Founding Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product Designer

Company: ixigo

Location: Gurugram, Haryana, India

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / Operations Technology

Date Posted: 2026-06-24

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the foundational product design for an AI-native B2B SaaS Customer Experience (CX) platform, establishing its visual language and design system from inception.

• Design complex, high-information-density enterprise software experiences tailored for operational personas, including customer support agents, team leads, and operations managers.

• Drive the end-to-end design process, from conceptualization and wireframing to detailed interaction design and ensuring seamless implementation with engineering.

• Leverage AI capabilities to redefine customer service workflows and agent productivity, focusing on proactive and integrated customer experience solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the description heavily emphasizes B2B SaaS, operational users, complex enterprise software, and AI-driven workflows for customer service operations. This strongly aligns with roles that intersect with Revenue Operations (RevOps), Sales Operations (SalesOps), or GTM Operations by focusing on the technology that powers business processes and efficiency within customer-facing teams. The role requires a deep understanding of operational workflows, system configuration, and the practical application of AI in business contexts, making it highly relevant to operations professionals seeking to understand the technology stack they might interact with or manage.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and build the initial design system, component library, and visual language for a new AI-native B2B SaaS product.

• Design intuitive and powerful user interfaces for multiple operational personas, including customer support agents, team leads, operations managers, and administrators.

• Develop end-to-end user flows and interaction models for complex enterprise software, focusing on high information density, configuration, and workflow automation.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure accurate implementation of designs and maintain design integrity throughout the development lifecycle.

• Conduct user research and usability testing to validate design decisions and iterate on product experiences based on feedback from operational users.

• Design AI-integrated features, such as intelligent agents and copilots, that enhance agent productivity and automate customer service workflows.

• Translate complex operational challenges into elegant, user-friendly design solutions that balance power with simplicity.

• Proactively identify and design for edge cases and intricate configurations within enterprise software environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a blend of foundational design work (design system, visual language) and complex B2B SaaS design for operational users. This is crucial for operations roles as it indicates the creation of tools that will directly impact efficiency, data management, and process execution within customer-facing departments. The emphasis on AI integration is also highly relevant to modern operations strategies aimed at automation and enhanced decision-making.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 2-3 years of meaningful B2B SaaS product design experience, with a focus on complex enterprise software.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience designing and shipping complex enterprise software solutions, not just simpler productivity applications.

• Strong portfolio showcasing systems thinking, interaction design, edge case handling, and end-to-end workflow design.

• Experience designing for operational users such as customer support agents, administrators, analysts, or back-office teams.

• Demonstrated ability to handle ambiguity and make informed design decisions with incomplete information.

• Hands-on design approach with a proven ability to build and iterate rapidly.

• Proficiency in Figma for design and prototyping.

• Understanding of how AI can impact enterprise workflows and interaction models. Preferred Skills:

• Experience as the first or only designer at an early-stage company or startup.

• Familiarity with customer service, contact center, CRM, ITSM, or similar operational software domains.

• Experience designing AI copilots, conversational interfaces, or human-in-the-loop systems.

• Ability to create elegant and user-friendly experiences for highly configurable products.

• Experience in defining and building design systems from scratch.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize experience with complex B2B SaaS and operational users, which are key indicators for the type of technology operations teams will utilize. The preference for experience as the first designer at an early-stage company suggests a need for self-starters who can define processes and standards, a critical skill in operations. Familiarity with AI copilots and conversational interfaces is increasingly relevant for operations automation strategies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrates systems thinking and the ability to design scalable, reusable components and patterns for enterprise software.

• Showcases end-to-end design processes, from initial problem definition and user research to final shipped product, highlighting iterative improvements.

• Includes examples of designing for complex workflows, high information density, and multi-persona user experiences.

• Provides clear documentation of how edge cases and configuration options were handled within the design.

• Presents a visual language and interaction model that is cohesive and functional for operational teams. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of defining and building a design system or component library from scratch, outlining the methodology and decision-making process.

