Principal Product Designer: Travel & Conversion

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Product Designer: Travel & Conversion

Company: Move Travel Sdn. Bhd. (AirAsia MOVE)

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Design

Date Posted: March 12, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design of complex travel booking journeys for flights and hotels, with a strong focus on optimizing user experience architecture and driving conversion rates.

• Elevate the craft of product design through sophisticated motion design and contribute to the strategic evolution of a mature design system.

• Act as a senior individual contributor, providing informal mentorship and setting a high standard for design quality, strategic thinking, and communication for junior designers.

• Partner closely with Product and Data teams to leverage behavioral metrics and A/B testing results for data-informed design iterations that impact key business outcomes.

• Ensure technical feasibility and a consistent, intuitive user experience across web and mobile app platforms through close collaboration with engineering and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Principal Product Designer, indicating a senior individual contributor with significant autonomy and influence over design strategy, particularly within the critical travel and conversion funnels. The emphasis on UX architecture, motion design, and design system contribution suggests a need for a designer with a deep understanding of complex systems and a high degree of craft.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the design and UX architecture for complex flight and hotel booking journeys, meticulously mapping user flows to minimize friction and maximize conversion.

• Drive the integration of high-fidelity motion design elements to enhance user engagement and reinforce trust within the booking experience.

• Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of the company's design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across products.

• Mentor and guide junior designers, demonstrating best practices in design thinking, execution, and strategic communication.

• Translate data insights, including behavioral metrics and A/B testing outcomes, into actionable design improvements for key conversion metrics.

• Collaborate effectively with engineering teams to ensure technical feasibility of designs and seamless implementation across platforms.

• Partner with Product Managers and stakeholders to align design solutions with business objectives and user needs.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring a delightful and intuitive customer experience.

• Conduct user research and usability testing to validate design decisions and identify areas for improvement in the travel funnel.

• Maintain a high standard of design craft quality, ensuring every touchpoint contributes to a cohesive and trustworthy brand experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership in design, hands-on execution, and mentorship. The explicit mention of "mastering the flow" and "elevating the craft" points to a need for deep expertise in interaction design and visual polish, particularly within transactional B2C environments.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is typically expected for a Principal-level role. Demonstrated exceptional portfolio may sometimes substitute for formal education.

Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record in designing complex B2C transactional flows. Experience in E-commerce or the Travel industry is highly advantageous.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in UX & Logic: Mastery of information architecture, user flow mapping, and complex system logic to create simple, intuitive user paths.

• Product Design Craft: Proven ability to design end-to-end user experiences for digital products, with a strong focus on transactional flows.

• Motion Design Proficiency: Skills in leveraging and implementing sophisticated motion design to enhance user interaction and experience.

• Design System Contribution: Experience working with and contributing to mature design systems, understanding their importance for scalability and consistency.

• Data-Informed Design: Ability to interpret behavioral metrics and A/B testing results to drive design decisions and optimizations.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with Product, Engineering, Data, and other stakeholders.

• Strategic Thinking & Storytelling: Ability to articulate design rationale and influence product strategy through persuasive communication and storytelling.

• Hands-on Execution: A "lead by doing" mentality, with a passion for detailed pixel-level design and big-picture strategy.

Preferred Skills:

• E-commerce or Travel Industry Experience: Direct experience designing booking engines, transactional platforms, or travel-related applications.

• User Research & Usability Testing: Experience conducting and synthesizing user research to inform design.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in advanced prototyping tools that support motion and complex interactions.

• Agile Development Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile/Scrum environments and cross-functional team workflows.

• Mobile App Design: Specific experience designing for native mobile applications (iOS and Android).

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize deep expertise in transactional B2C flows, underscoring the critical nature of conversion optimization. The blend of "UX Architecture," "Motion Design," and "Design Systems" suggests a need for a designer who can handle both the strategic structure and the detailed polish of a high-traffic platform.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Complex Transactional Flows: Showcase end-to-end case studies of complex B2C transactional journeys (e.g., e-commerce checkout, booking engines, financial transactions) that demonstrate your ability to simplify complexity.

• Conversion Optimization: Highlight specific projects where your design interventions led to measurable improvements in conversion rates, task completion, or reduction in drop-off. Quantify results wherever possible.

• UX Architecture & User Flow Mapping: Include examples of detailed user flow diagrams, information architecture breakdowns, and wireframes that illustrate your strategic approach to structuring user experiences.

