UX/UI Director
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: UX/UI Director
Company: Ubisoft
Location: Da Nang, Vietnam
Job Type: Full-time
Category: Creative & Media / Management & Leadership
Date Posted: 2025-10-06
Experience Level: 10+ Years
Remote Status: Hybrid
🚀 Role Summary
- Define and drive the vision for intuitive, engaging, and visually striking user experiences for AAA live-service games, establishing a clear UX strategy and compelling UI style.
- Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of UX Designers, UI Artists, and Visual Designers, fostering creative collaboration and ensuring design excellence.
- Oversee the creation and implementation of game menus, HUDs, navigation flows, interface FX, and presentation guidelines, ensuring aesthetic consistency and emotional impact.
- Champion usability, innovation, and accessibility, embedding a player-first mindset into all design workflows and validating designs through playtesting and user research.
- Collaborate closely with Game Directors, Art Directors, and Brand teams to unify design vision across all touchpoints, from in-game presentation to consumer-facing marketing assets.
📝 Enhancement Note: This role is highly strategic, requiring a blend of creative vision, leadership, and deep technical understanding of game development pipelines. The focus on "AAA live-service game" implies a need for ongoing content updates, community engagement, and long-term player retention strategies, which will heavily influence UX/UI design decisions.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
- Vision & Direction: Refine the UX/UI strategy and visual identity of the game, ensuring alignment with broader creative, art, and brand directions, and establish presentation standards and creative benchmarks across studio and regional teams.
- Design Leadership: Lead conceptualization and direction of the UI and graphic design look & feel, driving innovation in interaction design, accessibility, and usability with a player-first mindset.
- Execution & Collaboration: Guide the design, iteration, and validation of UX flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes using tools like Figma, and partner with UI Artists and Programmers for faithful implementation in game engines (Unity, Unreal, or proprietary).
- Visual Signature & Brand Integration: Define and safeguard the game's presentation signature across gameplay, marketing, and brand assets, ensuring maximum consistency between game identity and consumer-facing assets by supervising style guides and templates.
- Team & Talent Development: Manage, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary team, promoting cross-team knowledge sharing, establishing best practices, and inspiring the team with clear goals, actionable feedback, and a culture of creativity, efficiency, and excellence.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on strategic vision setting and cross-functional collaboration. The Director will be responsible for not just the design itself but also for the processes and team development that enable its successful execution and brand consistency.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational background in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, coupled with significant professional experience, is expected.
Experience:
- 8-12 years of proven experience in UX/UI design and direction specifically for AAA or AA games, with a preference for experience on Live Service titles.
- Demonstrated track record of delivering high-quality UX/UI solutions in close collaboration with cross-functional creative teams.
Required Skills:
- Deep understanding of UX principles, usability, accessibility, and player psychology, with practical application in game design.
- Expertise in UI art tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Figma, with the ability to direct their use effectively.
- Proven ability to set and communicate a clear artistic direction, provide constructive critique, and elevate the quality bar across a creative team.
- Strong knowledge of visual communication, motion graphics, and interactive media trends relevant to gaming.
- Demonstrated leadership skills with experience managing and mentoring creative teams.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to align stakeholders and foster collaboration.
- Strong problem-solving, organizational skills, and a results-driven mindset.
- A genuine passion for making and playing games.
Preferred Skills:
- Familiarity with game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, understanding their implications for UI implementation.
- Experience contributing to comprehensive brand guidelines or leading marketing campaign visual integration.
- Knowledge of modern AAA game design principles, mechanics, and prevailing market expectations.
📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of "8-12 years" coupled with the "Director" title strongly suggests a senior leadership role. The emphasis on a "strong portfolio" is critical, indicating that practical demonstration of skills and past successes will be paramount in the evaluation process.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- A comprehensive portfolio showcasing expertise in user experience, interface design, visual storytelling, and brand integration for games.
