Founding UX Product Designer & User Researcher Lead

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding UX Product Designer & User Researcher Lead

Company: Raison

Location: Paris, France

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX Design & User Research (Product Operations Focus)

Date Posted: 2026-05-07

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote-friendly with regular in-person collaboration in Paris)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end UX design and user research process for AI-native learning experiences, driving product strategy from concept to polished UI.

• Design innovative interfaces for AI-driven and adaptive learning platforms, including conversational interfaces and agent-driven workflows.

• Establish and maintain a robust design system to ensure scalability and consistency across the product.

• Conduct comprehensive qualitative and quantitative user research to build a deep understanding of diverse user segments and translate findings into actionable product insights.

• Champion the user's voice in product roadmap development and collaborate closely with founders and engineers to define and track key UX metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Founding" position, indicating a high level of autonomy, ownership, and direct impact on the company's trajectory. The emphasis on AI-native learning experiences and the hybrid work model are key differentiators. The "Product Operations Focus" is inferred from the responsibilities of defining UX metrics, contributing to the product roadmap based on user evidence, and collaborating closely with engineering for successful product delivery.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete UX design lifecycle, from initial problem framing and concept exploration to the creation of wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final UI designs, ensuring alignment with product goals.

• Design intuitive and effective interactions for AI-driven learning environments, including conversational interfaces, agent-assisted workflows, and adaptive content delivery mechanisms that cater to evolving user needs.

• Develop, maintain, and evolve Raison's design system, encompassing components, design tokens, reusable patterns, and comprehensive guidelines to support product scalability and team collaboration.

• Produce high-fidelity interactive prototypes using Figma (or similar tools) to facilitate user testing, gather feedback, and gain stakeholder alignment on design directions.

• Collaborate closely with software engineers throughout the development process to ensure seamless implementation of designs and maintain design integrity in the shipped product.

• Plan, execute, and analyze both qualitative and quantitative user research studies, including user interviews, contextual inquiries, usability testing sessions, surveys, and diary studies, to gather rich user insights.

• Cultivate and maintain a profound understanding of Raison's core user base, including learners, trainers, instructional designers, and institutional administrators, to inform design decisions.

• Synthesize research findings into clear, actionable insights presented through artifacts such as personas, customer journey maps, jobs-to-be-done frameworks, and opportunity assessments.

• Act as the primary advocate for the user's perspective, ensuring user needs and pain points are central to all product development and strategic decisions.

• Implement and foster a continuous discovery practice to embed ongoing user research as a foundational habit within the product development cycle.

• Partner with company founders and the engineering team to shape the product roadmap, leveraging user evidence and market insights to prioritize features and initiatives.

• Define and track key UX metrics that accurately reflect learning outcomes, user satisfaction, and overall product effectiveness, reporting on performance to stakeholders.

• Actively participate in product strategy discussions as an equal partner, contributing design and research perspectives to inform the company's strategic direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are broken down to emphasize the end-to-end nature of the role, from strategic input to tactical execution. The emphasis on AI-native interfaces and the need to establish a continuous discovery practice are highlighted as critical aspects of this "Founding" role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for roles involving deep user research and product strategy.

Experience:

• 4-8 years of progressive experience in product design, UX design, or a hybrid design-research role.

• Demonstrated experience working on complex, multi-user B2B and/or B2C products, with a strong preference for candidates with prior experience on learning platforms or in the EdTech sector.

• Proven track record in conducting and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative user research, translating messy data into clear, actionable insights that drive product decisions.

Required Skills:

• UX Design: End-to-end design process ownership, from problem framing and concept exploration to wireframing, prototyping, and UI design.

• User Research: Expertise in planning and conducting qualitative (interviews, contextual inquiries, diary studies) and quantitative (surveys, usability tests) research.

• Prototyping & UI Design: Strong visual and interaction design skills, including typography, spacing, motion, and detailed execution. Proficiency in creating high-fidelity prototypes.

• Design Tools: Proficiency in Figma or equivalent industry-standard design and prototyping tools.

