Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: ustwo Location: London, England, United Kingdom Job Type: Full-time Category: Product Design / Creative Operations Date Posted: August 18, 2025 Experience Level: Senior (5-10 years) Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the strategic vision and narrative for new digital products and services, translating ambiguity into actionable design frameworks and clear objectives.
• Craft highly desirable, differentiated, and emotionally resonant user experiences that seamlessly blend brand identity, storytelling, and interactive design.
• Elevate the creative output by pushing boundaries in new and existing tools, focusing on motion, interactivity, and visual delight to foster emotional connections.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including developers and motion designers, ensuring the creative vision is realized with precision and impact.
• Articulate design rationale and strategic direction confidently to project stakeholders, acting as a key contributor to a feedback-rich, idea-led environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is titled "Senior Product Designer," the emphasis on brand integration, emotional connection, narrative, and cultural relevance suggests a strong overlap with aspects of "Creative Operations" or "Brand Experience Design." The output focuses on translating these creative directives into structured design processes and measurable outcomes, aligning with operations principles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the conceptualization and development of new product visions, defining core narratives and translating strategic ambiguity into concrete design challenges and specifications.
• Design and iterate on expressive, brand-rich user interfaces that evoke emotional connection, ensuring a cohesive and purposeful user experience across all touchpoints.
• Innovate with design tools and techniques to imbue products with motion, interactivity, and visual delight, leveraging human creativity and cultural insights to enhance user engagement.
• Develop high-fidelity prototypes that effectively communicate the intended "look and feel" of experiences, building user trust and aligning product direction with user needs.
• Actively participate in creative critiques and design reviews to uphold and elevate visual design standards, ensuring consistency, quality, and impactful execution across projects.
• Champion originality, cultural relevance, and emotional resonance in all product deliverables, ensuring outputs are memorable, meaningful, and foster user loyalty.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with development and motion design teams to ensure accurate and inspiring execution of the creative vision.
• Present design strategies, concepts, and rationale to project stakeholders with clarity, confidence, and a data-informed perspective.
• Serve as an arbiter of aesthetic quality and user-centricity, meticulously curating and refining digital experiences to meet strategic objectives and user expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for strong strategic thinking, creative execution, and collaborative leadership typical of senior-level operations roles that bridge creative strategy and project execution. The emphasis on "translating early ambiguity into clear, impactful design questions" and "presenting design vision and strategies" points to a need for structured communication and process-oriented thinking.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Fine Arts, or a related field is preferred, though equivalent practical experience demonstrating exceptional design capabilities will be strongly considered.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of delivering successful, high-impact digital products.
• Demonstrated experience in a senior or lead design role, showcasing the ability to guide projects from concept to completion.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio Excellence: A compelling portfolio showcasing rich, expressive product design work that seamlessly blends brand identity, user experience (UX), and user interface (UI) design, with demonstrable commercial value.
• Visual Storytelling & UI Mastery: Deep proficiency in visual storytelling, typography, motion design principles, and UI design, with an ability to make complex interactions feel intuitive and delightful.
• Cultural & Originality Acumen: A strong point of view on cultural relevance and originality, with the ability to translate these insights into commercially successful and impactful products.
• AI as a Creative Accelerator: Experience leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to enhance creative processes and accelerate design output, coupled with sharp human judgment for quality assurance.
• Cross-Platform Ecosystems: Proven ability to design consistently and creatively across multi-platform digital ecosystems (e.g., web, mobile, emerging technologies).
• Collaborative & Feedback-Driven: Experience thriving in a feedback-rich, idea-led environment, demonstrating a collaborative, ego-free approach to design and problem-solving.
• Prototyping & User Resonance: Skilled in rapid prototyping to create "looks like/feels like" experiences that build trust and emotional alignment with target users.
• Strategic Design Thinking: Ability to contribute to defining core vision and narrative, translating ambiguity into clear design questions and strategic specificity.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with advanced animation and interaction design tools beyond standard prototyping software.
• Familiarity with user research methodologies and integrating user feedback into iterative design processes.
• A strong understanding of front-end development principles to facilitate effective collaboration with engineering teams.
• Experience mentoring junior designers and contributing to design team growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio that "makes us feel something" and "blends brand and UX seamlessly" highlights the need for candidates to showcase not just technical skill but also narrative and emotional intelligence. The inclusion of "AI as a creative accelerator" points to a forward-thinking approach to design tools and processes.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Narrative & Brand Integration: Showcase case studies that clearly articulate the project's core vision, narrative, and how brand identity was woven into the user experience.
• Emotional Resonance & Delight: Present examples of designs that demonstrate a strong emotional connection with users, highlighting moments of delight, surprise, or deep engagement.
• Creative Innovation & Tooling: Include examples that demonstrate pushing creative boundaries, perhaps showcasing novel uses of motion, interactivity, or emerging technologies, and mentioning the tools used.
• Commercial Value & Impact: Clearly articulate the business objectives and how your design solutions contributed to tangible value, such as increased engagement, brand perception, or conversion.
• Process Clarity: For each case study, provide a clear overview of your design process, from initial concept and research through to iteration and final delivery, highlighting key decision points.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrating an ability to document design processes clearly, including user journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping workflows, and user testing protocols.
• Evidence of contributing to or maintaining design systems and style guides to ensure consistency and scalability across products.
• Ability to articulate how design decisions align with broader product strategy and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is crucial. It serves as a direct reflection of their process, strategic thinking, and ability to deliver on complex creative briefs. The "process documentation" aspect implies an understanding of how to codify design best practices, which is a core element of operational efficiency in creative disciplines.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £55,000 - £75,000 per annum, dependent on experience and qualifications.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
• Generous paid time off and holiday allowance.
• Opportunities for professional development, including training, workshops, and conference attendance.
• Pension scheme contributions.
• Access to ustwo's global network and collaborative projects.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Regular team social events and studio activities to foster a strong community.
• Potential for involvement in ustwo's venture initiatives.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week. The hybrid policy offers flexibility, requiring 2 days in the London studio (Tuesdays are universal, plus one other day) and the remaining days available for remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary band is competitive for a Senior Product Designer in London. The benefits package aligns with industry standards for creative agencies, emphasizing professional growth and well-being, which are key attractors for senior talent. The hybrid model provides a structured yet flexible work arrangement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Product and Service Design, Innovation Consultancy. ustwo is known for its pioneering work in creating distinctive and beloved digital products. Company Size: ustwo is a global organization with multiple studios. While specific numbers for the London studio aren't provided, the company has a significant international presence, indicating a robust infrastructure and diverse talent pool. Founded: ustwo was founded in 2004, establishing a long-standing reputation for innovation and creative excellence in the digital space.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Product Designer will likely be part of a project-based team, working alongside other designers (UX, UI, Motion), product strategists, researchers, developers, and project managers.
• Reporting lines are typically to a Design Lead or Creative Director within the project structure, with broader mentorship and guidance from senior leadership.
• Cross-functional collaboration is integral, with designers working closely with development teams to ensure faithful execution of design vision and with strategists to shape product direction.

Methodology:

• ustwo emphasizes a "craft, care, and creative ambition" approach, suggesting a methodology that values quality, user empathy, and forward-thinking creativity.
• Design processes likely involve a blend of user-centered design, agile development, and iterative prototyping, with a strong focus on storytelling and emotional connection.
• The company encourages an "idea-led environment," fostering experimentation and a willingness to explore new tools and techniques, including AI.

Company Website: ustwo.com

📝 Enhancement Note: ustwo's reputation for high-quality, emotionally resonant work suggests a culture that values deep craft, strategic thinking, and collaborative innovation. The "idea-led environment" implies a flat hierarchy for ideas and a focus on meritocracy, which is characteristic of many progressive design agencies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position, indicating a significant level of autonomy, responsibility, and influence within project teams. It signifies a professional who can lead design direction, mentor others, and contribute strategically to client engagements. Reporting Structure: Typically reports to a Design Lead or Creative Director on a project basis, with opportunities for broader career development and mentorship from senior studio leadership. The role involves close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer's impact is direct and significant, shaping the user experience and brand perception of digital products. This influence extends to client satisfaction, market differentiation, and ultimately, the success and memorability of the products created.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to lead design streams on major client projects, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the studio's design practice and thought leadership.
• Skill Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specific areas such as interaction design, motion design, AI-driven design, or brand experience strategy.
• Cross-Studio & Venture Exposure: Possibility to work on diverse projects across ustwo's global studios or engage with the company's venture-building initiatives, offering unique career pathways.
• Continuous Learning: Access to ustwo's learning resources, workshops, and industry events to stay at the forefront of design trends and technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The senior title implies a pathway to leadership, either as a Design Lead, Creative Director, or a specialist expert. The emphasis on "craft, care, and creative ambition" suggests growth opportunities are tied to pushing creative boundaries and delivering exceptional quality.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The London studio is located in Shoreditch, a vibrant hub for creativity and technology. It is described as a place for "in-person social interaction" and "studio culture," suggesting a dynamic and collaborative physical workspace. Office Location(s): 154-158 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HU, London. This location is central and well-connected.

Workspace Context:

• The environment is designed to foster collaboration and idea sharing, with a hybrid model encouraging both in-studio interaction and remote flexibility.
• Expect a community-oriented atmosphere where designers work closely with developers, strategists, and other creative professionals.
• Access to state-of-the-art design tools and technologies is implied, supporting the company's focus on innovation and craft.