• Motion Design & Interaction: Present examples of sophisticated motion design and micro-interactions that enhance usability, provide feedback, or guide users through complex processes.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, demonstrate your experience in contributing to or utilizing design systems, showcasing consistency and scalability in your work.

• Data-Informed Design Iterations: Show how you've used data (A/B testing, analytics) to inform design decisions and iterate on existing features to improve outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Present how you approach mapping and optimizing complex user workflows, detailing the methodologies used (e.g., journey mapping, task analysis).

• System Implementation & Standards: Explain your role in implementing and maintaining design standards, contributing to design systems, and ensuring technical feasibility with engineering.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Demonstrate your understanding of how to measure the success of design initiatives, using metrics to drive improvements and report on impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this Principal-level role. The emphasis should be on demonstrating strategic thinking, complex problem-solving within transactional flows, and a measurable impact on conversion and user experience. Including examples of motion design and design system contributions will be a significant advantage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the "Principal" title, extensive experience (5-10 years), the "above-market" compensation promise, and the location in Kuala Lumpur, a competitive salary range for this role is estimated to be between MYR 12,000 - MYR 18,000 per month. This range is benchmarked against senior design roles in the tech and travel sectors in Malaysia, considering the cost of living and industry standards.

Benefits:

• Competitive, Above-Market Salary: Explicitly stated as a key offering.

• Travel Perks: Including flight allowances, offering significant value to employees in a travel-focused company.

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Likely includes medical insurance, dental, and potential wellness programs.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, training, and skill enhancement in design and technology.

• Modern Office Environment: Located at KL Sentral, offering a well-connected and potentially collaborative workspace.

• Direct Impact: Opportunity to influence a B2C product serving tens of millions of users and work closely with senior management.

• Retirement/Pension Contributions: Standard benefits such as EPF (Employees Provident Fund) contributions in Malaysia.

Working Hours: A standard full-time work week of approximately 40 hours is expected, likely Monday to Friday. However, given the dynamic nature of tech companies and product development, there might be an expectation for flexibility to meet project deadlines or critical launch periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific mention of "above-market salary" and "travel perks such as flights allowances" is a strong indicator of competitive compensation. The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in Kuala Lumpur, factoring in the company's stated commitment to competitive pay.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Travel & E-commerce. AirAsia MOVE operates within the rapidly evolving digital travel landscape, aiming to be a leading super app for travel in Asia. This context implies a fast-paced, data-driven, and user-centric environment.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated in the raw data, AirAsia as a brand is a large, established entity, and its digital ventures like MOVE likely employ a significant number of people, ranging from hundreds to thousands across various departments. This suggests a structured organization with established processes but also the agility of a tech-focused division.

Founded: AirAsia's origins date back to 2001, but the MOVE platform is a more recent digital transformation initiative, indicating a blend of established brand trust with modern tech-startup agility.

Team Structure:

• Product Design (Travel Squad): The role sits within a dedicated Product Design team, likely organized into functional squads (e.g., Travel, Hotels, Flights) that focus on specific areas of the platform.

• Reporting Structure: As a Principal Designer, the individual will report to a Head of Product Design or a Director of Product, with informal reporting lines and mentorship responsibilities towards junior designers within the squad or team.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Will work closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Analysts, Researchers, and other stakeholders within the "Travel Squad" and potentially across other squads to ensure cohesive product development.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis & Insights: Emphasis on using user data, behavioral metrics, and A/B testing to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• User-Centric Design: A strong focus on understanding user needs and translating them into intuitive and seamless digital experiences.

• Agile Development: Likely operates within an Agile framework, involving iterative development cycles, close team collaboration, and rapid prototyping.

• Design System Driven: A commitment to leveraging and evolving a robust design system for consistency, efficiency, and scalability.

Company Website: https://www.airasia.com/ (Note: The provided URL https://chatbot.careers.airasia.com/gb/en is for the careers portal, not the main company site, which is typically airasia.com or a specific MOVE domain if available.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context indicates a large, reputable brand (AirAsia) undergoing a digital transformation with its MOVE platform. This suggests a culture that values both established trust and innovative agility, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making and user-centric product development within a squad-based structure.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Principal Product Designer role, signifying a senior individual contributor position. It's a step beyond Senior Designer, implying greater autonomy, strategic influence, and a focus on setting design direction and standards. This level often involves mentoring junior team members and taking ownership of complex, high-impact product areas.

Reporting Structure: The Principal Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Design, or Director of Product. They will collaborate extensively with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and Data Analysts within their assigned squad. While not a management role, there's an expectation of leadership in design craft and mentorship.

