Job Description:

UX designers are primarily concerned with how  users feel and interact with a product or website. A given design problem has no single right answer. UX designers explore many different approaches to solving a specific user problem. The broad responsibility of a UX designer is to ensure that the product logically flows from one step to the next. One way that a UX designer might do this is by conducting in-person user tests to observe one’s behavior. By identifying verbal and non-verbal stumbling blocks, they refine and iterate to create the “best” user experience. Their deliverables include storyboards, journey maps, sitemaps, wireframes, and prototypes.

Roles:

UX designers usually work for companies that develop tools, platforms, and applications. A UX designer’s role is directly involved in the process of making a product useful, usable, and enjoyable for its users.  A UX designer’s responsibilities can vary dramatically from company to company and sometimes even from project to project within one company. Despite the variety the role offers, there are some general functions a UX designer can be expected to perform irrespective of the company where they work. These include: product research, creating personas and scenarios, information architecture, creating wireframes, prototyping, and product testing.

Alums:

Jennifer R. Ash, Senior UX Designer, Bungie (LinkedIn, jenniferash.com)

Alex Britez, Director Of User Experience, Academic Platform and Learning Tools, MacMillan Education (LinkedIn, ECT adunct)

Emily Reardon, Director of User Experience, Sesame Workshop (LinkedIn, ECT Adjunct)

Anna Zhang, Interactive Designer, Houghton Mifflin (LinkedIn)

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.

Girl Scouts of America

BrainPop

Early Adopter

Job Description:

UX researchers answer three questions: what do people need, what do people want, and can they use the product the company is working on? In their capacity, UX researchers conduct research and set up the scope of the study according to the research objectives. The outcome of the research is the application of design. The UX researcher reveals what the consumers need from the business’s products by conducting primary research, exploring consumer behavior and motivation, and working with other team members in developing new product features. The UX researcher also plays a role in inspiring change at all stages of the product’s development through the delivery of exciting written, oral, and visual presentations about their findings. The most fundamental role of the UX researcher is to assist the entire UX team in understanding what would ensure the consumer’s experience with the product feels more intuitive, fun, accessible, and quite possibly, magical.

Roles:

UX researchers work in similar settings to UX designers. The role of a UX researcher is to systematically gather in-depth insights into the customer’s needs, building up a context within which the design process can take place. Without sufficient research, design decisions tend to be based on hypothetical personas — personas that often represent the company’s “desired” user rather than their actual customers. A dedicated UX researcher eliminates the guesswork and does away with unfounded assumptions. They will work with the designers, engineers, product managers, and developers to create an experience that truly resonates with their audience.

Alums:

Katya Hott, Director, UX Research, BrainPOP (LinkedIn, floorobsession.com)

Heather Sherwood, EDC

Claire Menegus, NYU Usability Lab Manager

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.

NYU Usability Lab

Squiggle Park

Girl Scouts

Job Description:

Project managers are responsible for masterminding, outlining, and developing projects. They design the project goals and success markers, and determine how success will be measured and tracked. They ensure the project remains on time and on budget and help motivate team members to hit their goals. Project managers also act as a liaison between the project team and upper level management. They prepare and present progress reports and ensure the project is furthering organizational goals.

Roles:

Software project managers use their solid technical background plus their ability to explain concepts to laypeople to turn ideas into reality. After achieving a firm grasp of what the client ultimately desires, software project managers work with tech staff to figure out the steps needed to make it happen and the tests required to ensure quality. Along the way, they stay abreast of deadlines, budgets, and potential problems.

Alums:

Jonathan Prosperi, Project Manager, RIDDLE Lab NYU (LinkedIn, jonathanprosperi.com)

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.

Job Description:

The product manager is responsible for the product planning and execution, usually in software or media companies, throughout the product lifecycle, including: gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, defining the product vision, and working closely with engineering, sales, marketing, and support to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. The product manager’s job also includes ensuring that the product supports the company’s overall strategy and goals.

Roles:

• Define the product strategy and roadmap

• Deliver MRDs and PRDs with prioritized features and corresponding justification

• Work with external third parties to assess partnerships and licensing opportunities

• Run beta and pilot programs with early-stage products and samples

• Be an expert with respect to the competition

• Act as a leader within the company

Alums:

Abigail Adams, Director of Product, HOMER (LinkedIn)

Erin Okabe-Jawdat, Product Manager, Cognitive ToyBox (LinkedIn, erinoj.carbonmade.com)

Sophia Lu, Product Manager, Amplify (LinkedIn, http://misophialu.com)

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.

Classroom, Inc.

Kognito

Touchcast

Job Description:

Visual designers provide businesses with visually appealing graphic designs for their websites, LMS, learning platforms, or games. Their duties include brainstorming creative ideas with project teams, developing visual concepts for approval, and collaborating with IT developers to successfully integrate their graphic designs.

Roles:

1. Design high-quality and engaging experiences and interactions across a suite of products and publishers. 

2. Lead multiple aspects, such as branding, illustration, or storytelling, of design projects within a single track of work within a platform or suite of products; complete projects for individual products or provide support on collaborative projects.

3. Utilize best practices to build user visuals, wireframes, design comps, and low-fidelity prototypes to ensure the creative approach delivers a studio-grade, optimal experience.

4. Solve challenging design problems at a brand strategy and visual strategy level. Understand the needs of each project and line of business, and marry that understanding with a deeper comprehension of users.

5. Participate in the user discovery process for potential new features and visual opportunities.

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.

Job Description:

Game developers can be responsible for evaluating and testing  game templates or open source games for suitability, developing and maintaining interfaces between machine learning and gaming environments, incorporating machine learning output data into game mechanics, optimizing games as necessary to support performance of concurrent applications and interface responsiveness, performing QA and testing of games, and identifying and troubleshooting technical challenges as they arise.

Roles:

Game developers work on teams to plan, design, and produce video games for computers, mobile devices, or game consoles. Their work involves creating visual content for the game and writing code to implement all the game’s features and functionality. This career requires a background in software development, programming  languages, and the ability to collaborate well with others to accomplish project goals.

Internships:

* Note this is a sample only. Internship availability varies from semester to semester.