Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Woolf

Location: India (Remote)

Job Type: Full-Time (Independent Contractor)

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-10

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🎨 Role Summary

• Drive the creation of user-centered experiences for global web and mobile educational platforms, focusing on intuitive and accessible design solutions.
• Lead user research initiatives, including usability testing and synthesis of insights, to inform and validate design decisions throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop comprehensive design artifacts, from wireframes and prototypes to high-fidelity visual designs, utilizing Figma and contributing to design system evolution.
• Act as a key advocate for UX best practices, accessibility standards, and inclusive design principles within the organization, ensuring equitable experiences for all users.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on user-centered digital experiences for Woolf's educational platforms, ensuring seamless interaction across web and mobile interfaces for learners and educators globally.
• Plan, conduct, and analyze user research methods, including interviews and usability testing, to gather actionable insights that directly inform product design decisions and strategy.
• Translate complex product requirements, user needs, and research findings into tangible design deliverables, including detailed user journeys, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final high-fidelity UI designs using Figma.
• Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers throughout the development process, providing design specifications, addressing implementation questions, and ensuring the final product aligns with design intent and quality standards.
• Champion and implement UX best practices, accessibility guidelines (such as WCAG), and inclusive design principles to ensure Woolf's products are usable, understandable, and equitable for diverse user groups.
• Define, monitor, and report on key UX metrics to measure the effectiveness and usability of design solutions, using data to identify areas for improvement and inform future iterations.
• Proactively research and integrate emerging trends, tools, and technologies in UX/UI design to continuously enhance the quality, innovation, and efficiency of the design process and outcomes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is typically preferred for this level, or equivalent practical experience demonstrating a strong foundation in design principles and methodologies.

Experience: A minimum of 3 years of professional experience specifically in UX/UI design or product design is required. This experience should be clearly demonstrated through a portfolio showcasing a proven track record of designing and launching digital products, with a focus on user research and iterative design processes.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in user-centered design methodologies and principles, with a strong understanding of how to translate user needs into effective design solutions.
• Extensive experience in conducting and synthesizing user research, including qualitative methods like interviews and usability testing, and the ability to derive actionable insights from data.
• High proficiency in Figma for creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity user interface designs, including familiarity with components, auto layout, and collaborative features.
• Strong visual design skills, including a solid understanding of typography, color theory, layout principles, and the ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional interfaces.
• In-depth knowledge of interaction design patterns and best practices for web and mobile platforms, focusing on creating intuitive and efficient user flows.
• Solid understanding and practical application of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design principles to ensure products are usable by individuals with diverse abilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions, rationale, and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within established design systems and contributing to their evolution and maintenance.
• Familiarity with agile product development methodologies and experience collaborating effectively within cross-functional agile teams.
• Experience designing for the education technology (EdTech) sector or complex platform products with multiple user types (e.g., learners, educators, administrators).
• Understanding of front-end development basics (HTML, CSS) to facilitate effective collaboration with engineering teams.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Your portfolio should prominently feature 2-3 detailed case studies of digital products you have designed, demonstrating your end-to-end design process from problem definition and research through ideation, iteration, and final implementation.
• Each case study must clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role in the project, the target users, the design challenges faced, your research methods and key findings, your design solutions, and the impact or outcomes of your design work (qualitative or quantitative).
• Include examples of your design artifacts at different stages of the process, such as user flows, wireframes, low-fidelity prototypes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes, showcasing your proficiency in Figma.
• Present polished visual designs that demonstrate your understanding of typography, color, layout, and attention to detail, reflecting your ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional interfaces.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly document your approach to the research and discovery phase, including how you identified user needs, conducted interviews or usability tests, and synthesized findings to inform your design direction.
• Illustrate your ideation and iteration methods, showing how you explored different design solutions, gathered feedback, and refined your designs based on user input and technical constraints.
• Explain your approach to validation and testing, detailing how you tested your designs with users, measured usability, and incorporated feedback into subsequent iterations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While the job description does not specify a salary range, based on typical independent contractor rates for a mid-level remote Product Designer in India, a competitive range would likely be between ₹1,500,000 to ₹2,500,000 INR annually. This estimate is based on industry data for remote design roles with 3+ years of experience, adjusted for the cost of living and market rates for independent contractors in India. Exact compensation will depend on the candidate's experience, skills, and negotiation.

Benefits: As an independent contractor, the candidate is responsible for their own taxes and benefits in compliance with local regulations. The job listing highlights the following as advantages of working with Woolf:

• Remote Flexibility: The ability to work from anywhere globally with a flexible schedule that fits the contractor's lifestyle. This is a significant benefit for many design professionals seeking work-life balance.
• Global Impact: Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven company that is shaping the future of higher education on a global scale.
• Growth Potential: Joining a fast-growing company offers potential opportunities for expanding the role and taking on more responsibility as the company scales.
• Innovative Culture: Being part of a team backed by top investors, fostering a culture of innovation and forward-thinking in the EdTech space.

