Senior UX Designer, Billing UX
๐ Job Overview
Job Title: Senior UX Designer, Billing UX
Company: Google
Location: San Francisco, CA
Job Type: Full-time
Category: UX Design / Product Design
Date Posted: 2025-06-12
Experience Level: Senior Level (6+ years)
Remote Status: On-site
๐จ Role Summary
- Drive the design of intuitive and engaging billing and checkout experiences across Google's ecosystem, focusing on user-centered design principles.
- Translate complex user needs and business requirements into elegant design solutions, utilizing user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Product Management and Engineering to deliver high-quality, user-friendly products.
- Advocate for design decisions and the user experience across all levels of the organization, effectively communicating design rationale to stakeholders.
- Contribute to the evolution of the Google design language, ensuring consistency and innovation in product design.
๐ผ๏ธ Primary Responsibilities
- Develop and optimize checkout, billing, and sign-up journeys, ensuring seamless and efficient user experiences across various Google products and platforms.
- Partner with senior product leads and stakeholders to align UX solutions with overall product strategy, balancing user needs with business objectives.
- Create comprehensive UX deliverables, including detailed user flows, interactive wireframes, functional prototypes, and pixel-perfect high-fidelity mockups.
- Present and articulate design rationale to diverse stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, and leadership, effectively advocating for user needs and design decisions.
- Stay abreast of emerging UX trends, best practices, and technologies within the commerce and payments space, sharing insights and knowledge with the design team and wider organization.
- Contribute to the development of long-term user experience and product strategy for billing and payments features, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
๐ Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent practical experience. A Master's degree is preferred.
Experience: Minimum of 6 years of professional interaction design or product design experience. 8+ years of experience is preferred, particularly with experience leading design projects and working in cross-functional environments. Experience in the Commerce/Payments space is highly valued.
Required Skills:
- Demonstrated expertise in interaction design principles, user-centered design methodologies, and usability best practices.
- Proficiency in creating core UX deliverables such as user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
- Strong ability to communicate complex design concepts, rationale, and decisions effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, and research.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience designing for the Commerce and Payments domain, understanding the unique challenges and user needs in this space.
- Experience implementing and contributing to visual design systems across multiple platforms in an agile or iterative software development environment.
- Proficiency with industry-standard design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), or equivalent.
- Experience leading design projects, mentoring junior designers, or contributing to design strategy at an organizational level.
๐จ Portfolio & Creative Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Your portfolio should showcase a strong understanding of user-centered design principles and your ability to solve complex problems through design.
- Include detailed case studies that walk through your design process, from initial research and problem definition to ideation, iteration, and final solution.
- Demonstrate your proficiency in creating various UX deliverables, including user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and polished high-fidelity mockups.
- Highlight projects where you have successfully designed for complex workflows, particularly in areas like e-commerce, financial services, or billing systems, if possible.
Process Documentation:
- Clearly articulate your approach to user research and discovery, explaining how you gather insights and define user needs.
- Illustrate your ideation and iteration methods, showing how you explore different design solutions and refine them based on feedback and testing.
- Describe your approach to validation and testing, explaining how you gather user feedback and measure the effectiveness of your designs.
๐ต Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: The US base salary range for this full-time position in San Francisco, CA is $151,000 - $222,000 per year. This range is determined by role, level, and location. Individual pay within this range is influenced by work location and additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
Benefits:
- Competitive base salary within the stated range.
- Potential for annual bonus based on performance.
- Equity grants, providing a stake in the company's success (specific details typically discussed during the offer stage).
- Comprehensive health insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision).
- Retirement savings plans (e.g., 401k) with potential company match.
- Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
- Additional benefits may include parental leave, wellness programs, and professional development opportunities.
Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (typically 40 hours per week). While the role is on-site, Google often offers some flexibility in daily scheduling to accommodate creative workflows and personal needs, subject to team requirements and project deadlines.
๐ฏTeam & Company Context
๐ข Company & Design Culture
Industry: Software Development / Internet Services. Google operates across numerous markets including search, advertising, mobile, cloud computing, and hardware. This role specifically sits within the Payments/Commerce space, a critical and growing area for the company.