• Case studies detailing the design of AI-powered features, human-in-the-loop systems, or conversational interfaces, detailing the problem, solution, and impact.

• Examples of how user feedback and usability testing were incorporated to iterate and improve product designs for operational efficiency.

• Documentation of collaboration with engineering teams, illustrating how design specifications were translated into implemented features.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, a strong portfolio in this role would demonstrate an understanding of how user interface and experience directly impact operational efficiency, data integrity, and process execution. It's about showing how thoughtful design can streamline complex business workflows, which is a core objective of revenue and sales operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Founding Product Designer with 2-3 years of experience in Gurugram, India, the estimated annual salary range is ₹8,00,000 to ₹15,00,000. This range accounts for the mid-level experience, the critical "founding" nature of the role, and the specific demands of B2B SaaS design in the Indian market.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary and potential for early-stage equity.

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage, including medical, dental, and vision.

• Opportunities for professional development, including access to design conferences and training.

• Generous paid time off and holidays.

• Exposure to cutting-edge AI technology and product development within a leading travel tech organization.

• A dynamic and fast-paced startup environment with significant impact potential.

• Potential for growth into leadership roles as the product and team scale.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, typically 40 hours per week. The role may require flexibility to meet project deadlines and collaborate with teams in different time zones, though the primary focus will be on core business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on current market data for mid-level product designers in Gurugram, India, considering the B2B SaaS and early-stage startup context. The "founding" aspect suggests potential for equity, which is a significant consideration for early hires. Benefits are tailored to typical offerings for tech roles in India, with an emphasis on professional growth relevant to design and operations technology.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Travel Technology (with a new venture into AI-native Customer Experience/Observability Platform).

Company Size: ixigo is a well-established travel tech company. The new observability platform is an early-stage venture within ixigo, suggesting a startup-like environment within a larger, stable organization. This offers the agility of a startup with the backing of a larger entity.

Founded: ixigo was founded in 2007. The new product venture is early-stage.

Team Structure:

• The product design function is currently nascent, with this role being the first dedicated product designer for the B2B SaaS team.

• The designer will work closely with a small, agile team of engineers and product managers focused on building the AI-native CX platform.

• Cross-functional collaboration will be essential, involving product leadership, engineering, and potentially early adopter customers. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, leveraging insights from user behavior, operational metrics, and AI performance data.

• Agile development methodologies with rapid iteration cycles for design and product features.

• Emphasis on building scalable and robust systems from the ground up.

• Experimentation with AI technologies to drive innovation in customer experience and operational efficiency.

Company Website: ixigo.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The context of an early-stage product within a larger travel tech company is significant. For operations professionals, it implies an environment where new tools and processes are likely to be implemented rapidly. The emphasis on data-driven decisions and AI aligns with modern operations strategies focused on efficiency and intelligent automation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a "Founding Product Designer," indicating a critical, early-stage position with significant autonomy and impact. It's a mid-level role in terms of experience (2-3 years) but senior in terms of responsibility and influence, akin to a Senior Product Designer or Lead Designer in a startup setting.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report directly to the Head of Product or a senior product leader for the new CX platform. This direct line of communication allows for rapid decision-making and close collaboration with leadership.

Operations Impact: While a design role, the impact on operations is profound. By creating the foundational user experience for an AI-native CX platform, this role directly influences:

• Efficiency: Streamlining workflows for customer support agents and operations managers.

• Automation: Enabling the adoption of AI-driven automation for customer service tasks.

• Data Utilization: Designing interfaces that facilitate better data capture, analysis, and reporting for operational insights.

• Scalability: Building a design system that supports the long-term growth and expansion of the product and its user base.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to build and lead a design team as the product scales, defining design culture and best practices.

• Product Strategy: Significant influence on product direction and feature roadmap, especially concerning AI integration and user experience for operational teams.

• Technical Specialization: Deep expertise in designing complex B2B SaaS, AI-driven interfaces, and design systems.

