UX Product Designer - AI/SaaS

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Product Designer - AI/SaaS

Company: Nasdaq

Location: Toronto, Canada

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX Product Design

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

Experience Level: 2-5 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (at least 2 days a week in office)

🎨 Role Summary

• Design user experiences for AI-powered SaaS and data products targeting investor relations and sustainability teams.
• Collaborate with cross-functional product and technology teams in a global environment.
• Focus on quickly delivering features while also managing longer-term design objectives and proof-of-concepts.
• Advocate for user needs through research, usability testing, and human-centered design principles.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the user experience across web and mobile platforms.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Create intuitive and effective designs for web and mobile interfaces that align with user needs and business goals within the financial technology domain.
• Develop and iterate on wireframes, mock-ups, and interactive prototypes based on user feedback, research insights, and technical constraints.
• Plan, conduct, and moderate contextual user interviews and usability tests to gather insights and validate design decisions, advocating for a user-centered approach.
• Work closely with product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders to identify design challenges and develop practical, user-friendly solutions.
• Participate in the QA process to ensure that implemented designs meet established design standards, specifications, and quality benchmarks.
• Deeply learn the concepts of Investor Relations, Sustainability, and Governance businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of target user needs and workflows.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Computer Interaction, Information Systems, Cognitive Science, Graphic Design, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical work experience in UX design.

Experience: Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a user experience design role, with a strong preference for experience designing B2B SaaS products. A portfolio demonstrating relevant work and contribution to problem-solving is required.

Required Skills:

• Solid foundation in interaction design principles, visual design fundamentals, and core UX competencies including user flows, personas, and journey mapping.
• Proven ability to translate complex requirements and user needs into intuitive, accessible, and effective design solutions.
• Experience working with and adhering to established design systems and company-wide style guidelines to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Axure, Adobe XD, or Balsamiq.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and collaboration skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and work effectively with diverse teams including product managers, engineers, and clients, both in-person and remotely.
• Working knowledge of front-end web technologies including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to facilitate effective collaboration with developers.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience leading or significantly contributing to user research campaigns and conducting usability tests to gather qualitative and quantitative data.
• Prior experience designing B2B products and mobile technologies, understanding the unique challenges and requirements of these platforms.
• Experience within the financial technology (FinTech) industry, particularly with products related to investor relations, sustainability, or governance.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and participating in design sprints, demonstrating the ability to collaborate closely with development teams in iterative cycles.
• Experience in data visualization design, creating clear and effective visual representations of complex data sets.
• Experience using or experimenting with AI tools as part of the design workflow or in previous roles.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a diverse range of projects that demonstrate your end-to-end design process, from initial problem definition and research to final design and implementation considerations.
• Include detailed case studies that explain the problem you were solving, your approach, key design decisions, and the impact of your work on users and business goals.
• Present high-fidelity mock-ups, interactive prototypes, and final visual designs that highlight your attention to detail and visual design skills.
• If applicable, demonstrate your understanding of technical constraints and collaboration with engineering teams, showcasing handoff examples or explanations of how your designs were implemented.

Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate your approach to the research and discovery phase, including user interviews, surveys, competitive analysis, or other methods used to understand user needs and the problem space.
• Document your ideation and iteration methods, showing sketches, wireframes, user flows, and how you explored different design solutions.
• Explain your approach to validation and testing, including usability testing methodologies, A/B testing, or other methods used to gather feedback and refine your designs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: C$70,000 - C$95,000 per year

Based on research for UX Product Designer roles with 2-5 years of experience in Toronto, Canada, considering the FinTech industry and the specific skills required (B2B SaaS, AI). This range is an estimate and may vary based on experience, specific skills, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health and dental insurance plans designed to support the well-being of employees and their families.
• Retirement savings plans with company contributions to help employees plan for their long-term financial future.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays, providing flexibility for rest and personal needs.
• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning, including access to training resources and potential support for design-related certifications or conferences.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, with a hybrid work model requiring at least 2 days per week in the Toronto office. Flexibility may be available to accommodate global team collaboration and creative workflows. Work-life balance is encouraged within the context of project deadlines and team needs.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Financial Services (specifically, Financial Technology - FinTech), focusing on providing market technology, trading, and corporate solutions.

Company Size: Over 8,000 employees globally. Nasdaq is a large, established public company.

Founded: While the exact founding date of the Nasdaq stock market is 1971, the organization has evolved significantly and has a long history in the financial industry.

