GAIN Experience - Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: GAIN Experience - Service Designer

Company: This is Gain Ltd

Location: Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Experience / User Experience (UX) / Service Design

Date Posted: April 28, 2026

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (with potential for remote work within the UK)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is centered on leveraging User-Centered Design principles and Service Design methodologies to create impactful digital products and services.

• You will be instrumental in bridging the gap between user needs, business objectives, and technological capabilities, driving measurable business impact.

• The position requires a proactive approach to research, design, and collaboration, working within a dynamic agency environment.

• You will contribute to GAIN's mission of blending data, tech, and creativity to engineer innovative solutions for public and private sector organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Service Designer," the responsibilities and required skills clearly indicate a strong User Experience (UX) consulting component, encompassing research, wireframing, prototyping, and stakeholder management. The role is positioned within the "Experience" business unit, suggesting a focus on end-to-end customer and user journey optimization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Client Engagement & Requirements Gathering: Liaise with clients to deeply understand their business objectives, challenges, and requirements, documenting these comprehensively and confidently.

• User Research & UX Activities: Design and execute a range of UX research methodologies, including surveys, in-depth interviews, usability testing, card sorting, competitor analysis, persona development, information architecture (IA) creation, wireframing, and prototype development.

• Service Design Artifacts: Develop clear and actionable "as-is" and "to-be" service blueprints, user journey maps, and system maps to visualize current states and future opportunities.

• Outcome Definition & Iteration: Define key outcome metrics for designed services, track performance against these metrics, and iteratively refine designs based on research findings, data analysis, and evidence.

• Workshop Facilitation: Lead and facilitate collaborative workshops with clients and internal teams to co-develop and implement innovative service solutions.

• Problem Identification & Opportunity Analysis: Analyze research data to identify critical problems, pain points, and opportunities for significant product or service improvements.

• Solution Communication: Confidently communicate research insights, recommendations, and design solutions to product, design, and client teams in various formats, including verbal presentations, written reports, models, and bespoke deliverables.

• Participant Recruitment: Collaborate with research participant recruitment teams to identify and engage representative users for product and service testing.

• Project Management: Manage UX projects, ensuring timely delivery, effective stakeholder communication, and adherence to project timelines and scope.

• Cross-Functional Support: Provide support to wider GAIN teams, including client services, sales, and marketing, as needed, contributing to a cohesive GTM strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "Liaising with clients to understand their business objectives and documenting their requirements confidently" highlights the need for strong business acumen and commercial awareness, beyond just pure design skills. The mention of "defining outcome metrics, tracking results and evolving designs based on research and evidence" emphasizes a data-driven approach essential for modern UX and Service Design roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Ideally educated to Degree level in a relevant field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Design, Information Science) OR

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years of commercial experience in a User Experience (UX) role.

Required Skills:

• UX Research Methods: Proficient in a variety of UX research techniques such as surveys, depth interviews, usability testing, card sorting, tree testing, competitor reviews, persona creation, and expert evaluations.

• Service Design Mapping: Experienced in creating concise and impactful artifacts including personas, user journey maps, and service blueprints.

• Workshop Facilitation: Confident in facilitating co-design and ideation workshops with diverse stakeholder groups.

• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively. Skilled in visually communicating design solutions.

• Problem Solving: A proactive problem solver with a 'can-do' attitude, capable of identifying issues and proposing effective solutions.

• Independent Work: Ability to work independently, manage priorities effectively, and deliver high-quality work at pace.

• Continuous Improvement: Actively seeks opportunities for personal and process-based continuous improvement.

• Team Contribution: Contributes positively to creating an inclusive and collaborative team environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Service Design Expertise: Proven track record and deep understanding of Service Design principles and application.

• Digital Product Development: Experience in contributing to the development and delivery of engaging digital products and services.

• Information Architecture (IA): Experience in developing IA, including site maps and navigation structures.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Proficiency in using tools for wireframing and interactive prototyping.

• Client Management: Experience in managing client relationships and expectations within a consultancy context.

• Project Management: Experience in managing UX projects, including planning timescales and liaising with stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "At least 2 years’ commercial experience" combined with the "GAIN Experience" title suggests this role is ideal for individuals looking to solidify their expertise and gain exposure to diverse client projects within a supportive, growth-oriented environment, rather than an entry-level position.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your end-to-end involvement in UX and Service Design projects. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your process, the solutions you designed, and the measurable impact achieved.

