Product UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product UI Designer

Company: Spines

Location: Philippines

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Product Design / UI/UX

Date Posted: 2026-02-11T10:21:26.894

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

Remote Status: TELECOMMUTE

🚀 Role Summary

• Design clear, efficient, and scalable user interfaces for a cutting-edge, author-facing publishing SaaS platform.

• Collaborate closely with product managers and developers to translate complex requirements into intuitive and user-friendly designs.

• Leverage AI-assisted design tools to enhance design speed, consistency, and overall quality.

• Develop and maintain robust design systems to ensure platform-wide usability and visual coherence.

• Focus on desktop-first design principles while ensuring accessibility and adherence to usability best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically for a Product UI Designer focused on a SaaS platform within the book publishing industry, leveraging AI technology. The "TELECOMMUTE" designation strongly indicates a fully remote position, and the explicit mention of "Philippines" as the location suggests targeting talent within that region for this contractor role. The emphasis on AI tools and prompt engineering indicates a forward-thinking design approach.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design user-centered interfaces for Spines.com’s SaaS products, covering the entire design lifecycle from concept to final UI, with a primary focus on desktop experiences.

• Translate product requirements, user needs, and overarching business objectives into clear, intuitive, and actionable design solutions.

• Produce comprehensive design artifacts including wireframes, detailed user flows, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes using Figma.

• Foster a strong collaborative relationship with Product Managers and Software Developers to ensure accurate and seamless implementation of design specifications.

• Actively utilize and explore AI-assisted design tools, such as Figma Make or similar, to optimize design workflows and elevate the quality and consistency of design outputs.

• Build, manage, and continuously evolve the company's design system to guarantee scalability, enhance usability, and maintain visual consistency across the entire platform.

• Implement an iterative design process, rapidly refining designs based on user feedback, usability testing insights, and performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a full-cycle product design role within a SaaS environment. The emphasis on AI tools and design systems points to a need for a designer who can work with modern design practices and contribute to scalable solutions. The requirement to create various design artifacts (wireframes, flows, mockups, prototypes) indicates a hands-on design role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Not specified. A Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is often preferred but not explicitly required.

Experience: Minimum of 3 years of proven experience as a Product UI/UX Designer, with a demonstrated track record of working on SaaS products.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level UX/UI design skills with a strong command of Figma, including advanced proficiency in components, variants, auto-layout, and delivering production-ready design assets.

• Proven ability to design user interfaces for Software as a Service (SaaS) products.

• A robust portfolio showcasing successful SaaS UI projects, detailing problem-solving approaches and design rationale.

• Experience utilizing AI design tools (e.g., Figma Make, or comparable technologies) to streamline design processes.

• Solid understanding of core design principles including usability, accessibility standards (WCAG), and effective interaction design.

• Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken, for effective collaboration in a remote environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with prompt engineering or designing user experiences specifically driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• Familiarity with design systems and their implementation within larger product ecosystems.

• Understanding of the book publishing industry and author workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize practical, hands-on design skills with a focus on Figma and SaaS product experience. The preference for AI design experience and prompt engineering highlights a specialized and forward-looking aspect of this role. The explicit need for a portfolio and fluent English underscores the importance of demonstrable skills and clear communication for this remote contractor position.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory, showcasing a minimum of 3 years of relevant Product UI/UX design experience, with a strong emphasis on SaaS products.

• Projects should clearly demonstrate problem-solving capabilities, detailing the challenges faced, the design process employed, and the rationale behind key design decisions.

• Visual examples of user-centered interface designs, including wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes, are essential.

• Evidence of experience with AI-assisted design tools and their application in your workflow should be highlighted.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you translate product requirements, user needs, and business goals into tangible design solutions.

• Demonstrate experience in creating and maintaining design systems, including documentation of components, variants, and usage guidelines.

• Illustrate your iterative design process, including how you gather and incorporate feedback from user testing, usability insights, and performance data.

• Provide examples of collaboration with product managers and developers, highlighting how design specifications were communicated and implemented.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are central to this role, emphasizing practical application and a strong understanding of the SaaS design lifecycle. The need to showcase experience with AI design tools and design systems is a key differentiator. Applicants should prepare to articulate their design process and rationale clearly.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As a contractor position in the Philippines, the salary for a Product UI Designer with 3+ years of experience can range from PHP 60,000 to PHP 120,000 per month, depending on skill level, specific experience with AI tools, and the negotiation of the contract.

• Research Methodology: This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for experienced UI/UX designers in the Philippines, considering the demand for SaaS and AI-related skills. It accounts for the contractor employment type, which may offer a different compensation structure than full-time employment.

Benefits:

• As a contractor, benefits may vary. Common benefits for remote contractors can include:

• Flexible working hours aligned with project deadlines.

• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI and publishing technology.

• Professional development through exposure to innovative design challenges.

• Potential for long-term contract extensions based on performance.

• Direct impact on a rapidly growing and innovative platform.

Working Hours: This is a contractor role, typically expected to align with a full-time workload of approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility to accommodate different time zones and project demands. Clear communication regarding availability and deliverables will be essential.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are provided based on common contractor rates in the Philippines for experienced UI/UX designers. Benefits are outlined as typical for contractor roles, focusing on flexibility and professional growth. The 40-hour work week is an assumption for a full-time contractor.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Book Publishing, AI-Powered SaaS. Spines is positioned at the intersection of technology and publishing, aiming to disrupt traditional models with AI. This means a focus on innovation, author empowerment, and scalable solutions.

Company Size: Spines is described as the "#1 Fastest-Growing Book Publishing Platform in the U.S." and is actively growing its team. This suggests a dynamic, potentially fast-paced startup or scale-up environment where individual contributions are highly visible and impactful.

Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the company's rapid growth implies a relatively recent establishment or a period of significant recent expansion.

Team Structure:

• The design team likely works within a cross-functional product development structure, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineers.

• As a contractor, you might be integrated into existing product squads or work on specific feature development.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is implied, with an expectation to iterate based on user feedback and performance data.

• Agile methodologies are likely employed, given the fast-paced and iterative nature of SaaS development.

• The use of AI tools suggests a forward-thinking approach to design processes, aiming for efficiency and enhanced capabilities.

Company Website: https://spines.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is likely innovative, fast-paced, and focused on impact within the publishing and technology sectors. The description emphasizes growth, technology, and author-centricity, which should inform how candidates present themselves and their work.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as an experienced Product UI Designer, requiring 3+ years of specific SaaS product design experience. It implies a mid-level to senior individual contributor role, with significant autonomy in design execution and system contribution.

Reporting Structure: As a contractor, you will likely report to a Lead Product Designer, Design Manager, or a Product Manager, depending on the team's structure. You will work closely with developers and product managers on specific projects.

Operations Impact: Your work will directly influence the user experience of authors using the Spines platform, impacting their ability to publish books seamlessly. This role has a direct line of sight to customer satisfaction and platform adoption through intuitive UI design.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-assisted design tools and prompt engineering, a rapidly growing field.

• Design System Contribution: Play a key role in evolving and expanding a critical design system, enhancing scalability and consistency across a growing platform.

• Industry Experience: Gain valuable experience at the intersection of AI and publishing, a unique and emerging market.

• Project Leadership: Potentially lead design efforts for specific features or product areas within the SaaS platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers growth through specialization in AI design and design systems within a dynamic industry. As a contractor, growth may be tied to performance and the company's expansion, potentially leading to longer-term engagements or opportunities to influence design strategy.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, allowing you to work from anywhere within the Philippines.

Office Location(s): Philippines. Specific city or region is not specified, allowing for broad geographical flexibility within the country.

Workspace Context:

• You will be working in a virtual environment, requiring strong self-discipline and effective communication tools to stay connected with the team.

• Access to reliable internet and a suitable home office setup is essential for productivity.

• Collaboration will primarily occur through digital platforms like Slack, Figma, and video conferencing tools.

• The environment encourages innovation and the adoption of new technologies, including AI design tools.

Work Schedule: As a contractor, the expectation is approximately 40 hours per week. While the core hours might be flexible to accommodate the Philippines timezone (PHT - Philippine Time), consistent availability for team meetings and collaboration during overlapping working hours with key stakeholders (potentially in other time zones) will be crucial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of the role necessitates strong self-management and digital communication skills. The primary focus will be on asynchronous and synchronous collaboration through digital channels.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the requirements, especially Figma proficiency, SaaS experience, and AI tool usage.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Walkthrough: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, discussing your design process, problem-solving approach, and rationale for specific projects. A practical design exercise or a deeper dive into a specific portfolio piece might be included.

• Team/Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager or a senior member of the design/product team to evaluate your technical skills, collaboration style, and cultural fit. Questions will likely focus on your experience with SaaS products, design systems, and AI tools.

• Final Interview (if applicable): May involve a discussion on broader strategic alignment or a final confirmation of terms.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight SaaS & AI: Ensure your portfolio prominently features SaaS product UI designs and any projects involving AI tools or AI-driven experiences.

• Detail Your Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), your specific contributions, and the outcomes/impact.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Demonstrate advanced Figma skills, including complex component usage, auto-layout, and responsive design patterns.

• Explain Design Rationale: Be prepared to justify your design choices, connecting them back to user needs, business goals, and design principles.

• Accessibility & Usability: Include examples that show your consideration for usability and accessibility standards.

