Senior Product Designer, Client Experience

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer, Client Experience

Company: Realtor.com Careers

Location: Austin, Texas, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design, Client Experience

Date Posted: June 16, 2025

Experience Level: Senior (8+ years design industry experience, 3+ years in product-led organization)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3+ days in office)

🎨 Role Summary

• Lead the design process from initial research to polished pixels, focusing on creating world-class experiences for real estate professionals and consumers on web and mobile platforms.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, Engineering Leads, Researchers, and Marketing to define and deliver innovative design solutions that address complex user problems.
• Act as a voice for the user, advocating for user-centered design methodologies and principles throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring design decisions are grounded in user needs and insights.
• Significantly contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the design system, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency in design application across all products.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborate effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders including researchers, product leaders, engineers, product marketing, brand teams, and other designers to tackle complex design challenges.
• Champion the user throughout the design process, exploring multiple design ideas while ensuring timely delivery of executable design artifacts.
• Develop and deliver innovative design solutions that demonstrably improve the user experience across Realtor.com's professional web and mobile applications.
• Independently manage and lead all phases of the product design process, from initial conception and user research through wireframing, prototyping, testing, and final high-fidelity design delivery.
• Clearly and effectively communicate design decisions, rationale, and the value of design to non-design stakeholders, tailoring communication for Product, Engineering, and other teams.
• Actively contribute to the growth and refinement of the company's design system by creating new components, auditing existing libraries, and ensuring consistent and high-quality application of the system.
• Plan, facilitate, and lead collaborative design sessions, workshops, and design sprints with your product team to foster shared understanding and accelerate problem-solving.
• Maintain and elevate a high standard for design excellence within the team and across the organization, contributing to the overall improvement of design quality at Realtor.com.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a design-related field (e.g., Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction) is typically expected, demonstrating foundational knowledge in design principles and methodologies.

Experience: A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in the design industry is required. This should include at least 3 years of experience working specifically within a product-led organization, demonstrating experience in product development cycles and cross-functional collaboration. A portfolio showcasing a strong design point of view and depth of experience across user-centered design methodologies, interaction flows, prototyping, high-fidelity screens, and successfully shipped products is essential for demonstrating practical application of skills.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in Product Design, encompassing the full product development lifecycle from discovery to delivery.
• Proven mastery of User-Centered Design methodologies and principles, with a deep understanding of how to translate user needs into effective design solutions.
• Expertise in creating detailed Interaction Flows and user journeys to map out complex user interactions and system behaviors.
• Strong proficiency in Prototyping tools and techniques to effectively communicate design concepts, test interactions, and gather user feedback.
• Ability to produce high-fidelity screens and visual designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and functionally robust, adhering to design system standards.
• A strong understanding and practical application of Design Thinking principles for problem-solving and innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration environments, partnering with engineering, product, research, and marketing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal Communication Skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale clearly to both designers and non-designers.
• Experience contributing to and working with Design Systems, including component creation, library auditing, and ensuring consistency.
• Ability to facilitate workshops, design sprints, and other collaborative sessions to drive team alignment and creative problem-solving.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the real estate technology industry or designing platforms for professionals (agents, brokers).
• Proficiency with specific design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite, along with prototyping tools like InVision or Axure.
• Experience with user research methodologies and the ability to translate research findings into actionable design insights.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Your portfolio should clearly exemplify a strong Design Point of View, showcasing your personal approach to problem-solving and design execution.
• Present detailed Case Studies that illustrate your depth of experience across User-Centered Design methodologies, demonstrating your process from understanding the problem to delivering the solution.
• Include examples of Interaction Flows and prototypes that effectively communicate the user journey and interactive elements of your designs.
• Showcase a range of High-Fidelity Screens that highlight your visual design skills, attention to detail, and ability to work within or contribute to a design system.

