Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-02-26T16:04:08.122

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is instrumental in defining and executing the user experience for innovative connected home products, specifically within the Master Lock, Yale, and August brands, bridging the gap between software and hardware.

• The Product Designer will contribute to the entire product development lifecycle, from initial concept and problem exploration to high-fidelity visual design and prototyping, ensuring elegant and user-centric solutions.

• A key aspect of this position involves deep collaboration with cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, and research, to translate market requirements and user insights into tangible product features.

• The role requires a strong foundation in user-centered design principles, coupled with proficiency in modern design tools and methodologies, to create seamless experiences across digital (mobile, web) and physical interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Product Designer," the detailed responsibilities and company focus on connected home products, IoT, and the integration of software and hardware strongly indicate a specialization in UX/UI design within a product development context. The emphasis on user experience across digital and physical interfaces confirms this alignment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Utilize a comprehensive skill set encompassing UX design, design thinking, interaction design, prototyping, and visual design to craft elegant user experiences for connected home products.

• Contribute to the development of intuitive interfaces across digital platforms (mobile, web) and physical device interactions, ensuring alignment with market and product requirements.

• Design and iterate on user flows, interactions, and visual elements, taking initiative on specific product areas under the guidance of senior designers.

• Employ quantitative and qualitative data to inform design decisions, proactively seeking additional data sources to deepen understanding of user needs and behaviors.

• Collaborate closely with software product managers, category managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure design solutions are feasible, aligned with business objectives, and deliver exceptional user value.

• Advocate for user experience improvements and refinements, grounding recommendations in user feedback, design principles, and a deep understanding of the connected home landscape.

• Participate actively in workshops, cross-functional sessions, and user testing activities, contributing insights and supporting research efforts.

• Foster unified and seamless user experiences across multiple digital and physical touchpoints by collaborating with internal teams and external ecosystem partners.

• Maintain a master-level understanding of user experiences across diverse product categories, focusing on all possible states and micro-interactions with meticulous attention to detail.

• Co-create user journeys, use cases, and user models in close collaboration with product managers and researchers, ensuring comprehensive coverage of user needs and scenarios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a full-stack design role, encompassing strategic thinking (design thinking, user journeys), execution (prototyping, visual design), and collaboration. The expectation to "design in collaboration with senior designers and taking initiative on specific product areas under guidance" suggests a mid-level individual contributor role with potential for growth and increased autonomy.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• A minimum of 4 years of professional design experience.

• At least 1 year of direct experience specifically focused on Internet of Things (IoT) products.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in Figma for design and prototyping.

• Strong experience with collaborative design processes and tools.

• Familiarity with Jira for project tracking and workflow management.

• Working knowledge of established design systems and their effective application.

• Experience with interaction design and prototyping tools such as Protopie.

• Excellent visual design skills with a keen eye for polished, consistent, and aesthetically pleasing interfaces.

• Solid understanding of User-Centered Design (UCD) principles.

• Familiarity with platform-specific design guidelines, including Material Design and Apple's Human Interface Guidelines.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Awareness of Swift UI and Jetpack Compose capabilities.

• Experience leveraging AI tools and techniques within the design process.

• Understanding of how connected devices communicate via the internet, with some familiarity with IoT platforms and protocols (e.g., MQTT, CoAP, HTTP).

• Familiarity with Indi Young's Listening Deeply research methodology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of technical design skills, user advocacy, and collaborative ability, crucial for product designers working on connected hardware and software. The preference for IoT experience and familiarity with specific protocols indicates a need for candidates who can navigate the complexities of the connected device ecosystem.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design projects, with a focus on connected home or IoT products.

• Highlight case studies that illustrate your process for problem identification, user research, ideation, prototyping, and visual design.

• Include examples of how you've applied user-centered design principles to solve complex user problems.

• Showcase your ability to iterate on designs based on feedback and data, demonstrating a clear design evolution.

Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how you have documented design processes, including user flows, wireframes, and design specifications.

• Showcase your experience in working within agile frameworks, detailing how you’ve integrated design into scrum ceremonies and workflows.

• Include evidence of how you've utilized design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency across multiple product touchpoints.

• Demonstrate your approach to collaborating with product managers and researchers to develop user journeys and use cases.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, especially in the connected product space, a portfolio is critical. It should not just show final outputs but the thinking and process behind them, emphasizing problem-solving, user research integration, and collaboration within an agile context. The inclusion of IoT-specific examples will be highly advantageous.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Hiring Pay Range: $100,000 USD - $150,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health plans covering various aspects of wellbeing.

• Market-leading 401(k) program with a company contribution.

• Exclusive product discounts.

• Flexible time off benefits to support work-life balance.

• Adoption benefits to assist with family expansion.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, likely around 40 hours per week, with expectations for hybrid work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a good indicator for a mid-level Product Designer in a major tech hub like San Francisco. The benefits package is robust and competitive, reflecting Fortune Brands' commitment to employee wellbeing. The hybrid schedule is clearly defined.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Home, Security, and Digital Products; Manufacturing and Innovation.