• Cross-functional Impact: Deep understanding of how technology impacts business operations, customer service, and GTM strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique growth path for a designer that directly impacts operational efficiency. For operations professionals, understanding this role means recognizing the foundational technology being built for their domain, and the potential for future collaboration or influence on the tool's development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is on-site in Gurugram, indicating a collaborative office environment. As an early-stage venture within ixigo, the workspace is likely to be dynamic, combining the established infrastructure of a larger company with the agility of a startup team.

Office Location(s): Gurugram, Haryana, India. This is a major business hub, offering good connectivity and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect close interaction with product managers, engineers, and other early team members, fostering a culture of shared problem-solving.

• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma), with the potential to influence the adoption of other relevant technologies.

• Operations Team Interaction: While not directly in an operations role, the designer will work closely with the product being built for operations teams, understanding their needs and challenges firsthand.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours, with an expectation of flexibility to meet project milestones. The on-site nature encourages direct team collaboration and immersion in the company's operational rhythm.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests a preference for close-knit team collaboration, which is often beneficial for complex product development and aligns with the need for tight feedback loops in operations. The environment is likely to be fast-paced, requiring adaptability, a trait valued in operations roles.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess experience with B2B SaaS, complex enterprise software, and systems thinking.

• Portfolio Presentation: A deep dive into the candidate's portfolio, focusing on specific case studies that demonstrate end-to-end design process, problem-solving for operational users, and handling of complex technical constraints. Expect questions about design decisions, trade-offs, and iterative improvements.

• Design Challenge: A practical exercise, potentially involving designing a specific feature or workflow for the AI-native CX platform, assessing problem-solving skills, creativity, and ability to work with ambiguity.

• Team/Cultural Fit Interview: Discussion with product and engineering leads to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and alignment with the early-stage team's values.

• Final Interview: Discussion with senior leadership to evaluate strategic thinking and long-term vision for design within the product.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight B2B SaaS & Operational Focus: Clearly showcase projects involving complex enterprise software and design for operational personas. Explain the business context and the specific challenges faced by these users.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Emphasize how you approached scalability, reusability, and consistency, especially in the context of building a design system from scratch.

• Showcase End-to-End Process: Detail your involvement from research and ideation through to implementation and iteration. Use clear visuals and concise explanations.

• Address Edge Cases and Configuration: Provide examples of how you designed for complex scenarios, user-configurable options, and high-information-density interfaces.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your design decisions on user efficiency, task completion rates, or other relevant operational metrics.

• AI Integration: If you have experience with AI-powered features, conversational UIs, or human-in-the-loop systems, highlight these prominently.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research current trends in AI-native customer experience platforms, observability tools, and enterprise software design.

• Familiarize yourself with common customer support workflows and operational challenges.

• Be prepared to articulate your design process, rationale, and how you would approach building a design system from the ground up.

• Practice presenting your portfolio concisely and effectively, focusing on storytelling and strategic decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes a deep dive into practical design skills relevant to enterprise software and operational efficiency. For operations professionals, understanding this process provides insight into how technology for their domain is evaluated and built, and what skills are prioritized.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and collaboration. Expect to be proficient and potentially lead the adoption of best practices within the team.

• Prototyping Tools: In-built Figma prototyping capabilities, potentially supplemented by tools like Principle or After Effects for more complex animations.

• Design System Management: Tools and methodologies for creating and maintaining a scalable design system, likely managed within Figma.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While directly a design role, understanding how product analytics (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude) are used to track user behavior and feature adoption is crucial for iterative design.

• Familiarity with data visualization principles will be beneficial for understanding operational dashboards and reporting. CRM & Automation:

• Understanding the principles and user needs behind CRM systems, ITSM, or contact center software is essential, as the product aims to enhance these areas.

• Awareness of workflow automation concepts will be key to designing effective AI-driven features.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a direct requirement. For operations roles, understanding this tech stack means recognizing the tools used to build the platforms they might manage or interact with, especially regarding user experience and efficiency features.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: Deep focus on understanding and solving the real-world problems of operational users.

