Senior Product Designer at Topaz Labs

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer

Company: Topaz Labs

Location: Dallas, TX

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design, Image/Video Software Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-09T00:00:00

Experience Level: 6+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Lead design initiatives from conceptualization through testing and delivery, focusing on crafting exceptional user experiences for image and video quality software.
Collaborate closely with a world-class team of engineers and researchers to translate complex AI technology into intuitive and powerful design solutions.
Drive the creation of high-fidelity designs with a strong emphasis on visual craftsmanship and a deep understanding of UX principles in the context of creative workflows.
Contribute significantly to the overall application design, ensuring consistency, usability, and a seamless experience for over 1 million photographers and videographers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role summary emphasizes the intersection of AI technology and creative software design, highlighting the need for a designer who can bridge technical complexity with user-centric visual and interaction design for a specific creative audience.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Lead the design process for new features and product enhancements, from initial research and ideation to final implementation and user acceptance testing.
Translate customer needs, business requirements, and technical constraints into compelling user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs.
Collaborate directly with software engineers to ensure the accurate and high-quality implementation of design specifications, providing detailed design guidance and feedback.
Conduct user research, usability testing, and gather design insights from customer data to inform design decisions and iterate on product experiences.
Champion a craftsmanship mentality within the design team, focusing on pixel-perfect detail, visual polish, and a repeatable approach to design delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: Primary responsibilities are detailed to reflect the seniority of the role, emphasizing leadership in the design process, close collaboration with engineering, and a data-informed approach to design iteration within a software product context.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While a specific degree is not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is typically preferred for a role of this seniority.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years of experience as a Product Designer or UX Designer with a proven track record of successfully shipping well-designed software products, including desktop applications, SaaS, mobile apps, or games. A strong portfolio showcasing this experience is essential.

Required Skills:

Exceptional visual design skills with a strong portfolio demonstrating mastery of layout, typography, color, and visual hierarchy.
Deep understanding of UX design principles, information architecture, and interaction design patterns for complex software applications.
Proven ability to lead design projects from concept to completion, working effectively within agile or iterative development environments.
Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale to cross-functional teams.
Experience conducting user research, usability testing, and analyzing customer data to inform design strategy.
Basic understanding of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, with a willingness to learn and engage with frontend implementation details.

Preferred Skills:

Experience designing for desktop software applications, particularly in the creative or productivity space.
Photography or videography experience and skill, providing a deeper understanding of the target user's workflow and needs.
Experience with designing for AI-powered features or complex computational workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: Education requirements are inferred based on industry standards for Senior Product Designer roles. Preferred skills are added based on the company's domain (image/video AI software) to provide candidates with a competitive edge.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Showcase a diverse range of projects demonstrating expertise in product design, from initial problem definition to shipped product.
Present detailed case studies that clearly articulate your design process, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.
Highlight projects where you have successfully designed complex workflows and intuitive interfaces for software applications.
Include examples of high-fidelity visual designs that demonstrate your craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Process Documentation:

Clearly document your approach to user research and discovery, including methodologies used and key insights gained that informed your design decisions.
Illustrate your ideation and iteration methods, showing sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and how feedback influenced your design evolution.
Explain your approach to validation and testing, including usability testing methods, participant recruitment, and how test findings were incorporated into the final design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Portfolio requirements are tailored to emphasize process, case studies, and the demonstration of designing complex software workflows, which are critical for a Senior Product Designer role at a software company.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While the exact salary is not specified, based on data for Senior Product Designer roles in Dallas, TX, with 6+ years of experience in the software industry, a competitive annual salary range is estimated to be between $110,000 and $150,000. This estimate considers the cost of living in Dallas and the typical compensation for senior roles at growth-stage tech companies. Research data from sources like Glassdoor, Built In, and salary surveys specific to the technology sector in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were used for this estimation.

Benefits:

100% covered medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, ensuring comprehensive healthcare coverage.
15 days of annual Paid Time Off (PTO) plus 5 personal days, allowing for work-life balance and personal needs.
Company holidays, providing additional paid time off throughout the year.
401k matching program, supporting employees' long-term financial planning.
Significant ownership in the company, scaling with growth and providing a stake in the company's success.

Working Hours: This is a full-time role, typically requiring around 40 hours per week. The company culture likely supports focused work within standard business hours, with potential for flexibility as needed for creative flow and collaboration. Specific daily hours may be discussed during the interview process.

📝 Enhancement Note: A salary range is estimated based on regional data for similar roles and experience levels, providing candidates with a realistic expectation. The methodology for the estimate is explicitly stated. Benefits are detailed to be relevant to a design professional's needs.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Software Development, specifically focused on AI-powered image and video technology. This positions the company at the intersection of creative tools and cutting-edge technology, offering unique design challenges and opportunities.

