Senior UX Designer

Haven Studios is a game development studio headquartered in Montreal. In May 2021, we embarked on a journey to start Haven as a small team with big ambitions. Our goal was to build a studio of exceptional people where together we could make the kind of games we’ve always wanted to create – games we’ve longed to play. At Haven, we believe that kindness, adaptability and fearless optimism make space for creative excellence. We are a hybrid studio that supports flexibility, focus and collaboration for our teams.

Haven joined the PlayStation Studios family as the first Sony game development team in Canada in 2022.

We have made amazing progress in a short time thanks to our talented, passionate team and their excellent contributions. Our first game, Fairgames, is in development for PlayStation and PC. Fairgames is a competitive multiplayer action heist with a vision to build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill and playfulness that will entertain and engage players for years to come.

Position

We are looking for an experienced UX Designer to join the Haven Entertainment Studios project team. The Sr UX Designer will work closely with the Game director to help shape the creation and development of the game design direction for the next generation of games. They will develop and design user experience rules, menu flows and accessibility guidelines that translate the vision into a playable experience. They will work within a collaborative multidisciplinary environment to ensure the delivery of high quality features with the consumer needs always at the forefront.

Direction

The Senior UX Designer will report to the Producer.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Game director to shape the game design direction and break down direction into a clear set of features, deliverables and tasks.
• Develop the user experience vision for the game with a focus on user interfaces, menu flows, accessibility and social interactions.
• Translate concepts into user flows, wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes through all stages of production to create great, accessible and innovative player experiences.
• Work in a cross-functional team and act as a regular liaison within that team as well as with management and other creative and technical co-leads to ensure the cohesiveness of the work.
• Communicate design through multiple means to effectively ensure that gameplay intentions and work to be done are understood by all team members.
• Put in place intuitive systems and define player journey for features that complement gameplay
• Create, document and maintain UX style guide
• Implement basic logic and flow in blueprints to test concepts
• Stay up to date on UX best practice and evangelize UX across the studio

Minimum Qualifications

• Extensive UX designer experience with at least one shipped title in that field.
• Strong understanding of UX/UI principles, player behavior and player engagement
• Understanding and experience in effectively incorporating user data and metrics into design.
• Excellent ability to organize and structure his/her own work and communicate effectively with a diverse audience.
• Ability to react to agile production needs and directions quickly

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working as UX designer on at least one title.
• Experience designing and working on a live service game with an understanding of design best practices for games as a service.
• Good knowledge of all aspects and dependencies of UX, UI, integration, accessibility and social systems
• Experience working in engine would be a plus