• Conciseness: While comprehensive, ensure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate. Focus on quality over quantity.

Challenge Preparation:

• Figma Proficiency: Practice creating complex components, variants, and auto-layout structures in Figma.

• Design System Thinking: Be ready to discuss how you've contributed to or utilized design systems.

• AI Tool Integration: Familiarize yourself with current AI design tools and be prepared to articulate how you would integrate them into a workflow.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate hypothetical design problems related to a publishing SaaS platform and outline your approach to solving them.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on portfolio review and practical demonstration of design skills, particularly with Figma and AI tools. Candidates should prepare to articulate their design process and rationale thoroughly.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is the core design tool. Expertise in advanced features like components, variants, auto-layout, and collaborative features is essential.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Experience with tools like Figma Make, or similar AI-powered design platforms, is required.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's prototyping capabilities will be heavily utilized.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Primarily for the product/engineering teams, but understanding how designs integrate into SaaS workflows is important. Familiarity with common CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and automation platforms (e.g., Zapier) might provide context for user journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the central tool for this role. Proficiency in AI design tools is also a key requirement, indicating a modern and efficient design workflow.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: A drive to explore and implement new technologies, particularly AI, to enhance user experiences and product capabilities.

• Author-Centricity: A deep commitment to designing solutions that empower authors and simplify their publishing journey.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A dedication to producing high-quality, polished, and user-friendly designs that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

• Collaboration & Communication: Valuing open dialogue, constructive feedback, and teamwork to achieve shared goals in a remote setting.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A focus on creating designs and systems that are efficient to build and maintain, and can scale with the company's growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Expect a collaborative environment where designers, product managers, and developers work closely together.

• Communication will likely be frequent and primarily digital (Slack, Zoom, Figma comments).

• An open feedback culture is expected, where constructive criticism is shared and received to improve designs.

• Cross-functional teams will likely operate in an agile manner, with regular check-ins and iterative development cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values innovation, user focus (authors), and high-quality design output. Collaboration in a remote setting is key, requiring proactive communication and teamwork.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for AI Integration: Creating intuitive interfaces for AI-powered features can be complex, requiring clear communication of AI capabilities and limitations to users.

• Balancing Innovation with Usability: Integrating cutting-edge AI tools while ensuring the platform remains user-friendly and accessible for authors with varying technical skills.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining seamless communication and strong working relationships with a distributed team.

• Evolving Design Tools: Staying current with rapidly advancing AI design tools and integrating them effectively into workflows.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Becoming an expert in designing AI-driven user experiences and mastering prompt engineering for design tools.

• Design System Mastery: Contributing to and expanding a robust design system, gaining experience in scalable design architecture.

• Publishing Industry Insights: Gaining domain expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities within the book publishing sector.

• Remote Work Best Practices: Honing skills in asynchronous communication, self-management, and virtual collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary growth opportunities lie in specializing in AI design and design systems within a unique industry context. Candidates should be prepared for the challenges of remote work and designing with emerging AI technologies.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing an AI feature that helps authors automatically generate book descriptions?" (Focus on user input, AI output presentation, editing capabilities).

• "Describe a time you had to balance user needs with technical constraints or business requirements. How did you resolve it?" (Demonstrate problem-solving and negotiation skills).

• "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and usable for a diverse range of users?" (Showcase knowledge of accessibility standards and testing methodologies).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Spines and our mission to revolutionize publishing with AI?" (Showcase research and alignment with company values).

• "How do you prefer to collaborate with product managers and developers in a remote environment?" (Assess teamwork and communication style).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions, and the impact. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

• Highlight AI & Figma: Explicitly point out where you used AI tools and showcase your advanced Figma skills (components, variants, auto-layout).

• Explain Your Rationale: Be prepared to deep-dive into why you made certain design choices, linking them to user needs and business objectives.

• Showcase Iterations: If possible, show how your designs evolved based on feedback or testing.

• Concise & Focused: Keep your presentation focused and within the allotted time, highlighting your most impactful work relevant to SaaS and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating expertise in Figma, AI design tools, SaaS product design principles, and strong communication skills for a remote role. Be ready to articulate your design process and rationale in detail.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product UI Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workable link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your resume and portfolio are tailored to highlight your experience with SaaS products, Figma proficiency, and any work involving AI design tools. Prepare specific case studies that showcase your problem-solving process.

• Resume Optimization: Use keywords from the job description such as "Product UI Designer," "SaaS," "Figma," "AI Design Tools," "User Interfaces," "Wireframing," "Prototyping," and "Design Systems." Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on explaining your design rationale and process for SaaS and AI-related projects. Prepare to answer strategy and behavioral questions.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Spines' mission, platform, and the broader trends in AI-powered publishing to demonstrate genuine interest and understanding.

⚠️ 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.