Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer
Company: Pavago
Location: Kenya
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Product Design
Date Posted: 2025-10-16
Experience Level: 2-5 Years
Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and deliver end-to-end digital product experiences that balance user needs with business objectives, ensuring functionality, intuition, and scalability.
• Lead user research initiatives, employing qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover user pain points and inform design decisions.
• Develop comprehensive design systems, including style guides and component libraries, to ensure brand consistency and design efficiency across all platforms.
• Collaborate closely with product management and engineering teams throughout the Agile development lifecycle, ensuring seamless design handoffs and accurate implementation.
• Drive product iteration and improvement through post-launch analysis, A/B testing, and continuous refinement of user workflows and features.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Product Designer," the extensive responsibilities in user research, prototyping, UI/UX, and design systems indicate a role that spans the full product design lifecycle, requiring strong UX/UI capabilities and a strategic approach to product development. The mention of "U.S. client business hours" suggests a need for candidates who can adapt to different time zones for critical meetings, despite being a remote role.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive user research, including interviews, surveys, and usability studies, to deeply understand user needs and identify key pain points.
• Create detailed user personas, journey maps, and user flows to provide a clear framework for design strategies and solutions.
• Analyze product usage data from tools like Mixpanel, Amplitude, and Hotjar to derive actionable insights for product iterations and enhancements.
• Translate user insights and business requirements into effective low-fidelity sketches and high-fidelity interactive prototypes using industry-standard design tools.
• Deliver polished, pixel-perfect UI designs for both web and mobile interfaces, paying close attention to visual hierarchy and aesthetic appeal.
• Define and implement intuitive interaction patterns, animations, and micro-interactions to elevate the overall user experience and usability.
• Build, maintain, and govern scalable design systems, ensuring consistency in typography, color palettes, iconography, and reusable UI components.
• Champion accessibility by integrating WCAG 2.1 standards into all design outputs and conducting thorough testing across various devices and assistive technologies.
• Partner effectively with product managers to define product scope, prioritize features, and align design efforts with business goals.
• Collaborate closely with engineering teams, utilizing tools like Zeplin or Figma Dev Mode for precise design handoffs and providing ongoing support to resolve edge cases during development.
• Facilitate A/B testing on UI variations to empirically validate design improvements and measure their impact on key user engagement metrics.
• Gather and synthesize user feedback post-launch to drive continuous refinement of product features and workflows, aiming for improved user satisfaction and adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a designer who is not only skilled in visual design but also deeply analytical and research-oriented, capable of driving product strategy through data and user insights.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is highly recommended.

Experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in product design, with a strong emphasis on UX/UI problem-solving and visual craftsmanship. Experience within Agile environments is crucial for effective collaboration and iterative development.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated proficiency in leading user research initiatives, utilizing various methodologies to uncover user needs and pain points.
• Expertise in wireframing, prototyping, and creating user flows using design tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch.
• Strong command of UX principles, usability heuristics, and web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1).
• Ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive and visually appealing UI designs for web and mobile platforms.
• Experience in building or contributing to design systems, including component libraries and style guides.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude, Hotjar) to inform design iterations.
• Familiarity with design handoff tools (e.g., Zeplin, Figma Dev Mode, InVision Inspect).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for SaaS platforms, consumer applications, or enterprise-level software solutions.
• Foundational understanding of front-end development technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to foster stronger collaboration with engineers.
• Proven track record of scaling and maintaining comprehensive design systems.
• Hands-on experience with A/B testing methodologies and tools to validate design hypotheses.
• Familiarity with analytics platforms and user behavior tracking tools for data-driven design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The distinction between required and ideal skills suggests that candidates with broader experience in SaaS, front-end development familiarity, and design system scaling will have a significant advantage. The emphasis on data analysis and A/B testing points towards a data-informed design approach.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating end-to-end product design process from problem identification to shipped solution.
• Highlight your role and contributions within each case study, detailing your involvement in user research, ideation, prototyping, UI design, and testing.
• Present clear problem statements, user insights, and the design rationale behind your solutions, emphasizing how user needs and business goals were addressed.
• Include examples of wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs, showcasing your visual and interaction design skills.
• Demonstrate your understanding of design systems, with examples of component usage, style guides, or contributions to a design system.

Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of your ability to document user research findings, including personas, journey maps, and usability test reports.
• Showcase examples of iterative design processes, illustrating how feedback and data were incorporated to refine designs.
• Include documentation of design handoffs to engineering, detailing how specifications and assets were communicated.
• Present examples of how you have ensured accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1) are met throughout the design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, as it will be a primary tool for evaluating UX problem-solving, UI craftsmanship, and the candidate's understanding of the entire product design lifecycle. The practical task in the interview process further underscores the importance of tangible design work.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the role's requirements for 2+ years of experience, the specific responsibilities involving end-to-end product design, and the remote nature of the position within Kenya, a competitive salary range can be estimated. For a Product Designer with this experience level in Kenya, a typical annual salary might range from KES 1,800,000 to KES 3,000,000. This estimate is based on general market data for design professionals in Kenya, considering the tech industry's compensation trends and the added value of a remote position that may align with international standards.

Benefits:

• Remote Work Flexibility: The ability to work from anywhere within Kenya, offering significant work-life balance advantages.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning through access to design tools, online courses, and potentially industry conferences (subject to company policy).
• Health Coverage: Potential for comprehensive health insurance plans, covering medical, dental, and vision needs.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, sick leave, and public holidays to ensure adequate rest and rejuvenation.
• Performance Bonuses: Potential for performance-based bonuses tied to individual and company success.
• Equipment Stipend: Provision of necessary work equipment or a stipend to set up a productive home office.

Working Hours: The role requires adherence to U.S. client business hours, which typically means accommodating a time difference. While the specific number of hours is not explicitly stated, it is a Full-Time position, implying approximately 40 hours per week. Flexibility is noted for essential activities like sprint reviews, design handoffs, and user testing, suggesting a need for availability during specific overlapping periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is an estimate for the Kenyan market, considering the role's scope and experience level. Actual compensation may vary based on specific skills, interview performance, and the exact client engagement. The benefits listed are common for remote full-time roles and are inferred based on industry standards.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Pavago operates within the broader Technology and Software industry, specifically focusing on providing talent solutions for companies, likely in the SaaS and digital product development space. This context implies a culture that values innovation, efficiency, and the successful delivery of digital products.

Company Size: Pavago's presence on LinkedIn suggests a growing company, likely in the startup to small-to-medium enterprise (SME) range, focusing on connecting clients with remote talent. For a Product Designer, this could mean working in a dynamic environment with potential for direct impact and less bureaucracy than in larger organizations.

Founded: [Company Founded Date - If available, otherwise omit] The company's founding date is not provided. However, its focus on remote talent suggests a modern approach to workforce solutions, likely established to capitalize on the growing trend of remote work and global talent acquisition.

Team Structure:

• The Product Designer will likely be part of a distributed team, collaborating with product managers, engineers, and other designers who are also remote.
• Reporting structure will likely involve a direct report to a Product Lead, Design Manager, or a senior member of the product team, depending on the client's internal structure.
• Cross-functional collaboration is central, requiring strong communication and partnership with engineering and product management to bring designs to fruition.

Methodology:

• Data analysis and insights play a key role, with an expectation to use tools like Mixpanel and Amplitude to drive design decisions and measure impact.
• Workflow planning and optimization are core to the role, focusing on creating efficient user journeys and scalable design systems.
• Automation and efficiency practices are embedded through the use of design systems and clear handoffs to streamline development processes.

Company Website: https://pavago.co/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's nature as a talent provider means the Product Designer will likely be working on client projects. Understanding the client's industry and product is crucial. The remote nature implies a need for strong self-management and asynchronous communication skills.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer. It requires 2+ years of experience, indicating a need for foundational skills and the ability to work independently on design tasks, while also collaborating effectively within a team. The responsibilities suggest a significant scope, encompassing research, UX, UI, and design systems.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a Product Manager, Lead Designer, or a similar role within the client's organization. Collaboration will be extensive with engineering teams and other stakeholders involved in the product development lifecycle.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer directly influences the success of digital products by shaping user experience. Their impact is measured through key metrics such as usability scores, engagement, retention, and the overall adoption and satisfaction with the product. Successful design contributes directly to user acquisition, retention, and ultimately, revenue generation for the client.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like UX research, interaction design, accessibility, or design systems.
• Leadership Potential: Progress to Senior Product Designer roles, leading design initiatives, mentoring junior designers, and contributing to design strategy.
• Cross-Functional Development: Gain broader understanding of product management, engineering workflows, and business strategy through close collaboration.
• Design System Ownership: Take on greater responsibility for evolving and championing design systems across multiple products or teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities are typical for mid-level designers, emphasizing both specialized skill development and potential leadership progression. The remote context means growth might also involve developing skills in leading distributed teams or contributing to remote work best practices.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully Remote position, meaning there is no central office to attend. The work environment is home-based, requiring self-discipline and a dedicated workspace.

Office Location(s): While the role is based in Kenya, the remote nature means the designer can work from any location within the country where they have reliable internet access. The client's location (implied U.S. business hours) will dictate the primary time zone for collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace will be home-based, requiring reliable internet connectivity and a conducive environment for focused design work and virtual collaboration.
• Access to necessary design software and tools will be provided or supported through stipends, as is common for remote roles.
• Opportunities for team interaction will be primarily through virtual channels like Slack, Zoom, and project management tools, necessitating proactive engagement.