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by user data, performance metrics, and AI insights.

• Innovation: Embracing AI and new technologies to redefine customer experience and operational workflows.

• Collaboration: Working closely with engineering and product to build and iterate on the product.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for the design foundation and driving its evolution from inception.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, with frequent communication and feedback loops between design, product, and engineering.

• Emphasis on transparent communication and shared problem-solving to navigate the complexities of building a new product.

• Cross-functional alignment is critical to ensure the product meets the needs of various operational stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a proactive, data-informed, and user-focused approach, which are also core tenets of effective operations management. The collaborative style suggests an environment where cross-functional understanding is key, beneficial for operations professionals who often bridge gaps between departments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: Establishing a design system, visual language, and product experience with no existing foundation.

• Ambiguity: Navigating an early-stage product environment with evolving requirements and incomplete information.

• Complex Enterprise Domain: Designing for high-information-density, configurable, and multi-persona enterprise software.

• AI Integration: Effectively designing user experiences for AI-native features that genuinely enhance operational workflows.

• Balancing Power and Simplicity: Creating sophisticated tools that are still intuitive and easy for operational users to adopt.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Foundational Design Leadership: Opportunity to define and build the design function for a new product.

• Deep B2B SaaS Expertise: Gaining extensive experience in designing complex enterprise solutions.

• AI & CX Innovation: Becoming a specialist in designing AI-driven customer experience platforms.

• Startup Agility: Developing skills in rapid iteration, adaptability, and working in a fast-paced environment.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Gaining a deep understanding of product development, engineering, and operational user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but offer immense learning opportunities, particularly in understanding how complex operational tools are conceived and built. This knowledge is invaluable for operations professionals looking to optimize their own processes or leverage technology more effectively.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for building a design system from scratch for a new B2B SaaS product. What were your key considerations for scalability and reusability?"

• "How would you approach designing an AI copilot for customer support agents? What are the key interaction models and potential pitfalls to avoid?"

• "Walk us through a complex enterprise software project in your portfolio. What were the primary operational challenges, and how did your design solutions address them?"

• "How do you handle ambiguity and incomplete information when making critical design decisions in an early-stage environment?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What are your thoughts on the future of AI in customer experience, and how would you translate that into product design?"

• "How do you collaborate with product managers and engineers to ensure design vision is realized?"

• "What is your experience with designing for operational users, and what makes that domain unique?"

• "Given this is an early-stage product within a larger company, how would you approach building relationships and influencing stakeholders?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the 'Why': Clearly articulate the business problem and the operational context for each case study.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals – wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows – to illustrate your design process and solutions.

• Focus on Decision-Making: Explain why you made certain design choices, highlighting trade-offs, research findings, and iterative refinements.

• Quantify Impact: Present metrics and results that demonstrate the value of your design work, especially concerning efficiency or user satisfaction.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Emphasize how your designs contribute to a cohesive and scalable system, even in early-stage projects.

• Address AI & Complexity: Clearly explain your approach to designing for AI-driven features and complex enterprise workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for these types of questions requires thinking about design not just as aesthetics, but as a strategic tool for driving operational efficiency and business outcomes. This mindset is directly transferable to operations roles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Founding Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your most relevant B2B SaaS and enterprise software design experience. Prioritize projects that showcase systems thinking, complex workflow design, and experience with operational users or AI integration.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience with enterprise software, design systems, and your ability to handle ambiguity in fast-paced environments. Use keywords such as "B2B SaaS," "Enterprise Software Design," "Systems Thinking," "Figma," and "AI Interaction Models."

• Prepare for Case Studies: Be ready to discuss specific projects in detail, focusing on the problem, your process, your design decisions, and the measurable impact of your work. Practice explaining your design rationale clearly and concisely.

• Research ixigo and the Product: Understand ixigo's position in the travel tech market and thoroughly research the vision for this new AI-native CX platform. This will allow you to articulate how your design philosophy aligns with their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.