- Case studies demonstrating the strategic thinking behind UX/UI decisions, including problem definition, design process, iteration, and final outcomes.
- Examples of establishing and maintaining a consistent UI style, visual signature, and brand identity across a game and its related assets.
- Demonstrations of leading design initiatives, managing creative workflows, and collaborating effectively with development teams.
- Evidence of applying user research and playtesting feedback to iterate and improve UX/UI solutions.
Process Documentation:
- Examples of defining and documenting UX/UI strategies and design frameworks for complex game projects.
- Workflow examples illustrating how user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes are created, refined, and validated.
- Documentation showcasing the process of creating and maintaining style guides, presentation guidelines, and visual asset templates.
- Case studies detailing the collaboration process with game directors, art directors, programmers, and brand teams to achieve unified design visions.
📝 Enhancement Note: For a Director-level role, the portfolio is not just a showcase of finished work but a demonstration of strategic leadership, process management, and the ability to influence and guide design outcomes at a high level. The emphasis on "brand integration" and "consumer-facing assets" suggests a need to showcase understanding of the entire brand ecosystem.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: Based on Ubisoft's global presence, the experience level (10+ years), and the Director title, a competitive salary range for a UX/UI Director in Da Nang, Vietnam, would typically fall between 80,000,000 VND to 150,000,000 VND per month (approximately $3,200 - $6,000 USD per month), depending on specific experience, negotiation, and Ubisoft's internal compensation bands for senior leadership.
Benefits:
- Attractive Remuneration Package: Competitive base salary and potential for performance-based bonuses.
- Performance Rewards: Recognition and incentives tied to individual and team achievements.
- Premium Healthcare Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage for employees and potentially dependents.
- Ubisoft Connect Account: Access to all Ubisoft titles on PC, fostering a passion for gaming.
- UBIVERSARY: Recognition and rewards for work anniversaries.
- Team Building & Celebrations: Regular events including team building, Lunar New Year celebrations, and project milestone celebrations.
- Friday Socials: Beers and treats every Friday to foster team camaraderie.
- Staff Clubs & Entertainment: Access to various staff clubs and free in-house entertainment facilities (PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, etc.).
- On-site Amenities: Complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks.
- Premium Gym Club Access: Membership to a premium fitness facility.
- Hybrid Work Model: 3 days a week in the office, 2 days working from home, promoting work-life balance.
Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement allowing for 3 days in the office and 2 days remote. Flexibility may be expected during critical project phases.
📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for senior creative leadership roles in Vietnam, adjusted for the specifics of the gaming industry and a global company like Ubisoft. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting Ubisoft's commitment to employee well-being and engagement.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Video Game Development. Ubisoft is a global leader in creating and distributing interactive entertainment software. Company Size: Large (Ubisoft has over 20,000 employees globally). This means access to extensive resources, global talent networks, and established corporate structures, but also requires navigating larger organizational processes. Founded: 1986. Ubisoft has a long-standing history and deep experience in the gaming industry, known for its innovative titles and expansive game universes.
Team Structure:
- The UX/UI Director will likely lead a dedicated UX/UI team comprising UX Designers, UI Artists, and Visual Designers.
- This team will collaborate extensively with core game development disciplines, including Game Design, Art Direction, Programming, Audio Design, and Production.
- Reporting lines will likely be to a higher-level creative director or executive producer, with strong dotted-line connections to brand and marketing teams for asset consistency.
Methodology:
- Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on user research, playtesting, and analytics to inform UX/UI decisions.
- Agile Development Integration: Workflows will be integrated into agile or iterative game development cycles, requiring flexibility and continuous feedback loops.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong emphasis on open communication and collaboration between design, development, art, and marketing teams to ensure a unified player experience.
- Brand Consistency: A rigorous approach to maintaining the game's visual identity and brand signature across all platforms and touchpoints.
