Lead Product Designer
Position:
Morningstar brings inspired problem solvers together with one goal in mind—to help investors reach their financial goals. At our core, we’re one of the world’s top investment research and data companies. But where we set ourselves apart is how we use that data and research to serve a diverse range of users. Our investment data and research enable us to deliver analytics and insights with a purely independent view, and then we leverage the latest in technology and design to deliver an array of solutions that best meet our customers’ needs. This foundation of research, data, technology and design uniquely positions us to provide a more complete set of services to investors all around the world—ultimately helping people make better decisions about their money, or the money they manage for millions of people all over the world.
The Morningstar design team is dedicated to creating thoughtfully-designed financial products and services so that people across the world can make the best investing decisions for themselves and their clients. We synthesize complex financial information into experiences that help deliver better investing outcomes. We do this by not only creating the look and feel of a product, but also driving product direction: prioritizing the biggest opportunities to support our users and the business, while maintaining a strong sense of product ownership and its resulting success. The design organization is made up of several disciplines—visual, UX, communications, content, and research—united to help each other, and the whole company, grow. We’re always seeking designers who are motivated, are driven to deliver user-centered outcomes, and are equally committed to craft and compassion.
We’re looking for a Lead Product Designer for our Data and Research distribution groups. This individual will help drive the product design discipline, working with cross-functional teams charged with developing world-class data and research consumption experiences for financial professionals and institutions.
This role is perfect for a self-motivated designer who loves the challenge of translating user needs into meaningful and desirable customer experiences, turning complex data into impactful design, and working in an incredibly collaborative environment. Lead product designers work with software developers, product managers, project managers, and business owners to develop the next generation of our software and help lead the critical evaluation and continuous improvement of existing applications.
This position is based in our Chicago office.
You’ll be great at:
• Being a confident product design leader who is comfortable advocating for users and knows how to deliver great product experiences that address their true needs.
• Driving and executing core user-centered research activities such as customer interviews, contextual inquiry, participatory design, and usability testing.
• Partnering with business, product, and engineering leads to clarify and support an end-to-end vision for product solutions that align with business goals.
• Coaching and facilitating design-led activities and workshops as needed, helping your teams and stakeholders gain alignment and arrive at unified product decisions.
• Expertly utilizing design thinking methods in day-to-day project work, including collaborating with teams to successfully incorporate these methods into an Agile process.
• Thriving in our Agile work environment, including the ability to embrace iterative product development while maintaining a cohesive and holistic view of the overall design experience.
• Working experimentally, helping business partners understand the importance of validating and testing their assumptions prior to making large-scale and costly product decisions.
• Providing inspired solutions for complex navigation and information hierarchy challenges at a system level that enable elegant and intuitive interface solutions.
• Making expert-level visual decisions around typography, composition, color, and data visualization.
• Producing all artifacts needed to visualize, communicate, and test product design direction at an expert level—including task flows, wireframes, low-fidelity prototypes, and high-fidelity comps.
• Supporting a collaborative, transparent, and high-performing team environment by championing a positive, results-oriented attitude and culture that’s built on resilience, great communication, and mutual respect.
• Promoting open and inclusive discourse about new ideas, tough issues, and contrasting points of view.
You’ll also do things like:
• Demonstrate exceptional stakeholder management skills, including effectively managing expectations and obtaining agreement on key objectives.
• Continuously strive to find better ways of doing things.
• Persuade and lead others to invest in quality design and demonstrate the value of doing it right.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members.
• Participate in the larger internal and external Design community by contributing to special interest groups and helping facilitate events/trainings.
• Be curious about new technology and pushing experiences towards the current and modern.
Basic Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience designing for software, web and/or digital products.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Strong knowledge of Sketch, Invision, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, and Mac OS X
• Knowledge of HTML and CSS
• Degree in a field related to human-computer interaction, design, graphic design, library sciences, psychology, or communication
How to apply:
Include a link to your online portfolio or attach pdf samples along with your resume.