Company Size: Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. is a significant publicly traded company, indicating a large organizational structure with established processes and resources.

Founded: While the founding date isn't explicitly stated for Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc., its status as an industry leader suggests a long-standing presence and evolution in its respective markets, with a current focus on innovation and digital transformation.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will report directly to the Senior Principal Product Designer, indicating a clear reporting line within a design leadership structure.

• The role involves close collaboration with software product managers, category managers, engineers, and potentially researchers.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on user-obsessed and results-oriented design, driven by market and product requirements.

• Integration of design thinking principles throughout the product lifecycle.

• Data-informed design decisions, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative insights.

• Commitment to agile development practices, promoting iterative design and continuous improvement.

• Focus on creating unified and seamless user experiences across digital and physical touchpoints, suggesting a holistic approach to product integration.

Company Website: https://fbin.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Fortune Brands emphasizes a culture of innovation, high performance, and inclusivity. The "transforming spaces into havens" purpose suggests a focus on creating products that genuinely improve users' lives and environments. The company's investment in connected products and digital solutions indicates a forward-thinking approach.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Mid-Level Product Designer role, requiring 4+ years of experience with a focus on IoT products. It offers the opportunity to contribute significantly to product development and gain specialized experience in the connected home sector.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to a Senior Principal Product Designer, providing mentorship and guidance. This structure allows for learning from experienced leadership while contributing independently to specific product areas.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will directly influence the user experience and perceived quality of Fortune Brands' connected home products (Master Lock, Yale, August). Their work will be critical in shaping customer adoption, satisfaction, and brand loyalty in the competitive smart home market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in IoT product design, bridging hardware and software interfaces, and mastering user-centered design for connected devices.

• Leadership Potential: Progress to Senior Product Designer roles, leading design initiatives for key product lines, mentoring junior designers, and contributing more strategically to design system development and user research methodologies.

• Cross-Functional Advancement: Develop strong collaborative skills and product acumen that could lead to roles in Product Management, UX Research, or Design Strategy within Fortune Brands.

• Industry Exposure: Gain valuable experience with cutting-edge connected home technologies and contribute to products used by millions of consumers globally.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned for growth within a company actively investing in connected technologies. The opportunity to work on established brands like Master Lock and Yale, combined with a clear reporting structure to senior leadership, offers a solid path for career development in product design.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, requiring 3 days per week in the San Francisco, CA or Deerfield, IL office.

Office Location(s):

• San Francisco, CA (500 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107)

Workspace Context:

• The San Francisco office location in the SoMa district suggests a vibrant urban environment, potentially with access to tech-focused amenities and a collaborative atmosphere.

• The hybrid model is designed to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration and team cohesion with the flexibility of remote work.

• Expect a dynamic environment where designers work closely with product managers and engineers, likely utilizing shared digital tools and potentially physical prototyping spaces.

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a hybrid arrangement meaning dedicated in-office days for collaboration and remote days for focused individual work. This schedule is typical for roles requiring both deep concentration and team interaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role is a key aspect of the work environment, balancing collaboration with flexibility. The San Francisco location places the role within a major technology hub, offering networking and industry exposure.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Application review, focusing on resume and portfolio. Candidates will be assessed for relevant experience, particularly in IoT and connected product design.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: Candidates will likely present 2-3 key projects from their portfolio, detailing their design process, problem-solving approach, user research integration, and the impact of their design decisions. Expect questions on how you've used Figma, Protopie, and design systems.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Discussions with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding (especially regarding IoT), and cultural fit.

• Design Challenge (Potential): A take-home assignment or live design exercise may be given to evaluate problem-solving abilities, design execution, and communication skills under time constraints. This could involve critiquing an existing design or proposing solutions for a new feature.

• Final Interview: Meeting with senior leadership, potentially the Senior Principal Product Designer or a Design Director, to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and strategic thinking.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your experience with connected products, IoT, and the full design lifecycle (from research to visual design). Highlight your role and contributions clearly.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, walk through the problem, your process, key decisions, challenges, and the outcomes. Emphasize your problem-solving approach and how user insights drove your design.

• Showcase Process: Include wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and visual design iterations. Explain why you made certain design choices.

• Quantify Impact: If possible, present metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, user satisfaction scores, task completion times).

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with engineers, PMs, and other stakeholders, and how you incorporated their feedback.

Challenge Preparation:

• Review common UX challenges related to IoT devices, mobile apps, and connected ecosystems.

• Practice articulating your design decisions clearly and concisely, especially under pressure.

• Be prepared to discuss your understanding of Material Design and Apple HIG, and how you'd adapt them for specific product contexts.

• Research Fortune Brands, Master Lock, Yale, and August to understand their current product offerings, target audience, and brand positioning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is expected to be rigorous, focusing heavily on practical design skills, process, and collaborative capabilities. A strong, relevant portfolio is paramount, and candidates should be prepared to discuss their work in detail.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for all aspects of design, including wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity visual design. Expect to demonstrate advanced proficiency.