Company Website: https://www.ubisoft.com/
📝 Enhancement Note: Ubisoft's culture is characterized by creativity, innovation, and a passion for gaming. The Da Nang studio, being relatively new (since 2020) but already recognized for its office design, suggests a modern, dynamic, and employee-centric environment. The "hybrid work model" reflects a contemporary approach to work-life balance.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position, a "Director" level role, indicating significant responsibility for strategic direction, team management, and project outcomes. It sits at the top tier of the UX/UI discipline within a game development context.
Reporting Structure: The UX/UI Director will report to a senior executive, likely a Creative Director, Executive Producer, or Head of Design. They will, in turn, manage a team of designers and artists. This role is pivotal in translating high-level game vision into tangible player interfaces.
Operations Impact: The UX/UI Director's work has a direct and profound impact on player engagement, retention, and overall game satisfaction. A well-executed UX/UI can significantly enhance the perceived quality of a game, drive player loyalty for live services, and positively influence critical reception and commercial success. They are instrumental in shaping the player's emotional connection to the game.
Growth Opportunities:
- Leadership Expansion: Potential to expand leadership responsibilities to oversee UX/UI for multiple projects or studios.
- Strategic Influence: Greater involvement in high-level game concept development and franchise-level design strategy.
- Industry Recognition: Opportunities to represent Ubisoft at industry conferences, contribute to thought leadership, and build a personal brand within the gaming community.
- Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas such as accessibility for games, advanced UI animation, or player behavior analytics.
- Mentorship: Develop and mentor emerging talent, contributing to the growth of the UX/UI discipline within Ubisoft.
📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for career advancement within Ubisoft, moving towards broader creative leadership or specialization in high-demand areas of game design. The emphasis on "live-service games" means opportunities to hone skills in long-term player engagement and evolving design needs.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: Modern, designed for creativity and collaboration. The Da Nang office has been recognized for its "Best Office Design," indicating a focus on aesthetics, functionality, and employee well-being. Office Location(s): Da Nang, Vietnam. Known for its scenic beauty, clean air, and a growing tech hub. The location offers a different lifestyle compared to major metropolitan hubs, potentially appealing to those seeking a balance between career and quality of life.
Workspace Context:
- Collaborative Spaces: The office design likely includes areas for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and cross-disciplinary interaction, crucial for seamless game development.
- Tools & Technology: Access to high-end workstations, industry-standard design software, and potentially specialized hardware for testing and prototyping.
- Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages in-office days for focused collaboration, team building, and direct interaction with colleagues, while remote days allow for focused individual work.
Work Schedule: A hybrid model with 3 days in the office and 2 days remote, totaling approximately 40 hours per week. This structure aims to balance team cohesion and productivity with individual focus and work-life balance.
📝 Enhancement Note: The mention of "Best Office Design" and the specific amenities like free entertainment, coffee, and gym access suggest a company culture that invests heavily in creating an inspiring and comfortable work environment, which is particularly important for creative roles.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: HR or recruiter review of application and resume for foundational qualifications and experience.
- Portfolio Review & Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present their portfolio. This will likely involve showcasing key projects, detailing their role, design process, challenges, and outcomes. Expect to discuss strategic decisions, team collaboration, and leadership approach.
- Technical/Creative Interviews: Interviews with peers and senior leaders (e.g., Game Directors, Art Directors, other Design Leads) to assess technical skills, creative vision, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of UX/UI principles in a game context.
- Leadership & Cultural Fit Assessment: Interviews focused on leadership style, team management, communication skills, and alignment with Ubisoft's values and the studio's culture.
- Final Interview: With a high-level executive for final approval.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your UX/UI leadership, strategic thinking, and impact on AAA or live-service games. Prioritize quality over quantity.
- Tell a Story: For each project, articulate the problem, your role, the design process (including research, ideation, iteration, and validation), the solutions implemented, and the measurable impact or outcomes.
- Highlight Leadership: Emphasize instances where you led teams, influenced design direction, collaborated with other disciplines, and managed stakeholders.
