Product Designer (News)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (News)

Company: The Walt Disney Company

Location: New York, NY, United States / Glendale, CA, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) Design

Date Posted: April 9, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and ship impactful features and product improvements for digital news platforms across web, mobile app, and Connected TV (CTV) environments.

• Apply a user-centered, data-informed design process to solve complex product challenges and enhance core user journeys, including content discovery, live news engagement, and personalization.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners including product managers, engineers, researchers, and editorial teams to deliver intuitive, accessible, and engaging user experiences.

• Leverage and contribute to a multi-platform design system, ensuring consistency and quality across all digital touchpoints for The Walt Disney Company's news products.

• Develop and present design rationale, solutions, and tradeoffs clearly to stakeholders, demonstrating a strong understanding of both user needs and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core job title is "Product Designer," the emphasis on "News," "digital experiences," and collaboration with "editorial teams" strongly points to a role within UX/Product Design specifically focused on content platforms and media. The mention of "mobile app, web, and CTV" highlights the multi-platform nature of the role, requiring a broad understanding of different user interfaces and interaction patterns. The "Product Designer II" designation suggests a mid-level role with increasing ownership and influence.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design process for significant features and product enhancements within the news domain, from conceptualization through to launch and iteration.

• Translate user needs, business requirements, and technical constraints into elegant and practical design solutions for diverse platforms.

• Conduct user research and leverage analytics data to inform design decisions, ensuring solutions are both user-friendly and effective in achieving business goals.

• Create and iterate on wireframes, user flows, mockups, and interactive prototypes at various fidelity levels to effectively communicate design ideas.

• Actively participate in design critiques, providing and receiving constructive feedback to elevate the quality of design work across the team.

• Champion accessibility standards and best practices throughout the design process, ensuring news content is discoverable and usable by all audiences.

• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the company's design system, creating reusable components and patterns to drive efficiency and consistency.

• Manage multiple design projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, estimating timelines, and proactively communicating project status and potential risks.

• Collaborate with editorial teams to understand content strategy and design experiences that effectively present complex information and breaking news.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are tailored to a Product Designer role within a media context, emphasizing the end-to-end design process, cross-functional collaboration, and the specific challenges of designing for news consumption. The inclusion of "editorial teams," "content strategy," and "presenting complex information" adds specific nuances relevant to a news product design role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field is required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in designing consumer-facing digital products, with a strong preference for experience within the media, content, or technology sectors.

Required Skills:

• User-Centered Design: Deep understanding of user needs, motivations, and behaviors to create meaningful and effective solutions.

• Interaction Design & Visual Execution: Proficiency in creating intuitive user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity visual designs.

• Prototyping: Ability to create interactive prototypes to effectively communicate design concepts and test user interactions.

• Figma Proficiency: Expert-level skills in Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Design Systems: Experience working with and contributing to multi-platform design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability.

• Accessibility Standards: Solid understanding of WCAG guidelines and best practices for designing accessible digital products.

• Platform Conventions: Knowledge of design patterns and conventions for web, iOS, and Android platforms.

• Communication & Presentation: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and present work effectively to diverse stakeholders.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with product managers, engineers, researchers, and content creators.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for Connected TV (CTV) platforms.

• Familiarity with A/B testing and data-informed design methodologies.

• Understanding of content management systems (CMS) and news production workflows.

• Experience with user research methodologies and synthesizing findings.

• Basic understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate collaboration with engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The skills listed are directly extracted from the job description and enhanced with industry-standard terminology and context relevant to product design roles. Emphasis on Figma, design systems, and multi-platform experience reflects common requirements for mid-level product designers in today's market.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your end-to-end product design process for consumer-facing digital products.

• Problem Definition: Clearly articulate the user problem or business opportunity addressed in each case study.

• Design Process: Illustrate your design thinking, including research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and iteration.

• Solution Showcase: Present high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes of the final or key design solutions.

• Impact & Outcomes: Quantify the results of your design work with metrics and outcomes whenever possible (e.g., increased engagement, improved conversion rates, user satisfaction scores).

