Experience Prototyper – Software

Summary

Next Gen Computing (NGC) develops new concepts and capabilities for Apple products. The team brings expertise in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software design, and interaction design, enabling it to build fully functional prototypes that inform decisions across Apple.

From rapid proofs of concept to live-on platforms distributed to dozens of internal users for longer durations, we can take an exploration as far as needed to enable our colleagues and stakeholders to get a hands-on feel for an experience instead of just an idea. We work across a variety of product lines and work regularly with engineering, design, and human factors functions to realize our work as clearly as possible.

Our team offers a unique opportunity to inform the future of Apple products.

About the role

Experience prototypers combine skills in user experience design and software development to explore new product design spaces across the Apple ecosystem. Through deep collaboration with hardware/software engineers and designers, they architect and build interactive prototypes, connecting product concepts to technical feasibility to bring abstract ideas to life.

They operate comfortably in ambiguity to build everything from rapid mock-ups to polished interactions. They are able to frame their explorations with human-centered design language and visual artifacts, share their work with collaborators and stakeholders, and synthesize their findings to turn building into shared learning.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and iterate on prototypes to explore and validate opportunities within new product design spaces
• Design and build interactive prototypes of new interaction models and user interfaces, with strong aesthetic and design sensibility
• Modify Apple’s UI frameworks and core OS components to add support for prototype hardware sensors and actuators
• Partner closely with hardware and systems engineers to inform hardware architecture, and to ensure necessary integration with custom hardware platforms
• Communicate design intent and architecture decisions clearly through sketches, storyboards, scenarios, and technical block diagrams
• Document prototypes thoughtfully with video and other means
• Synthesize findings and reflections into a coherent story, contextualizing and framing the work as appropriate for different audiences at Apple

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with native UI development for iOS, macOS, or similar platforms using Swift, C, Objective-C, or C++
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science/computer engineering, or equivalent career experience
• Fluency with interaction design methods: concept sketching/diagramming, problem framing, visual storytelling
• Natural curiosity and intuitive desire to quickly build something tangible to explore an idea
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn new technologies, tools, and domains, and to adapt your skillset as project needs evolve

Preferred Qualifications

• Dynamic range necessary to work effectively at different levels of refinement, from scrappy to polished
• Comfort with ambiguity, open-ended exploration, and far-out ideas
• Attention to the functional and aesthetic details of user interface design, and consideration of human factors
• Familiarity with common hardware sensors, digital signal processing, gesture detection, or firmware development
• Experience with graphical animations, motion design, or GPU shader programming
• Familiarity with generative AI workflows