UX Product Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Product Service Designer

Company: Flinders University

Location: Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Digital Experience Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-05-06

Experience Level: Mid-Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design lifecycle for digital services, from research and discovery to design and delivery, focusing on creating practical, high-impact solutions.

• Develop critical design artifacts such as wireframes, prototypes, journey maps, and service blueprints to enhance user and staff experiences.

• Collaborate closely with stakeholders, developers, and project teams across the university to foster a consistent, human-centred approach to digital design at scale.

• Champion usability, accessibility, and inclusive design principles, embedding them into all experience solutions and advocating for user-centred design practices university-wide.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role, referred to internally as a "Digital Experience Designer," is positioned within Flinders University's Information and Digital Services (IDS) department. It requires a blend of UX, UI, and Service Design expertise, emphasizing a holistic approach to improving digital interactions for students and staff. The "Continuing" employment type suggests a permanent, long-term position within the university's academic and professional staff structure.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Deliver comprehensive end-to-end experience design, encompassing user research, interaction design, visual design, and service design to ensure high-quality, usable, and effective digital experiences.

• Apply established enterprise personas, lifecycles, and experience principles within project delivery to ensure consistency across diverse digital products, services, and university-wide initiatives.

• Proactively embed usability, accessibility, and inclusive design considerations into all experience solutions, acting as a key advocate for user-centred design practices throughout the organization.

• Provide expert guidance and support on UX methodologies, design thinking, and best practices to fellow team members, actively contributing to a collaborative and learning-oriented design culture within Information and Digital Services.

• Translate complex user needs and business goals into clear, practical, and effective design solutions, demonstrating a strong problem-solving capability.

• Work effectively within Agile and iterative delivery environments, contributing to sprint planning, design reviews, and continuous improvement cycles.

• Facilitate workshops and design thinking sessions with diverse stakeholder groups to gather insights, align on user needs, and co-create innovative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibility is to bridge the gap between user needs and digital service delivery within a large educational institution. This involves not just creative design but also strategic application of design principles and close collaboration to ensure consistent, user-friendly digital experiences across a broad range of services.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A relevant university degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Digital Media, or a closely related field.

Experience:

• Significant professional experience in UX, UI, and service design, with a strong portfolio that demonstrably showcases successful project outcomes and design processes.

• Proven track record of applying user-centred design methods, including user research, usability testing, prototyping, and iterative design cycles.

• Experience in creating and utilizing design artefacts such as journey maps, user personas, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.

Required Skills:

• UX/UI Design: Expertise in designing intuitive and engaging user interfaces and experiences for digital products and services.

• Service Design: Ability to map and design service ecosystems, including customer journeys, touchpoints, and back-end processes.

• Design Tools Proficiency: Advanced skills in contemporary design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Miro, Adobe XD, Sketch, or similar platforms.

• User Research & Testing: Competency in conducting user research, usability testing, and synthesizing findings into actionable design insights.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build rapport and drive consensus.

• Human-Centred Design: Deep understanding and practical application of human-centred design principles and methodologies.

• Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Passion for and practical knowledge of designing for accessibility (WCAG standards) and inclusive user experiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience contributing to or developing enterprise-level design systems, personas, and experience principles.

• Familiarity with higher education sector digital landscapes and user needs.

• Experience with data analysis and translating quantitative/qualitative data into design improvements.

• Understanding of visual design principles and brand guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "portfolio demonstrating your work" is critical. Candidates should prepare to showcase projects that highlight their skills across the entire design lifecycle, from initial research to final execution, and demonstrate problem-solving capabilities with tangible results. The requirement for experience in Agile environments also suggests a need for candidates who can adapt quickly and collaborate effectively in fast-paced project settings.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end experience design projects, detailing your role, process, and outcomes.

• Submissions must demonstrate proficiency in UX, UI, and service design methodologies, including research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

• Include examples of design artefacts such as journey maps, user personas, service blueprints, and wireframes, clearly illustrating your design thinking.

• Showcase your ability to translate user needs and business goals into practical, high-impact design solutions with measurable improvements.

Process Documentation:

• Document your design process for each project, emphasizing how you approached research, ideation, iteration, and validation.

• Clearly articulate how you embedded usability, accessibility, and inclusive design considerations throughout the design lifecycle.

• Provide examples of how you collaborated with stakeholders, developers, and project teams to deliver cohesive digital experiences.

• Demonstrate how you applied or contributed to shared design artefacts like personas, lifecycles, and experience standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The university explicitly requires a portfolio that goes beyond just showcasing final designs. It needs to demonstrate the candidate's design process, problem-solving approach, and ability to collaborate and integrate user-centred principles. This is a key component for evaluating candidates' practical skills and strategic thinking in design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $116,349 - $128,806 AUD per year (Higher Education Officer Level 8).

Benefits:

• Generous Superannuation: 17% employer contribution to superannuation.

• Salary Packaging: Opportunities for salary packaging to maximize financial benefits.

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible working arrangements are available, promoting a healthy work-life balance.

• Wellbeing Focus: Access to the "Thriving@Flinders" initiative, dedicated to staff wellbeing.