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate your ability to work within and contribute to established design systems and workflows.

• Highlight examples of how you have used data and user feedback to inform and refine designs.

• Showcase experience in designing for multiple platforms (web, mobile, CTV) and adapting designs accordingly.

• Include examples of how you have collaborated with engineering and product teams to ensure successful implementation of designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Portfolio requirements for product designers are crucial. This section elaborates on what constitutes a strong portfolio for this role, focusing on process, problem-solving, and measurable impact, which are key evaluation criteria for design roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• New York, NY: $112,000 - $150,100 annually

• Glendale, CA: $106,900 - $143,300 annually

Note: The actual salary offered will be determined by factors such as internal equity, the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance coverage.

• Financial Benefits: Access to financial planning resources and benefits.

• Bonus: Potential for an annual performance-based bonus.

• Long-term Incentive Units: Opportunity to receive long-term equity awards.

• Additional Benefits: A full range of other benefits may be offered depending on the level and position.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility for project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges are provided for both New York and Glendale, CA, as indicated in the job posting. The explanation for salary variation and the inclusion of specific benefits like "Bonus" and "Long-term incentive units" are directly from the source. The "Hybrid" work arrangement implies a need for some on-site presence, but specific office days are not detailed.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Entertainment, Media, Technology, and Sports. The Walt Disney Company is a global leader in creating entertainment for families and individuals worldwide.

Company Size: Large (10,000+ employees), indicating a robust organizational structure with ample resources and opportunities for career development.

Founded: 1923, reflecting a long history of innovation, storytelling, and brand building, which influences its culture of quality, creativity, and continuous evolution.

Team Structure:

• The "Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology" organization is a significant division focused on building and advancing the technological backbone for Disney's media businesses globally.

• The "News Design team" is a specialized unit within this larger organization, dedicated to shaping the digital experiences for news consumption.

Methodology:

• User-Centered & Data-Informed: The team emphasizes understanding user needs and leveraging data to drive design decisions, ensuring products are both usable and impactful.

• Agile Development: Given the fast-paced nature of news and digital product development, an agile or iterative approach to design and development is highly probable.

• Design System Leverage: A strong reliance on and contribution to a comprehensive design system promotes consistency, efficiency, and scalability across products.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: This section synthesizes information about Disney's overall culture and then narrows it down to the specific context of the Product & Technology division and the News Design team, highlighting their operational methodologies and team structure.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as a "Product Designer II," indicating a mid-level position. It signifies a step beyond entry-level, requiring independent work with some guidance, ownership of well-defined problem spaces, and the ability to influence design outcomes. The focus is on growing craft and broadening influence.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer II will likely report to a Design Manager or Lead within the News Design team. They will work closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and UX Researchers, forming a core cross-functional product team.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer’s work directly impacts how millions of users consume news and engage with critical information from Disney's news entities. By designing intuitive, accessible, and trustworthy experiences, they contribute to user retention, brand loyalty, and the successful delivery of timely news content across multiple platforms. This role is pivotal in shaping the user's perception and interaction with important journalistic content.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like mobile design, CTV experiences, accessibility, or data-informed design within the news context.

• Leadership Development: As a Designer II, there’s a clear path toward Senior Product Designer roles, which involve taking on larger, more complex projects, mentoring junior designers, and having a greater strategic impact.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Exposure to various business units within Disney Entertainment & ESPN, providing a broader understanding of the media technology landscape.

• Design System Contribution: Opportunity to become a key contributor to the company's design system, influencing design standards across a vast portfolio.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis focuses on the career trajectory and growth potential for a Product Designer II within a large organization like Disney, emphasizing skill development and increasing responsibility within the product design field.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "TELECOMMUTE" with "Hybrid" work arrangement, indicating a blend of remote work and in-office presence. Likely involves periodic visits to company offices in New York, NY, or Glendale, CA for team meetings, collaborative sessions, and critical project work.

Office Location(s):

• New York, NY: Specifically mentioning "7 Hudson Square" suggests a primary office location in a vibrant media and technology hub.

