Lead UX Designer

Pocket Gems seeks to build the greatest games and most compelling interactive entertainment in the world. That’s the mission our founders began with in an apartment above a pizza shop back in 2009 and it continues to inspire us today. Since then, we’ve grown to over 200 people in San Francisco, and with $155 million in backing from Sequoia Capital and Tencent, we’re constantly breaking new ground in mobile entertainment.

Our products have been downloaded over 450 million times by players around the world. In recent years, we’ve launched Episode, a mobile storytelling network and platform, and War Dragons, a visually stunning 3D real-time strategy game. As our community of players continues to grow, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive environments across our teams, and in our games.

As a Lead UX Designer, you will lead our efforts to help build intuitive and cohesive experiences in our next line of hit games. With your deep understanding of our players, you will build prototypes of player flows for new and existing features, both on small and larger teams, test those flows qualitatively and quantitatively to make sure they are resonating with our audience, and partner with Product and Engineering to get those features built.

Our ideal candidate enjoys a work environment that requires strong problem solving skills and independent self-direction, coupled with an aptitude for team collaboration and open communication.  We are looking for candidates that are excited to build best in class solutions and establish Pocket Gems as a leader in interactive mobile space, creating games that appeal to a wide audience of players.

We are excited to be shaping and defining games as we know it on mobile!

What You’ll Do:

• Work closely with UX designers, product managers, game designers, artists and engineers from concept to execution on high-scope feature sets and design challenges
• Leading the UX process you will deliver excellent solutions that fit business and product goals while providing customer value and inspiring the team as a whole
• Thoughtfully break down and communicate recognized best practice user experiences to help the team succeed
• Work with other disciplines on establishing user centered design solutions, standards, and patterns for the team and studio on green-lit prototypes
• Help initiate and facilitate moderated and unmoderated user testing and report back findings to the team
• Work hands on in engine with other members on the prototyping team to design and implement functional UIs and flows in our prototype games
• Research and apply latest industry mobile design trends and patterns

 

What You Bring to the Design Team:

• 8+ years of production experience as a UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Product Designer or similar
• Shipped at least 1 mobile game as a lead contributor in UX
• A track record of training and mentoring other designers as they strive to achieve excellence
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies
• Ability to autonomously drive the design and implementation of large features
• A strong sense of ownership and excellent communication skills, with a passion for great execution
• Expert-level experience using various prototyping and design software
• Ability to independently construct functioning user flows in engine via basic technical scripting knowledge
• A great portfolio of work showing:
• evidence of advanced skills in user centred design thinking and problem solving (strategy and definition documents, user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, personas, usability evaluation, user research etc)
• examples of games, mobile applications, software applications, and/or interactive spaces

Extra Gems For:

• Experience with front-end development
• BA/BS in interactive design, graphic arts, human factors, computer science or a related field with equivalent experience 

Pocket Gems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status. 

 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.