Job Title: Research Associate (Design Innovator) in the Design Innovation team of SUTD
Description:
As a Design Innovator, you will play an important role in the successful realisation of DI projects and programs. Key components of the job are design competencies, in particular those involving users, user needs, conceptual design, prototyping, industrial design, analytical design, digital design, data-driven design, and user validation, and the ability to liaise with internal and external partners and stakeholders on a regular basis.
You will be part of the Design Innovation team and are expected to contribute to its vision, aims and programs - Design Education, Design Guidance, and Design Incubation – as well as design research, with an emphasis on Design Guidance. You are also expected to participate in SUTD events, support the organization, and support the work of other members of the DI team, as and when required.
If you imagine and dream of an employment opportunity with empathy, creativity, mindfulness, inclusivity, passion, autonomy, daring, and excellence in outcomes at its heart and soul, then this is the opportunity for you. Its realization depends on your willingness to embrace and grow boundlessly within these characteristics and mindsets.
Areas of Focus:
Design Guidance Projects
- Support and/or co-lead projects contributing industrial design, design engineering, systems design or product-service-systems development skillset.
- Mentoring and co-creating in innovation projects with public and private external partners and teams.
- Depending on background and skill sets, develop user experiences (UX), user interfaces, digital solutions, and data-driven solutions for and with external and internal partners.
Design Innovation Workshops and Education, Embedding Design
- Work with the DI Director to engage key stakeholders.
- Facilitate Design Innovation workshops and educational modules.
- Grow into role lead facilitator or co-lead for workshops.
- Develop Design Innovation content for delivery in workshops and education modules.
- Engage external partners to embed, catalyze, and grow design in their organizations.
Skillset:
Industrial Design:
- Develop concepts and prototypes for physical products, considering aesthetics, ergonomics, materials, and manufacturing processes.
- Conduct research on user needs, market trends, and competitor analysis to inform design decisions.
- Create detailed technical drawings and specifications for product development.
UX-UI Design:
- Design intuitive and user-friendly digital interfaces for web and mobile applications.
- Conduct user research, usability testing, and gather feedback to inform design iterations.
- Develop wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes to visualize and validate design concepts.
- Collaborate with software developers to implement UI designs with attention to technical feasibility.
Visual Communication Design:
- Create visually compelling graphics, illustrations, and branding materials that align with brand identity and target audience.
- Design marketing materials, promotional assets, packaging, and presentations to effectively communicate ideas.
- Ensure consistency and coherence in visual language across various platforms and media.
Adobe Suite Proficiency:
- Leverage your expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, etc.) to execute high-quality designs efficiently.
Others:
- Provide general support to the Design Innovation Team
- Undertake and perform other duties as assigned
- Be involved with partners in pre-workshop/project meetings, discussions and proposals
Requirements:
- You should possess a degree and have practical design experience in areas of relevance to Design Innovation.
- You should be able to work to strict deadlines, apply a user-centred design approach with rigor, deliver high quality studies, concepts and prototypes, and work on multiple projects in parallel.
- You must enjoy being creative and working with a variety of people, have a passion for design, not be afraid to take on challenging tasks, and eager to learn new competencies. The ideal individual will have strong written, visual and verbal communication skills.
About the Design Innovation Team
The Design Innovation team is a group of world-leading interdisciplinary designers, technical professionals, and researchers leading the world of design. The Design Innovation team functions to develop fundamental and ground-breaking results in design science as well as to fulfil the mission of a better world by design through a porous interface with industry, government, and social projects. This interface allows for a seamless integration of empirically grounded design methodologies that directly lead to outcomes with positive impacts at the social, media, and technological levels. The team is highly multi-disciplinary and leverages the ethos of a human-centred design approach with fundamental scientific studies in technology to create solutions to real world wicked problems, opportunities, and grand challenges.
