GovCIO is hiring a Human Centered Design & UX Analyst to support human-centered design and human factors engineering across the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Connected Health portfolio. Connected Health builds and supports digital health tools used by Veterans, caregivers, VA clinicians, and VA staff, including Ambient AI Scribe, Patient Generated Health Data, Patient Engagement Systems such as My HealtheVet and the Patient Engagement Platform, Clinical Analytics and AI, and products supporting VHA program offices.
The analyst joins a cross-functional HCD/HFE sprint team and supports work across the discover, decide, make, and validate phases: eliciting user requirements, developing validated workflows and wireframes for development teams, resolving usability issues in products under development and in production, and evaluating utility and usability through prototypes, proofs of concept, and formal studies. Work follows Digital.gov human-centered design guidance, the HCD Performance Field Guide, and VA Digital Health Office process.
This is a growth role on an established team with senior HCD practitioners. Work is performed at contractor facilities and this position is fully remote within the United States.
Responsibilities- Supports HCD and HFE studies and assessments using appropriate methods including interviews, focus groups, direct and indirect observation, contextual inquiry, card sorting, journey mapping, empathy mapping, personas, usability testing, Voice of Customer, workshops, design sprints, and ideation sessions, both virtual and in person
- Helps plan, conduct, and analyze user research to develop insight into user behaviors, needs, and pain points, and translates findings into actionable recommendations
- Supports scheduling and coordination of clinical subject matter expert and Veteran participation, including preparing recruitment requests and assessment schedules in coordination with the VA lead
- Obtains participant consent for recording and ethnographic capture, and maintains accurate interview notes where participants decline recording
- Develops and maintains HCD artifacts including journey maps, service blueprints, personas, empathy maps, affinity maps, user flow diagrams, process maps and workflows, information architecture diagrams, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes
- Supports heuristic evaluation, literature review, and capability assessments of how products integrate with the electronic health record
- Supports all phases of field testing, user acceptance testing, and proofs of concept and pilots, including test logistics, device coordination, lessons learned capture, and development of SOPs, workflows, and knowledge articles
- Contributes to human factors engineering activities, analyzing human behavior and performance in relation to new products and iterations, and helping ensure designs meet human interface requirements
- Monitors and reports app store feedback for assigned products, capturing pain points, identifying trends, maintaining the response library, logging backlog issues, and producing weekly App Feedback reports and monthly App At A Glance summaries
- Supports Section 508 and WCAG 2.2 conformance in research, design, and reporting, including usability testing with users with disabilities
- Applies the VA Design System and VA Content Style Guide to maintain a consistent look, feel, and voice across user-facing products
- Prepares meeting materials, agendas, and presentations on required timelines, and contributes to research plans, HCD assessment studies, status report-outs, and final report-outs
- Supports facilitation of workshops, co-design sessions, and stakeholder meetings using Mural and other VA-approved collaboration tools
- Collaborates with product owners, designers, developers, clinical stakeholders, and VA leads to refine design strategies, functional requirements, and product roadmaps
QualificationsBachelor's degree with 8+ years of work experience (or commensurate experience). Degrees in human-centered design, human-computer interaction, human factors, industrial or cognitive psychology, design, anthropology, public health, or health informatics are especially relevant, though candidates from other backgrounds with applicable experience are encouraged to apply.
Required Skills and Experience - Foundational understanding of human-centered design and user experience principles, applied in a professional, internship, apprenticeship, or research setting
- Experience supporting qualitative research activities such as interviews, focus groups, observation, or usability testing, including note-taking, participant coordination, or synthesis
- Ability to produce and maintain design research artifacts such as journey maps, personas, process maps, affinity maps, or wireframes
- Familiarity with Mural or comparable collaborative whiteboard tools, and willingness to develop expert-level facilitation skills in Mural
- Working familiarity with accessibility requirements, including Section 508 and WCAG 2.2, and willingness to deepen that knowledge
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including comfort presenting on camera and telling a clear story with research findings to technical and non-technical audiences
- Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment, reframe and pivot as priorities shift, and manage deliverables against firm due dates
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly within the continental United States for onsite research, testing, and program events
- Portfolio, case study, or work samples demonstrating research or design work, including academic or self-directed projects
Clearance Required - Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance or higher
Preferred Skills and Experience - Experience or internship supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs or a federal healthcare program
- Background or coursework in healthcare, clinical settings, patient experience, or human factors
- Familiarity with electronic health record systems such as VistA, CPRS, or Oracle Health
- Familiarity with design tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, or Sketch
- Exposure to human factors engineering methods or ergonomics standards such as the ISO 9241 series
- Familiarity with the VA Design System, VA Content Style Guide, or VA Mobile App Compliance Requirements
- Experience with Qualtrics or comparable survey tools, and with Power BI or similar dashboarding tools
- Familiarity with Jobs-To-Be-Done methodology, minimum viable lovable product definition, or heuristic evaluation
- Experience supporting field testing, user acceptance testing, or pilot programs
- Experience with app store feedback analysis or Voice of Customer programs
- Training or certification in HCD, UX, accessibility, or Agile (e.g., LUMA, CPACC, Nielsen Norman Group)
Posted Salary RangeUSD $120,000.00 - USD $160,000.00 /Yr.
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