• Glendale, CA: Another significant location for Disney, offering a West Coast presence.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model necessitates effective remote collaboration tools and in-office sessions designed for teamwork, brainstorming, and problem-solving.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma), prototyping tools, and potentially design system libraries will be crucial. Collaboration platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or similar will facilitate communication.

• Cross-functional Interaction: The role thrives on continuous interaction with product, engineering, research, and editorial teams, fostering a dynamic and information-rich work environment.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are expected. The hybrid nature allows for some flexibility in managing work hours, balancing remote focus time with in-office collaboration requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section clarifies the hybrid nature of the role, specifying potential office locations and describing the expected collaborative and tool-centric work environment for a design professional at Disney.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios. Candidates with strong portfolios showcasing relevant experience will be invited for an initial conversation.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: This is a critical stage. Candidates will likely present their portfolio, walking through 1-2 key case studies. Expect in-depth questions about your process, decision-making, and the impact of your work. A take-home design challenge or live design exercise may also be part of this stage.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and potentially UX Researchers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and problem-solving approaches.

• Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: A final conversation to discuss team fit, career aspirations, and suitability for the role and company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your approach, your role, the challenges faced, your solutions, and the outcomes.

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

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, include metrics, data, or user feedback that demonstrates the success of your designs.

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with other teams and how their input influenced your design decisions.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize projects that align with designing for news, media, or content-heavy platforms, and showcase your experience with multi-platform design.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, thoroughly research Disney's news products, their target audience, and potential challenges in the news consumption space.

• Define the Problem: Clearly articulate your understanding of the problem statement and any assumptions you are making.

• Process Over Perfection: Focus on demonstrating a sound design process, clear thinking, and effective communication rather than a perfectly polished final deliverable.

• Present Your Rationale: Be prepared to explain every design decision you make, linking it back to user needs, business goals, or technical constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates preparing their application and navigating the interview process for a product design role, with specific emphasis on portfolio presentation and design challenges relevant to the media industry.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is a stated requirement.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's capabilities, familiarity with tools like InVision, Principle, or Adobe XD might be beneficial for more complex interactive prototypes.

• Design System Tools: Experience with tools that manage and document design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook integrations) is advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal analytics dashboards to understand user behavior and inform design.

• Data Visualization Tools: While not directly designing them, understanding how data is presented in dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker) can aid in designing complementary features.

CRM & Automation:

• Not Directly Applicable: CRM and automation tools are typically used by sales, marketing, or operations teams. While this role is within Product & Technology, direct experience with these is unlikely to be a core requirement. However, understanding how user data is managed and leveraged across the company can be beneficial.

Collaboration & Project Management:

• Slack/Microsoft Teams: For day-to-day communication and team collaboration.

• Jira/Confluence: For project tracking, sprint planning, and documentation, especially in collaboration with engineering teams.

• Miro/FigJam: For virtual whiteboarding, brainstorming, and collaborative ideation sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section details the expected technology stack for a Product Designer, focusing heavily on design and collaboration tools, with specific mention of Figma as a primary requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A fundamental value focused on deeply understanding and serving the needs of the user, ensuring every design decision prioritizes the audience.

• Storytelling & Creativity: Reflecting Disney's core identity, this value encourages innovative and compelling design solutions that engage users emotionally and intellectually.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: An emphasis on working effectively across disciplines (product, engineering, research, editorial) to achieve shared goals and collective success.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing the use of analytics and user research to inform design choices, ensuring solutions are both effective and validated.

• Impact & Innovation: A drive to create meaningful products that have a significant impact on users and the business, while also pushing the boundaries of what's possible in media technology.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Design is deeply integrated into product development teams, working closely with PMs and Engineers from ideation through launch.

• Feedback-Driven: A culture of open feedback through design critiques and team reviews, fostering continuous improvement and shared ownership of design quality.

• Transparent Communication: Open dialogue about project status, challenges, and design rationale is encouraged to ensure alignment and efficient problem-solving.

