Interaction Designer

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

Job description

GDS is designing and delivering the future of how people in the UK interact with the government, through a personalised and proactive digital experience. With the recent launch of the GOV.UK app, GDS is building on the success of GOV.UK to reduce the time burden on users and make using government services even more straightforward.

The GOV.UK app and website are powered by our digital platforms. These help government do things like take payments, send notifications, or build simple forms. They are used by hundreds of government organisations and millions of people in the UK.

You will help to grow these products so they reach more people and have even greater impact. There will be a strong focus on proactively identifying areas for improvement and designing scalable solutions to problems.

As an Interaction Designer you will:

• help design and deliver simple, usable services for the public and government users
  
• work effectively in a multidisciplinary, agile environment, adapting quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs
  
• use research and analytics to understand users needs, identify problems and test different designs
• design collaboratively and in the open, engaging your team and the wider design studio with the design process
• champion accessibility and inclusion and make sure our products raise accessibility standards
• consider the impact of new technologies including AI
• collaborate with designers in other teams and departments, reviewing each other’s work and developing shared patterns
• design cutting-edge interaction patterns, ensuring innovation is grounded in real user needs and technical feasibility

Person specification

We’re interested in people who:

• design clear, usable, and accessible interfaces across different channels, including native apps
• have experience in making effective decisions with user research data
• have experience of working with senior stakeholders and the ability to negotiate important design decisions
• have experience of engaging with people in a variety of ways (e.g. workshops or co-design activities)
• have an understanding of the importance of inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services
• have a working knowledge of WCAG 2.1 and how it is used to develop accessible products and services
• have experience of working closely with developers to help design components and patterns that can be reused across products and services

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for the King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

We're recruiting three Interaction Designers: two roles are Manchester-based only, and one role is available across all locations (London, Bristol or Manchester)

When you apply, you can select your preferred location. Offers will be made in merit order, taking location preferences into account. If a candidate's preferred location has already been filled, they may be placed on the reserve list, and appointments will continue in merit order until all three roles have been filled.

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• we ask for a cover letter of up to 750 words, your CV, and a link to your portfolio. Please make sure your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above.
• a 60 minute video interview, where you will be asked to present some of your work and answer questions about your experience

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra