Product Designer - Mid Level (Growth) (all genders)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer - Mid Level (Growth)

Company: Journi GmbH

Location: Vienna, Austria

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-02-23

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

Remote Status: Hybrid (40% home office)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is a unique blend of focused squad work within the Growth team and participation in the broader Experience Design team, offering a dynamic career path for a Product Designer.

• You will be instrumental in designing user-centric experiences for Journi's App and Web platforms, focusing on key areas like the shop, checkout, and landing pages, directly impacting user engagement and business metrics.

• The position requires a data-informed approach, leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to validate designs and drive continuous improvement in user journeys and conversion rates.

• You will have the opportunity to contribute to the evolution of Journi's design system, ensuring brand consistency while embracing innovation and user needs.

• This role demands strong collaboration skills to partner effectively with Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a user-centered mindset across teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job title "Product Designer - Mid Level (Growth)" indicates a focus on user acquisition, activation, retention, and monetization strategies within the Growth squad. The inclusion of an "Experience Design team" suggests a structured design practice with opportunities for mentorship, knowledge sharing, and process refinement beyond immediate squad objectives. The reference to "Austria's most innovative start-up" highlights a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Growth Squad Contribution: Partner closely with Product Managers and Engineers to conceptualize, design, and iterate on features and improvements within the Growth squad's domain, specifically focusing on user acquisition funnels, onboarding, and post-purchase experiences.

• End-to-End Design Ownership: Take ownership of the design process for key areas of the App and Web platforms, including the online shop, checkout flows, and landing pages, translating complex user needs and business objectives into elegant and intuitive interfaces.

• Data-Informed Design and Research: Drive user research initiatives, collaborate with analysts to define experiment hypotheses, and utilize qualitative and quantitative data to validate design decisions, measure impact, and inform future iterations.

• User-Centered Advocacy: Champion user-centricity within cross-functional teams, facilitating workshops and meetings to ensure customer problems are at the forefront of product development discussions.

• Design System Enhancement: Contribute to the development and maintenance of Journi's design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to brand guidelines while exploring opportunities for innovation.

• Prototyping and Iteration: Create high-fidelity prototypes and mockups for both mobile applications and web platforms, facilitating rapid iteration and user testing to gather feedback and refine designs.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effectively communicate design rationale, present work to stakeholders, and collaborate with engineering teams to ensure seamless implementation of designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "moving metrics" and "delighting users" within the Growth squad highlights a performance-oriented design role. The responsibility to "run end-to-end research with support" suggests a hands-on approach where the designer is expected to initiate and manage research, leveraging existing support structures. The dual team structure implies a need for adaptability and the ability to balance focused squad work with broader design practice contributions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating practical application of design principles and successful project outcomes is paramount. Equivalent practical experience will be highly valued.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in designing mobile applications and websites.

Required Skills:

• UX Fundamentals: Strong command of core UX principles, including interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and user research methodologies.

• Mobile & Web Design: Demonstrated ability to design intuitive and effective user experiences for both iOS/Android mobile applications and responsive web platforms.

• Data-Informed Design: Proficiency in utilizing qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., user feedback, analytics, A/B test results) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written English communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions, present work to diverse stakeholders, and facilitate workshops.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams, partnering with Product Managers, Engineers, and Researchers.

Preferred Skills:

• Information Architecture & Service Design: Foundational understanding or experience in these areas is a significant plus.

• Design System Experience: Experience in contributing to or maintaining a design system.

• Growth Hacking & Experimentation: Familiarity with growth methodologies and designing for experimentation.

• Agile Methodologies: Experience working within Agile or Scrum development environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio that shows "work that moved metrics and had a positive impact on users" is critical. This implies candidates should be prepared to showcase quantifiable results and demonstrate a clear understanding of how their design decisions contributed to business objectives and user satisfaction. The "all genders" in the job title is a standard diversity and inclusion statement.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Metric-Driven Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your design process from problem identification to solution implementation, with a strong emphasis on how your designs positively impacted key metrics (e.g., conversion rates, user engagement, retention).

• Cross-Platform Design Examples: Include examples of both mobile app and website designs, illustrating your ability to adapt design solutions across different platforms while maintaining a cohesive user experience.

• User Research Integration: Clearly articulate how user research (qualitative and quantitative) informed your design decisions throughout the case studies.

• Problem-Solving Focus: Highlight your approach to understanding user pain points and business challenges, and how you translated these into elegant design solutions.

• Prototyping and Iteration: Demonstrate your proficiency in creating interactive prototypes and how you used them for user testing and iterative design refinement.

Process Documentation:

• Design Process Outline: Be prepared to briefly describe your typical design process, from initial discovery and concept development through to final implementation and post-launch analysis.

• Collaboration Workflow: Explain how you typically collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders during the design process.

• Data Utilization: Be ready to discuss how you incorporate user data and analytics into your design workflow.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Growth" implies that portfolio pieces should ideally demonstrate experience in optimizing funnels, improving conversion rates, or driving user engagement and retention. Quantifiable results are paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Starting Gross Annual Salary: EUR 54,000 (in accordance with the Collective Agreement).

• Final Offer: Dependent on experience, qualifications, and other factors.

Benefits:

• Generous Paid Time Off: 25 vacation days annually, increasing by one day per year of service, up to a maximum of 5 additional days.

• Flexible Work Environment: Hybrid model allowing 40% home office days, with flexible working hours (core hours: 10 am - 4 pm Mon-Thu; 10 am - 2 pm Fri).

• Daily Culinary Delights: Complimentary breakfast, Italian-style coffee and tea, and fresh daily lunches in the company's eatery, catering to various dietary preferences.

• Commuting Support: Reimbursement for public transport card within Vienna.

• Team Building: Annual company-wide team-building trips to exciting destinations.

• Tech Provision: Company MacBook provided, also available for personal use.

• Language Development: Weekly in-house German lessons in small groups.

• Office Snacks: Free fruits, cereals, yogurt, and milk variations available.

• Product Perks: Premium membership access to all Journi products.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time role of 40 hours per week.

• Flexible core hours are in place to support work-life balance and individual productivity needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary is a starting point based on the Austrian Collective Agreement for the relevant industry. Actual compensation will be determined by a comprehensive assessment of the candidate's skills, experience, and alignment with the role's specific requirements. The benefits package is extensive, emphasizing work-life balance, employee well-being, and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Creative Tech / Mobile Applications / Travel & Memory Storytelling. Journi GmbH operates in the rapidly evolving creative technology sector, aiming to revolutionize how users capture, collect, and relive personal memories through innovative digital products.

Company Size: The exact size isn't specified, but the context of being "Austria's most innovative start-up of 2024" and having dedicated squads and senior leadership suggests a growing, dynamic organization, likely in the range of 50-200 employees. This size typically fosters a collaborative, agile environment where individual contributions are highly visible.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the "start-up of 2024" designation implies a relatively recent establishment or a significant recent surge in innovation and recognition.

Team Structure:

• Squad-Based Model: The company operates with distinct squads (e.g., Growth squad, Innovation Squad) focused on specific product areas or strategic objectives, promoting autonomy and focused execution.

• Cross-Functional Teams: Designers collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers within their squads, ensuring alignment and integrated product development.

• Experience Design Team: A dedicated team for designers, researchers, and analysts, providing a forum for design practice development, knowledge sharing, and mentorship.

• Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will report within the Growth squad structure, likely to a Product Lead or Head of Product, while also being part of the broader Experience Design team, potentially reporting to a Design Lead.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design: A core philosophy emphasizing understanding and solving customer problems through design.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilizing qualitative and quantitative data to guide design choices and measure success.

• Agile Development: Likely employing iterative development cycles for rapid prototyping, testing, and deployment.

• Experimentation: Actively running experiments to test hypotheses and optimize user experiences.

Company Website: [Journi GmbH - While not directly provided, the domain is likely journiapp.com based on the job URL]

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's recognition as "Austria's most innovative start-up" suggests a culture that values creativity, forward-thinking, and pushing technological boundaries. The focus on "reliving memories as stories" indicates a mission-driven approach centered on emotional connection and user value.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer. This typically means having a solid foundation in design principles and methodologies, with 2-5 years of professional experience. The individual is expected to work with moderate autonomy, contribute significantly to squad objectives, and begin to influence design direction within their domain.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will be embedded within the Growth squad, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineers. They will also be part of the larger Experience Design team, benefiting from mentorship and peer collaboration within the design discipline. Reporting is likely to a Design Lead or Head of Product, with guidance from senior designers.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's work directly influences critical business metrics such as user acquisition, conversion rates, engagement, and retention. By optimizing user journeys through the shop, checkout, and onboarding processes, they play a pivotal role in Journi's revenue generation and overall business growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in Growth Design: Develop deep expertise in growth methodologies, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and user activation/retention strategies.

• Broader Design Influence: Contribute to shaping the overall design practice and design system within the Experience Design team, potentially mentoring junior designers.

• Cross-Squad Learning: Gain exposure to different product areas and strategic initiatives by collaborating with other squads or participating in broader company projects.

• Leadership Potential: With demonstrated success and growth, opportunities to move into Senior Product Designer roles or specialized leadership positions within design or product teams.