Working Hours: While the job is full-time, the remote nature and independent contractor status likely imply flexibility in daily working hours, as long as core responsibilities are met and collaboration with a globally distributed team is effective. Expect a typical full-time commitment of around 40 hours per week, with the need to coordinate with team members across different time zones.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Education Technology (EdTech). Woolf is a category-defining company focused on redefining higher education globally by enabling accredited degree programs at speed and scale. This context means the design team works on complex platforms serving diverse user groups within the academic ecosystem.

Company Size: The job description indicates Woolf is a "globally distributed, remote-first team." While a specific number isn't given, being backed by leading Silicon Valley investors and having a global reach suggests a growing startup likely in the range of 50-200+ employees. For design professionals, this means working in a dynamic environment with opportunities to contribute significantly to product direction.

Founded: While the founding date is not explicitly stated, being a "category-defining company" backed by leading Silicon Valley investors suggests Woolf is a relatively young but rapidly scaling organization. This indicates a culture of innovation, agility, and potentially less rigid processes than larger, more established companies.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders. This suggests a cross-functional team structure where design is integrated into product development cycles.
• Being a remote-first team, collaboration likely relies heavily on digital tools and asynchronous communication.
• The design team structure itself is not detailed, but the role implies working within a product team focused on specific areas of the platform.

Methodology:

• The mention of working in "agile product development teams" indicates the company likely follows an Agile or Lean methodology, emphasizing iterative development and continuous feedback loops.
• The focus on user research, usability testing, and iterating on designs aligns with a user-centered design process integrated within the agile framework.
• Design processes likely involve rapid prototyping, testing, and close collaboration with engineering for implementation.

Company Website: https://woolfe.university/

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is explicitly positioned for a candidate with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience, making it a Mid-Level Product Designer position. At this level, a designer is expected to take ownership of significant product areas, conduct independent research, and drive design solutions with minimal supervision.

Reporting Structure: While the direct reporting line is not specified, Product Designers typically report to a Design Lead, Design Manager, or Head of Product Design. Given the collaborative nature, they will also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on specific product initiatives.

Design Impact: Design appears to have a significant impact at Woolf, as the role emphasizes taking "ownership of UX across our digital products" and advocating for "UX best practices, accessibility standards, and inclusive design across the organization." This suggests design is seen as a strategic function, influencing product direction and user outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specific areas like accessibility, user research methodologies for complex platforms, or designing for diverse international user bases within the EdTech sector.
• Increased Ownership: As the company grows, the designer may take on ownership of larger or more complex product features or areas.
• Mentorship/Leadership: Potential for growth into a more senior role, mentoring junior designers (if the team expands), or leading design initiatives within product teams.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Remote. Woolf is a "globally distributed, remote-first team." There is no physical office location mentioned for this role in India.

Office Location(s): N/A (Remote role based in India).

Design Workspace Context:

• As a remote role, the candidate is responsible for setting up and maintaining their own productive workspace.
• Collaboration will primarily occur through digital communication tools (Slack, video conferencing, etc.) and collaborative design platforms like Figma.
• Effective asynchronous communication and the ability to manage time across different time zones will be crucial for successful collaboration with a global team.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time (independent contractor) with remote flexibility. While flexibility is offered, there will likely be core hours or meeting times required to overlap with team members in other time zones for synchronous collaboration and meetings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• The initial step typically involves a review of your resume and portfolio to assess your experience, skills, and the quality of your design work.
• Expect an initial screening call with a recruiter or hiring manager to discuss your background and interest in the role.
• This will likely be followed by one or more rounds of interviews with members of the design team, product team, and potentially engineering or leadership. These interviews may cover your past projects, design process, technical skills, and collaborative abilities.
• A key part of the process will likely be a portfolio presentation where you will walk through selected case studies, explaining your process, decisions, and impact.
• A design challenge or take-home exercise is also a common step for Product Designer roles to evaluate problem-solving skills and design execution under specific constraints.
• The final stage may involve discussions about cultural fit and alignment with the company's values and remote work environment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate your portfolio to showcase projects most relevant to designing complex digital platforms, particularly in education or similar domains, if possible.
• For each case study, clearly explain your design process, focusing on how you used user research to inform your decisions and how you iterated based on feedback and testing.
• Highlight your proficiency in Figma by including examples of your files, components, or design system contributions if applicable.
• Articulate the impact of your design work, using metrics or qualitative feedback where available to demonstrate the effectiveness of your solutions.

Challenge Preparation:

• If given a design challenge, pay close attention to the prompt and constraints. Clearly define the problem you are addressing and your assumptions.
• Document your design process during the challenge, showing your thinking, explorations, and rationale behind your decisions.
• Structure your presentation of the challenge solution logically, explaining your approach, key design decisions, and potential next steps.
• Be prepared to discuss your solution and justify your design choices under questioning.