Process Documentation:

• Document your Research and Discovery Phase, explaining how you identified user needs, conducted research, and synthesized findings to inform your design direction.
• Illustrate your Ideation and Iteration Methods, showing your exploration of different design solutions, sketching, wireframing, and prototyping process.
• Detail your Validation and Testing Approaches, explaining how you tested your designs with users, gathered feedback, and iterated based on insights.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While the job description does not specify a salary range, based on industry data for a Senior Product Designer in Austin, Texas, with 8+ years of experience in a large tech company like Realtor.com, the estimated salary range is between $120,000 and $160,000 annually. This estimate is based on publicly available salary data from sources like Glassdoor, Payscale, and industry reports for the Austin technology market, adjusted for a senior-level role with significant experience and responsibility. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Inclusive and Competitive Medical, Rx, Dental, and Vision Coverage plans to support employee health and well-being.
• Family Forming Benefits, demonstrating support for diverse family structures and paths to parenthood.
• 13 Paid Holidays annually, providing opportunities for rest and celebration.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) policy, allowing employees to manage their work-life balance effectively.
• 8 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off per year, encouraging community involvement and social responsibility.
• Immediate eligibility into the Company 401(k) plan with a generous 3.5% company match, supporting long-term financial planning.
• Tuition Reimbursement program for both degreed and non-degreed programs, promoting continuous learning and professional development in design or related fields.
• 1:1 Personalized Financial Planning Sessions, offering resources for financial literacy and goal setting.
• Student Debt Retirement Savings Match program, providing support for employees managing student loan debt.
• Free snacks and refreshments available in each office location, enhancing the in-office work experience.

Working Hours: The role is full-time, typically requiring approximately 40 hours per week. As a hybrid role with 3+ days in the office, the schedule combines structured in-office collaboration with some flexibility for focused work. Design workflows may require adaptability based on project needs and team collaboration schedules.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Real Estate Technology (Proptech). Realtor.com operates in the dynamic real estate market, leveraging technology to connect buyers, sellers, and renters with properties and professionals. This industry context means design plays a critical role in simplifying complex processes, building trust, and creating intuitive digital experiences for a wide range of users with significant financial and emotional stakes.

Company Size: Realtor.com has over 3,200 employees and is part of News Corp. This size indicates a well-established organization with potentially structured teams, specialized roles, and established processes. For design professionals, this often means opportunities to work on large-scale products with significant impact, collaborate with large, diverse teams, and contribute to established design systems.

Founded: 1996. With over 25 years in the online real estate space, Realtor.com has a long history and deep expertise in the market. This history likely influences the company culture, potentially balancing established practices with a drive for innovation to remain competitive.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer reports to the Sr. Manager of Product Design, indicating a clear reporting line within the design organization.
• The role emphasizes collaboration with a "high-functioning product team," which typically includes Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially other roles like Product Marketing and Researchers.
• The structure suggests a focus on cross-functional pods or teams dedicated to specific product areas or client experiences.

Methodology:

• The job description highlights a "product-led organization," suggesting that product strategy and user needs drive development and design efforts.
• Emphasis on "user-centered processes and design thinking principles" indicates a commitment to understanding user needs and iterating on solutions.
• The collaborative nature of the role and the mention of facilitating "workshops, design sprints, and other collaborative sessions" points towards agile or lean methodologies that prioritize teamwork and rapid iteration.

Company Website: https://www.realtor.com/

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This is explicitly a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a position for an experienced designer expected to work independently, lead design initiatives within their team, mentor junior designers (though not explicitly stated, it's common at this level), and significantly influence product direction through design. The required years of experience align with senior-level expectations in the industry.

Reporting Structure: Reporting to a Sr. Manager of Product Design suggests a hierarchical structure within the design department. This provides a clear path for mentorship and guidance from a more experienced design leader.

Design Impact: As a Senior Designer on the Client Experience team, your design work will directly impact the core users of Realtor.com – both real estate professionals and millions of consumers. The role emphasizes delivering "innovative solutions which significantly improve user experience," indicating a focus on design that drives measurable business outcomes and user satisfaction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to grow into a design leadership role, potentially managing other designers or leading larger design initiatives across multiple teams.
• Specialization: Potential to specialize further within Product Design, focusing on specific areas like design systems, user research integration, or a particular client segment.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Increased opportunity to influence product strategy and business decisions by effectively articulating the value of design and advocating for user needs.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Realtor.com operates a hybrid work model for this role, requiring employees to work three or more days per week from their Austin office. This suggests a focus on in-person collaboration and leveraging the physical workspace for team interaction and creative synergy. The office environment is likely designed to facilitate collaboration among cross-functional teams.