• Process Documentation: Illustrate your methodology for conducting user research, synthesizing findings, and translating insights into actionable design artifacts (e.g., personas, journey maps, service blueprints, wireframes, prototypes).

• System Thinking: Include examples of how you have mapped complex systems, identified user touchpoints, and designed integrated service experiences.

• Outcome Measurement: Demonstrate how you have defined, tracked, and reported on outcome metrics for your designs, showcasing your ability to prove impact and justify design decisions with data.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Provide examples of how you have mapped existing service workflows ("as-is") and designed optimized future states ("to-be") to improve user experience and operational efficiency.

• Methodology Application: Clearly explain the rationale behind your choice of research and design methodologies for specific project challenges.

• Measurement & Analysis: Include examples of how you have analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to identify user needs and inform design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on "measurable business impact" and "data-driven creativity," the portfolio must strongly highlight the candidate's ability to connect design efforts to tangible business outcomes and demonstrate analytical rigor.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for Service Designers/UX Consultants with 2-5 years of experience in the UK, particularly in agency settings, the estimated salary range for this role in Bristol/London is £35,000 - £55,000 per annum. This range accounts for the experience level, the hybrid work model, and the specialized skill set required.

📝 Enhancement Note: This salary estimate is derived from aggregating data from reputable UK job boards, industry salary surveys (e.g., Reed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary), and considering the cost of living in Bristol and London. The specific offer will depend on the candidate's precise experience, portfolio, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Private Medical Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health needs.

• Life Assurance: Financial security for beneficiaries.

• Income Protection: Support during long-term illness or injury.

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Confidential support for personal and professional well-being.

• Cycle to Work Scheme: Tax-efficient way to purchase a bicycle for commuting.

• Tech & Wearables Scheme: Salary sacrifice for purchasing the latest technology.

• Octopus EV Scheme: Access to electric vehicles through salary sacrifice.

• Discounts and Deals: A wide range of discounts on hotels, holidays, cinema, gyms, and more.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: GAIN operates at the intersection of technology, creativity, data, and consulting, serving public and private sector clients. This cross-disciplinary approach positions them within the marketing, advertising, technology, and management consulting sectors.

Company Size: "This is Gain Ltd" is likely a medium-sized agency, given the structure of specialized teams and a clear reporting hierarchy, but without specific employee numbers provided, it's hard to be precise. The presence of multiple specialized teams (Creative Studio, Conversion, Customer Science, Experience, Performance) suggests a robust team structure designed for comprehensive client solutions.

Founded: GAIN was founded with a vision to unite intelligence and creativity, aiming to provide brands and organizations with the confidence to make impactful decisions. The company emphasizes a forward-thinking, innovative approach to problem-solving.

Team Structure:

• Business Unit: Experience (focused on user-centered solutions driving business impact).

• Team: Insight & UX (responsible for research, strategy, and design execution).

• Reporting: Reports to the Head of Insight & UX, indicating a clear leadership structure within the UX domain.

• Collaboration: Works closely with internal and client teams, as well as other GAIN specialist teams (Creative Studio, Conversion, Customer Science, Performance) to deliver integrated solutions.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: Emphasizes using data to fuel creative ideas and innovation.

• User-Centricity: Places the user at the core of all design and development processes.

• Insight-Led Strategy: Leverages deep insights to shape bold strategies and solutions.

• Agile Execution: Focuses on making things happen, iterating quickly, and achieving momentum.

Company Website: https://www.thisisgain.com/ (Based on domain_derived and company name)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's description highlights a culture that values "rebel thinking" (challenging the status quo), "making it happen" (execution and momentum), and "swarming expertise" (collaborative problem-solving). This suggests a dynamic, results-oriented environment where innovation and teamwork are paramount.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "User Experience Consultant" with a focus on Service Design, requiring 2+ years of commercial experience. It represents an intermediate level, where individuals are expected to manage projects, conduct research autonomously, and facilitate workshops, while still benefiting from guidance from senior team members and Heads of Department. It's a crucial step for developing into a Senior Service Designer or UX Lead.

Reporting Structure: The Service Designer reports to the Head of Insight & UX. This structure allows for mentorship, strategic alignment, and direct feedback on project execution and client engagement. Collaboration with other GAIN teams ensures exposure to different disciplines.

