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Data Visualization Society · 1 day ago

Design Director

United States

Full-time

Remote

Director/Executive

$110/hr - $120/hr

7+ years exp

Data Visualization Society is a transdisciplinary research and design studio focused on regenerating Earth's living systems. The Design Director will lead design efforts across various projects, particularly the Living Infrastructure Field Kit, guiding participatory design processes and collaborating with cross-functional teams to create community-centered experiences.

Non ProfitProfessional ServicesSkill AssessmentTraining

Responsibilities

Design experiences that are intuitive, meaningful, and honor diverse perspectives and cultural contexts

Translate complex environmental and systems data into interfaces that make information visible and actionable for community advocacy

Maintain and evolve the UI kit and design system with engineering, balancing consistency with flexibility for new platform needs

Monitor and address design quality issues and visual inconsistencies across the platform

Lead collaborative design processes that build collective intelligence and ownership

Coordinate with specialist contractors across information design, data science, game design, and other disciplines

Pursue craft with intention, attending to both functional and evocative details

Lead the organization and synthesis insights from community workshops and stakeholder sessions

Support participatory design processes that center community knowledge and lived experience

Document and synthesize user insights, experience opportunities, and interface needs

Test solutions to improve usability for different stakeholders

Engage stakeholders as collaborators, embedding community knowledge and lived experience

Present design strategy and progress to partners and community stakeholders

Guide project planning within real-world constraints and resource realities

Measure design impact to ensure solutions support human and ecological wellbeing

Define and track design success metrics

Anticipate potential direct and indirect effects of collective design decisions to steer the work toward desired outcomes

Provide functional direction, management, and expertise for your team

Build a collaborative team culture aligned with studio values and regenerative design principles

Support team members’ growth in strategic thinking and leadership capacity

Help shape and tend to studio culture through honest communication, engaged caring, and accountability

Balance workload and coordinate across functions

Manage hiring, staffing, and budgets for internal team and external contractors

Define project scopes and manage consultant partnerships

Lead design for the Living Infrastructure Field Kit as primary focus

Contribute to Spherical Lab initiatives, including coding experiments, data visualizations, and immersive productions, as opportunities arise

Bridge disciplinary perspectives across projects, integrating design with research, development, and production work

User experiences that empower users through clarity, consistency, and progressive disclosure

Community-centered approaches that reflect diverse stakeholder input and address real needs

Measurable improvements in participation, retention, and meaningful interaction

Consistent yet adaptable design across multiple touchpoints

Interfaces and experiences that meet accessibility standards while pushing creative boundaries

Strong working relationships with collaborators and stakeholders built on trust and transparent communication

Qualification

UX design leadershipParticipatory design methodsInterface design for advocacyProject managementCommunity engagementAccessible interface designCross-functional collaborationTeam developmentStakeholder communicationCuriosityDiscernment

Required

7+ years leading UX, product, and/or experience design work in complex systems

3+ years leading with demonstrated organization-level strategic thinking and team development capacity

Experience with participatory design methods and cross-functional collaboration

Experience designing interfaces for environmental or spatial data products used in advocacy, civic engagement, or community decision-making

Experience creating accessible interfaces that serve diverse human abilities and contexts

Experience with client and partner relationships, including presenting design work to funders, community organizations, and non-design stakeholders

Experience managing external contractors and translating specialized content into interface design

Strong project management skills with ability to define scopes, timelines, budgets, and maintain stakeholder alignment

Healthy balance of curiosity and discernment in the use of new AI-connected tools, and a demonstrated capacity to experiment, explore, and provide recommendations on new workflows