Operations Impact: The role's direct impact is on the core travel booking experience (flights and hotels), which is central to AirAsia MOVE's goal of becoming a leading travel platform. Success here directly translates to increased conversion rates, user satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue. The Principal Designer will influence product strategy through design, making them a key player in the company's commercial success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Managerial role, overseeing a team of designers.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like conversion optimization, complex transactional UX, or large-scale design systems.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the future product vision and design strategy for AirAsia MOVE.

• Industry Recognition: Contributing to a high-visibility platform serving millions of users can build a strong professional reputation.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: Formal and informal opportunities to mentor junior designers and continuously learn from cross-functional teams and industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title signifies a senior individual contributor path with significant growth potential in terms of strategic influence, design leadership, and specialization within the travel tech domain. The role is positioned to have a direct and measurable impact on business outcomes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, in a "well-connected office environment." This suggests a modern, professional office space designed for collaboration, likely with open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated quiet zones.

Office Location(s): KL Sentral is a major transportation and business hub in Kuala Lumpur, offering excellent accessibility via public transportation (LRT, Monorail, KTM Komuter, ERL). This makes it convenient for commuting.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The description implies a team-oriented atmosphere where designers, product managers, and engineers work closely together, often within "squads."

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, JIRA, Slack). The presence of a mature design system suggests robust tooling for UI/UX.

• Operations Team Interaction: The role will involve frequent interaction with product teams, data analysts, and engineers, fostering a dynamic and interdisciplinary work setting.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule (likely 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday) is expected. However, the fast-paced tech environment and focus on product delivery may necessitate some flexibility to meet project demands. The on-site nature emphasizes in-person collaboration and team synergy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in a prime Kuala Lumpur location like KL Sentral points to an emphasis on in-person collaboration, team synergy, and a professional, well-equipped work environment conducive to high-impact design work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process: The interview process is likely to be multi-stage, designed to assess design craft, strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.

• Initial Screening: A review of the resume and portfolio to ensure alignment with the role's requirements.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: Candidates may be asked to complete a take-home design challenge or present a detailed case study from their portfolio, focusing on a complex transactional flow.

• Design Team Interviews: Interviews with other designers and design leads to evaluate technical skills, design thinking, and contribution to design systems/mentorship.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Discussions with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts to assess collaboration skills, understanding of technical constraints, and data-informed decision-making.

• Leadership/Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager or senior leadership to discuss strategic vision, leadership potential, and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the solution, and the measurable impact (e.g., conversion uplift, reduced friction, improved user satisfaction).

• Showcase Process: Detail your design process, from research and ideation to wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation. Highlight how you tackled complexity.

• Highlight Transactional Expertise: Emphasize your experience with B2C transactional flows, showcasing your ability to design for conversion, security, and trust.

• Demonstrate Motion & Craft: Include examples of high-fidelity motion design or micro-interactions that enhance the user experience. Ensure visual polish.

• Explain Data Integration: Show how you used data (A/B tests, analytics) to inform your design decisions and iterate on solutions.

• Articulate Strategic Rationale: Be prepared to explain the "why" behind your design choices, linking them to user needs and business goals.

• Design System Awareness: If applicable, show how you've worked with or contributed to design systems.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, thoroughly research AirAsia MOVE, its existing products, and the travel booking landscape.

• Focus on the Core Problem: Address the prompt directly, prioritizing the most critical aspects of the problem.

• Showcase Your Process: Clearly outline your approach, assumptions, and decision-making throughout the challenge.

• Consider Business & User Needs: Balance user experience with business objectives (conversion, revenue) and technical feasibility.

• Present Clearly: Structure your presentation logically, using visuals and clear language to convey your ideas effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on evaluating the candidate's portfolio and their ability to articulate complex design decisions and their impact. The emphasis on "travel and conversion" means case studies related to booking funnels and e-commerce transactions will be highly relevant.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely given industry trends and design system focus), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• Motion Design: After Effects, Principle, Protopie, or similar tools for creating high-fidelity motion prototypes.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Trello, Asana for workflow tracking and documentation.

• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams for real-time team communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web/App Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal tools for tracking user behavior and conversion metrics.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Optimizely, VWO, Google Optimize, or internal experimentation platforms.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or similar tools for presenting data insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a designer's primary tool, an understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms integrate with user journeys can be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools like Figma is crucial. The ability to create high-fidelity motion prototypes and interpret data from analytics and A/B testing platforms will be key differentiators for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of millions of users, prioritizing their experience above all else.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing insights from data, A/B testing, and user research to guide product development and design choices.