Company Size: 51-200 employees. This size suggests a dynamic environment where individual contributions have a significant impact, and there is likely close collaboration across teams.

Founded: 2006. With over a decade of operation, the company has established itself in the market while still experiencing significant growth, indicating a blend of stability and innovation.

Team Structure:

The role reports to the Director of Product Design, indicating a structured design team with leadership and mentorship opportunities.
Product Designers work closely with engineers and researchers, suggesting a collaborative and cross-functional team environment.
The emphasis on a high-functioning team that delivers world-class, high-fidelity work points towards a focus on quality and design excellence.

Methodology:

The design process involves leading teams from concepts through testing and delivery, suggesting an iterative and potentially agile methodology.
Uncovering design insights from customer data indicates a data-informed approach to design decision-making.
Working hands-on with engineers implies a collaborative development process where design and engineering work closely throughout the product lifecycle.

Company Website: https://topazlabs.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Company information is interpreted through the lens of its impact on the design role and culture, highlighting the unique blend of creative tools and AI technology, team size implications, and the likely collaborative methodology.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: Senior Product Designer. This level typically involves taking ownership of significant product areas, mentoring junior designers, and contributing to design strategy and process improvements. The role requires a high degree of autonomy and the ability to influence product direction.

Reporting Structure: Reporting to the Director of Product Design provides a direct line to design leadership, offering opportunities for guidance, feedback, and career development within the design discipline.

Design Impact: Designers at Topaz Labs directly craft better experiences for customers, indicating a high level of influence on the final product and user satisfaction. The emphasis on shipping production code with engineers further highlights the tangible impact of design work.

Growth Opportunities:

Opportunity to design and ship new products, allowing for expansion of skill sets and ownership of new initiatives.
Potential for career progression within the design team, possibly moving towards leadership or specialized design roles as the company grows.
Working with a world-class team provides opportunities for learning and professional development by collaborating with experienced professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career analysis defines the Senior level within the context of this specific role, highlighting the scope of responsibility and influence. Growth opportunities are tied to the company's growth and the nature of the product development cycle.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: On-site at the Dallas, TX office. This indicates a traditional office environment where in-person collaboration is expected and encouraged.

Office Location(s): The primary office is located in Dallas, TX. The specific address is listed as 14555 Dallas Pkwy, Dallas, Texas 75254, US, suggesting a corporate office setting.

Design Workspace Context:

An on-site environment facilitates real-time collaboration and spontaneous discussions among the design team and cross-functional partners.
Access to dedicated meeting rooms and collaborative spaces likely supports design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and team workshops.
Being on-site allows for easier hands-on work with hardware or software setups relevant to image and video processing if needed.

Work Schedule: Full-time, on-site. While standard business hours are expected, the creative nature of design work may allow for some flexibility in daily scheduling, subject to team needs and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment details are expanded to provide context on the implications of an on-site role for design collaboration, access to resources, and the overall creative atmosphere.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

The process likely begins with an initial screening call with a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications and interest.
Expect a portfolio review round where you present selected case studies to the hiring team, focusing on your process, problem-solving skills, and design impact.
A design challenge or take-home exercise may be part of the process to evaluate your practical design skills and ability to work through a problem relevant to the company's domain.
Subsequent rounds will likely involve interviews with the design team, engineering partners, product managers, and potentially the Director of Product Design, focusing on technical skills, collaboration style, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Select 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your experience with complex software product design and highlight your end-to-end design process.
Structure your case studies to tell a compelling story, clearly outlining the problem, your role, your process, key decisions, and the impact of your design.
Demonstrate your visual design skills through high-fidelity mockups and prototypes while also emphasizing the underlying UX rationale.
If possible, include projects related to creative tools, image/video editing, or AI-powered features to demonstrate relevance to Topaz Labs' domain.

Challenge Preparation:

Understand the typical design challenges in the creative software or AI space. Practice approaching problems with a user-centered mindset.
Allocate your time effectively during the challenge, focusing on demonstrating your process and rationale as much as the final design solution.
Be prepared to articulate your design decisions, explain trade-offs, and discuss how you would incorporate feedback or iterate on your solution.