Office Location(s): The primary location for this role is Austin, Texas. The job description mentions "Free snacks and refreshments in each office location," implying Realtor.com may have multiple office locations, but Austin is the designated primary location for this position.

Design Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model emphasizes the importance of the physical office space for collaboration, suggesting dedicated areas for team meetings, design sprints, and informal interactions.
• Expect a workspace designed to support cross-functional teamwork, with proximity to Product, Engineering, and other team members.
• The environment is likely set up to facilitate design work, potentially with access to whiteboards, collaboration tools, and comfortable spaces for focused design tasks and critiques.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time with a hybrid work schedule requiring at least three days per week in the Austin office. The remaining days may offer flexibility for remote work. While core working hours likely align with standard business hours, the hybrid model suggests some flexibility to accommodate individual work styles and team collaboration needs.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Expect an initial screening call, likely with a recruiter, to discuss your background, experience, and interest in the role. Be prepared to briefly articulate your design philosophy and relevant experience.
• Portfolio Review: A critical stage where you will present your portfolio to design team members. Focus on showcasing your process through detailed case studies, highlighting your problem-solving skills, user-centered approach, and impact. Be ready to explain your design decisions and rationale.
• Team Interviews: You will likely interview with members of the product design team, product managers, engineering leads, and potentially other stakeholders. These interviews will assess your collaboration skills, technical understanding, and cultural fit. Be prepared to discuss past projects, how you handle feedback, and your approach to teamwork.
• Design Challenge or Whiteboarding Session: A common part of design interviews to evaluate your on-the-spot problem-solving and design thinking skills. You may be given a design problem to solve in real-time or a take-home assignment. Practice articulating your thought process clearly.
• Hiring Manager Interview: An interview with the Sr. Manager of Product Design to discuss your overall experience, career goals, and fit within the team and organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Thoughtfully: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate the skills and experience required for this Senior Product Designer role, particularly those showcasing end-to-end product design, complex problem-solving, and collaboration.
• Focus on Process, Not Just Outcomes: Clearly articulate your design process for each project, including how you identified the problem, conducted research, iterated on solutions, and validated your designs. Use visuals like sketches, wireframes, and prototypes to illustrate your journey.
• Quantify Your Impact: Where possible, include metrics or data that demonstrate the positive impact of your design work on user behavior or business outcomes.
• Explain Your Rationale: Be prepared to explain the "why" behind your design decisions. Show your critical thinking and ability to justify your choices based on user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.
• Tailor to Realtor.com: Research Realtor.com's products and user base. Be ready to discuss how your skills and experience are relevant to designing for the real estate industry and their specific client segments.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem: Take time to fully understand the design challenge before jumping into solutions. Ask clarifying questions about the scope, target users, and constraints.
• Articulate Your Process: Talk through your design thinking process as you work. Explain your assumptions, considerations, and the steps you are taking to arrive at a solution.
• Prioritize and Justify: If time is limited, prioritize the most critical aspects of the problem to address. Be able to justify your prioritization decisions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Proficiency in industry-standard design tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD is expected for creating wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs. Mastery of at least one of these tools is crucial.
• Experience with prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, Axure, Figma's prototyping features) is necessary to create interactive prototypes for testing and communication.
• Familiarity with vector editing tools (e.g., Adobe Illustrator) may be beneficial for creating icons and illustrations.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Experience with collaboration platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or similar tools for team communication and project updates is standard.
• Proficiency with handoff tools or features within design software (e.g., Figma's Inspect tab, Zeplin) for seamless collaboration with engineering teams is important.
• Familiarity with project management tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking design tasks and collaborating with product and engineering is often required.