• Professional Development: A wide range of professional development activities and services.

• Educational Opportunities: Exclusive staff study offers and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

• On-Campus Amenities: Access to on-campus health care services, a fully equipped gym, and a childcare centre at the Bedford Park campus.

Working Hours: Full-time, typically based on a 40-hour work week, with flexibility offered in arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is clearly defined for the Higher Education Officer Level 8. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting a commitment to employee wellbeing, professional growth, and work-life balance within the university setting. Flexible working arrangements are a significant perk for roles in this sector.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Higher Education. Flinders University is a leading Australian university focused on research and teaching excellence, aiming to be a top ten Australian university and among the top 1% globally.

Company Size: Large (over 1,000 employees, based on typical university structures). This provides stability and a broad scope for impact.

Founded: 1966. With a history of over 50 years, Flinders University has established a strong reputation and a rich academic tradition.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within the Information and Digital Services (IDS) department, a pivotal resource for the university.

• IDS provides extensive information and digital technology services to staff and students, including IT support, AV services, information security, and more.

• This position is part of a growing Digital Experience practice within IDS, indicating a strategic focus on enhancing digital services.

Methodology:

• The Digital Experience team emphasizes a human-centred approach to design, aiming for consistency and high impact.

• Work is conducted within Agile and iterative delivery frameworks, focusing on continuous improvement and user feedback.

• Data analysis and insights are crucial for informing design decisions and measuring impact.

• Emphasis on collaboration and knowledge sharing to foster a learning-oriented design culture.

Company Website: https://www.flinders.edu.au/

📝 Enhancement Note: Flinders University is actively pursuing ambitious strategic goals, including becoming a top ten Australian university. This role in Digital Experience is positioned to directly contribute to this vision by improving the digital touchpoints for its extensive community of students and staff. The IDS department is a central hub for technology and information services, suggesting strong interdependencies and opportunities for broad impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This UX Product Service Designer role is classified as Higher Education Officer Level 8, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires significant experience in design methodologies, tools, and stakeholder management, with an expectation of contributing to strategic design practices and mentoring others.

Reporting Structure: The role reports within the Information and Digital Services (IDS) department, likely to a Digital Experience Lead or Manager, and collaborates closely with project managers, developers, and other university stakeholders.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is centred on enhancing the digital experience for Flinders University's students and staff. By creating user-friendly, accessible, and effective digital services, this position directly contributes to student satisfaction, academic success, operational efficiency, and the university's overall reputation and strategic goals.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into senior design roles, leading projects, or specializing in specific areas of digital experience design.

• Skill Development: Opportunities to deepen expertise in emerging design trends, accessibility standards, and advanced digital strategy through professional development and exposure to diverse university projects.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gain experience working across various university departments, understanding diverse user needs and business objectives, which can lead to broader roles within the institution.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the university's design practice.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a permanent "Continuing" role at a Level 8 designation within a university, this position offers significant stability and a clear path for career development within the higher education sector. The focus on a "growing Digital Experience practice" suggests opportunities to shape processes and contribute to the evolution of design standards within the institution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work arrangement. This indicates a blend of on-site work at the Bedford Park campus and remote work flexibility.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Bedford Park, South Australia, on Kaurna Country. This is Flinders University's main campus, featuring extensive amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close collaboration with various teams, including developers, project managers, and other university staff, suggesting an open and communicative workspace culture.

• Digital Tools: Access to contemporary design and prototyping tools (Figma, Miro, etc.) is essential, indicating a tech-forward environment.

• University Campus: Working on a vibrant university campus offers opportunities for interaction with a diverse community and access to campus facilities.

Work Schedule: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week, with flexible working arrangements available, allowing for a balance between structured work and personal needs, which is beneficial for focused design work and analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, offering flexibility while maintaining essential in-person collaboration for design activities. The campus setting provides a unique work environment with a strong community feel and comprehensive facilities.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application: Submission of CV, Suitability Statement (max 3 pages addressing key capabilities), and a comprehensive Portfolio.

• Portfolio Review: The hiring team will critically assess the portfolio for UX, UI, and service design skills, process documentation, and demonstrated impact.

• Suitability Statement Review: Evaluation of how well candidates address the key position capabilities outlined in the position description.

• Interviews: Likely to involve multiple stages, including discussions with the hiring manager (Leanne Majhu) and potentially other team members or stakeholders. Expect behavioural questions, scenario-based questions, and discussions about your design philosophy and approach.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: A practical design exercise or case study may be part of the process to assess problem-solving skills and how you translate user needs into design solutions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Process: Clearly articulate your design thinking, research methods, ideation, and iteration for each project. Don't just show the final output.

• Highlight Collaboration: Detail how you worked with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and users.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics or qualitative feedback to demonstrate the success and impact of your designs.

• Accessibility Focus: Explicitly detail how you considered and implemented accessibility and inclusive design principles.

• Tool Proficiency: Ensure your portfolio reflects your mastery of required tools like Figma and Miro.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that align with higher education, digital services, and human-centred design.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Flinders University's mission, values, and current digital initiatives if possible.