Company Size: Over 310,000 employees globally. This scale means designers operate within large, often specialized teams, requiring strong collaboration and communication skills.
Founded: Founded in 1998. Google has a long history of innovation and a strong engineering-driven culture, increasingly integrated with a maturing design practice that emphasizes user impact.
Team Structure:
- The UX team at Google is multi-disciplinary, including UX Designers, Researchers, Writers, Content Strategists, Program Managers, and Engineers.
- Designers typically work within pods or teams focused on specific products or features, collaborating closely with Engineering and Product Management counterparts.
- Reporting structures usually involve reporting to a UX Manager or Design Lead.
Methodology:
- Google emphasizes a user-centered design approach, starting with understanding user needs and behaviors through research.
- Teams often utilize iterative development methodologies, including Agile or similar frameworks.
- Design processes involve stages of discovery, ideation (often through sprints or workshops), prototyping, testing, and refinement.
Company Website: https://www.google.com
๐ Career & Growth Analysis
Design Career Level: This is a Senior level position, indicating expectations for significant experience, the ability to work autonomously on complex problems, and potentially lead design initiatives or mentor junior team members. Senior designers at Google are expected to have a strong impact on product direction and user experience.
Reporting Structure: Typically reports to a UX Manager or Design Lead within the Payments or Commerce UX organization. This structure allows for guidance and mentorship while providing autonomy on projects.
Design Impact: Design plays a crucial role at Google, influencing product strategy and development from the early stages. Senior designers in this role will have a direct impact on the user experience of critical financial transactions for potentially millions of users.
Growth Opportunities:
- Opportunity to deepen expertise in the complex and high-impact domain of Billing and Payments UX.
- Potential to progress into lead designer roles, managing projects or small teams.
- Opportunities for cross-functional collaboration can lead to broader product understanding and influence.
- Google offers extensive internal learning and development resources, including design workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs, supporting continuous skill development.
๐ Work Environment
Studio Type: On-site office environment. Google offices are known for their well-equipped workspaces designed to foster collaboration and creativity.
Office Location(s): San Francisco, CA. The specific office location in San Francisco would be confirmed during the hiring process but is expected to be one of Google's established sites in the city, likely designed to facilitate team interaction.
Design Workspace Context:
- Expect a modern office setup with dedicated workspaces, meeting rooms, and collaborative areas.
- Access to necessary design tools, hardware (powerful workstations), and software licenses.
- Opportunities for informal and formal interaction with design team members and cross-functional partners.
Work Schedule: Full-time, on-site. While core working hours are standard, there may be some flexibility to accommodate individual work styles and team needs, particularly for creative work. Collaboration and key meetings will likely require presence during core team hours.
๐ Application & Portfolio Review Process
Design Interview Process:
- Initial screening call with a recruiter to discuss your background and interest.
- Portfolio review stage, where your work and design process will be evaluated. Be prepared to present and discuss your case studies in detail.
- Several rounds of interviews, which may include:
- Portfolio presentation to a design panel.
- Whiteboard or conceptual design challenge, assessing problem-solving skills and design thinking.
- Technical interview focusing on design tool proficiency and workflow.
- Behavioral interviews assessing collaboration skills, communication, and cultural fit.
- Interviews with cross-functional partners (Product Management, Engineering).
- Potential follow-up interviews or a final interview with a design leader.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Focus on demonstrating your end-to-end design process for 2-3 impactful projects, particularly those showcasing complex problem-solving or experience in the payments/commerce domain if possible.
- Clearly articulate the problem you were trying to solve, your role on the project, your design decisions, the trade-offs you considered, and the impact of your work.
- Use visuals effectively to illustrate your process, including sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and final mockups.
- Be prepared to discuss the technical constraints you faced and how you collaborated with engineers.
Challenge Preparation:
- Practice articulating your design thinking process aloud.
- Familiarize yourself with common design patterns and best practices, especially for complex flows like checkout and account management.
- Be prepared to ask clarifying questions and explore different solutions during the challenge.
