Sr. UX Designer, Investment Management

$120,000 - $165,000/Yr

Appfolio - Santa Barbara, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Santa Barbara, CA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

AppFolio is seeking a Senior User Experience Designer to join our dynamic team focused on enhancing our Investment Manager product. This role is pivotal in shaping the user experience for real estate investment management software, an area ripe for innovation. As a Senior UX Designer, you will be immersed in a collaborative environment, applying Agile and Lean UX methodologies to develop a product that meets the needs of our users. Your responsibilities will include conducting user research, validating prototypes, and performing usability testing to ensure that our software not only meets but exceeds user expectations. In this position, you will obsessively learn about our product and our users, facilitating user research to gather insights that will inform design decisions. You will continuously analyze customer data and share findings with the team to drive experimental changes to the product experience. Your role will also involve creating wireframes, flow diagrams, rapid prototypes, and mock-ups to effectively communicate design ideas. You will meet complex design challenges by collaborating with engineering, QA, and product teams, participating in brainstorming sessions, and engaging in Lean UX activities such as design studios and story-mapping. Your goal will be to navigate the complexities of compliance while delivering an exceptional user experience. You will inspire your team to go beyond usability, aiming for user delight through beautiful and innovative visual design. Additionally, you will actively contribute to the overall UX team strategy, exploring new tools and resources that enhance our agile and lean methodologies. At AppFolio, we value a culture of HEART—Humor, Effectiveness, Autonomy, Respect, and Trust—and we expect you to embody these values in your interactions with colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Learn the product, users, and their needs to craft the future of real estate investment management software.
• Facilitate user research to validate prototypes and conduct ongoing usability testing of the working software.
• Analyze and share customer data and insights with the team to determine usability and inform experimental changes to the product experience.
• Support the team with wireframes, flow diagrams, rapid prototypes, and mock-ups to communicate and validate design ideas.
• Lead and participate in brainstorming exercises and Lean UX-inspired activities with engineering, QA, and product teams.
• Navigate compliance constraints to create an exceptional user experience.
• Inspire teams to achieve user delight with beautiful, cutting-edge visual design.
• Participate in the evolving overall UX team strategy and pilot new tools and resources that promote agile and lean methodologies.
• Interact with colleagues in a way that supports team values of HEART (Humor, Effectiveness, Autonomy, Respect, Trust).

Requirements

• Strong portfolio of software design demonstrating creativity and design skillset.
• Advanced proficiency with design and prototyping tools, preferably Figma.
• Experience with financial and/or accounting applications is preferred but not required.
• Strong knowledge of user research, usability testing, wireframing, prototyping, and UI design tools.
• Knowledge of Agile UX and Lean UX methodologies and experience in a collaborative, agile environment with software engineers.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with various UX deliverables (wireframes, user flows, mockups, prototypes) and the ability to choose the right tools for communication.
• Curiosity for customers and their business, combined with a love for products, people, and user experience.
• Practical understanding of HTML/CSS, with experience optimizing design concepts around these technologies.
• Minimum of 3 years experience as a UI, UX, or Product Designer, preferably in real estate or financial areas.

Nice-to-haves

• B2B software product experience is desired but not required.
• Experience with financial and/or accounting applications is preferred but not required.

Benefits

• Base salary range of $120,000-$165,000 based on skills, education, and experience.
• Eligibility for additional benefits and bonuses/commissions based on role and employment type.