• Continuous Improvement & Iteration: Embracing a mindset of constant learning, refinement, and iteration to enhance product performance and user satisfaction.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering an environment where teams work together openly, share insights freely, and support each other's success.

• Design Excellence & Craftsmanship: A passion for high-quality design, attention to detail, and the pursuit of elegant, intuitive solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Squad-Based Approach: Working within cross-functional "squads" (Product, Design, Engineering, Data) to achieve specific product goals.

• Open Communication: Encouraging direct and honest communication, with regular feedback loops and knowledge sharing.

• Data-Informed Discussions: Grounding design and product discussions in user data and performance metrics.

• Mentorship & Peer Review: A culture that supports learning from each other, with senior members mentoring junior talent and constructive peer reviews.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely emphasizes agility, data-informed innovation, and a strong sense of ownership over user experience and business outcomes, all within a collaborative, cross-functional team structure.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Complexity and Simplicity: Designing intuitive booking flows for millions of users across diverse needs and technical capabilities, while handling the inherent complexity of travel bookings.

• Driving Conversion in a Competitive Market: Continuously optimizing the conversion funnel to meet aggressive business goals in a highly competitive online travel agency (OTA) landscape.

• Evolving Design System: Contributing to and evolving a mature design system to support new features and maintain consistency across a growing platform without stifling innovation.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring strong alignment and effective communication between design, product, engineering, and data teams, especially when dealing with technical constraints or differing priorities.

• Mentorship at Scale: Effectively mentoring junior designers and raising the overall design craft quality across the team while maintaining personal design output.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastering Travel UX: Deepening expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities within the travel e-commerce domain.

• Advanced Design System Work: Contributing to the strategic direction and scalability of a large-scale design system.

• Data Science & Analytics Exposure: Gaining deeper insights into user behavior analysis and experimentation methodologies.

• Leadership Skills: Developing mentorship and influencing skills essential for a Principal-level role and future leadership positions.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of emerging technologies, design patterns, and user expectations in the travel and e-commerce sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are rooted in the complexity of the travel domain, the high stakes of conversion optimization, and the responsibilities of a senior individual contributor. Growth opportunities align with advancing expertise, leadership, and strategic impact within a leading travel tech company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach redesigning our flight booking flow to increase conversion by X%?" (Focus on process, research, proposed solutions, and metrics).

• "Describe a time you had to simplify a highly complex user journey. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Showcase UX architecture, user flow mapping, and problem-solving).

• "How do you balance the need for a consistent design system with the desire for innovative new features?" (Demonstrate understanding of design systems and their strategic application).

• "How do you leverage data and A/B testing to inform your design decisions?" (Highlight your data-informed iteration skills).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about AirAsia MOVE and the travel industry?" (Show your passion and research).

• "How do you see your role contributing to our goal of becoming the most customer-centric travel platform in Asia?" (Connect your skills to the company's mission).

• "Describe your ideal team environment and how you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers." (Assess cultural fit and collaboration style).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, starting with the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and finally, the measurable impact.

• Quantify Impact: Use specific metrics (e.g., "% increase in conversion," "% decrease in drop-off") to demonstrate the success of your projects.

• Showcase Process Visuals: Include key artifacts like user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and motion prototypes to illustrate your thinking.

• Tell a Story: Engage your audience by narrating the journey of each project, highlighting challenges and how you overcame them.

• Focus on Relevance: Prioritize case studies that showcase experience with complex transactional flows, e-commerce, or travel.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions about your decision-making, trade-offs, and alternative approaches.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating mastery of complex transactional design, a data-driven approach, strong communication skills, and a clear understanding of how design impacts business metrics like conversion. Thoroughly preparing portfolio case studies that align with "travel and conversion" is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the AirAsia MOVE careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to specifically highlight your experience with complex B2C transactional flows, conversion optimization, UX architecture, and motion design, using keywords from the job description.

• Case Study Selection: Choose 2-3 of your most impactful case studies that best demonstrate your ability to solve complex design problems within e-commerce or travel, with a clear focus on measurable results.

• Prepare for Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on articulating your process, design rationale, and the quantifiable impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with design systems and motion design.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research AirAsia MOVE, its mission, its current product offerings, and the competitive landscape of the online travel industry in Asia. Understand their emphasis on customer-centricity and conversion.

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

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