• Design Systems: Experience in establishing, maintaining, and scaling design systems (components, tokens, patterns, guidelines).

• AI Interface Design: Familiarity and comfort designing for AI-driven, adaptive, and conversational interfaces.

• Product Strategy: Ability to contribute to product roadmap development, define UX metrics, and participate in strategic product discussions.

• Analytical Skills: Capability to synthesize complex research data into actionable insights (personas, journey maps, JTBD).

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and French.

• Autonomy & Adaptability: Ability to work autonomously, form strong opinions based on evidence, and adapt perspectives when presented with new data.

• Team Collaboration: Skill in working hand-in-hand with engineers and founders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the higher education sector or with educational institutions.

• Fluency in Spanish.

• Deep passion for AI and education.

• Experience with or interest in building community and fostering user engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level is inferred from the "4-8 years" requirement and the "Founding" nature of the role, suggesting a need for seasoned professionals. The required skills are directly extracted and organized for clarity, with an emphasis on the blend of design, research, and strategic thinking.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory, showcasing a strong blend of design craft and strategic thinking.

• Demonstrate end-to-end ownership of design projects, including the problem definition, user research conducted, design iterations, and final outcomes.

• Highlight experience with complex, multi-user B2B/B2C products, ideally with examples related to learning platforms or adaptive systems.

• Showcase your ability to design for AI-driven and conversational interfaces, illustrating how you addressed unique interaction challenges.

• Provide examples of how you've synthesized messy qualitative and quantitative data into clear, actionable insights that influenced product direction.

• Include case studies that detail your process for developing or contributing to a design system.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates should be prepared to discuss their methodologies for user research planning, execution, and synthesis.

• Demonstrations of how you translate research findings into design artifacts (personas, journey maps, JTBD) are expected.

• Be ready to articulate your approach to iterative design, prototyping, and user testing within a product development cycle.

• Detail your process for collaborating with engineering teams to ensure design fidelity and successful implementation.

• Explain your strategy for establishing and maintaining design systems and ensuring their adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Founding" nature of the role and the emphasis on a "strong portfolio that shows both craft and thinking" necessitate a detailed breakdown of what such a portfolio should encompass, focusing on process, impact, and strategic contribution, particularly in the context of AI-driven products.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the Paris startup ecosystem and the 4-8 years of experience requirement for a founding role, a competitive salary range for a UX Product Designer & User Researcher Lead in Paris would typically fall between €65,000 and €90,000 gross per year. This range accounts for the seniority, the founding status, and the specialized skills in AI-native design and user research.

Benefits:

• Equity: A founding role with significant equity stake, offering direct influence on company strategy and potential for substantial long-term financial reward.

• Competitive Salary: A salary benchmarked to the Paris startup ecosystem, reflecting the candidate's experience and the critical nature of the role.

• Flexibility: A remote-friendly work environment with the expectation of regular in-person collaboration in Paris, offering a hybrid work model.

• Impactful Work: Opportunity to be at the forefront of a significant shift in human learning, shaping a product that has the potential for broad impact.

• Team Environment: Work within a small, high-performing team known for rapid iteration, mutual trust, and a problem-solving culture.

• Professional Development: Implicit opportunities for growth through direct involvement in company strategy, product direction, and the scaling of design and research functions.

Working Hours: While the standard full-time work week in France is 35 hours, the nature of a founding role in a startup environment often implies a commitment that may exceed this, with flexibility and autonomy in managing workload. The company states 40 hours per week, aligning with common startup expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on provided information (location, experience, founding role) and industry benchmarks for UX/Product Design roles in Paris. It includes a justification for the estimation methodology. Benefits are extracted and elaborated with context relevant to a founding position.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education Technology (EdTech). Raison is developing AI-native learning experiences, aiming to revolutionize how humans learn.

Company Size: Early-stage startup. The team is described as "small, sharp" and working fast, indicating a team size likely under 20 employees.

Founded: Raison was founded with the vision to shape the future of learning through AI. The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the "Founding UX Product Designer" title suggests it is in its early stages of development and team building.

