UX Product Designer (IT Business Analyst III)

The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is to serve students support teachers empower parents and engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The UX / Product Designer is a practitioner contributor on SCDEs Application Development & Product team responsible for the design quality of the internal tools staff-facing platforms data dashboards and AI-assisted applications that power the agencys day-to-day operations. SCDEs Digital Transformation & Modernization Plan sets a clear direction: a cloud-first AI-enabled technology ecosystem built on service excellence and user-centered delivery. This role is how that commitment translates into interfaces that actually work for the people who use them.

The work spans the full design lifecycle from discovery and research through wireframes prototypes and production handoff in close partnership with product managers engineers and program stakeholders across the agency. The modernization roadmap calls for continuous improvement to UX and performance reusable design systems and AI-enabled products that support SCDE staff in doing their jobs well. SCDE is looking for a designer who thinks rigorously about users communicates design decisions with confidence and brings the craft and judgment to make complex agency workflows feel simple.

The modernization plan calls for continuous A/B improvements to UX and performance a low-code Center of Enablement a role-based AI-enabled website with integrated data access and a long-term commitment to reusable components and design systems. The designer in this role will contribute to Phase 1 foundation work scale with the platform through Phase 2 and help institutionalize the design practices that carry SCDEs technology into 2030.

RESPONSIBILITIES

User Research & Discovery

• Plan and conduct user research activities including structured interviews contextual inquiry surveys card sorting and moderated usability tests with SCDE staff educators district administrators and public users.
• Synthesize research findings into actionable artifacts: personas journey maps opportunity frameworks and user stories that clearly inform design direction and product priorities.
• Partner with product managers to define research questions scope discovery sprints and communicate insights to technical and non-technical audiences across Office of Information Technology (OIT) and agency program offices.
• Leverage AI-assisted research tools (such as Dovetail Maze or similar platforms) to accelerate synthesis pattern identification and qualitative data analysis across research sessions.

UX Design & Prototyping

• Translate user research and stakeholder requirements into information architecture diagrams user flows wireframes and high-fidelity interactive prototypes using Figma; use Figma AI features including auto-layout suggestions design critique and generative design tools to accelerate ideation explore layout variants and reduce time from concept to handoff.
• Design responsive mobile-friendly interfaces for SCDEs web platforms portals and dashboards in accordance with established design systems brand guidelines and accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA / Section 508).
• Develop and maintain a shared component library and design system in Figma to ensure visual consistency and design velocity across OIT product teams.
• Create detailed design specifications annotated handoff assets and interaction documentation for development teams; participate in implementation reviews to ensure design fidelity.

AI-Augmented Design Practice

• Incorporate AI-powered design tools into day-to-day workflow across the agencys approved platforms: Figma AI for design generation component suggestions and automated annotation; Microsoft Copilot (integrated across Microsoft 365) for drafting UX copy summarizing research notes and accelerating design documentation; and Claude for synthesizing user feedback generating content variants exploring interaction concepts and pressure-testing design rationale through conversation.
• Apply effective prompting practices when working with Claude and Microsoft Copilot to generate evaluate and refine design assets content and documentation; exercise critical judgment to ensure AI-produced outputs meet accessibility brand and user experience standards before integration into deliverables.
• Contribute to SCDEs emerging AI product initiatives by designing user interfaces and interaction patterns for AI-assisted tools chatbots and data-driven features being deployed across agency platforms consistent with the AI & Low-Code Guardrails established in the modernization plan.
• Stay current on the evolving landscape of AI design tools and methodologies; share practical learnings with the OIT team and help establish guidelines for responsible AI tool use in design workflows.

Collaboration & Delivery

• Operate within Agile/Scrum delivery teams across the Application Development & Product program; contribute to sprint planning backlog refinement design reviews and retrospectives as the design voice on the team.
• Present design work and strategic rationale clearly to both technical teams and agency leadership; communicate trade-offs and constraints in plain stakeholder-appropriate language.
• Coordinate with the Web & Digital Services Digital Employee Experience and District Shared Services teams to ensure design continuity across SCDEs full product portfolio.
• Monitor post-launch analytics usability signals and support feedback to identify improvement opportunities and propose iterative design solutions in support of the agencys continuous improvement goals.

A bachelors degree in computer science or a related area and experience in computer system development and modification. Relevant experience may substitute for the bachelors degree on a year-for-year basis.

• Bachelors degree in Information Science Interaction Design Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Visual Communications or a closely related field; or equivalent combination of education and applied design experience.
• One to two (12) years of demonstrated UX or product design experience in a professional internship co-op or equivalent applied setting; a portfolio or curated work samples demonstrating design process and outcomes are required.
• Proficiency in Figma including component-based design auto-layout prototyping and developer handoff; experience with AI-assisted features in Figma or comparable tools (Adobe XD Sketch Axure) is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to apply user-centered design principles and conduct foundational UX research methods including user interviews task analysis and usability testing.
• Solid understanding of information architecture navigation design and user flow modeling for web and mobile applications.
• Familiarity with responsive design principles and ability to collaborate effectively with front-end developers; working knowledge of HTML/CSS concepts is beneficial.
• Working knowledge of web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Section 508) and demonstrated commitment to inclusive equitable design.
• Clear and confident communicator able to articulate design decisions and defend design rationale to product managers engineers and non-design stakeholders.

• Hands-on experience with AI design and productivity tools particularly Figma AI Microsoft Copilot and Claude; familiarity with how these platforms integrate into a design workflow for tasks such as content generation research synthesis documentation and design ideation.
• Experience designing interfaces for AI-powered features such as chatbots LLM-driven assistants recommendation engines or automated data surfaces; understanding of how to design for AI output uncertainty and error states.
• Familiarity with prompt engineering concepts as applied to generative design tools; ability to critically evaluate AI-generated design outputs for quality accessibility and brand alignment.
• Experience designing data visualization interfaces or dashboards; knowledge of chart types visual encoding principles and accessibility considerations for data-heavy UIs.
• Experience with content management systems (WordPress Drupal or similar) and familiarity with CMS-driven content design constraints.
• Exposure to Agile/Scrum product environments and ITSM platforms (ServiceNow Freshservice or similar).
• Interest in or prior experience with state or local government K-12 education or civic technology; understanding of public-sector procurement accessibility compliance and stakeholder complexity is a meaningful differentiator.

Candidates must submit a portfolio or curated work samples as part of the application. Portfolios should demonstrate design process not just polished final screens and may include professional work internship projects capstone assignments or self-initiated design challenges. Submissions may be shared as a PDF live Figma link personal site or Behance profile. Work will be reviewed during the interview stage. Candidates selected for interview may be asked to walk through one or more case studies.

As a part of a competitive compensation package we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off preeminent health care benefits professional development opportunities pension a 401(k) and a hybrid work schedule with opportunity for remote work.

The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health Dental Vision Long Term Disability and Life Insurance for Employee Spouse and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs (401(k) and 457 options).

ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED BY LETTER THAT THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Experience:

IC