As the Lead Product Designer at Thought&Function, you will be at the forefront of our product development process, shaping the future of innovative products that meet and exceed market needs. This pivotal role calls for a visionary designer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, passionate about crafting user-centric designs that drive success and user satisfaction.
In this dynamic role, your design work will be varied, with a primary focus on early-stage products. This means actively shaping the vision of applications in close collaboration with product managers and founders. Your expertise will be crucial in creating designs iteratively to align with the founders' time constraints and the fast-paced nature of startups.
A core part of your role involves developing a versatile, reusable, and scalable design system that can be easily adapted, rebranded, and deployed across different startups. At this early stage, most startups seek rapid market entry over unique interfaces, emphasising the need to analyse data and analytics post-launch to refine and evolve the product. Your contributions will play a crucial role in enabling these startups to go to market swiftly while laying the groundwork for systematic value building based on user feedback and data insights.
Key Responsibilities
Spearhead the design of intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, and functional products that align with business goals and user needs.
Rapidly grasp concepts and ideas to ensure designs not only align with but also advance business goals and resonate with the target market. This requires a strong commercial awareness and an ability to design products that the market desires, not just what looks good.
Efficiently translate ideas into wireframes and designs, demonstrating the capacity to iterate quickly in response to feedback or new insights. This process must balance aesthetic appeal with functional, market-driven considerations.
Work closely with clients, embodying a consultative approach that respects their vision while confidently directing them towards best practices in design. This involves effective communication to justify design decisions and push back when necessary to ensure the product's success.
Analyse user data and collaborate with product managers to identify bottlenecks and optimisation opportunities within the product. This responsibility calls for a data-driven mindset, capable of interpreting analytics to guide design improvements and enhance user experience.
Foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performance culture within the product design team, ensuring that all members are aligned with the project's goals and working effectively towards them.
Establish and maintain scalable design systems and guidelines to ensure consistency and high quality across all product interfaces, facilitating rapid adaptation and iteration based on user feedback and market trends.
Present design concepts, strategies, and progress to stakeholders, effectively communicating the value and rationale behind design choices and their impact on user experience and business outcomes.
Support marketing and other business areas with design expertise, extending the impact of design beyond product development to include brand expression, promotional materials, and cross-functional initiatives.
Requirements
Proven track record as a Product Designer, with extensive experience leading design projects from concept to launch.
Strong portfolio showcasing expertise in user interface design, user experience design, and visual design across multiple platforms.
Proficient in Figma.
Excellent understanding of user-centered design principles, methodologies, and best practices.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a design team.
Experience working in an agile development environment, collaborating closely with product management and engineering teams.
Demonstrated ability to conduct user research and usability testing to inform design decisions.
Nice to Haves
Previous involvement in startups and knowledge of the startup lifecycle.
An understanding of Lean Startup and iterative principles.
Proficiency in creating basic illustrations and animations to enhance product storytelling and user engagement.
Expertise in crafting user experiences for SaaS or marketplace platforms, with a keen eye for the nuances of engaging and scalable design.
Benefits
A pivotal role in a dynamic, growing company with the opportunity to shape the future of product design.
Work directly with founders to drive impact.
Remote working flexibility, promoting work-life balance.
A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, including private health insurance.