Senior Graphic Designer

Summary

A senior graphic designer is a designer who works with minimal support and can influence and mentor others. At this role level, you will:

work with service managers and programme directors to develop design concepts

potentially have responsibility across complex services

help set direction and embed good practice within teams

make important decisions based on research and understand how this research impacts others

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Risk management (Level 4) (Content publishing)	Understands the implications of publishing content and manages the associated risks.
Visual design and branding (Level 4)	Interprets and follows visual design and branding guidelines to create consistent and impactful user experience.
Cost benefit and risk analysis (Level 4)	Provides input to cost benefit analyses, risk analyses and development plans to take account of human factors in design decisions, including failure/degradation and contingency arrangements.
Web pages and sites (Level 4)	In collaboration with clients/users, uses agreed tools, templates and standards to design and create complex, well-designed and engineered web pages with specified structure and appearance. Takes account of the special requirements of the visually impaired and hard of hearing. Takes account of bandwidth and browser compatibility issues. Tests pages and corrects coding errors.
Web usage data (Level 4)	In response to requests, which may be loosely defined, obtains and analyses web-site usage data from web analytics software, server logs or other sources, and presents it effectively.
Procedures and tools (Level 4)	Applies propriety guidelines and uses appropriate tools and techniques to provide publishing interfaces to new or existing platforms and applications.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Customer Focus	Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions.
Creativity	Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
Organisational Awareness	Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers.
Interacting with People	Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
Teamwork	Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.

Technical Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Application Development Tools	Software tools which automate or assist part of the development process.	Expert in
Database Software	Software that enables the user to capture, create, populate and manipulate data structures and where appropriate unstructured data.	Familiar with
Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)	Graphical human/computer interfaces that facilitate effective communication between human operator and computer.	Expert in
Programming Languages	A set of codes and syntax (supported by software tools) that enables the unambiguous translation of specified functionality into source code for the creation of computer programs.	Expert in
Graphic Design	The creation of graphical designs that are appealing to the viewer, appropriate to the material and the commissioning organisation and that project the desired 'presence'.	Proficient in
Systems Ergonomics and Iterative Design	Iterative methods and techniques to allocate and optimise the division of functions between the human, machine and organisational elements of IT systems and the functions themselves in terms of ergonomic impact. Systematic and iterative design of the physical and cognitive interfaces to create an effective user experience in a software system, product or service with attention paid to variety of locations and access devices employed by users.	Familiar with
Information Architecture	Methods, techniques and technologies for ingesting, securing, processing and using data and information within and beyond an organisation.	Familiar with
Information and Data Visualisation/Presentation	The ability to visualise and present information and data in an appropriate format that helps stakeholders understand the significance of the information and data.	Proficient in
Data Handling	The ability to harvest, clean, curate, manage, process and manipulate data in a variety of formats.	Familiar with

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Legislation	Relevant national and international legislation.	Familiar with
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Aware of
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Aware of
Organisational Brand and Culture	Knowledge and understanding of the brand image and personality of the organisation's products and/or services and the overall culture and personality of the work environment.	Familiar with

Training

Title	Details
Human Factors Techniques	Methods and techniques for understanding human needs and limitations and for designing usable, accessible and ergonomically sound systems. Examples: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) approaches and iterative design methods and accessibility. Recognising ever evolving user expectations for use of a variety of access devices and locations and opportunities for environmental savings e.g. reducing office space, travel, etc.
Security Awareness	Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk.

Title

Details

Human Factors Techniques

Methods and techniques for understanding human needs and limitations and for designing usable, accessible and ergonomically sound systems. Examples: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) approaches and iterative design methods and accessibility. Recognising ever evolving user expectations for use of a variety of access devices and locations and opportunities for environmental savings e.g. reducing office space, travel, etc.

Security Awareness

Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk.