• Skill Expansion: Opportunities to deepen skills in research, information architecture, service design, and potentially product management through cross-functional exposure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The dual team structure (Growth Squad and Experience Design Team) offers a unique growth path. The Growth squad provides a direct line to business impact and metric optimization, while the Experience Design team offers a more traditional design craft development and community aspect. This duality allows for both specialized growth and holistic skill development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers a hybrid working model, indicating a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. The presence of an "own eatery" and coffee kitchen suggests a well-equipped office designed to foster collaboration and employee comfort.

Office Location(s): Vienna, Austria. The company reimburses public transport cards for Vienna, indicating a central office location or accessibility via public transit.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is likely designed to facilitate teamwork, with spaces for workshops, brainstorming sessions, and informal interactions.

• Well-Equipped Facilities: Amenities like complimentary breakfast, fresh lunches, coffee/tea stations, and fruit contribute to a supportive and productive atmosphere.

• Technology Enabled: Provision of company MacBooks, which can also be used personally, ensures employees have the necessary tools for their work.

• Flexibility: The hybrid model and flexible hours are designed to accommodate diverse working styles and promote work-life balance.

Work Schedule:

• Full-time, 40 hours per week.

• Core working hours are 10 am to 4 pm Monday-Thursday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Fridays, allowing for flexibility around these core times.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on providing amenities like daily meals and ample coffee/tea suggests a company culture that values employee well-being and aims to create a comfortable, productive on-site experience that complements the remote work option.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Step 1: Intro Call with People & Culture Team (30 min): An initial screening to assess cultural fit, motivation, and basic qualifications. Be prepared to articulate your interest in Journi and the Product Designer role.

• Step 2: Time-boxed, Asynchronous Challenge (4-5h): This will likely involve a design task simulating a real-world problem relevant to the Growth squad. Focus on clearly documenting your process, rationale, and any assumptions made. An optional follow-up call (25 min) may be to discuss your submission.

• Step 3: Cross-functional Interview with the Innovation Squad (1 h): This interview will assess your ability to collaborate with diverse team members (likely including PMs, Engineers, and potentially other Designers/Researchers). Be ready to discuss your approach to teamwork, problem-solving, and how you integrate feedback.

• Step 4: Final Interview with Senior Leadership Team (1 h): A high-level discussion to evaluate strategic thinking, impact potential, and overall alignment with Journi's vision and values. Focus on your career aspirations and how you see yourself contributing to the company's long-term success.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio with clear case studies. For each case study, detail the problem, your role, the process undertaken, key decisions, challenges, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact.

• Quantify Everything Possible: Highlight specific metrics improved (e.g., "Increased checkout conversion by 15%", "Reduced onboarding drop-off by 10%"). If exact numbers aren't shareable, use percentages or describe the qualitative impact clearly.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (mockups, prototypes, user flows, wireframes) to illustrate your design thinking and solutions.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that demonstrate experience in growth, conversion optimization, mobile app design, and data-informed decision-making, as these align directly with the job description.

• Be Prepared to Walk Through: Select 1-2 key projects you are most proud of and can discuss in depth, covering your thought process, challenges, and learnings.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Growth Context: Familiarize yourself with common growth loops, user acquisition funnels, and key metrics relevant to mobile apps and e-commerce (e.g., CAC, LTV, conversion rates, churn).

• Document Your Process: Even for an asynchronous challenge, clearly document your steps, decisions, and rationale. Use tools like Miro, Figma, or simple documents to outline your approach.

• Focus on User Problems: Ensure your solution directly addresses a user need or pain point, backed by logical reasoning or hypothetical data.

• Time Management: Adhere strictly to the time limits. Prioritize delivering a well-reasoned solution over perfection if time is tight.

📝 Enhancement Note: The asynchronous challenge suggests a need for highly self-sufficient candidates who can articulate their thought process clearly in written or documented form. The cross-functional interview indicates a strong emphasis on collaboration and communication within a product team.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma is highly likely to be the primary tool, given its industry prevalence for collaborative design and prototyping. Sketch and Adobe XD are also possibilities.

• Collaboration & Documentation: Tools like Miro for whiteboarding and brainstorming, and potentially Confluence or Notion for documentation and knowledge sharing.

• Project Management: Jira is commonly used in conjunction with Agile development teams for task tracking and workflow management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web & App Analytics: Tools such as Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Firebase Analytics are essential for tracking user behavior, engagement, and conversion metrics.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Tools like Optimizely, VWO (Visual Website Optimizer), or custom-built experimentation frameworks for testing design variations.

• Data Visualization: While not explicitly mentioned, proficiency with tools that can help visualize data insights (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or even advanced features within analytics platforms) would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While the designer may not directly manage the CRM, understanding its role in customer journeys (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) is helpful, especially concerning post-purchase experiences.