ATS Keywords: Product Design, UX Design, Visual Design, UI Design, Interaction Design, User Research, Usability Testing, Prototyping, Wireframing, Information Architecture, Design Systems, Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Agile, Scrum, User Flows, Case Studies, Portfolio, Creative Software, Image Editing, Video Editing, AI, Machine Learning, Problem Solving, Collaboration, Communication, Craftsmanship, High-Fidelity, Iteration, Customer Insights, Desktop Software, SaaS, Mobile App, Game Design, Photography, Videography.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process is detailed with design-specific expectations, including portfolio review and design challenges. Tactical advice for portfolio curation and interview preparation is provided, along with a comprehensive list of relevant ATS keywords for resume optimization.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

While not explicitly stated, industry-standard tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD are highly likely to be the primary tools used for UI/UX design and prototyping. Proficiency in at least one of these is essential for creating high-fidelity designs and interactive prototypes.
Tools for visual design and image manipulation, such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, may also be relevant given the company's focus on image and video software.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Tools like Zeplin or Abstract might be used for design handoff to engineers, ensuring accurate implementation of design specifications and facilitating communication regarding design details.
Collaboration platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Jira are likely used for team communication, project management, and tracking design tasks alongside engineering work.

Research & Testing:

Tools for usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com), survey creation (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms), and analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Pendo) may be utilized to gather user feedback and analyze product usage data.

📝 Enhancement Note: Design tools are inferred based on industry standards for product design roles and the company's focus. Collaboration, handoff, and research tools are also suggested as likely components of the design workflow in a modern software development environment.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

A strong emphasis on craftsmanship and delivering high-fidelity, well-designed work suggests a culture that values quality and attention to detail in design execution.
The focus on uncovering design insights from customer data points towards a data-informed and user-centered design approach where decisions are guided by user needs and behavior.
Working in a collaborative environment implies a value placed on teamwork, open communication, and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
A "rocketship growth" trajectory and the opportunity to design and ship new products suggest a dynamic and innovative culture that encourages proactive problem-solving and creative solutions.

Collaboration Style:

Close collaboration with engineers and researchers indicates a highly integrated and cross-functional working style, where design is deeply embedded within the product development process.
The mention of working "hands-on" with engineers implies a collaborative handoff process and a willingness to engage with the technical aspects of implementation.
A high-functioning team environment suggests a culture of mutual support, shared goals, and effective communication to achieve desired outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Design culture factors are inferred from the job description's language regarding craftsmanship, data-informed design, collaboration, and the company's growth phase, providing insights into the expected behaviors and values of the design team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Translating complex AI technology into intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for a broad audience of creative professionals will likely be a significant challenge, requiring a deep understanding of both the technology and user needs.
Designing for a diverse user base with varying levels of technical expertise and creative workflows in image and video editing software.
Balancing the desire for innovative features with the need for performance and stability in high-demand creative applications.
Keeping pace with rapid company growth and evolving product strategy will require adaptability and a proactive approach to design solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Deepen expertise in designing for AI-powered features and complex computational workflows within the context of creative software.
Opportunities to learn from and collaborate with world-class engineers and researchers in the fields of AI and image processing.
Potential for increased ownership and leadership opportunities as the design team and company continue to grow.

📝 Enhancement Note: Design challenges are identified based on the company's domain (AI image/video software) and growth stage. Learning and development opportunities are linked to these challenges and the expertise available within the company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Be prepared to walk through your end-to-end design process for a complex software feature, including how you approach research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
Discuss how you collaborate with engineers and product managers throughout the design lifecycle, including your approach to design handoff and iteration based on technical constraints or feedback.
Be ready to discuss a time you faced a significant design challenge and how you approached problem-solving, including the trade-offs you considered and the outcome.

Company Culture Questions:

Research Topaz Labs' products and user base thoroughly. Be prepared to discuss what excites you about designing for photographers and videographers and how you would approach understanding their needs.
Discuss your experience working in collaborative, cross-functional teams and how you contribute to a positive team environment.
Be ready to talk about a time you received constructive feedback on your design work and how you incorporated it.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Plan to spend 15-20 minutes presenting 2-3 case studies. Focus on the story behind each project, highlighting the problem, your process, key design decisions, and the impact.
Use visuals effectively to illustrate your process, from sketches and wireframes to high-fidelity mockups and prototypes.
Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely, explaining the "why" behind your decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice is structured to cover design process, collaboration, problem-solving, and cultural fit, with specific tips for portfolio presentation tailored to a product design role at a software company.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link
Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in product design, particularly any work related to creative software, AI, or complex workflows.
Carefully select the case studies in your portfolio to showcase your strongest work that aligns with the requirements of the role and demonstrates your end-to-end design process.
Prepare for interviews by practicing explaining your design process, articulating your design decisions, and discussing how you collaborate with cross-functional teams.
Research Topaz Labs' products, target audience, and company culture to demonstrate your interest and understanding of their business.

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

Senior Product Designer