Senior UX Designer​/Researcher; Accessibility Specialist

Senior UX Designer/Researcher (Accessibility Specialist)
Information Technology (IT) Des Moines , Iowa Contract Sep 4, 2026

Job Title: Senior UX Designer/Researcher (Accessibility Specialist)
Client: Direct State Client
Location: Des Moines, IA
Position Type: Contract (40 hrs/week)

• UX Research & Usability Testing: Design, plan, and execute formal user experience research. Moderate hands-on user testing sessions and run usability labs to resolve workflow friction.
• Heuristic Evaluations: Audit early layouts and interfaces against usability best practices and design standards.
• User Journey & Persona Mapping: Translate complex district data reporting and environmental workflows into clear user journeys and behavioral personas.
• Information Architecture: Structure data-heavy reporting categories logically using techniques such as card sorting.
• Accessibility Integration (WCAG 2.2 AA): Integrate digital accessibility from the ground up, aligning design systems and research with WCAG standards to ensure services are universally accessible.
• Collaborative Design & Communication: Partner with the Lead UX Architect and cross-functional agency stakeholders to scale digital standards, articulate research findings, and optimize UI.

• UX Research Mastery (8+ Years): Demonstrated experience moderating user testing sessions, running usability labs, executing heuristic evaluations, mapping user journeys, and managing information architecture.
• WCAG 2.2 Level AA Expertise (8+ Years): Practical knowledge of implementing WCAG 2.2 Level AA requirements, focus management, keyboard navigation mechanics, and color contrast principles within visual layouts.
• Figma & Prototyping: Advanced proficiency in Figma, wire framing, and interactive prototyping.
• Stakeholder Communication: Ability to clearly explain user research insights, interface design choices, and usability standards to technical teams, developers, and agency stakeholders.

• Education:
  
  Formal UX/HCI degree (Iowa State University HCI program graduates highly desired) or certifications (Nielsen Norman Group, Google UX).
• Research Analytics:
  Experience with heat maps and behavior analysis tools (e.g., Crazy Egg, Hotjar).
• Systems & Frameworks:
  Familiarity with the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), semantic HTML5/CSS, or design integration into Angular/.NET environments.

Team Soft is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.