Research & Testing:

• Experience utilizing user research platforms or methods for gathering qualitative and quantitative user insights is beneficial.
• Familiarity with user testing platforms (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback) for conducting usability tests and collecting feedback on prototypes and live features is a plus.
• Understanding of analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude) to track design performance and measure the impact of design changes is valuable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value is likely a deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the needs of both real estate professionals and consumers, ensuring design decisions are driven by user insights.
• Collaboration: The emphasis on working with diverse stakeholders highlights a value of strong teamwork and cross-functional partnership to achieve shared goals.
• Design Excellence: The requirement to "Uphold a high standard for design excellence" indicates a culture that values quality craft, attention to detail, and a drive for creating impactful and polished user experiences.
• Innovation: As a tech company in a competitive market, a value for exploring "innovative solutions" is likely present, encouraging designers to think creatively and push boundaries.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Collaboration is deeply embedded with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and other teams throughout the entire product lifecycle.
• Design Critique: A healthy design critique culture is likely fostered, where designers share work, provide constructive feedback, and iterate collaboratively.
• Knowledge Sharing: Expect a culture of sharing knowledge and best practices within the design team and potentially across the broader organization, especially concerning the design system.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse User Needs: Designing for two distinct user groups (real estate professionals and consumers) with potentially conflicting needs and workflows presents a significant challenge requiring careful research and thoughtful design solutions.
• Navigating a Complex Domain: The real estate industry is complex with unique terminology, regulations, and processes. Designers must quickly gain a deep understanding of this domain to create effective and trustworthy interfaces.
• Contributing to an Evolving Design System: Actively contributing to and maintaining a design system in a large organization requires careful consideration of scalability, consistency, and adoption across multiple teams.
• Driving Measurable Impact: As a Senior Designer, you will be challenged to not only create visually appealing designs but also demonstrate their impact on key user behaviors and business metrics.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Domain Expertise: Deepen your understanding of the real estate industry and the specific needs of real estate professionals and consumers.
• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to take on a leadership role within the design system team or contribute significantly to its strategic direction.
• Mentorship: Chance to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design team.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Enhance your skills in collaborating effectively with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to drive design outcomes.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• "Walk me through your design process for a recent project that significantly improved user experience." - Be prepared to discuss your approach from problem definition to post-launch analysis, highlighting your user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing methods. Use a case study from your portfolio as an example.
• "Describe a time you had to make a difficult design decision with conflicting stakeholder feedback. How did you handle it?" - Focus on your communication skills, ability to gather insights, and how you arrived at a reasoned decision that balanced different perspectives while prioritizing user needs.
• "How do you incorporate user research and data into your design process?" - Provide specific examples of how you've used qualitative and quantitative data to inform your design decisions and measure the impact of your work.

Company Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about designing for the real estate industry and Realtor.com specifically?" - Research Realtor.com's mission, values, and recent product updates. Connect your passion for design with their goals and the impact you can make.
• "Describe your ideal collaborative relationship with a Product Manager and Engineering Lead." - Discuss your approach to teamwork, communication, and how you ensure a smooth handoff and implementation of your designs.
• "How do you approach contributing to and utilizing a design system?" - Share your experience working with design systems and your understanding of their importance for consistency and efficiency.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling is Key: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives, guiding the interviewers through your design journey from problem to solution and impact.
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions and responsibilities within each project, especially in collaborative efforts.
• Showcase Your Craft: Include high-fidelity screens that demonstrate your attention to detail and visual design skills, but always connect them back to the user goals and design rationale.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link, ensuring all required fields are completed accurately.
• Customize your design portfolio to highlight projects most relevant to the responsibilities and required skills outlined in this job description, particularly those showcasing experience with complex product design, user-centered methodologies, and collaboration.
• Optimize your resume for design roles by using relevant keywords from the job description and clearly articulating your experience, focusing on quantifiable achievements and the impact of your design work.
• Prepare for interviews by practicing articulating your design process, discussing your case studies in detail, and being ready to address questions about collaboration, problem-solving, and your approach to design challenges.
• Research Realtor.com's products, target users, and recent design initiatives to demonstrate your understanding of the company and your genuine interest in contributing to their client experience.