Are you a pioneer? Are you a creative, energetic, smart usability
engineer, who can adapt existing techniques and develop new ones 
as needed?

We're the makers of one of the world's premiere "power user" 
applications, and we are now leading our users to a new user 
interface model. Effective usability testing in this environment 
cannot be a routine, "by-the-book" exercise. That's why we're 
looking for someone special.

Position:  Usability Engineer, AutoCAD Product Design, Autodesk
Available: Immediately
Location:  San Rafael, California (San Francisco Bay Area)

The primary responsibilities of the Usability Engineer are the 
usability tests and other user validation techniques across all 
phases of AutoCAD product development. The engineer will design, 
coordinate, and run these tests. He or she will also participate 
as a member of the Product Design team, focusing on design for  
usability. The candidate should have experience working in an 
interdisciplinary development team environment.

The Usability Engineer will be expected to:

- Understand the users' work by conducting focus groups and 
  coordinating site visits.
- Identify user needs, workflow, and tasks, using contextual 
  inquiry and other techniques.
- Design, administer, and report the results of user surveys.
- Generate use cases, user models, and task scenarios.
- Identify and prioritize design elements for testing.
- Plan usability tests, including the recruiting, screening, and 
  scheduling of the users.
- Prototype UI designs as needed for testing.
- Conduct formal usability tests, record the sessions, write 
  reports, and distribute the information to the team.
- Participate in the development of corporate and industry design 
  standards.
- Contribute to the UI design by applying usability criteria.
- Complete other appropriate human factors and user interface 
  tasks.

The ideal candidate will have:

Experience: At least two to three years as a usability engineer 
for a technical retail product, with experience in:
- User research (e.g., surveys, focus groups, site visits, task  
  and workflow analyses)
- Formal usability testing
- User-centered design techniques

Knowledge: 
- A degree in Psychology, Computer Science, Industrial 
  Engineering, or another relevant field, or equivalent  
  experience.
- A thorough understanding of Windows user interface design  
  standards.
- Familiarity with the retail software industry.
- Prototyping tools, preferably Visual BASIC or Visual C++.

Qualities:
- Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communications.
- Demonstrated track record of successful participation in 
  interdisciplinary teams.
- Be personable and diplomatic, earning a consensus using 
  persuasion and clarity of thought.

Autodesk is located in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco in 
California's beautiful Marin County. Autodesk is an equal 
opportunity employer.

Send resume and cover letter to:

     jose@autodesk.com

or by mail to:

     Jose Madeira Garcia
     AutoCAD Product Design
     Autodesk
     111 McInnis Parkway
     San Rafael, CA 94903