Team Structure:

• Founding Team: The role reports directly to the founders, implying close collaboration and direct access to leadership.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The UX Designer & User Researcher Lead will work hand-in-hand with engineers and founders, forming a core product development triad.

• Agile & Iterative: The team operates with a methodology of shipping fast and trusting each other, suggesting an agile, iterative approach to product development.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on user evidence to shape the product roadmap and define UX metrics.

• Continuous Discovery: Establishing a practice of ongoing user research as a foundational habit.

• Iterative Development: A culture of rapid iteration and fast shipping.

• AI-Native Focus: Designing specifically for the unique challenges and opportunities of AI-driven learning experiences.

Company Website: https://raison.is

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the job description's emphasis on AI, education, and the "founding" nature of the role. The team structure and methodology are inferred from descriptions of the team's working style and the role's responsibilities.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior to lead level, specifically a "Founding" position. It represents a critical early hire for Raison, offering significant autonomy and the opportunity to build the UX and user research function from the ground up. The scope includes not only design and research but also strategic product input.

Reporting Structure: The UX Product Designer & User Researcher Lead will report directly to the company founders. This close reporting line facilitates rapid decision-making and direct influence on company strategy.

Operations Impact: The role has a profound impact on Raison's operational success by:

• Product-Market Fit: Directly influencing the product's usability, desirability, and effectiveness, which is crucial for achieving product-market fit.

• User Acquisition & Retention: Designing engaging and valuable learning experiences that drive user adoption, satisfaction, and long-term retention.

• Innovation: Leading the design of novel AI-native interfaces that differentiate Raison in the competitive EdTech market.

• Strategic Direction: Contributing to the overall product strategy and roadmap based on deep user understanding.

• Design System Scalability: Building foundational design infrastructure (design system) that enables faster, more consistent product development as the company scales.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to build and potentially lead a design and research team as the company grows.

• Strategic Influence: Direct involvement in shaping company-wide product strategy and business decisions.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in AI-driven learning experiences and the EdTech industry.

• Ownership & Equity: Significant equity stake provides a direct financial upside tied to the company's success.

• Career Defining Role: The chance to define the user experience and research practice for a company at its inception, creating a significant career milestone.

📝 Enhancement Note: The analysis focuses on the "Founding" aspect, emphasizing the senior leadership and strategic impact inherent in such a role. The "Operations Impact" section is tailored to how design and research contribute to the operational success of a product-led company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The company offers remote-friendly flexibility but requires regular in-person collaboration in Paris. This suggests a model that balances the benefits of remote work with the necessity of face-to-face interaction for critical team alignment and ideation.

Office Location(s): Paris, France. This indicates a central hub for team meetings, workshops, and collaborative sessions.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The need for regular in-person collaboration in Paris points to a workspace designed to foster teamwork, brainstorming, and direct interaction between founders, designers, and engineers.

• Tools & Technology: While specific tools are listed under "Tools & Technology Stack," the environment will likely be equipped with modern design and collaboration software to support the hybrid model.

• Agile & Fast-Paced: The company culture emphasizes shipping fast, suggesting a dynamic and energetic workspace where quick iterations and problem-solving are common.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are mentioned, with flexibility inherent in the remote-friendly policy. However, as a founding role, there's an expectation of dedication and commitment to driving the company's early success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Hybrid" work arrangement is a key aspect, and the description elaborates on what this means for the workspace and collaboration, specifically in the context of a startup needing both flexibility and in-person synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, focusing on your resume and portfolio link to assess your experience and fit for a founding role.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you present your portfolio, detailing your process, problem-solving approaches, and impact on previous projects. This is a critical stage to assess your craft, thinking, and how you "operated."

• Skills-Based Interviews: Discussions or exercises focused on specific UX design challenges, user research methodologies, and designing for AI-native interfaces. This may involve hypothetical scenarios or deep dives into your portfolio case studies.

• Founder/Team Interviews: Conversations with the founders and potentially early team members to assess cultural fit, strategic alignment, autonomy, and your vision for the role and the company.

