AI Innovation Lab Experience

Kyndryl, Inc.; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kyndryl, Inc. seeks an AI Innovation Lab Experience Specialist to bridge interaction design, engineering, and research.

You will transform briefs into prototype-driven human-AI experiences across digital, physical, and voice touchpoints, working directly with customers and leading day-to-day relationships on smaller engagements. You will prototype across code, design, data, devices, and fabrication, delivering end-to-end experiences and reusable patterns for future projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field.
• 5+ years in creative/interaction technology or prototyping, with 2+ years client-facing prototyping.
• Portfolio showing working prototypes and design impact.

Responsibilities

• Translate briefs into buildable blueprints and prototypes across digital, physical, and voice touchpoints.
• Prototype with low-fidelity to high-fidelity interfaces and live agents.
• Wire data, APIs, and AI frameworks to create end-to-end credible experiences.
• Lead co-design sessions and user testing to identify improvements.
• Manage client relationships on small engagements with Director oversight.
• Develop reusable interaction patterns and templates for Lab use.
• Deliver complete flows and code repositories to downstream teams.
• Explore sensors, edge devices, and ambient feedback to advance human-AI collaboration.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design, HCI, Industrial Design, Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture, or equivalent practical experience

Tools

TypeScript

React

Figma

Git

APIs

Agent frameworks

Cloud platforms

Arduino/Raspberry Pi/ESP32

Job description

As an AI Innovation Lab Experience Specialist, you will bridge interaction design, engineering, and research to transform client opportunity briefs into tangible, working prototypes and evidence-backed human-AI experiences. Operating under the engagement direction of the Associate Director and Director, you turn ambiguity into momentum-taking customer concepts from brief to service blueprint, agent concept, coded interface, and physical or voice touchpoints. You build the complete interaction rather than just static screens, defining agent state, confidence levels, permissions, explanations, escalations, and outcomes across digital, spatial, and physical surfaces. Working directly with customers and leading day-to-day client relationships on smaller engagements, you combine deep craftsmanship in your primary discipline with the range to work across code, design, data, devices, and fabrication to help clients experience and evaluate future technology investments today.

What You Will Do

• Turn briefs into buildable blueprints: Map human-agent-system models, user workflows, knowledge requirements, decision matrices, handoffs, and policy constraints while defining what should remain human-controlled.
• Prototype at the lowest useful fidelity: Move rapidly from sketches and Wizard-of-Oz simulations to coded interfaces, live agents, connected devices, or fabricated physical forms based on the learning objective.
• Make prototypes behave for real: Wire synthetic or real-world data, APIs, LLM/agent frameworks, and external tools to ensure end-to-end credibility rather than static screen flows.
• Conduct research and evaluation: Lead co-design sessions and user testing to diagnose whether friction points stem from the interaction, workflow, policy, underlying data, or AI model.
• Manage customer relationships: Present interactive prototypes, facilitate executive workshops, and act as the primary day-to-day contact on smaller client engagements under Director oversight.
• Capture reusable design patterns: Separate customer-specific details from reusable interaction logic, component libraries, agent states, prompt templates, and evaluation frameworks for broader Lab use.
• Package deliverables for production: Hand off complete flows, code repositories, dependencies, risks, and test evidence to downstream delivery and pilot teams to ensure seamless continuity.
• Explore frontier technologies: Experiment with sensors, microcontrollers, edge devices, and ambient feedback through protected moonshot capacity to advance human-AI collaboration.

Qualifications

• Education & Professional Background: Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design, HCI, Industrial Design, Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience: 5+ years in creative technology, design technology, interaction design, or software prototyping, with at least 2 years building client-facing prototypes under tight deadlines.
• Portfolio Proof: A portfolio (PDF or link) demonstrating working prototypes you built yourself, highlighting the core questions answered and the resulting design impact.
• Craft Depth & Range: Deep expertise in at least one core making craft (HCI, interaction/product design, industrial design, or software engineering) paired with the versatility to work across code, data, and hardware.
• Practical AI Fluency: Demonstrated ability to build with agentic and generative AI frameworks, integrate APIs/models, and apply AI capabilities responsibly within user workflows.
• Research & Diagnostic Instincts: Experience conducting user testing and co-design sessions, with proven ability to translate evidence into concrete structural improvements.
• Client & Communication Presence: Strong presentation and workshop-facilitation skills, with the professional judgment required to manage client relationships on smaller engagements.
• Personal Qualities: You're good at what you do and possess the required experience to prove it. Equally as important, you have a growth mindset; keen to drive your own personal and professional development. You are customer-focused – someone who prioritizes customer success in their work. And finally, you're open and borderless – naturally inclusive in how you work with others.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Advanced Degree & Experience: Master's degree in Interaction Design, HCI, Design Engineering, or Computational Design, alongside experience in an innovation lab, studio, or agency background.
• Modern Prototyping Tech Stack: Hands-on experience with modern web front ends (TypeScript, React), Figma, Git, API integrations, agent frameworks, and cloud platform tools.
• Embodied, Physical & Spatial AI: Proficiency with microcontrollers/edge devices (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32), sensors, 3D printing/fabrication, spatial audio, AR/VR (Unity/Unreal), or 3D tools (Blender/Rhino).
• Workplace Mobility: Willingness and flexibility to travel to customer sites and regional Lab locations as engagement needs require.

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people – Kyndryls – that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive. The "Kyn" in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our customers and our communities. We focus on ensuring all Kyndryls feel included and we welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if you don't meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. We believe in growth, and we're excited to see what you can bring. At Kyndryl, employee feedback has told us that our number one driver of employee engagement is belonging. That sense of belonging – being a valued, respected, trusted member of the team – is fundamental to our culture and fueling great experiences for our customers. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you the ability to thrive and contribute to our culture of empathy and shared success. That's The Kyndryl Way.

What You Can Expect

Your career with us isn't just a job—it's an adventure with purpose. We offer a dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well-being and empowers you to grow. Our Be Well programs are thoughtfully designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health—because we know that when you feel your best, you do your best. From your very first day, you'll dive into impactful work that powers the systems our customers rely on every day. You won't just contribute—you'll make a difference, tackling meaningful projects that sharpen your skills and fuel your growth. We're here to champion your journey. With powerful tools to chart your career path, personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions, and continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track, you'll have everything you need to thrive and evolve. You'll develop in-demand skills to grow your career and achieve your ambitions with access to cutting-edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands-on experiences. And through it all, you'll be part of a culture that values empathy, restless learning, and a devotion to shared success. We want you to thrive here—and we're committed to helping you do just that. Ready to make an impact? Join us and help shape what's next.