sources of fresh inspiration to fuel creativity.        
• Strong communication, facilitation, critical thinking, and collaboration skills.  

 Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.  

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Technology