ATS Keywords: User Experience, UX Design, Interaction Design, Product Design, User-Centered Design, Design Thinking, User Flows, Wireframes, Prototyping, High-Fidelity Mockups, Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Visual Design Systems, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Design Rationale, Usability Testing, User Research, Information Architecture, Payments, Commerce, Billing, Checkout, Account Management, E-commerce UX, Mobile Design, Web Design, Agile, Sprint, Stakeholder Management, Communication, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Mentorship, Design Strategy, Portfolio, Case Study.
๐ Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Design Tools:
- Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools is required. The job description specifically mentions Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch. Experience with Figma is highly likely to be preferred given its prevalence in collaborative design workflows.
- Expect to use these tools for creating wireframes, mockups, interactive prototypes, and potentially contributing to design system components.
Collaboration & Handoff:
- Tools for collaboration with designers, product managers, and engineers are essential. Figma itself offers strong collaboration features.
- Handoff tools or methods for providing detailed specifications and assets to engineers will be part of the workflow.
- Documentation tools for maintaining design specifications and potentially contributing to internal design documentation.
Research & Testing:
- Familiarity with tools or platforms used for user research, usability testing, and gathering user feedback.
- Understanding of how design decisions are informed by data and analytics.
๐ฅ Team Culture & Values
Design Values:
- User Focus: A core value at Google, emphasizing deep understanding of user needs and designing solutions that truly serve them ("Focus on the user and all else will follow").
- Impact: Design is expected to have a measurable impact on product success and user satisfaction.
- Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional partners (Product, Engineering, Research, Content Strategy).
- Iteration: Design is seen as an iterative process, involving continuous testing and refinement based on feedback and data.
- Excellence: Striving for high-quality, polished, and intuitive design solutions.
Collaboration Style:
- Expect a collaborative environment with regular design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional meetings.
- Communication is key, requiring the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale clearly to diverse audiences.
- Teams often work closely together, sharing knowledge and providing feedback to improve designs.
โก Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Design Challenges:
- Designing for complex and sensitive financial workflows (billing, payments) requires meticulous attention to detail, security, and trust.
- Balancing user needs with complex business requirements and technical constraints within a large, established ecosystem.
- Navigating and contributing to a large, evolving design system while ensuring consistency across multiple products and platforms.
- Advocating for user needs and design decisions among various stakeholders with potentially competing priorities.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Opportunity to become a domain expert in the critical area of Billing and Payments UX.
- Access to internal training programs, workshops, and conferences to enhance design skills and knowledge.
- Mentorship opportunities with experienced design leaders.
- Exposure to cutting-edge design methodologies and technologies within a leading tech company.
๐ก Interview Preparation
Design Process Questions:
- Be prepared to discuss your end-to-end design process in detail, using examples from your portfolio. Questions may focus on how you approach problem definition, research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
- Expect questions about how you handle ambiguity, make design decisions with incomplete information, and incorporate feedback into your designs.
- Practice articulating your rationale for specific design choices in your case studies.
Company Culture Questions:
- Research Google's design principles and values. Be prepared to discuss how your own values and work style align with their culture.
- Consider examples of how you have collaborated effectively with product managers, engineers, and researchers in past projects.
- Think about how you have handled constructive criticism and provided feedback to others.
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate your skills and experience relevant to this role, particularly any related to complex workflows or the payments/commerce space.
- Structure your presentation to clearly walk through the problem, your process, your solutions, and the impact. Allocate sufficient time to discuss your rationale and trade-offs.
- Be prepared for interruptions and questions during the presentation; view them as opportunities for a conversation, not interruptions.
๐ Application Steps
To apply for this design position:
- Submit your application through this link.
- Ensure your resume is updated and highlights your relevant experience, skills, and achievements, particularly those related to interaction design, product design, and complex workflows.
- Prepare your portfolio. Make sure the link is easily accessible and that your case studies are well-structured and clearly articulate your design process and impact. Consider tailoring or highlighting specific projects that demonstrate your experience with billing, payments, or challenging user journeys.
- Review the job description and Google's design values thoroughly to prepare for interviews. Practice discussing your portfolio projects and articulating your design thinking.