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Title	Details	PDA Group
Deputising	Standing in for supervisor or manager on a temporary basis during periods of absence.	Broadening Activities
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.	Broadening Activities
Research Assignments	Exploring a topic which is not part of own normal responsibilities and presenting findings to colleagues and/or management	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of Employing Organisation	Gaining basic knowledge of the employing organisation, its business, structure, culture, policies, products/services, operations and terminology.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of IT Concepts and Techniques	Undertaking study, learning and, where possible, practice in IT concepts and techniques external to own function.	Increasing Knowledge
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.	Participation in Professional Activities
Negotiating and Influencing	Undertaking learning and practice of negotiating with and influencing others.	Developing Professional Skills
Team Leadership	Undertaking learning and practice of the skills required to lead teams, including motivation, direction, coaching, delegation, appraisal, counselling and developing others.	Developing Professional Skills

Qualification Components

Title	Awarding Bodies
FEDIP Senior Practitioner	FEDIP - The Federation for Informatics Professionals
CREST Certified Web Application Tester	CREST
CXA - Certified User Experience Analyst	Human Factors International

Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills

Skill	Level
Leading Design Leadership and guidance involves providing effective leadership and management through team motivation, decision making, risk management, mediation and professional development.	Working Leading Design You can: lead and coordinate design work in your team, with support communicate the value of user-centred design to your team support other designers work with digital and data leaders in your organisation, when needed
Iterative Design	Practitioner Iterative Design You can: help other designers apply iterative design principles and agile methodologies to their work iterate and improve complex designs based on successive rounds of research independently prototype complex ideas at an appropriate fidelity adapt designs quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs
Evidence-Based Design	Practitioner Evidence-Based Design You can: analyse, synthesise and clearly explain complex evidence relevant to users or a service, for example, large data sets help your team use design hypotheses effectively use complex research and data to develop and test design ideas
Designing Together	Practitioner Designing Together You can: advise others how to effectively plan and run design sessions with a team, users or stakeholders adapt a design session to ensure you achieve a useful outcome effectively involve the right people throughout the design process work across team or profession boundaries, for example with policy teams
Designing Strategically Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.	Practitioner Designing Strategically You can: help a team understand how user-centred design helps it meet its goals help teams align their work to the goals and vision of their organisation use risks, opportunities and constraints in technology, systems and policy to shape design identify and create new design patterns and components
Designing For Everyone	Practitioner Designing For Everyone You can: advise teams on how to design inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable content or services design and deliver ethical content or services that consider the personal and social context of users ensure a design meets appropriate standards, for example accessibility regulations
Design Communication Communication involves conveying information using the most effective medium and language for the audience.	Practitioner Design Communication You can: clearly explain complex problems and ideas to teams or stakeholders outside of design clearly document and communicate design decisions, related risks and any unresolved issues build consensus around a design approach, for example, by asking difficult questions and challenging assumptions
Agile working Agile delivery involves encouraging teams to build incrementally, test and iterate their work based on regular feedback and other useful data.	Practitioner Agile working You can: identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes help the team to decide the best approach help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and adhere to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), priorities and scope
Communicating between the technical and non-technical	Practitioner Communicating between the technical and non-technical You can: listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them effectively manage stakeholder expectations manage active and reactive communication support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders
Community collaboration Collaboration in the Government Digital and Data profession typically involves working in a multidisciplinary project team, and contributing to working groups and wider professional communities. It requires a broad understanding of the technologies, principles and perspectives of related professions.	Practitioner Community collaboration You can: work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses
Digital perspective Process optimisation involves ensuring your processes are accurately defined and capture the most efficient way to complete a task by monitoring modified procedures.	Practitioner Digital perspective You can: apply a digital understanding to your work identify and implement solutions for assisted digital
Evidence- and context-based design	Expert Evidence- and context-based design You can: design systems for use across multiple services and can identify the simplest of a variety of approaches
Leadership and guidance IT infrastructure involves ensuring systems and processes are available, adaptable, reliable and secure.	Practitioner Leadership and guidance You can: make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase build consensus between services or independent stakeholders identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation
Prototyping Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design.	Expert Prototyping You can: use a variety of prototyping methods share best practice and coach others look at strategic service design end to end
Prototyping in code Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design.	Practitioner Prototyping in code You can: create static HTML and CSS prototypes code for different screen sizes version and host a prototype
Strategic thinking Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.	Expert Strategic thinking You can: lead the design and implementation of strategy, directing the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met
Tools and software Testing involves ensuring that requirements have been fully met by using appropriate tools and techniques to verify that a product or service works.	Expert Tools and software You can: create tools for other designers to use and can teach others effectively work with tools that have an impact on other designers
User focus User focus involves understanding the user needs to develop a detailed understanding of the problems that need to be solved.	Expert User focus You can: give direction on which tools or methods to use demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they're met by the business apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user
Working within constraints Web performance optimisation involves improving the efficiency and speed with which web pages load in a browser.	Working Working within constraints You can: identify, communicate and work within constraints challenge the validity of constraints ensure standards are being met

Skill

Level

Leading Design

Leadership and guidance involves providing effective leadership and management through team motivation, decision making, risk management, mediation and professional development.

