Junior Designer (UAE National)

The Mission

Dubai Design Lab is an action lab under the Dubai Future Foundation, harnessing the power of design and creativity to position Dubai among the world’s most livable cities. The lab (re)designs, prototypes, and tests policies, strategies, and systems aligned with Dubai’s vision; creating a platform where individuals and organizations come together to imagine and shape a better future. By combining experimentation, collaboration, and human-centered design, the lab drives innovation and contributes to Dubai’s growth as a leading global hub.

Overvie

wThe Junior Human-Centered Designer contributes to multidisciplinary design projects that span across service design, policy, strategy and business. The designer will contribute to help in deeply listening to people, understand behavior in order to create meaningful change

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This role blends rigorous research with hands-on design.The successful candidate will help uncover human insights and translate them into tangible solutions - from digital experiences and service -journeys to policy prototypes and systemic intervention

s.
Working within cross-functional teams, the Junior Human-Centered Designer supports the full design process: research, synthesis, ideation, prototyping, and testi

ng.This is not a purely academic research role. It is a practice-based position embedded within live design projec

ts.
Key Responsibili

ties● Research and Insight Development (

40%)○ Support qualitative and mixed-method rese

arch○ Conduct secondary research and benchmarking across multi-disciplinary proj

ects○ Conduct interviews, contextual inquiries, field observations, and stakeholder engageme

nts.○ Map user journeys, service ecosystems, and system dynam

ics.○ Contribute to synthesis outputs including insight frameworks, personas, opportunity areas, and design princip

les.● Design Collaboration and Prototyping (

30%)○ Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across design, strategy, and pol

icy.○ Participate in iterative prototyping and user feedback loops to test and refine id

eas.○ Support the development of tools, frameworks, and narratives that bridge research and design outco

mes.○ Contribute to documentation, presentations, and storytelling that communicates insights and imp

act.● Workshop, Co-Creation and Stakeholder Engagement (

20%)○ Contribute to workshops, design sprints, and exhibitions that foster dialogue and creativ

ity.○ Engage with academic, government, and industry partners to expand design research imp

act.○ Support the lab’s role as a thought leader by curating and sharing insights within the wider design commu

nity● Documentation & Storytel

ling○ Translate complex research into clear, compelling narrati

ves.○ Contribute to presentations, visual summaries, and case documentat

ion.○ Support internal knowledge systems and research repositor

ies.
Who we're looking

for?○ Bachelor’s degree in service design, UX/UI Design, Interaction Design, Industrial Design, Architecture, Strategic Design, Anthropology, Sociology, Journalism, Communication or related fields– a masters is a

plus.○ 1–3 years of experience in design, research, or innovation pro

jects○ Familiarity with qualitative research methods (interviews, ethnography, contextual inqu

iry).○ Understanding of human-centered design and double-diamond proce

sses.○ Nice to have: The Ability to create journey maps, service blueprints, stakeholder maps, or interaction flows, or other tools to understand and map human beha

vior.○ Strong written and verbal communic

ation
Mindsets and Behav

iours:○ Future-Oriented and Passionate: Demonstrates curiosity and optimism about the f

uture.○ Rigorous and Accountable: Strives for excellence and precision in research and d

esign.○ Empathetic and Collaborative: Builds trust, fosters inclusion, and mentors o

thers.○ Experimental and Curious: Embraces iteration and uncertainty as tools for innov

ation.○ Adaptable and Decisive: Balances flexibility with clarity in complex environ

ments.○ Story-Driven and Connective: Communicates insights through compelling narratives and connec