• Protopie: Frequently used for creating high-fidelity, interactive prototypes, especially for demonstrating complex interactions on physical devices or mobile interfaces.

• Jira: For project tracking, sprint planning, and workflow management within an agile environment. Familiarity with its use in design handoff and iteration is key.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Other Relevant Tools/Technologies:

• Design Systems: Experience with building or working within established design systems.

• IoT Platforms & Protocols: Familiarity with concepts like MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, and how connected devices communicate.

• AI Tools: Experience leveraging AI in the design process.

• Mobile Development Frameworks: Awareness of Swift UI and Jetpack Compose capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Protopie is non-negotiable. The mention of IoT protocols and AI tools indicates a need for designers who are forward-thinking and understand the technical underpinnings of connected products.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User Obsession: A deep commitment to understanding and solving real user problems, prioritizing user needs in every design decision.

• Innovation: Encouraging bold ideas, learning fast, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in connected home technology.

• Collaboration: Working effectively in cross-functional teams, valuing diverse perspectives and fostering open communication.

• High Performance: Striving for excellence, making bold decisions, and delivering impactful results.

• Inclusivity: Supporting a culture where everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves, recognizing that diverse perspectives are a key strength.

• Purpose-Driven: Aligning work with Fortune Brands' purpose to "elevate every life by transforming spaces into havens," focusing on creating products that have positive impacts.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with product managers, engineers, and researchers, participating actively in workshops and design reviews.

• Agile Environment: Embracing iterative development, providing timely design assets, and adapting to changing requirements.

• Feedback-Driven: Open to constructive criticism and actively seeking feedback from peers, stakeholders, and users to refine designs.

• Advocacy for Design: Clearly articulating design rationale and advocating for user-centric solutions while being receptive to technical and business constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes innovation, user focus, and teamwork. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment where user needs are paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Bridging Digital & Physical: Designing intuitive and seamless experiences that span mobile apps, web interfaces, and physical hardware requires a unique blend of skills and careful consideration of user interactions across different modalities.

• IoT Complexity: Navigating the technical intricacies of connected devices, including connectivity, security, and data management, and translating these into user-friendly experiences.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring all stakeholders (product, engineering, marketing) are aligned on the user experience vision and design direction, especially within an agile framework.

• Rapid Technological Evolution: Keeping pace with advancements in IoT, AI, and smart home technologies to ensure products remain competitive and innovative.

• Data Interpretation: Effectively leveraging diverse data sources (quantitative and qualitative) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized IoT Design: Gain deep expertise in designing for connected devices, a high-demand skill in the tech industry.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Work closely with product management and engineering, broadening understanding of product development from different perspectives.

• Design System Contribution: Opportunity to contribute to or enhance established design systems, impacting multiple product lines.

• Mentorship: Learn from senior design leaders and gain insights into strategic design thinking and career progression.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of smart home technology, AI integration in design, and emerging user experience paradigms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to innovative product design in the connected home space. Fortune Brands offers significant opportunities for growth by tackling these challenges and developing specialized skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for both a digital interface and a physical product. What were the key challenges and how did you address them?" (Focus on your process, user considerations, and problem-solving.)

• "How do you incorporate user feedback and data into your design process, especially when dealing with IoT products?" (Highlight your use of research, analytics, and iterative design.)

• "Walk us through a complex connected product experience you designed. What was your role, what were the goals, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a detailed case study from your portfolio.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Fortune Brands and our mission to transform spaces into havens?" (Research the company's purpose, brands, and recent innovations.)

• "How do you contribute to an inclusive and collaborative team environment?" (Align your answer with Fortune Brands' stated values.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, your solutions, and the impact. Use visuals effectively to illustrate your points.

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: Explain your decision-making, how you used research, and how you iterated. Show your thinking.

• Quantify When Possible: Present metrics or user feedback that demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions about specific design choices, trade-offs you made, and how you collaborated with others.

• Highlight IoT Relevance: Emphasize any projects that showcase your understanding of connected devices, hardware-software integration, and user experience across multiple touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design skills but also an understanding of the connected product ecosystem, a collaborative mindset, and alignment with Fortune Brands' values.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Tailor your resume to highlight specific experience in UX/UI design, interaction design, prototyping, visual design, and particularly any experience with IoT, connected devices, or smart home products. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare your portfolio for review. Ensure it includes 2-3 strong case studies that demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, and experience with relevant tools (Figma, Protopie) and methodologies (UCD, agile). Prioritize projects showcasing connected product design.

• Research Fortune Brands, Master Lock, Yale, and August to understand their products, target markets, and company values. This will be crucial for tailoring your application and preparing for interview questions.

• Practice articulating your design process and project outcomes, focusing on your contributions, challenges, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with design systems and cross-functional collaboration.

⚠️ 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.