Working Leading Design

You can:

lead and coordinate design work in your team, with support
communicate the value of user-centred design to your team
support other designers
work with digital and data leaders in your organisation, when needed

Iterative Design

Practitioner Iterative Design

You can:

help other designers apply iterative design principles and agile methodologies to their work
iterate and improve complex designs based on successive rounds of research
independently prototype complex ideas at an appropriate fidelity
adapt designs quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs

Evidence-Based Design

Practitioner Evidence-Based Design

You can:

analyse, synthesise and clearly explain complex evidence relevant to users or a service, for example, large data sets
help your team use design hypotheses effectively
use complex research and data to develop and test design ideas

Designing Together

Practitioner Designing Together

You can:

advise others how to effectively plan and run design sessions with a team, users or stakeholders
adapt a design session to ensure you achieve a useful outcome
effectively involve the right people throughout the design process
work across team or profession boundaries, for example with policy teams

Designing Strategically

Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.

Practitioner Designing Strategically

You can:

help a team understand how user-centred design helps it meet its goals
help teams align their work to the goals and vision of their organisation
use risks, opportunities and constraints in technology, systems and policy to shape design
identify and create new design patterns and components

Designing For Everyone

Practitioner Designing For Everyone

You can:

advise teams on how to design inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable content or services
design and deliver ethical content or services that consider the personal and social context of users
ensure a design meets appropriate standards, for example accessibility regulations

Design Communication

Communication involves conveying information using the most effective medium and language for the audience.

Practitioner Design Communication

You can:

clearly explain complex problems and ideas to teams or stakeholders outside of design
clearly document and communicate design decisions, related risks and any unresolved issues
build consensus around a design approach, for example, by asking difficult questions and challenging assumptions

Agile working

Agile delivery involves encouraging teams to build incrementally, test and iterate their work based on regular feedback and other useful data.

Practitioner Agile working

You can: identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes help the team to decide the best approach help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and adhere to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), priorities and scope

Communicating between the technical and non-technical

Practitioner Communicating between the technical and non-technical

You can: listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them effectively manage stakeholder expectations manage active and reactive communication support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders

Community collaboration

Collaboration in the Government Digital and Data profession typically involves working in a multidisciplinary project team, and contributing to working groups and wider professional communities. It requires a broad understanding of the technologies, principles and perspectives of related professions.

Practitioner Community collaboration

You can:

work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others
adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting
use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them
identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses

Digital perspective

Process optimisation involves ensuring your processes are accurately defined and capture the most efficient way to complete a task by monitoring modified procedures.

Practitioner Digital perspective

You can: apply a digital understanding to your work identify and implement solutions for assisted digital

Evidence- and context-based design

Expert Evidence- and context-based design

You can: design systems for use across multiple services and can identify the simplest of a variety of approaches

Leadership and guidance

IT infrastructure involves ensuring systems and processes are available, adaptable, reliable and secure.

Practitioner Leadership and guidance

You can: make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase build consensus between services or independent stakeholders identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation

Prototyping

Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design.

Expert Prototyping

You can: use a variety of prototyping methods share best practice and coach others look at strategic service design end to end

Prototyping in code

Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design.

Practitioner Prototyping in code

You can: create static HTML and CSS prototypes code for different screen sizes version and host a prototype

Strategic thinking

Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.

Expert Strategic thinking

You can: lead the design and implementation of strategy, directing the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met

Tools and software

Testing involves ensuring that requirements have been fully met by using appropriate tools and techniques to verify that a product or service works.

Expert Tools and software

You can: create tools for other designers to use and can teach others effectively work with tools that have an impact on other designers

User focus

User focus involves understanding the user needs to develop a detailed understanding of the problems that need to be solved.

Expert User focus

You can: give direction on which tools or methods to use demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they're met by the business apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user

Working within constraints

Web performance optimisation involves improving the efficiency and speed with which web pages load in a browser.

Working Working within constraints

You can: identify, communicate and work within constraints challenge the validity of constraints ensure standards are being met

The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is BCS. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.

Summary

Work Activity Components

Behavioural Skills

Technical Skills

Other Skills

Training

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Qualification Components

Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills

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