Senior Interaction Designer

Summary

A senior interaction designer is an experienced 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
Components design (Level 4)	Designs components using appropriate modelling techniques following agreed architectures, design standards, patterns and methodology. Identifies and evaluates alternative design options and trade-offs.
Design, analysis and iterative development (Level 4)	Designs and develop users' digital and off-line tasks, interaction and interfaces to meet agreed usability and accessibility requirements. Translates concepts into outputs and prototypes and captures user feedback to improve designs.
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.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Creativity	Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
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 Systems	Technical or functional understanding of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications and/or other bespoke software deployed within the organisation in order to provide system configuration, audit, technical, and/or functional support.	Familiar with
Application Development Tools	Software tools which automate or assist part of the development process.	Proficient in
Database Software	Software that enables the user to capture, create, populate and manipulate data structures and where appropriate unstructured data.	Familiar with
Structured Reviews	Methods and techniques for structured reviews, including reviews of technical work products, test plans, business cases, architectures and any other key deliverables.	Familiar with
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.	Proficient in
DevOps	The collaborative approach consisting of agile practices, processes, and procedures designed to facilitate rapid IT service and product delivery. DevOps emphasizes people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with the aim of shortening the systems development life cycle to provide continuous release of high-quality software.	Aware of

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
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
Systems Development	Systems development, including development life-cycles and methods, organisation interfaces, typical corporate application architectures, project and programme management, risk management and change control.
Software Configuration	Installation, configuration and tuning of applications or systems software.
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.
Graphic Design and Web Development	Tools and techniques for graphic design, user interface design (UI design), content authoring using standardised code and proprietary software, user experience design (UX design), web development and search engine optimisation.

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

Qualification Components

Title	Awarding Bodies
FEDIP Senior Practitioner	The Federation for Informatics Professionals
BCS Practitioner Certificate in Systems Design	BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT
BCS Foundation Certificate in Agile	BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT

Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills

Skill	Level
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
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
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 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
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
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
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

Skill

Level

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

Give Feedback