Web/UX Designer
The Web Designer/UX is responsible for supporting and promoting user experience design best practices throughout the product life-cycle for our mobile app and customer-facing web properties. This role will be responsible for creating usable designs for internal and external product development, working closely with product and development teams, and helping define the vision of how Guaranteed Rate is approached and perceived by customers and potential customers alike.
Who is GR?
Guaranteed Rate is not your typical company and certainly not your typical mortgage company. We are technology driven, have tons of energy and we love what we do – get people and great priced mortgages alongside our impeccable customer service. We’re in a River North office with exposed brick and duct work, windows we can actually open during the summer and an open floor plan – no cubicle life here. The awesomeness doesn’t end there, we also have:
- Holiday parties? We got’em! Not just major holidays, any holiday….Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Opening Day, Boxing Day (for our Canadian employee), Sweetest Day, Groundhog Day, etc..
- Game room, library and white board paint for collaboration – yeah, it’s awesome.
- Access to our free GR nurse practitioner. Psshh who needs a doctor’s appointment when our nurse can do it all? Did we mention the free part?
- 401k with some matching, Blue Cross health care coverage – yup, dental and vision too, short-term disability, life insurance – we got ya covered on this one, legal assistance – for a small monthly fee.
- Oh and did we mention you get a big fat employee discount on the origination fees to get a new mortgage or refinance thru Guaranteed Rate?
So what do we want from you?
- Design products and features that meet business, brand, and user goals that test assumptions through quantitative and qualitative measures
- Work collaboratively with product, engineering, and other UX team members to identify minimal viable products and product enhancements
- Sketch, wireframe, mockup, and create HTML prototypes to communicate designs
- Create visual designs based on the wireframes
- Build and maintain personas/archetypes and associated work flows when applicable
- At least a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS
- Participate in usability user research, card sorting, design workshops, usability tests and stakeholder presentations
- Evangelize UX principles throughout the organization
- Extensive knowledge of User Experience best practices, principles
- Familiarity of Lean UX/Startup principles
- Keen analysis and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Familiarity with web standards, responsive design, and "mobile first" mentality
- Extensive knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite
- Demonstrated ability to work on collaborative teams or independently
- Coach other team members on relevant technical skills; is sought out as an expert in coding concepts and languages
- Identify and document technical trends and incorporate innovative uses of technology
- Interact with clients, vendors, and partners to design solutions, and respond to client issues
- Create detailed specifications and documentation for proposed and current technical solutions
Education & Business Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Design, Interface Design, Interaction Design or related field
- At least 3-4 years experience designing web sites and/or applications, including concepts, completed projects, and style guides that reflect usability
Guaranteed Rate is one of the ten largest retail mortgage lenders in the U.S. The company has become The Home Purchase Experts® by offering industry-leading self-service tools and low rate, low fee mortgages through an easy-to-understand process and unparalleled customer service. Headquartered in Chicago with approximately 175 offices across the U.S. and licensed in all 50 states, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with more than $65 billion in home purchase loans and refinances since 2000. Guaranteed Rate was ranked No. 1 in Scotsman Guide’s “Top Mortgage Lenders 2013” honors, and was recognized by Inc. magazine as the No. 4 private company job creator in the U.S. in 2013. Visit www.guaranteedrate.com for more information.