• Language Proficiency Check: Assessment of fluency in both French and English.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Go beyond static images. Use interactive prototypes or detailed case studies that walk through your thought process, research, iterations, and the impact of your work.

• Focus on Process & Strategy: For this role, highlight how you framed problems, conducted research, synthesized insights, and how those insights directly informed your design decisions and product strategy.

• Demonstrate AI/Adaptive Design Experience: If possible, include examples of designing for complex, non-linear, or AI-driven interfaces. Explain the unique challenges and your solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs and research efforts. Highlight improvements in user satisfaction, learning outcomes, engagement, or efficiency.

• Tailor to Raison: Show an understanding of Raison's mission in AI and education. Connect your past experiences and portfolio pieces to their specific challenges and opportunities.

• Craft & Detail: Ensure your UI design skills are evident, and pay attention to the "small details that build trust."

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Interface Scenarios: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach designing for AI-native learning experiences, considering conversational UIs, agent-driven workflows, and adaptive content.

• Research Synthesis: Practice articulating how you would distill complex, potentially messy qualitative data into clear, actionable insights for a product team.

• Design System Thinking: Be ready to discuss your philosophy and practical experience in building or contributing to design systems, especially in a startup environment.

• Product Strategy Contribution: Think about how user research and UX design can directly inform and shape a product roadmap and overall business strategy.

• Language Fluency: Ensure you can articulate your thoughts clearly and confidently in both French and English.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice on preparing for the specific demands of this role, particularly the emphasis on the portfolio, AI interface design, and the "founding" aspect which implies a strategic and self-directed approach.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Explicitly mentioned as the preferred tool for high-fidelity prototyping and UI design. Proficiency is expected.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other industry-standard prototyping tools is beneficial.

• Design System Tools: Tools or methodologies for managing design tokens, components, and guidelines (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or integrated Figma libraries).

Analytics & Reporting:

• UX Metrics Tools: Experience with tools or frameworks for defining, tracking, and reporting on UX metrics related to learning outcomes and user satisfaction. This could involve custom dashboards, analytics platforms (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude), or survey tools.

• User Feedback Platforms: Tools for gathering and analyzing user feedback (e.g., Hotjar, UserTesting.com, survey platforms like Typeform or SurveyMonkey).

CRM & Automation: (Less emphasized for this specific role, but relevant for broader product context)

Research Tools:

• Qualitative Research Platforms: Tools that facilitate user interviews, usability testing (e.g., Zoom, Lookback, Maze).

• Survey Platforms: Tools for creating and distributing surveys (e.g., Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms).

• Data Synthesis Tools: Tools or methods for organizing and analyzing qualitative data (e.g., Dovetail, Notion, Miro for affinity mapping).

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools are primarily derived from the explicit mention of Figma and the responsibilities of design, research, and metrics tracking. The list is expanded with common tools in these domains that a candidate would likely encounter or be expected to use.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for users, ensuring their needs and experiences are paramount in all product decisions.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing evidence from user research and UX metrics to guide strategy, design choices, and product iterations.

• Innovation & Curiosity: A genuine interest in AI and education, coupled with a drive to explore new interaction patterns and learning methodologies.

• Ownership & Autonomy: Expectation that team members take full ownership of their domains, operate with a high degree of independence, and drive initiatives forward.

• Collaboration & Trust: Fostering a team environment where members work closely together, trust each other's expertise, and communicate openly.

• Craft & Detail: A commitment to high-quality design execution, paying attention to the nuances that build trust and create exceptional user experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration between design, research, engineering, and founders, with open communication channels and shared understanding of goals.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: A culture that encourages frequent feedback, constructive critique, and iterative refinement of designs and strategies.

• Knowledge Sharing: Openness to sharing insights, learnings, and best practices across the team to foster collective growth and efficiency.

• Respect for Expertise: Valuing the contributions of each discipline (design, research, engineering, product) and allowing individuals to lead within their areas of expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles are inferred from the job description's emphasis on a "founding" role, a small, sharp team, AI-native experiences, and the need for close collaboration with founders and engineers.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Novelty: Creating intuitive user experiences for AI-native learning platforms where traditional UX patterns may not apply, requiring creative problem-solving for conversational interfaces and adaptive content.

