Lead Designer / Head of Design en London

Who We Are

New Vector is the open source software development startup which employs the core team behind Matrix.org – the leading project for secure open decentralised communication. Matrix’s mission is to create a universal open network and protocol for real-time communication. New Vector builds flagship apps for Matrix such as Riot.im as well as contributing to the core Matrix open source clients, SDKs, servers, bridges and the protocol itself.

We believe that the future of the internet should be decentralised and open, that previously siloed communications platforms should be interoperable and that individuals should control their own data and choose who they share it with.

Ultimately, our aim is to make it as simple to message or video call anyone in the world as it is to send them an email.

Our products are for everyone and we know we cannot succeed without a diverse team. Our hiring process is designed to be humane and give you the best possible chance to show us what you can do. If we ever fall down on this, please let us know.

The Role

The goal is to evolve Riot.im into an app with true mass-market appeal, and infuse UX and UI design thinking in all aspects of product design.

Riot.im launched on September 19th 2016 and has been very well received, with front-page coverage on TechCrunch, GeekTime and HackerNews and exponential growth since launch (originally under the name Vector). Our aim is to dramatically grow the app to truly disrupt the likes of Slack, WhatsApp, Discord and other collaboration and messaging tools by bring to bear the unique open ecosystem of Matrix.org.

More specifically, you will:

• Act as the company’s design champion.
• Lead and mentor all aspects of UX and UI design, fostering a culture of beautiful, unobtrusive, elegant design which always puts the user first and foremost.
• Love UX that is so good that it's unnoticeable and natural to the user.
• Have a razor sharp attention to detail.
• Create and evolve the visual language and design guidelines for Riot.im and other New Vector products.
• Push UX to the next level, not being afraid of breaking new ground but with a constant focus on users, fostering a culture of UX excellence, pushing it to the extreme.
• Partner with product management and engineering to deliver roadmap features.
• Actively explore new user experiences - collaboration apps have a long way to go and we really want to push the limit.
• Drive the design process and standards.
• Contribute to envisioning exciting new features for our products through design thinking.

New Vector is a small company of 15 people, and this will be our first full time dedicated design role. Over time we expect to build out a team to support the role.

Requirements

• You've previously headed a design team, ideally at a start up or in an open source / decentralised environment
• Deep understanding of user centred design principles, UX/UI tools and patterns
• Experience of designing across multiple platforms
• A portfolio containing examples of web and native mobile app design
• Understanding of human interface guidelines (Apple’s HIG and Google’s Material Design...), current possibilities and limitations of browsers, hardware and operating systems, and basic design requirements of a complete mobile/web app
• Fluent in crafting user flow diagrams, wireframes, and prototypes
• Strong interest in collaboration and communication apps and/or decentralisation is definitely a plus

Since (almost) everything we do is open source you can get a great feel for exactly what it would be like to work on Riot.im - joining channels such as #riot:matrix.org provides a window into the core team and the community. Come and say hi!

Benefits

Our general approach is to treat people like adults and acknowledge that by being flexible we create an environment for people to do their best work. For more details here is our manifesto. That said specific points that differentiate us:

• Work (almost) full time on FOSS projects with high visibility and a large enthusiastic community
• Since our technology is relevant to anything that requires real-time comms, the role provides exposure to a wide range of domains from web and app dev through to VR, VoIP and IoT.
• Health, dental and travel insurance.
• Family friendly environment: many of the team have small children and we look to accommodate that as best we can.
• People tend to stay with the company for a long time, we take this a sign that we have a cohesive supportive culture, that we have engaging challenging work and that people can develop their skills and careers here for the long term.
• Free 'good' coffee.
• We like food a lot, we have some excellent chefs on the team, and Chiswick has some great places for lunch. You will eat well :)

New Vector does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, colour, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.