Work Schedule: The role requires adherence to U.S. client business hours, implying a need for significant overlap with Pacific, Mountain, Central, or Eastern Time Zones. While specific hours aren't detailed, the "Full-Time" designation suggests approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility noted for critical meetings and handoffs. This requires careful time management to balance personal life with client demands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature and U.S. client hours are key aspects of the work environment. Candidates must be comfortable with asynchronous communication and managing their schedule to accommodate client needs across different time zones.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Phone Screen: A brief introductory call, likely with a Pavago recruiter, to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.
• Video Interview with Pavago Recruiter: A more in-depth discussion with Pavago to further explore experience and suitability for client engagement.
• Portfolio Review + Practical Task: This is a critical stage where candidates present their portfolio, showcasing UX problem-solving and UI craftsmanship. A practical design task (e.g., designing a 3-screen flow in Figma) will assess real-time design skills and problem-solving approach.
• Client Interview: A final interview with the client's hiring team or stakeholders to evaluate technical skills, domain knowledge, and team fit.
• Offer & Background Verification: Successful candidates will receive an offer, contingent on standard background checks.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies to tell a compelling story about the problem, your process, and the impact of your design solutions.
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, especially in team projects, and explain your design decisions with data and user insights.
• Showcase Process: Include wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups to demonstrate your end-to-end design capabilities.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "improved conversion by X%", "reduced task completion time by Y%").
• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that align with SaaS, web/mobile interfaces, and design system work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Prompt: Carefully read and understand the requirements of the practical design task. Ask clarifying questions if needed.
• Time Management: Allocate your time wisely between research, ideation, design, and documentation.
• Tool Proficiency: Be comfortable using Figma (or the specified tool) efficiently for rapid prototyping and UI design.
• Justify Decisions: Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your design choices, relating them back to user needs and business objectives.
• Presentation Skills: Practice presenting your design process and rationale clearly and concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review and practical task are highlighted as crucial components. Candidates should meticulously prepare their portfolio and be ready to demonstrate their design process and problem-solving abilities under time constraints.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expected to be the primary tool for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.
• Adobe XD / Sketch: These are listed as alternatives to Figma, indicating that experience with either is also valuable.
• Zeplin / Figma Dev Mode / InVision Inspect: Tools used for design handoff to engineering, ensuring accurate implementation of designs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Mixpanel: For detailed product analytics, user behavior tracking, and event-based analysis.
• Amplitude: Another powerful product analytics platform for understanding user engagement and product performance.
• Hotjar: For heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback surveys to gain qualitative insights into user behavior.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly listed as primary tools for the designer, familiarity with CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot) and automation platforms can be advantageous for understanding the broader business context and user journeys within client organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is paramount. Familiarity with analytics tools like Mixpanel and Amplitude is highly valued as it supports a data-driven design approach. Understanding design handoff tools is critical for effective collaboration with engineering.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep understanding and empathy for users, driving design decisions to meet their needs and solve their problems effectively.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing analytics and user feedback to inform design choices and measure the impact of design solutions.
• Collaboration & Communication: Working closely and transparently with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
• Efficiency & Scalability: Designing solutions that are not only effective but also efficient to build, maintain, and scale, often through design systems.
• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterating on designs, learning from user feedback, and constantly seeking ways to enhance the product experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Agile Methodology: Working within Agile sprint cycles, participating in ceremonies like sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Proactively engaging with product managers to shape product strategy and with engineers to ensure design feasibility and accurate implementation.
• Feedback Exchange: Openness to receiving and giving constructive feedback on designs and processes to foster collective improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively contributing to a culture of shared learning, potentially through design critiques, documentation, or internal presentations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of user advocacy, analytical rigor, and collaborative execution, common in modern tech product teams. The remote aspect necessitates proactive communication and a strong sense of shared ownership.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Time Zone Management: Effectively managing work schedules to align with U.S. client business hours and critical team syncs can be challenging.
• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong communication and team cohesion in a fully distributed environment requires proactive effort and effective use of digital tools.
• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Navigating the inherent tension between optimizing for user experience and meeting business objectives requires strong negotiation and strategic thinking.
• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Adapting quickly to new feedback and iterating on designs within fast-paced Agile sprints can be demanding.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Pursuing specialized training in areas like user research methodologies, interaction design patterns, or advanced prototyping.
• Design System Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge in building and scaling design systems, becoming a subject matter expert.
• Product Strategy Involvement: Developing a deeper understanding of product strategy, market analysis, and business metrics through close collaboration with product management.
• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of emerging design trends, tools, and best practices through online resources, conferences, and peer learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for remote roles working with international clients. The growth opportunities are standard for product designers looking to advance their careers, with a focus on specialization and strategic contribution.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operations Strategy: Be prepared to discuss how you approach understanding user needs and translating them into actionable design strategies. Expect questions on how you prioritize design tasks and balance multiple projects. Example: "Describe a time you had to make a difficult trade-off between a user desire and a business constraint. How did you resolve it?"
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Prepare examples of how you've worked with product managers and engineers, managed feedback, and resolved design disagreements. Example: "How do you ensure product and engineering teams fully understand and buy into your design recommendations?"
• Problem-Solving: Have case studies ready that showcase your ability to tackle complex design problems, including your research process, ideation, and solution. Example: "Walk us through a challenging UX problem you solved. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• Company Operations Culture: Research Pavago and its clients. Understand their business models and the industries they serve. Be ready to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with the company's values. Example: "How do you see your role contributing to Pavago's mission of connecting clients with top remote talent?"
• Operations Team Dynamics: Discuss your preferred working style within a remote, cross-functional team. Example: "How do you stay connected and collaborate effectively with team members you don't see in person?"
• Operations Impact Measurement: Be ready to discuss how you measure the success of your designs and your understanding of KPIs relevant to product design. Example: "What metrics do you typically track to evaluate the success of a new feature you’ve designed?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Concise Storytelling: Focus on 2-3 strong case studies. Clearly articulate the problem, your process, your solution, and the impact.
• Highlight Your Role: Be specific about your contributions, especially in collaborative projects.
• Showcase Process: Present wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and final UI, explaining the evolution of your design.
• Quantify Results: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs.
• Prepare for the Practical Task: Practice designing a small flow in Figma under timed conditions, focusing on clear communication of your thought process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Emphasize the practical task and portfolio review. Candidates should be ready to demonstrate their skills live and articulate their design process effectively. Understanding the client's business context will be key for the client interview stage.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating end-to-end product design, UX research, UI craftsmanship, and design system experience, aligning with the responsibilities outlined.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly showcases your 2+ years of relevant product design experience, proficiency in Figma/Adobe XD/Sketch, and familiarity with user research, prototyping, and accessibility standards. Use keywords from the job description.
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, your specific contributions, and the impact of your designs. Prepare for the practical design task by refreshing your Figma skills and practicing rapid prototyping.
• Company Research: Research Pavago and its typical client base to understand the context of the role and prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers, demonstrating your interest and understanding of their business.

⚠️ 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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