ATS Keywords:

• Design Skills: User-Centered Design, UX Design, UI Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Information Architecture, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, User Research, Design Thinking, Inclusive Design, Accessibility, Design Systems, Design Strategy, Iterative Design, Design Evaluation, Design Documentation, Cross-functional Collaboration.
• Tools: Figma, Prototyping Tools (e.g., Principle, After Effects for motion), Research Tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform), Testing Tools (e.g., Maze, UserTesting.com), Collaboration Tools (e.g., Slack, Asana, Jira), Documentation Tools (e.g., Confluence, Notion).
• Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, Lean UX, Design Sprint.
• Soft Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Detail-Oriented, Self-Motivated, Adaptability, Time Management, Presentation Skills, Stakeholder Management.
• Industry Terms: EdTech, Higher Education, Digital Platforms, Web Design, Mobile Design, Remote Work, Independent Contractor, Global Team.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Required proficiency. This is the primary tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and likely contributes to or utilizes a design system. Expect to work collaboratively in Figma files.
• Prototyping Tools: While Figma handles basic prototyping, familiarity with more advanced tools might be beneficial for demonstrating complex interactions (though not explicitly required).

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Collaboration Tools: Tools like Slack or similar platforms will be used for daily communication and real-time collaboration with a remote team.
• Project Management Tools: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello are likely used for tracking tasks, managing workflows, and collaborating with product and engineering teams in an agile environment.
• Handoff Tools: While Figma has handoff features, depending on the engineering workflow, tools like Zeplin or others might be used for providing design specifications to developers.
• Documentation Tools: Platforms like Confluence, Notion, or similar may be used for documenting design decisions, specifications, and contributing to a design system.

Research & Testing:

• User Research Tools: Tools for conducting interviews (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet), creating surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform), and organizing research data.
• Usability Testing Tools: Platforms like Maze, UserTesting.com, or similar may be used for conducting remote usability tests and gathering feedback.
• Analytics Tools: Familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to understand user behavior and measure design impact would be beneficial, although not explicitly required.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• User-Centeredness: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the needs of learners and educators, ensuring the design process is driven by user insights.
• Accessibility & Inclusivity: A strong value placed on designing products that are accessible to people with diverse abilities and inclusive of users from various backgrounds and contexts globally.
• Collaboration: Emphasis on working closely and effectively with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders in a remote, cross-functional setting.
• Innovation & Impact: A culture that encourages exploring new ideas and approaches to redefine higher education through technology, focusing on creating meaningful impact for users and institutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Design is likely embedded within product teams, fostering close collaboration with engineering and product management throughout the development lifecycle.
• Remote Communication: Heavy reliance on digital tools for communication, documentation, and collaboration, requiring strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively asynchronously.
• Design Critique: A culture that likely includes regular design critiques and feedback sessions to refine design concepts and align on solutions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Designing for Diverse User Groups: Creating intuitive and accessible experiences for a wide range of users in the education sector, including students, educators, and administrators, with varying levels of technical proficiency and diverse needs.
• Navigating a Complex Domain: Understanding the intricacies of higher education accreditation, course delivery, and learning management systems to design effective solutions within this specific domain.
• Working in a Fast-Paced, Remote Environment: Adapting to the speed of a growing startup and effectively collaborating with a globally distributed team across different time zones and cultural contexts.
• Advocating for Design: Continuously championing the value of user-centered design, research, and accessibility within a cross-functional team and across the organization.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Domain Expertise: Deepening knowledge in the EdTech sector and the specific challenges and opportunities within higher education.
• Remote Collaboration Mastery: Developing advanced skills in effective communication, collaboration, and project management in a distributed team environment.
• Design System Contribution: Opportunity to contribute to or help build a robust design system to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Impact Measurement: Learning to define and track key UX metrics to measure the success and impact of design solutions on user behavior and business outcomes.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Be prepared to walk through your end-to-end design process for a significant project from your portfolio. Focus on your problem definition, research methods, ideation, iteration, and how you validated your solutions.
• Discuss how you approach user research, including specific methods you've used and how you translate research findings into design decisions.
• Explain how you collaborate with product managers and engineers throughout the design and development lifecycle, including handoff processes and addressing implementation challenges.

Company Culture Questions:

• Research Woolf's mission and values, particularly their focus on increasing access to education and their remote-first culture. Be prepared to discuss why this resonates with you.
• Think about how you thrive in a remote work environment and how you effectively communicate and collaborate with distributed teams.
• Ask questions about the design team structure, their design process within the agile framework, and how design impact is measured at Woolf.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select 2-3 strong case studies that demonstrate your core skills in UX research, UI design, and problem-solving, ideally showcasing projects with clear impact.
• Structure your presentation logically, starting with the problem, followed by your process (research, ideation, iteration), your solution, and the outcome.
• Clearly articulate your role and contributions in each project, especially in collaborative settings.
• Be ready to discuss your design decisions and rationale in detail, addressing potential alternative approaches and trade-offs.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link.
• Carefully review your portfolio to ensure it clearly showcases your experience, design process, and the impact of your work, particularly highlighting case studies relevant to platform or EdTech design.
• Optimize your resume by incorporating relevant design-specific ATS keywords from the list provided, ensuring your skills and experience align with the job requirements.
• Prepare for the interview process by practicing walking through your portfolio case studies and articulating your design decisions, research methods, and collaboration style.
• Research Woolf's company culture, mission, and existing products to understand their context and prepare thoughtful questions for your interviewers, demonstrating your genuine interest and alignment.