User Experience Designer (HCI and Interaction Design)

Job Title: User Experience Designer (HCI and Interaction Design)
Location:  Toronto, hybrid, with occasional travel to partner project sites for field research (Hybrid)
Duration: 3 months (Possibility of extension)

Minimum years of experience: 5+ years

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree in HCI, Interaction Design, UX/UI Design, or a related field (Master’s preferred), or equivalent experience

Interview process: Portfolio review, then a 45–60 minute interview with Fope, myself and one or two team members.

Top 3 experience “must haves”:

1. Proven experience in both user research and interaction design, with a portfolio showing research that directly shaped their own design work
2. A background in human-computer interaction (HCI), through a degree or equivalent professional experience
3. Experience designing for complex, data-rich applications, such as enterprise, analytics or technical tools
        

Description 

• The Intelligent Construction (INTC) team is researching how conversational, multimodal experiences can help construction teams in the field and the office build and maintain a shared understanding of their project over time. Our platform turns fragmented project data (BIM models, drawings, schedules, crane camera video, and drone capture) into interfaces that adapt to site events and to the expertise of the person using them: the same data can be composed into structurally different layouts for a novice and an expert, and a single site event can recompose the whole interface at once. 
• We are seeking an experience designer with a background in human-computer interaction (HCI) and strong UI design skills. The role is primarily research-driven interaction design: understanding how different members of a construction project team need information communicated to them, and turning those insights into interaction patterns and interfaces. Strong UI execution is a complementary skill, needed to make those patterns concrete, raise the quality of our existing interfaces, and work closely with engineers so that what gets built matches the design intent. Experience designing with the aid of AI is a strong plus, particularly using AI tools to move quickly from research insight to prototype while applying sound design judgment to what those tools produce. 
• The work centers on dense, data-rich views (3D building models, linked project data, schedules and timelines, progress comparisons, video, and knowledge graphs) that need to be legible at a glance for construction professionals. Front-end fluency is valued, but the role is about research and design rather than production code. 

Time Estimate 

• Initial engagement from as soon as possible, November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027 (Q4), with potential extension into next year based on fit and budget approval. 

Initial Three Months Scope 

• The initial engagement is focused on field research and interaction design. 
• Onboarding: Get familiar with the platform and current demonstrations and plan field research with our industry partners 
• On-site field research: Visit project sites with industry partners to observe and interview members of the project team (e.g., superintendents, project managers, field engineers, trade partners) about how they seek, share, and act on project information 
• Role-based communication approaches: Synthesize findings into communication approaches for different project roles: what information each role needs, when, in what form, and at what level of detail 
• Interaction concepts and recommendations: Translate findings into interaction concepts and prototypes, review them with partners where possible, and recommend priorities for the extension 

Objectives 

• Lead the experience and UI design of the research platform in order to: 
• Raise the visual and interaction quality of the platform to a consistent, presentation-ready standard 
• Design expertise-adaptive layouts that compose the same data differently for novice and expert users 
• Design clear patterns for complex construction data: 3D model views, linked-data views, schedules and timelines, progress comparison, video and drone capture, and knowledge graph exploration 
• Design conversational and multimodal experiences that work across field and office settings, and connect smoothly to the visual interface 
• Design how the system communicates its evidence and level of confidence, so people can trust and act on what they see 
• Ground design decisions in HCI principles and evidence from usability evaluation with construction professionals 
• Shape the platform's future UI direction so the INTC team can explore and specify interface ideas independently 

Deliverables 
First three months: 

• Field research plan, developed with the UX Research Lead 
• Synthesis of on-site research findings across project roles 
• Role-based communication approaches (information needs, timing, format, and level of detail by role) 
• Interaction concepts and prototypes based on the research 
• UI refinements supporting the Outcome Summit demonstrations 
• Recommendations and priorities for the extension 

  Longer term: 

• UI audit and prioritized recommendations for the platform 
• High-fidelity designs and interactive prototypes (Figma or similar) for key workflows 
• UI system and component library aligned with Client brand guidelines 
• Design specifications and handoff documentation that engineers can implement directly 
• Future UI direction concepts for the platform 

Scope 

• Experience and UI design, with light front-end prototyping where it speeds up iteration 
• Use of AI tools across the design process, such as research synthesis, concept generation, and rapid prototyping 
• Production engineering and backend integration remain with the INTC engineering team 
• No AI/ML model development required 
• Focus on research demonstrations and the platform's ongoing development 
• Work in coordination with the UX Research Lead on research priorities, user insights, and design direction 

Assumptions 

• Backend APIs and data integration will be managed by the Intelligent Inference and Data Foundations teams 
• Access to current demo builds, design files, and sample project data will be provided at onboarding 
• Engineering capacity will be available to implement designs 
• Deliverables can be provided incrementally 

Acceptance Criteria 

• Designs are reviewed before handoff, with layout, responsiveness, and interaction states checked across normal use cases 
• Design specifications are complete enough for engineers to implement without repeated clarification 
• UI system is documented and usable by the internal team after the engagement 
• Future UI direction is reviewed and accepted by INTC leads  

Required Skills: 

• Experience conducting field research (contextual inquiry, observation, interviews) and synthesizing findings into design direction 
• Background in human-computer interaction (HCI), through a degree (e.g., MS or PhD in HCI, Interaction Design, or a related field) or equivalent professional experience 
• Demonstrated experience in both user research and interaction design, with a portfolio showing research that directly shaped the designer's own interaction and UI work 
• Strong portfolio of UI design for complex, data-dense applications (enterprise, analytics, or technical tools) 
• Expert visual and interaction design: typography, layout, hierarchy, motion, and interaction states 
• Advanced Figma skills, including component libraries and interactive prototyping 
• Experience creating and maintaining design systems 
• Data visualization design experience 
• Ability to critique existing interfaces and give clear, actionable direction 
• Hands-on experience designing with the aid of AI, using AI tools for research synthesis, concept exploration, and rapid prototyping, and critically evaluating and refining what those tools produce 
• Proactive, independent working style: raises issues early, seeks out what they need from engineers, and reviews their own work before sharing 
• Responsive design for desktop and tablet/iPad interfaces 

Preferred Skills: 

• Experience planning and running usability studies or user evaluations 
• Experience working in a research environment or contributing to HCI publications 
• Experience with AI-assisted prototyping and code-generation tools to build working, testable prototypes 
• Front-end fluency (HTML/CSS, React) for prototyping and close collaboration with engineers 
• Experience designing 3D or spatial interfaces (web 3D viewers, BIM, digital twins) 
• Experience designing AI, conversational, and multimodal interfaces, including adaptive or generated UI 
• Experience designing for mobile or field use alongside desktop or office workflows 
• Familiarity with construction or AEC industry applications 

 

At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws. The pay rate for this position is C$58.00/hr.