Team Structure:

• The design team is described as small, suggesting close collaboration and individual contribution within the team.
• Designers collaborate globally across different teams, indicating a distributed team structure and a need for strong remote communication skills.
• The role involves working closely with Product and Technology functions, highlighting a cross-functional team approach.

Methodology:

• The team prioritizes features for quick delivery while also managing longer-term goals, suggesting an iterative or agile approach to product development.
• Involvement in proof-of-concepts indicates a focus on innovation and exploring new solutions, likely using design thinking principles.
• The emphasis on user interviews and usability tests points to a user-centered design process.

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

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is positioned as an individual contributor UX Product Designer, likely falling within the mid-level range given the 2+ years of experience requirement. It involves taking ownership of design tasks and collaborating with teams, but may not initially involve direct reports or significant leadership responsibilities over other designers.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, the designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Design Manager, or Head of Design within the IR Intelligence Business unit. Collaboration with product and technology leads will be frequent.

Design Impact: Design plays a crucial role in improving the experience of users of Nasdaq's AI SaaS and data products. The designer's work will directly influence user success and contribute to business goals within a key business area.

Growth Opportunities:

• Opportunity to deepen expertise in B2B SaaS design, AI product design, and the specialized domains of Investor Relations, Sustainability, and Governance – highly valuable skills in the FinTech sector.
• Potential to grow into a Senior UX Designer role by taking on more complex projects, mentoring junior colleagues, and demonstrating increased strategic thinking and leadership within the design team.
• Exposure to a global organization provides opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams and potentially work on projects with international scope.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Hybrid office environment in Toronto, requiring at least two days per week in the office. This structure blends the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): Toronto-York St, Canada. Nasdaq also has other offices globally, including additional locations in Toronto.

Design Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model suggests that the Toronto office likely provides dedicated workspace for designers, facilitating spontaneous collaboration, whiteboarding sessions, and team meetings when on-site.
• Remote work days will require a productive home office setup and strong remote communication tools (like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, as mentioned) for effective collaboration with local and global teams.
• The environment likely balances focused individual work with opportunities for team interaction and cross-functional meetings.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a hybrid requirement. The need to collaborate with global teams suggests that some flexibility in working hours might be necessary to accommodate different time zones, although core working hours will likely align with the Toronto office schedule.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial screening call with HR or a recruiter to assess basic qualifications and fit.
• Interview(s) with members of the design team, potentially including a Design Lead or Manager, focusing on your portfolio, design process, and problem-solving skills. Be prepared to walk through several case studies in detail, explaining your rationale and contribution.
• A design challenge or take-home assignment may be required to evaluate your practical design skills and ability to apply your process to a new problem.
• Interviews with cross-functional partners (Product Managers, Engineers) to assess collaboration skills and ability to work effectively in a team.
• Final interview(s) with leadership to discuss cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall potential within the team and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tailor your portfolio presentation to highlight projects relevant to B2B SaaS, AI, data visualization, or complex financial products if you have them.
• For each case study, clearly articulate the problem or opportunity, your role and responsibilities, the design process you followed, key design decisions and rationale, and the impact of your work. Quantify impact whenever possible.
• Showcase your proficiency with Figma and other relevant design tools through high-fidelity mock-ups and interactive prototypes.
• Demonstrate your understanding of user research and how it informed your design decisions. Include insights from user interviews or usability tests if possible.

Challenge Preparation:

• If given a design challenge, clarify the scope, timeline, and expected deliverables upfront.
• Structure your response by clearly outlining your understanding of the problem, your proposed design process for tackling it within the given constraints, and your key design decisions.
• Focus on demonstrating your problem-solving approach, not just the final visual design. Explain your rationale and consider edge cases or potential limitations.
• Be prepared to present and discuss your solution, articulating your design decisions and responding to feedback.

ATS Keywords:

