Information/UX Architect

Washington, DC Hybrid

Long term Contract

Description:

Core initiative: Take part in a project to re-envision and future-proof our corporate website to create a more cohesive and intuitive experience for users. Need to ensure that this large, complex site is thoughtfully organized to meet the needs of a wide variety of audiences as well as internal business units, and that we are leveraging the latest UX & website best practices.
This role may also include work on other Fannie Mae websites or web initiatives, such as our Sharepoint-based intranet, content taxonomy, and digital asset management system.
Role Responsibilities
Lead user research activities to provide insight into user needs and behaviors, including how core audiences expect information to be organized and what content is most relevant
Lead stakeholder/business unit research to understand business needs for each domain and audience, including content hierarchies
Propose and test solutions for streamlined navigational systems (e.g., global header and footer) that serve the needs of all audiences and business units
Provide recommendations for improving/re-organizing search functionality on site, based on updated content taxonomy decisions
Recommend and test solutions to complex navigational and content organization questions
Work cross-functionally with designers, web developers, marketing technology experts, marketing teams, and business leads to synthesize various viewpoints as part of these recommendations
Be comfortable with multiple types of research, including usability, ethnography, surveys, card sorts, IDIs, etc. to develop user-driven insights, inform new design concepts, and test solutions
Develop a plan cross-functionally to identify process pain points and areas for improvement.
Ensure the needs of all users and stakeholders are included in the product vision, strategy, and roadmap planning
Help bring team members and stakeholders along this path of digital transformation through curiosity, collaboration, feedback-gathering, and open communication.
Qualifications
Minimum Required Experiences
10 years of related experience in UX research and strategy, with a core competency in information architecture and content strategy & taxonomy
Desired Experiences
Bachelor degree or equivalent
Skills
Significant experience with modern website design and content taxonomy, particularly with large, complex websites
Familiarity with user experience methodologies such as service design, design thinking and design research
Familiarity with the Drupal digital experience platform
Experience working within a large, matrixed organization
Awareness and practical understanding of the latest design and research technologies such as Mural, Figma, and UserTesting.
Familiarity with the product development process including designing products, developing product roadmaps, translating design requirements, prototyping, etc.
Comfortable gathering and synthesizing complex, interdependent, and sometimes competing needs from multiple stakeholders.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly and effectively present concepts and justify decisions
Skilled at designing and conducting focus groups, in-depth interviews, usability testing, surveys, and other qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Able to work independently and also collaborate easily and productively with teams.
Excellent ability to explain user insights and answer critical business questions
Skilled at relationship management including managing and engaging partners and stakeholders
Able to work respectfully and cooperatively with people with different functional expertise to reach a common goal
Adept at managing project plans, resources, and people to ensure successful project completion
Tools
Experience with Figma
Familiarity with Drupal digital experience platform
Experience using Mural, Miro, or other similar collaboration platforms
Skilled in Sharepoint
Skilled in Microsoft Office suite including Excel, Powerpoint, and Word