• Practice Design Thinking: Be ready to walk through a hypothetical problem related to student or staff digital services.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss design decisions, constraints, and trade-offs.

• Focus on User Needs: Always bring the conversation back to user needs and how your solutions address them.

• Prepare Questions: Have thoughtful questions ready for the interviewers about the team, projects, and challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process places significant weight on the portfolio and a written "Suitability Statement." Candidates must meticulously prepare these documents to showcase not only their technical design skills but also their strategic thinking, collaborative abilities, and alignment with the university's user-centred approach.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaborative design sessions.

• Miro: Likely used for collaborative whiteboarding, ideation, journey mapping, service blueprinting, and user research synthesis.

• Adobe XD / Sketch: Potentially used as alternative or complementary design and prototyping tools.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Other Potential Tools:

• User research platforms (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback).

• Project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, Trello) for Agile workflows.

• Accessibility testing tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Miro is explicitly highlighted as a key requirement. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience and best practices with these tools during the interview process. Familiarity with the broader digital ecosystem of a university would also be a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence, Innovation, Courage, Integrity: These are Flinders University's core values, and candidates should demonstrate how their design work embodies these principles.

• Human-Centred Design: A fundamental value driving the design approach, prioritizing user needs and experiences.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working together across teams and disciplines to achieve shared goals.

• Inclusivity & Equity: Commitment to designing for all users, reflecting the university's dedication to diversity and inclusion.

• Continuous Learning: Encouragement to learn, grow, and improve design practices and methodologies.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with developers, project managers, business analysts, and other university stakeholders to ensure designs are feasible, aligned with business objectives, and effectively implemented.

• Feedback Culture: An environment that values constructive feedback to refine designs and improve processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in sharing design knowledge, best practices, and insights within the Digital Experience team and broader IDS department.

📝 Enhancement Note: Alignment with the university's core values (Excellence, Innovation, Courage, Integrity) and a strong commitment to human-centred, inclusive, and collaborative design practices are key cultural indicators for this role. Candidates should reflect these values in their application and interview responses.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse Needs: Juggling the varied requirements of students, academic staff, and administrative personnel within a large institution.

• Scalability of Design: Ensuring design consistency and quality across a wide range of digital services and platforms.

• Adoption of New Practices: Championing and embedding new user-centred design methodologies within an established organizational structure.

• Technical Constraints: Navigating existing technology stacks and infrastructure limitations while striving for optimal user experiences.

• Stakeholder Management: Effectively managing expectations and securing buy-in from diverse stakeholder groups with potentially competing priorities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas such as UX research, interaction design, visual design systems, or service blueprinting.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend conferences, workshops, or pursue certifications relevant to UX, UI, and service design.

• Mentorship Programs: Opportunities to be mentored by senior design leaders or to mentor junior designers.

• Project Diversity: Exposure to a wide array of projects across different university functions, providing rich learning experiences.

• Emerging Technologies: Staying abreast of and potentially integrating emerging technologies and design trends within the higher education context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for large organizations, particularly in the higher education sector. They offer significant opportunities for professional growth by requiring adaptability, strong problem-solving skills, and effective stakeholder management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex digital problem you solved using a human-centred design approach. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on methodology, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive for a diverse user base? Provide an example." (Highlight your commitment to accessibility standards and practical application.)

• "Walk us through a project where you had to balance competing stakeholder needs or technical constraints. How did you navigate this?" (Demonstrate negotiation, compromise, and strategic thinking.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working at Flinders University and specifically within the Information and Digital Services department?" (Research university mission, values, and IDS function.)

• "How do you contribute to a collaborative and learning-oriented team culture?" (Focus on sharing, mentorship, and constructive feedback.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by project, showcasing a clear beginning (problem), middle (process, solutions), and end (results, impact).

• Storytelling: Narrate each project as a story, highlighting challenges, your role, decision-making rationale, and key learnings.

• Visuals: Use high-quality visuals of your wireframes, prototypes, journey maps, and final designs.

• Process Emphasis: Clearly explain the "why" behind each design decision and the methods used.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present your key projects within a specified timeframe, focusing on high-impact examples.

• Tool Demonstration: If possible, be ready to briefly demonstrate your proficiency in Figma or Miro.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily focus on articulating your design process, demonstrating your problem-solving abilities with concrete examples, and aligning your approach with Flinders University's values and user-centred ethos. The portfolio presentation is a critical component.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Product Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Flinders University careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor your CV and Suitability Statement: Carefully review the Position Description and explicitly address the Key Position Capabilities in your Suitability Statement. Ensure your CV highlights relevant experience in UX, UI, service design, and Agile environments.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and proficiency with tools like Figma and Miro. Ensure it demonstrates your ability to create tangible design artefacts and drive impact.

• Prepare for the Interview: Research Flinders University's mission, values, and strategic goals. Practice articulating your design process, project experience, and how you embody human-centred and inclusive design principles. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers.

• Understand the Evaluation Criteria: Be aware that the hiring team will be assessing your portfolio, suitability statement, and interview performance against the requirements outlined in the position description, with a strong emphasis on demonstrated design methodology and collaborative skills.

⚠️ 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.