- Showcase Brand Consistency: Include examples of how you've maintained or developed a strong visual signature and brand identity across different touchpoints.
- Prepare for Technical Deep Dives: Be ready to discuss the tools you used (Figma, Photoshop, etc.) and how they integrated with game engines like Unity or Unreal.
- Address Live Service Nuances: If possible, showcase experience with evolving designs, content updates, and player feedback loops in a live environment.
Challenge Preparation:
- Candidates may be asked to complete a design exercise or a case study. This could involve analyzing an existing UI, proposing improvements, or designing a new feature based on a given brief.
- Prepare to articulate your thought process, justify your design decisions with UX principles and player empathy, and present your findings clearly and concisely within a given timeframe.
- Practice presenting your work and ideas concisely and persuasively, anticipating questions about trade-offs, constraints, and potential impacts.
📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation is likely the most crucial part of the interview process for this role. Candidates should prepare to not just show their work but to explain the strategic thinking, leadership, and impact behind it, demonstrating their ability to lead a team and shape the player experience.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- Design & Prototyping: Figma (explicitly mentioned), Adobe XD, Sketch. Proficiency in these is essential for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design.
- Asset Creation & Editing: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects. Crucial for creating UI assets, visual elements, and motion graphics.
- Game Engines: Familiarity with Unity and Unreal Engine is highly preferred, as understanding engine capabilities and limitations is key for effective collaboration with programmers and for ensuring designs are technically feasible and optimized. Experience with proprietary engines is also valuable.
Analytics & Reporting:
- While not explicitly listed, experience with analytics platforms (e.g., GameAnalytics, Unity Analytics, custom solutions) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI if used for player behavior analysis) would be beneficial for understanding player interaction and informing design iterations.
CRM & Automation:
- Not directly applicable to the core UX/UI design function but understanding how player data might be managed or how certain UI elements might interact with backend systems could be a plus.
📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma, along with the preferred knowledge of Unity and Unreal, highlights the core technical requirements. The emphasis is on design tools and their integration into the game development pipeline, rather than typical CRM or marketing automation tools.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- Creativity & Innovation: Encouraging novel ideas and pushing the boundaries of user experience and visual design in gaming.
- Player-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving player needs, ensuring intuitive and enjoyable interactions.
- Excellence & Quality: A drive to achieve the highest standards in design execution, visual polish, and overall user experience.
- Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering an environment where diverse talents work together seamlessly towards a common goal.
- Passion for Games: A shared enthusiasm for video games that fuels dedication and creativity.
- Efficiency & Adaptability: Embracing agile methodologies and adapting to evolving project needs and player feedback.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Integration: The UX/UI team is expected to work closely with game designers, artists, programmers, audio designers, and producers, requiring strong communication and a shared understanding of project goals.
- Feedback-Driven Iteration: A culture of constructive feedback, both giving and receiving, to continuously refine designs and improve the player experience.
- Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, new techniques, and insights across the team and with other disciplines.
- Brand Alignment: Ensuring all creative contributions align with the overarching game and Ubisoft brand identity.
📝 Enhancement Note: Ubisoft's culture, as indicated by their global presence and the specific studio's description, emphasizes a balance of professional excellence, creative freedom, and a fun, engaging work environment. The mention of "creating the unknown" and "pushing entertainment boundaries" suggests a forward-thinking and ambitious team.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Balancing Vision with Constraints: Aligning a compelling creative vision with technical limitations, production schedules, and budget constraints of AAA game development.
- Maintaining Consistency in Live Services: Ensuring a cohesive and evolving UX/UI experience across continuous content updates and player feedback integration for live-service games.
- Managing Diverse Creative Talent: Leading and motivating a team of highly skilled, creative individuals with varied perspectives and working styles.
- Cross-Disciplinary Communication: Effectively communicating complex design ideas and rationale to non-design stakeholders and ensuring buy-in.
