At a Glance
- Tasks: Design user journeys and prototypes for impactful public services.
- Company: Join a dynamic team focused on user experience improvements.
- Benefits: Flexible hybrid working, supportive design community, and mentorship opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in public services while honing your design skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in user-centred design and strong prototyping skills required.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with potential for career growth and development.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Why This Role Matters
We’re progressing a significant programme of user experience improvements across two high profile services: Find Case Law — evolving search and discovery to keep pace with a rapidly growing corpus of judgments. Access Your Records — scaling search, rendering and accessibility so born digital public records are easier to discover and use. These changes need dedicated interaction design expertise to deliver at pace while safeguarding quality, accessibility and trust.
What You’ll Do
- Design end to end journeys, flows, wireframes and prototypes; iterate with user research and data led insight.
- Apply accessibility first principles (WCAG 2.2), progressive enhancement and web standards to ensure our services work for everyone.
- Collaborate in agile, multi disciplinary teams; partner with engineers to turn designs into robust, performant interfaces.
- Contribute to shared patterns and libraries (e.g. Figma); participate in critiques, show and tells and our internal design community.
- Communicate design decisions clearly to colleagues and external stakeholders, supporting a culture of inclusive, user centred design.
What You’ll Bring
- Solid experience of user centred and interaction design for complex or live services.
- Strong prototyping skills and clear documentation that makes implementation straightforward.
- Confidence working with user researchers, interpreting findings and iterating designs.
- Practical understanding of accessibility and inclusion (WCAG 2.2).
- Experience collaborating in agile teams and contributing to shared design practices.
Desirable: familiarity with GOV.UK Design System patterns and service standard assessments.
This role is based at Kew with hybrid working; most staff spend at least 60% of their time on site (more when new to role or during development phases). This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. Applicants must be resident in the UK and eligible to work in the UK Civil Service.
What We Offer
- The chance to design services with real public value and long term impact.
- A supportive, collaborative design community and opportunities to mentor and be mentored.
- Flexible, hybrid working with our base at Kew.
Person Specification
- Specialist knowledge of user-centred design principles, web standards, and accessibility (WCAG 2.2), with proven experience applying these in digital services.
- Ability to produce high-quality design outputs, including prototypes, wireframes, and clear design documentation.
- Experience working in agile delivery environments and collaborating effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
- Excellent attention to detail to ensure designs are accurate and easy to hand off to developers.
- Ability to interpret user research findings and apply them to improve service usability.
- Strong communication skills, able to present design solutions and rationale to both internal colleagues and external stakeholders.
- Self-motivated, well-organised, and able to work independently and collaboratively.
- Experience providing informal guidance or mentorship to junior staff.
- Familiarity with Government Digital Service design patterns and service standard assessments.
- Awareness of data protection and information governance in user-centred service design.
Interaction Designer employer: The National Archives, UK
Contact Detail:
The National Archives, UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Interaction Designer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the design community, attend meetups, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best work, especially projects that demonstrate your user-centred design expertise. Make sure to include prototypes and wireframes that showcase your process and thought behind each design.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common design questions and scenarios. Be ready to discuss how you apply accessibility principles and collaborate in agile teams. We want to see your passion for creating inclusive designs!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team and contributing to meaningful public services.
We think you need these skills to ace Interaction Designer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in user-centred design and interaction design. We want to see how your skills align with the specific needs of the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant projects!
Show Off Your Prototyping Skills: Since this role involves designing prototypes and wireframes, include examples of your work that demonstrate your prototyping prowess. We love seeing your creative process, so feel free to share links to your portfolio or any Figma files you've worked on.
Communicate Clearly: When writing your application, be clear and concise about your design decisions and how they relate to user research. We appreciate candidates who can articulate their thought process, so make sure to explain how you’ve applied accessibility principles in your past work.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at The National Archives, UK
✨Know Your User-Centred Design Principles
Make sure you brush up on user-centred design principles and accessibility standards like WCAG 2.2. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these in your previous projects, as this will show your understanding of the role's requirements.
✨Show Off Your Prototyping Skills
Prepare a portfolio that highlights your best prototypes, wireframes, and design documentation. Be ready to walk through your design process and explain how you iterated based on user research and feedback.
✨Collaborate Like a Pro
Since this role involves working in agile, multidisciplinary teams, think of examples where you've successfully collaborated with engineers and other designers. Highlight your communication skills and how you’ve contributed to shared design practices.
✨Be Ready for Accessibility Discussions
Expect questions about accessibility and inclusion. Prepare to discuss how you've ensured your designs are accessible to all users and how you interpret user research findings to enhance usability.