• Design Skills: UX Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, User Research, Usability Testing, Prototyping, Wireframing, Information Architecture, User Flows, Persona Development, Journey Mapping, Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, Responsive Design, Accessibility Standards, Data Visualization, UI Design, Design Systems, Design Principles, Design Strategy.
• Tools: Figma, Sketch, Axure, Adobe XD, Balsamiq, Adobe Photoshop, Maze, Pendo, JIRA, Confluence, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.
• Methodologies: Agile, Design Sprints, Lean UX, Iterative Design, Cross-functional Collaboration.
• Soft Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Presentation Skills, Stakeholder Management, Time Management, Self-Starter, Adaptability, Remote Collaboration.
• Industry Terms: B2B SaaS, AI, Financial Technology (FinTech), Investor Relations, Sustainability, Governance, Data Products.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Required proficiency for wireframing, mock-ups, and interactive prototyping. It is likely the primary tool for UI design and collaboration within the team.
• Sketch, Axure, Adobe XD, Balsamiq: Experience with these tools is also valued, indicating flexibility and a broad understanding of design software capabilities.
• Adobe Photoshop: General knowledge of graphic design software is listed as helpful, likely for image manipulation or asset creation.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Microsoft Teams & Zoom: Essential for remote communication and collaboration with global teams. Proficiency in using these platforms for meetings, screen sharing, and chat is necessary.
• JIRA & Confluence: Commonly used in Agile environments for project management, task tracking, and documentation. Familiarity with these tools for collaborating with product and engineering teams is beneficial.
• Design Systems: Experience working with and adhering to design systems is required, implying the use of a shared library of components and guidelines for consistency and efficient handoff to developers.

Research & Testing:

• Maze, Pendo, etc.: Experience with tools for user research and analytics is helpful, indicating a data-informed approach to design.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• User-Centeredness: A core value, emphasized by the focus on user research, usability testing, and advocating for user needs in the design process.
• Collaboration: Highly valued, as the role involves working closely with product, technology, and business teams, as well as global colleagues.
• Innovation: Indicated by the focus on building AI SaaS products and managing proof-of-concepts, suggesting a culture open to exploring new technologies and solutions.
• Continuous Improvement: The team is always looking to improve the user experience, suggesting a culture of learning, iteration, and seeking feedback.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional: Designers work closely with product managers and engineers throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Global & Remote: Collaboration occurs across geographically dispersed teams, requiring strong remote communication practices and flexibility.
• Iterative & Agile: The mention of managing quick deliveries and longer-term goals, potentially using agile and design sprints, indicates a fast-paced and iterative collaboration style.
• Feedback-Oriented: The emphasis on user research and incorporating feedback suggests a culture where design decisions are informed by user input and team critique.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Designing for complex financial domains (Investor Relations, Sustainability, Governance) requires a steep learning curve to understand specific user needs, workflows, and regulatory considerations.
• Integrating AI capabilities into existing or new SaaS products presents unique UX challenges related to transparency, trust, explainability, and managing user expectations.
• Balancing the need for rapid feature delivery with the goal of achieving longer-term design excellence and consistency across products.
• Collaborating effectively with global teams across different time zones and cultural contexts requires strong communication and coordination skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Opportunity to become a domain expert in FinTech, IR, Sustainability, and AI/SaaS design, which is highly valuable in the industry.
• Develop advanced skills in designing for AI-powered interfaces and complex data visualization.
• Enhance remote and global collaboration skills by working with diverse international teams.
• Potential for professional development support, including training, conferences, or certifications related to UX, AI, or the financial industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Be prepared to walk through a project where you translated complex requirements into an intuitive design. Focus on your understanding of the problem, your research methods, how you iterated on solutions, and how you validated your designs with users.
• Discuss a time you used user research (interviews, usability testing) to inform a key design decision. Explain the research process, the insights gained, and how they influenced your design.
• Describe your approach to working with a design system. How do you ensure consistency while also innovating? How do you contribute to or improve a design system?

Company Culture Questions:

• Discuss your experience collaborating with product managers and engineers. How do you handle disagreements or conflicting priorities? How do you ensure effective handoff?
• Describe your experience working remotely or with global teams. What strategies do you use for effective communication and collaboration in a distributed environment?
• How do you stay organized and manage your time when working on multiple projects simultaneously? Provide examples of how you've prioritized tasks and delivered work on a regular cadence.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your skills in B2B SaaS, complex interfaces, user research, and collaboration.
• Structure each case study with a clear narrative: Problem, Role, Process (Research, Ideation, Testing), Solution, and Impact.
• Highlight your contribution and decision-making process. Don't just show the final screens; explain *why* you made certain design choices.
• Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link
• Carefully review your resume and portfolio to ensure they highlight relevant experience in UX design, B2B SaaS, user research, and collaboration, tailoring descriptions to match keywords and requirements in the job description.
• Prepare 2-3 detailed case studies in your portfolio that you are ready to present, focusing on projects that demonstrate your end-to-end process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your design work.
• Research Nasdaq, its IR Intelligence Business, and the financial technology industry to understand the context of the role and prepare thoughtful questions for your interviewers.
• Practice articulating your design process, explaining your design decisions, and discussing your experience collaborating with product and engineering teams.