• Iterative Approach: Embracing a mindset of continuous improvement, where designs are refined based on user feedback, data, and evolving requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section extrapolates Disney's known corporate values and applies them to the specific context of a Product Design team within their media technology division, describing how these values likely manifest in daily work and collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Designing experiences that are both delightful for users and strategically aligned with Disney's business objectives in the competitive news landscape.

• Designing for Diverse Platforms: Ensuring a cohesive and effective user experience across web, native mobile apps, and Connected TV (CTV), each with unique constraints and interaction paradigms.

• Presenting Complex Information: Effectively designing interfaces that help users navigate and understand complex news stories, breaking news, and in-depth reporting in an accessible way.

• Maintaining Design System Consistency: Contributing to and leveraging a large-scale design system while allowing for necessary product-specific innovation.

• Rapid Iteration in a Fast-Paced Environment: Adapting to the quick turnaround times often required in news media to deliver timely updates and features.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Skill Development: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like accessibility, interaction design for new platforms (e.g., CTV), or user research methodologies.

• Mentorship: Access to senior designers and design leaders within a large organization for guidance and career advice.

• Industry Exposure: Working on products that reach millions of users globally, providing invaluable experience in large-scale product design.

• Design System Advancement: Contributing to and potentially leading initiatives within the company's design system.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining a deeper understanding of product management, engineering processes, and editorial workflows within the media industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section identifies potential challenges specific to designing news products at scale for a major media company and outlines the growth opportunities available to a mid-level designer within such an organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Walk me through a challenging product design project from your portfolio. What was the problem, your role, your process, and the outcome?" (Focus on demonstrating end-to-end ownership, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business requirements and technical constraints when designing a new feature?" (Prepare examples of trade-offs and decision-making.)

• "Describe your experience with design systems. How have you contributed to or utilized one effectively?" (Highlight your understanding of consistency, scalability, and component-based design.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about designing for news at Disney?" (Research Disney's news properties, their mission, and recent initiatives.)

• "How do you handle constructive criticism or feedback on your designs?" (Emphasize your ability to iterate and grow from critique.)

• "Describe a time you collaborated effectively with product managers or engineers on a complex project." (Provide a specific example showcasing teamwork and communication.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: Organize your presentation logically: Introduction, Problem Statement, Your Role, Process (Research, Ideation, Design, Testing), Solution, Outcomes/Impact, Learnings.

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the results of your work. Use metrics, user feedback, or business impact to demonstrate value.

• Explain Your "Why": For every design decision, be prepared to explain the rationale behind it, linking it to user needs, business goals, or technical considerations.

• Be Concise: Respect the allotted time. Focus on the most critical aspects of your case studies.

• Practice: Rehearse your presentation to ensure a smooth delivery and to anticipate potential questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides targeted interview preparation advice, including common strategy questions, company-specific considerations, and practical tips for presenting a design portfolio effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application form through the provided link.

• Portfolio Preparation:

  • Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best demonstrate your product design process, problem-solving skills, and impact, ideally with relevance to media or content platforms.
  • Ensure your portfolio clearly outlines the problem, your specific contributions, your design process, and measurable outcomes.
  • Make sure your portfolio is easily accessible (e.g., via a direct link) and mobile-responsive.

• Resume Optimization:

  • Tailor your resume to highlight experience with consumer-facing digital products, multi-platform design (web, mobile, CTV), Figma, design systems, and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Quantify achievements with specific metrics where possible.

• Interview Preparation:

  • Thoroughly research The Walt Disney Company, its news properties, and the Product & Technology division.
  • Prepare to discuss your portfolio case studies in detail, focusing on your design process and decision-making.
  • Practice articulating your design rationale and how you collaborate with teams.
  • Be ready to discuss your understanding of user-centered design and accessibility.

• Company & Culture Research:

  • Understand Disney's mission, values, and recent developments in their media and technology sectors.

  • Consider how your skills and approach align with the company's culture and the specific demands of designing for news.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions for a Product Designer role at a major media company. All details, especially regarding compensation, benefits, and specific interview processes, should be verified directly with The Walt Disney Company's hiring team.