Staff Industrial Designer-Front End Innovation

Staff Industrial Designer
Job Description:

Come help define the future of our products with our Front End Innovation team!

The Front End Innovation Designer invests in the future of Milwaukee using a user-centered approach to solve the toughest challenges. This role works collaboratively with teams and strategic leaders throughout the company as they dig into problems and research, ideate, bring definition, prototype concepts and new solutions.

Are you a...

• DRIVER who thrives in ambiguous scenarios in which the correct direction is not yet obvious. Great at gleaning meaning from whatever data is available and acting with limited information or direction? Ready to apply a BTU mindset to evaluate opportunities for their, viability, feasibility and desirability?
• PASSIONATE INNOVATOR with an irresistible drive to invent new solutions to old problems?
• STRATEGIC DESIGN THINKER who is familiar with different methods, processes, tools, & execution?
• CURIOUS OBSERVER practiced in recognizing patterns and opportunities in research and data always looking for the big why?
• MECHANICALLY MINDED DESIGNER familiar with manufacturing understanding to ground ideas but also have a finger on the pulse of industry, material, and process trends?
• FLEXIBLE DESIGN NINJA willing and able to change course on designs as new information is presented?
• TRUE TEAM PLAYER who can work alongside Engineering, Product Management & Design Research. Do you understand the strengths, value, and know how to correctly utilize each member of the team most effectively?

Duties/Responsibilities

• Lead Design efforts on front-end projects: You will be a key member on collaborative, cross-disciplinary team looking at everything from discovery of new white space for exploration of new ideas to solving specific problems.
• Teach and coach others on human-centered design methods
• Discover the, "Why" behind problems through field research using ethnographic methods and find pertinent insights to identify opportunity areas for designing new solutions
• Translate research and design insights into visual models and frameworks
• Lead and / or design concept workshops utilize various brainstorming methodologies to pull creative product solutions out of the team
• Envision new ideas across a wide range of experience types: digital and physical tools, and business strategies.
• Help to develop presentations to communicate project progress, and design intent.
• Create concept communication tools such as storyboards, user experience journeys, and system maps for use in research, synthesis, workshops and prototype testing
• Create prototype stimulus to gather feedback on design concepts from a wide range of audiences
• Collaborate in a team-based environment with leads from multi-disciplinary units such as machine learning, advanced development, technology, and marketing
• Identify the dependencies and impacts of projects to the greater organization

Experience/Requirements

• Experience: 2 years of consultancy or corporate experience working in Design or Innovation teams. Experience with Design Thinking methods, processes, tools, & execution a plus.
• BS or BFA in Industrial Design, Visual, Experience or Service designs required.

Intermediate knowledge of User Centered Design and Innovation mindsets, tools and techniques such as:

• Behavioral research practices

• Strategic thinking, problem solving and connecting disparate dots

• Using 2D and 3D Design Tools to create concepts

• Communication practices and crafting compelling stories

• Translate user research into design principles and product criteria

• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders from recent grads to Senior Leaders.

• Bring ideas to life through model making / rapid prototyping

• Use Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office Suite Education

• Familiar with generative Ai visualization software

Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.