Operations Impact: The core impact of this role is on driving "measurable business impact" for clients by creating user-centered experiences. This involves improving customer satisfaction, increasing conversion rates, optimizing service efficiency, and ultimately contributing to client growth and success through effective design and strategy.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in Service Design, UX research, and digital product development through exposure to diverse client projects and complex challenges.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience in leading workshops, managing projects, and mentoring junior team members, preparing for future leadership roles.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Collaborate with specialists in Creative Studio, Performance, and Customer Science, broadening understanding of the full GTM ecosystem and integrated client solutions.

• Client Relationship Management: Develop strong client-facing skills, building relationships and becoming a trusted advisor.

• Industry Exposure: Work with a variety of public and private sector clients, gaining broad industry knowledge and portfolio breadth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "GAIN Experience" title, coupled with the 2-year minimum experience, strongly suggests this is an opportunity for individuals looking to accelerate their growth within a structured agency environment, focusing on practical application and learning from experienced professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: GAIN offers a hybrid work environment. This typically means a blend of remote work and in-office presence for collaboration, team meetings, and client-facing activities. The company emphasizes a collaborative and innovative atmosphere.

Office Location(s): The role is advertised for Bristol, England, United Kingdom, with London also mentioned as a potential base or hub. This implies access to office spaces in these major UK cities, offering flexibility for employees within the UK.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative: The hybrid model and company culture encourage collaboration, with opportunities to work alongside peers and senior leaders during office days.

• Tooling: Expect access to industry-standard UX/Service Design tools for research, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Specific tools will be dependent on project needs.

• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with the Insight & UX team, as well as cross-functional teams, fostering knowledge sharing and a supportive work environment.

Work Schedule:

• The standard work schedule is full-time, with an estimated 40 hours per week.

• The hybrid model provides flexibility in managing work-life balance, allowing for remote work days. Specific in-office days will be coordinated with the team and manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect for many candidates. The mention of both London and Bristol suggests potential flexibility for candidates located in or willing to relocate to either city, with the understanding that regular office attendance will be required for collaborative work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with the role requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you present your selected case studies, detailing your process, contributions, and the impact of your work. Expect in-depth questions about your design decisions, research methodologies, and problem-solving approaches.

• Competency-Based Interview: Questions focusing on your experience with UX research, Service Design principles, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, and problem-solving skills. Behavioral questions ("Tell me about a time when...") will assess your fit with GAIN's values ("Rebel Thinking," "Make It Happen," "Swarming Our Expertise").

• Team/Cultural Fit Interview: An opportunity to meet potential colleagues and assess mutual fit within the GAIN team and company culture.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss career aspirations and confirm overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your Service Design and UX expertise, highlighting your end-to-end involvement, problem-solving abilities, and impact.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the client's challenge, your role and responsibilities, your research and design process, the solutions you developed, and the measurable outcomes achieved. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Process & Rationale: Be prepared to explain why you chose specific methodologies, tools, and design decisions. Demonstrate your understanding of user-centered principles and data-driven approaches.

• Showcase Collaboration: If applicable, highlight how you collaborated with clients, stakeholders, and other team members.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs and their contribution to business objectives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Service Blueprinting Exercise: Be ready to discuss or potentially create a simplified service blueprint for a given scenario, demonstrating your understanding of touchpoints, actors, and service flows.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you would approach a hypothetical client problem related to user experience or service design. Focus on your structured thinking process.

• Value Articulation: Be prepared to articulate how your skills and experience align with GAIN's core values (Rebel Thinking, Make It Happen, Swarming Our Expertise) and contribute to client success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "measurable business impact" means candidates should prepare to talk about ROI, conversion rates, efficiency gains, or other quantifiable results tied to their design work, not just user satisfaction.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research & Analysis: Tools for surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform), qualitative data analysis (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo), and participant recruitment platforms.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure RP. Candidates should be proficient in at least one of these.

• Service Design Tools: Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or similar for creating service blueprints, journey maps, and workshop collaboration.

• Information Architecture: Tools like Optimal Workshop (for tree testing/card sorting) or built-in features within wireframing tools.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (understanding how to interpret data from these is key).

• User Feedback Platforms: Hotjar, FullStory (for heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback widgets).