• Balancing Autonomy and Direction: Operating with significant independence while ensuring alignment with the founders' vision and the company's strategic goals.

• Establishing Processes from Scratch: Building the UX design and user research function, including its processes, systems, and culture, within an early-stage startup.

• Bridging AI and Human Learning: Translating complex AI capabilities into accessible, effective, and human-centered learning experiences.

• Continuous Discovery Implementation: Embedding a robust and sustainable continuous discovery practice within a fast-paced startup environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Direct involvement in shaping company strategy, product vision, and market positioning.

• Deep AI EdTech Expertise: Becoming a leader in the intersection of AI, learning science, and product design.

• Team Building & Management: Potential to grow into a leadership role, building and managing a design and research team.

• Entrepreneurial Experience: Gaining invaluable experience in the early-stage startup environment, from product development to growth strategies.

• Industry Impact: Contributing to a product that aims to significantly improve how humans learn.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are framed around the unique aspects of the role (AI, founding status, EdTech) and opportunities are linked to career progression and skill development in a startup context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a conversational learning interface for an AI tutor? What are the key considerations for interaction flow, error handling, and user trust?" (Focus on AI interface design, conversational UX, problem-solving)

• "Describe your process for establishing a continuous discovery practice in a startup environment. What metrics would you use to measure its effectiveness?" (Focus on research methodology, process establishment, metrics)

• "Imagine you've conducted user interviews and found conflicting feedback regarding a core feature. How would you synthesize this data and make a recommendation for the product roadmap?" (Focus on data synthesis, decision-making under uncertainty, product strategy input)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Raison's mission to revolutionize learning with AI, and how does that align with your career aspirations?" (Focus on mission alignment, passion, career goals)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration with founders and engineers. How do you ensure effective communication and alignment on product goals?" (Focus on collaboration, communication, cross-functional teamwork)

• "Given this is a founding role, how do you approach taking ownership of a function and driving it forward with minimal oversight?" (Focus on autonomy, ownership, proactivity)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline: the problem, your role, the research conducted, the design process, key decisions and trade-offs, the final solution, and the measured impact.

• Highlight the "How": Emphasize your thought process, research methodologies, and how you translated insights into design solutions. This is crucial for demonstrating how you "operated."

• Showcase AI/Adaptive Design: Dedicate time to any relevant work involving AI, adaptive systems, or complex interactions. Explain the unique challenges and your strategic approach.

• Quantify Your Impact: Use metrics (even if estimated or based on previous roles) to demonstrate the tangible results of your work. Focus on user satisfaction, learning outcomes, or efficiency gains.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, research methods, or challenges encountered. Be prepared to defend your decisions with evidence.

• Practice Your French: If you are not a native speaker, practice articulating your portfolio and answers clearly and confidently in French.

📝 Enhancement Note: These questions and strategies are tailored to the specific requirements of the role, emphasizing AI, founding status, research-to-product impact, and the need for strong portfolio evidence.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link, ensuring your resume and portfolio are up-to-date and clearly highlight your relevant experience in UX design, user research, and product strategy.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end design process, your ability to conduct and synthesize user research, and your experience with complex products, ideally including AI-driven or adaptive interfaces. Prioritize projects where you can articulate clear problem framing, strategic thinking, and measurable impact.

• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to include keywords from the job description such as "UX Design," "User Research," "AI-native," "Figma," "Product Strategy," "Design Systems," and "B2B/B2C." Quantify your achievements with specific metrics where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio with founders and engineers in mind. Focus on storytelling, clearly articulating your process, decision-making, and the outcomes of your work. Be ready to discuss your approach to AI interface design.

• Research Raison: Thoroughly understand Raison's mission, product vision, and the challenges within the AI EdTech space. Prepare to articulate why you are passionate about this specific opportunity and how your skills align with their needs.

⚠️ 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.

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