- Global Brand Consistency: Maintaining the game's visual signature and brand identity across all consumer-facing assets, marketing materials, and potential regional adaptations.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Exposure to AAA Development: Working on high-profile, large-scale game projects provides unparalleled learning opportunities in complex development pipelines and player engagement strategies.
- Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to delve into cutting-edge UX/UI methodologies, accessibility standards, and emerging interactive technologies.
- Leadership Development: Formal and informal training in management, team building, strategic planning, and stakeholder communication.
- Industry Trends: Staying abreast of evolving player expectations, market trends, and technological advancements in the gaming industry.
- Mentorship Programs: Access to mentorship from senior leaders within Ubisoft, fostering professional growth and career advancement.
📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to leading creative teams in the demanding AAA gaming industry, particularly for live-service titles. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to shape major gaming experiences and advance one's career within a leading global publisher.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe your process for developing a UX/UI strategy for a new AAA live-service game. How do you balance player needs with business objectives and creative vision?"
- "How would you establish and maintain a consistent visual signature and brand identity across a game's UI, HUD, and all external marketing assets?"
- "Walk us through a time you had to translate complex player feedback or user research data into actionable design improvements. What was your approach and the outcome?"
- "How do you foster a culture of innovation and excellence within a creative team, and what are your strategies for managing and mentoring designers and artists?"
- "Describe a challenging cross-disciplinary collaboration you experienced. How did you navigate disagreements and ensure alignment on design decisions?"
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What excites you about Ubisoft and specifically this UX/UI Director role in Da Nang?"
- "How do you see your leadership style fitting into Ubisoft's values of creativity, collaboration, and player-centricity?"
- "What are your thoughts on the current trends in AAA game UX/UI, and how would you approach ensuring our game remains competitive and engaging?"
- "How do you approach fostering diversity and inclusion within a creative team?"
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your career and key achievements. Then, present 2-3 of your most relevant projects, dedicating ample time to each.
- Focus on Process & Rationale: For each project, detail the "why" behind your decisions. Explain the problem, your strategic approach, the user research or data that informed your choices, the design iterations, and the final outcome.
- Quantify Success: Where possible, use metrics (e.g., improved engagement, reduced churn, positive player feedback, efficiency gains) to demonstrate the impact of your work.
- Highlight Leadership & Collaboration: Clearly articulate your role in leading teams, mentoring individuals, and collaborating with other departments (art, game design, programming, marketing).
- Prepare for Technical Questions: Be ready to discuss your proficiency with design tools (Figma, Adobe Suite) and your understanding of game engine integrations (Unity, Unreal).
- Visual Storytelling: Use clear, concise visuals (mockups, prototypes, flow diagrams) to illustrate your points. Ensure your presentation is visually appealing and professional.
📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe your strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and ability to translate creative vision into actionable design for complex AAA games. Your portfolio presentation is your primary opportunity to demonstrate these qualities.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this UX/UI Director position:
- Submit your application through the Ubisoft careers portal, ensuring your resume and cover letter are tailored to highlight your experience in AAA game UX/UI leadership.
- Portfolio Preparation: Curate a strong digital portfolio that showcases your most impactful UX/UI work for games, focusing on strategy, leadership, and results. Be prepared to present it effectively.
- Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly details your years of experience, specific responsibilities in game UX/UI direction, team management, and familiarity with relevant tools and game engines. Use keywords from the job description.
- Company and Role Research: Familiarize yourself with Ubisoft's recent game releases, their approach to live services, and the Da Nang studio's culture and achievements. Understand the specific challenges and opportunities of a UX/UI Director role in this context.
- Practice Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and articulating your strategic thinking and leadership approach. Prepare answers to common interview questions related to design strategy, team management, and problem-solving.
⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
Application Requirements
The role requires 8-12 years of experience in UX/UI design for AAA or AA games, with a strong portfolio demonstrating expertise. Candidates should have a deep understanding of UX principles and experience managing creative teams.