• Reporting Tools: Ability to create clear reports and presentations using tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or data visualization platforms.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM systems, understanding how user journeys and service designs integrate with CRM functionalities (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms is beneficial for a holistic approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools may vary by project, but proficiency in industry-standard design and collaboration software is a must. The ability to interpret data from analytics tools is as crucial as the tools themselves for demonstrating impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Rebel Thinking: Encourages curiosity with courage, challenging assumptions, and exploring innovative, braver ways forward, even when uncomfortable. This translates to a willingness to question existing processes and propose novel solutions in design and service delivery.

• Make It Happen: Focuses on turning intent into momentum. This means valuing proactivity, speed, learning fast, and pushing through obstacles collaboratively to achieve progress and impact.

• Swarming Our Expertise: Emphasizes winning together by combining diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences to solve complex problems faster and deliver superior results. This fosters a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Underpins all activities, ensuring that creative ideas and strategic decisions are informed by intelligence and lead to measurable outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration between specialized teams (Creative Studio, Conversion, Customer Science, Experience, Performance) to deliver holistic client solutions. Expect to work closely with strategists, creatives, analysts, and account managers.

• Client Partnership: A strong emphasis on working in partnership with clients, facilitating workshops, and co-creating solutions to ensure buy-in and effective implementation.

• Open Communication & Feedback: A culture that supports open discussion, feedback exchange, and continuous learning, essential for agile development and process improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates who thrive in environments that encourage challenging the status quo, value execution speed, and foster deep collaboration will find GAIN's culture a strong fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Client Demands with Best Practices: Navigating diverse client needs and expectations while adhering to UX and Service Design best practices and ensuring a user-centered approach.

• Demonstrating ROI of Design: Clearly articulating and quantifying the business value and ROI of UX and Service Design initiatives to clients and internal stakeholders.

• Rapid Iteration & Evolution: Adapting quickly to evolving client requirements, market trends, and technological advancements in a fast-paced agency environment.

• Cross-Disciplinary Alignment: Ensuring seamless integration and communication between design outputs and other specialist teams (e.g., creative, performance, tech) to deliver cohesive solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Service Design Techniques: Opportunities to master complex service design methodologies, journey mapping, and blueprinting for intricate client challenges.

• Client Management & Strategy: Developing skills in client advisory, strategic consulting, and influencing senior stakeholders.

• Industry Certifications & Training: Potential for support in pursuing relevant certifications or specialized training in UX, Service Design, or related fields.

• Mentorship: Learning from experienced Heads of Department and senior practitioners within GAIN's specialized teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The agency environment inherently presents challenges related to project variety and client management, which are also key growth drivers for developing a well-rounded operations professional.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex service you have designed or significantly improved. What was the problem, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on your Service Design process, user research, and impact metrics).

• "How do you ensure user needs are met while also aligning with business objectives and technical constraints?" (Demonstrate your ability to balance competing priorities).

• "Walk us through your process for conducting user research for a new digital product or service." (Detail your methodologies, participant recruitment, and data synthesis).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to GAIN and our approach to 'Rebel Thinking' and 'Making It Happen'?" (Research GAIN's values and connect them to your own working style).

• "How do you contribute to creating an inclusive and collaborative team environment?" (Provide specific examples of teamwork and support).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as compelling narratives that highlight your problem-solving journey and impactful contributions.

• Visuals: Use high-quality visuals (screenshots, diagrams, prototypes) to illustrate your work and process.

• Quantify Everything Possible: Be ready to discuss metrics, KPIs, and any measurable impact your designs have had. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss how you would measure success.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your specific contributions, design decisions, and research findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss how their work directly contributes to "measurable business impact," as this is a core tenet of GAIN's offering.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Workable platform.

• Tailor your Resume/CV: Highlight specific projects and achievements related to Service Design, UX research, user-centered design, and client collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your end-to-end process, problem-solving skills, and measurable impact. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., a link to a personal website or a well-organized PDF).

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, clarity, and quantifiable results. Be ready to articulate your methodology and rationale for design decisions.

• Research GAIN: Understand their company values ("Rebel Thinking," "Make It Happen," "Swarming Our Expertise"), their business units, and the types of clients they serve to tailor your application and interview responses effectively.

⚠️ 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.