[Sigia-l] JOB: Senior Usability Manager, Framingham, MA, Staples Inc. Fulltime

adamya ashk adamya at gmail.com
Thu Nov 11 16:19:48 EST 2010


Apologies for cross posting. We have an opening in our group. Please use the
link and job number below to apply or send your responses to
joseph.carey at staples.com

http://staples.taleo.net/careersection/2/moresearch.ftl?lang=en
Search for Job: 829854

Thanks and best of luck,

-Adamya Ashk
Director Usability, NAD | Staples Inc.
Ph. 508 253 3986 | Fax 508 253 8946
----------------------------------------------------------

*Senior Usability Manager *

[Staples e-commerce sites, catalogs and emails]

(Position is located in Framingham, MA which is about 25 minutes west of
Boston)



You've heard our company tagline: "That was easy." Now come join one of the
key teams that make this statement a reality.



The Staples Usability Team is considered one of the thought leaders in user
experience and is growing to meet company demand for our services. We are
comprised of researchers, information architects and analytics experts. Our
mission is to cut costs and increase sales through the analysis of user
behavior and create optimized designs that lead to a simple and delightful
experience for our customers.

Responsibilities:

Serve as the primary point of contact on strategic usability initiatives
related to various web and print projects. Specifically:

   - *Lead strategic usability research* for Staples online, most notably
   Staples.com, Staples.ca and growing initiatives for the integration of
   mobile and social media. Provide hands-on expertise in the execution of this
   research and manage resources to ensure its delivery.
   - *Serve as the key UX resource* for major areas of merchandising and
   manage usability input for site enhancement releases. Analyze research needs
   at the outset and prepare plans to integrate this research within the
   project lifecycle.
   - *Architect design solutions* based on usability research, usage
   analytics, A/B tests and sound UX principles. Drive a culture of evaluating
   hypotheses through measurable results to impact key e-commerce aspects like
   search, product display and conversion.
   - *Manage usability input for print vehicles* including the Staples
   catalogs and the inter-relationship of these with online. Also provide
   usability input for e-mail and marketing campaigns.

In this capacity:

   - Own data collection activities in accordance with research strategies
   - Activities may include competitive reviews, focus groups, heuristic
   reviews, field studies, usability tests, surveys, card-sorts, cognitive
   walkthroughs and other means
   - Organize research findings to serve as inputs for business strategy,
   designs and task flows
   - Direct needs analysis, information architecture, task flow design, GUI
   screen design, error and online help development, and prototype testing
   - Manage all aspects of usability testing on projects. Define user
   metrics and lead testing both independently and working with 3rd party
   usability firms including recruiting of usability participants
   - Organize and implement comprehensive research programs. Provide input
   that will impact the strategic direction of wide-ranging usability research
   - Present usability findings to cross-functional groups including senior
   management
   - Review requirements documents and deliverables for projects
   - Manage internal and contractor resources as required by projects



Also,



   - Keep abreast of web usability trends that may affect Staples.com skill
   set or processes used in the workplace.
   - Serve as strong user advocate in the design and development of Staples
   online initiatives
   - Review vendor applications to determine usability level; make
   recommendations on improvement as needed

Qualifications

   - Minimum of an *MS degree* in Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology or
   related discipline required
   - Minimum of *8 -10 years of online usability experience* in a corporate
   or consulting environment required; Experience in a retail environment a
   plus


   - Demonstrated ability to build strong business and technical
   partnerships and navigate through complex, matrix-based organization


   - *Strong experience in usability testing practices and theory *via
   demonstrated skill in conducting large-scale online usability testing


   - Experience in managing the creation of wire frames, process maps,
   thumbnail flows and other functional design artifacts. Deep understanding
   of information architecture principles.


   - Experience with doing strategic research to influence and guide
   business decisions.


   - Must be a strong presenter with excellent interpersonal skills
   - Ability to handle multiple projects for multiple clients at once
   - Must be able to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment
   - Awareness of web-development technologies. Experience in coding HTML
   and JavaScript a plus. Strong understanding of computer platforms and
   browsers and the effects these variables have on the design of a system and
   how they impact the user.
   - Understanding of statistical methodologies including correlations,
   t-tests, regressions, ANOVAs, and assessing scale reliability and validity
   is a plus. Working knowledge of statistical packages like SAS, SPSS, etc. a
   plus
   - Approximately 10-15% travel required



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