Junior UI / UX Designer / Prototyper

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is seeking an entry-level UI/UX Designer/Prototyper to join our team in Bentonville, Arkansas. The ideal candidate should be passionate about iterative UI/UX design and testing, pursuing practical solutions to complex problems to aid in real-world government and military operations. Any candidate applying for this role should be familiar with modern tooling to build clickable wireframes, able to independently produce mockups quickly and efficiently. This staff member in this position will primarily focus on designing iterative versions of software products and providing guidance to the frontend team.

This role requires a mixture of skills:

A creative side, designing the product itself.

A quantitative, research side, bringing that design into contact with real customers and learning from their interactions with it.

To be successful, you need to be confident enough to design things that you think might change the world, but humble enough to take tough feedback when customers don’t like it and then adjust for the next version of your design.

This position requires the ability to structure and organize files efficiently and provide team members with value-added designs and feedback regularly. The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of professionals developing software to solve critical problems of national importance.

What you’ll do as a Junior UI/UX Designer:

Gather and evaluate user requirements in collaboration with product managers and developers

Illustrate design ideas using storyboards, process flows and sitemaps

Design graphic user interface elements, like menus, tabs and widgets

Develop UI mockups and prototypes that clearly illustrate how sites function and look like

Create original graphic designs (e.g. images, sketches and tables)

Prepare and present rough drafts to internal teams and key stakeholders

Identify and troubleshoot UX problems

Conduct layout adjustments based on user feedback

Adhere to style standards on fonts, colors and images

Required qualifications:

Willingness to relocate to Bentonville, Arkansas

US citizen with the ability to obtain DoD Secret clearance

Bachelor’s degree with 0-2 years’ experience or high school diploma with 6-8 years’ experience

Expertise in wireframe tools and design software

Demonstrated attention to detail and high degree of organization

Portfolio showcasing your designs for desktop and mobile applications

Preferred qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in design or a related field

UI/UX design certification

Experience in working with industry professionals on design and prototyping

Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment

COMPANY INFORMATION:

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company known for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We were founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1979 as the disco era was, thankfully, closing out and the personal computer era was beginning. We employ over 2,000 professionals and continue to grow. ARA offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement.

ARA boasts competitive salaries , Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) & 401(k) with matching program, benefits package which includes medical, dental vision, flex spending, telehealth services, company-paid life & disability insurance including paid maternity disability leave through our company-paid short-term disability benefit, domestic partner coverage, dependent care flex spending, daycare discounts, pet insurance, relocation opportunities, floating holidays, tuition reimbursement, professional development as well as flexible schedules. ARA also prides ourselves on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. At ARA, employees are our greatest assets, so we give our employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take active roles as owners. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience.

The company realizes employee ownership spawns greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels.

ARA is passionate about inclusion and diversity in our workplace. We seek colleagues who will contribute to the unique culture that makes ARA such a great place to work. For additional information and an opportunity to join this unique workplace, please apply at careers.ara.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)