• Marketing Automation: Awareness of platforms like HubSpot or Marketo could be relevant for understanding user acquisition and engagement campaigns.

• Integration Tools: Understanding how different tools connect (e.g., via APIs) can be beneficial for a holistic product understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core requirement revolves around proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools (likely Figma). Familiarity with analytics platforms is crucial for the data-informed aspect of the role, enabling designers to measure the impact of their work and identify areas for improvement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: As "Austria's most innovative start-up," a culture that encourages new ideas, experimentation, and pushing boundaries is expected.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and solving user problems, ensuring that customer needs drive product development.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork, open communication, and working effectively across disciplines (design, product, engineering).

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by data and user insights, promoting a culture of measurement and continuous improvement.

• Impact & Ownership: A drive to make a tangible impact on user experience and business metrics, with individuals taking ownership of their work.

• Learning & Growth: Encouragement of continuous learning, skill development, and embracing new challenges.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Close collaboration between Product Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers within squads to ensure cohesive product development.

• Open Feedback Culture: Expectation of constructive feedback exchange to refine designs and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in the Experience Design team for sharing best practices, insights, and learnings.

• Agile & Iterative: Working in sprints, with regular check-ins and adaptability to changing requirements and insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of a fast-paced, innovative startup environment with a structured approach to design and product development, emphasizing both individual contribution and collective success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Growth Metrics with User Experience: Ensuring that the drive for metrics doesn't compromise the long-term user experience or introduce dark patterns.

• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Keeping pace with the demands of a growth-focused squad that requires frequent experimentation and design updates.

• Evolving Design System: Contributing to a design system that must scale with the product and company growth while remaining flexible.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Effectively communicating complex design decisions and rationale to non-design stakeholders to secure buy-in and ensure smooth implementation.

• Remote/Hybrid Collaboration: Maintaining strong connections and effective collaboration within a hybrid work model.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Growth Design: Deepen expertise in user acquisition, activation, retention, and monetization design strategies.

• Advanced Research Techniques: Develop skills in conducting more complex user research studies and leveraging advanced analytics.

• Design Leadership: Opportunities to take on more responsibility, mentor junior designers, and influence design strategy within the Experience Design team.

• Industry Exposure: Potential for attending industry conferences, workshops, or pursuing certifications relevant to product design and growth.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining insights into product management, engineering processes, and data analysis through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary growth opportunity lies in becoming a highly effective "Growth Designer," a specialized and in-demand role. The dual team structure provides a unique avenue for developing both specialized skills and broader craft excellence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used data to significantly improve a user experience or business metric. What was the metric, what data did you use, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a STAR method response focusing on a growth-related project).

• "How do you balance the needs of the business (e.g., hitting growth targets) with the needs of the user? Can you give an example?" (Focus on ethical design and finding win-win solutions).

• "Walk me through your process for designing a new feature for a mobile app, from initial concept to final implementation." (Be ready to discuss your entire design lifecycle, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about Journi and our mission to help people relive memories?" (Research Journi's product and mission, connect it to your personal values or design philosophy).

• "How do you see yourself contributing to our growth objectives and our design culture?" (Align your skills and aspirations with the company's goals and values).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For your chosen case studies, lead with the problem and the impact achieved. Clearly state the key metrics improved.

• Narrate Your Process: Tell a story about your design journey. Explain why you made certain decisions, what challenges you faced, and what you learned.

• Showcase Visuals: Use high-quality mockups, prototypes, user flows, and any relevant data visualizations to support your narrative.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs you made, and how you handled feedback.

• Connect to Journi: Briefly explain how your experience and approach align with Journi's specific needs as outlined in the job description (Growth, user experience, data-informed design).

📝 Enhancement Note: Emphasize your ability to translate user needs and business goals into tangible design solutions that drive measurable outcomes, particularly in a growth context. Be prepared to discuss your experience with data and experimentation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Use the provided link on careers.kula.ai to submit your application.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 detailed case studies showcasing your experience in mobile app and web design, with a clear emphasis on how your work positively impacted user metrics and business objectives. Tailor your selection to highlight growth-related projects if possible.

• Optimize Your Resume: Highlight keywords and responsibilities directly from the job description, such as "Product Design," "Growth Squad," "UX Fundamentals," "Data-Informed Design," "Mobile App Design," and "Web Design." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, your approach to collaboration, and your understanding of growth strategies. Be ready to discuss your portfolio projects in detail and answer behavioral questions using the STAR method.

• Research Journi: Thoroughly understand Journi's mission, product, target audience, and recent achievements (e.g., "Austria's most innovative start-up"). Consider how your design philosophy aligns with their innovative and user-centric approach.

⚠️ 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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