Work Schedule: The hybrid model requires specific days in the office (Tuesdays universally, plus one other day), allowing for focused work and collaboration. The remaining days offer flexibility for remote work, balancing personal needs with team integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Shoreditch location and emphasis on studio culture suggest a creative and energetic work environment. The hybrid policy is designed to maximize both collaborative synergy and individual focus, a common operational approach in modern creative agencies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a review of your CV and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess overall fit and experience.
• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, discussing your process, strategic thinking, and the emotional impact of your work. Expect in-depth questions about your case studies.
• Design Challenge/Workshop: Potentially a practical exercise or a collaborative workshop session to assess your creative problem-solving skills, design approach, and ability to work within a team setting.
• Stakeholder/Team Interviews: Meetings with potential team members and senior leadership to evaluate cultural fit, collaboration style, and alignment with ustwo's values.
• Final Interview: Often with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Design, Studio Director) to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and reinforce the role's expectations.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Impact: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best represent your skills in brand integration, emotional design, and innovation. Ensure they showcase your senior-level thinking and impact.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved. Focus on the "why" behind your decisions.
• Highlight Emotional Design: Emphasize how your designs foster emotional connections and cultural relevance. Use visuals, motion snippets, and descriptive language to convey this.
• Demonstrate Process: Clearly outline your design process, highlighting how you translated ambiguity into solutions and collaborated with others.
• Showcase Originality & Taste: Present work that demonstrates a strong point of view, creative originality, and a refined sense of taste.
• Be Prepared to Discuss AI: Be ready to talk about how you've used AI as a creative accelerator and how you ensure quality and taste in your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: If a design challenge is provided, thoroughly analyze the brief, identify key objectives, and understand the target audience.
• Strategic Approach: Outline your approach before diving into execution. Consider how you'll balance brand, UX, and emotional impact.
• Process & Rationale: Be prepared to articulate your thought process, design decisions, and how you'd iterate based on feedback or constraints.
• Presentation Skills: Practice presenting your work concisely and compellingly, focusing on key insights and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio that "makes us feel something" and the inclusion of "AI as a creative accelerator" are key points for preparation. Candidates should frame their case studies around emotional impact and innovative use of tools.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects for motion), Principle, ProtoPie, or similar advanced prototyping tools.
• AI Tools: Experience with AI-powered design assistants, image generators, or content creation tools for creative acceleration.
• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Miro, Jira/Confluence, Google Workspace.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to understand user behavior and product performance, informing design decisions.
• Experience with presentation tools (e.g., Google Slides, Keynote, PowerPoint) for stakeholder reporting.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM or automation role, understanding how product design integrates with marketing automation and CRM systems might be beneficial for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools like Figma is essential. The mention of "AI as a creative accelerator" suggests familiarity with emerging AI design tools is a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A deep commitment to high-quality execution, attention to detail, and creating products that are both functional and beautiful.
• Curiosity & Ambition: A drive to explore new ideas, push creative boundaries, and tackle challenging projects with ambition.
• Collaboration & Openness: A belief in working together, sharing ideas freely, and embracing feedback in an ego-free, idea-led environment.
• Purpose & Impact: A desire to make a meaningful impact on the world through purposeful digital products that resonate with users.
• Cultural Relevance: An understanding of contemporary culture and the ability to translate these insights into designs that feel timely and authentic.

Collaboration Style:

• ustwo fosters a highly collaborative environment where ideas are openly discussed and debated. Designers are expected to work closely with developers, strategists, and clients, acting as integrated members of project teams.
• Feedback is viewed as a tool for improvement, and designers are encouraged to give and receive constructive criticism to elevate the work.
• Knowledge sharing is encouraged, supporting a culture of continuous learning and collective growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: ustwo's values align with a modern, progressive creative agency culture that prioritizes collaboration, innovation, and a strong user focus. The emphasis on "craft, care, and creative ambition" suggests a team that is passionate about their work and committed to excellence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Ambiguity: Effectively navigating and resolving ambiguity in early-stage product development to define clear design problems and solutions.
• Balancing Brand & UX: Seamlessly integrating strong brand identity and emotional storytelling with intuitive and functional user experiences.
• Driving Innovation: Consistently pushing creative boundaries and incorporating new technologies (like AI) while maintaining high standards of taste and quality.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Ensuring seamless communication and execution alignment with developers, motion designers, and other stakeholders with diverse skill sets.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to master advanced motion design, interaction design, and potentially explore emerging areas like generative design or AR/VR.
• Industry Exposure: Working on diverse projects for leading brands across various sectors, providing broad industry experience.
• Mentorship: Receiving guidance from experienced design leaders within ustwo, fostering career progression and skill development.
• Internal Knowledge Sharing: Participating in internal workshops, critiques, and knowledge-sharing sessions to stay updated on best practices and emerging trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical of senior roles in innovative design studios, requiring a blend of strategic thinking, creative execution, and strong interpersonal skills. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise and expanding influence within the agency and the broader design community.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you translated a complex, ambiguous brief into a clear product vision and design strategy. What was your process?" (Focus on structured problem-solving, user-centricity, and stakeholder communication).
• "How do you approach integrating strong brand identity and emotional storytelling into product interfaces while maintaining usability?" (Highlight your understanding of brand-UX synergy and emotional design principles).
• "Discuss your experience using AI as a creative accelerator. What were the benefits, and what safeguards did you put in place to ensure quality and originality?" (Prepare specific examples of AI tool usage and your critical judgment).
• "How do you ensure cultural relevance and originality in your design work, and how do you measure its commercial success?" (Be ready to discuss your insights into trends and how they translate to business value).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about ustwo's mission and approach to design?" (Research their work, values, and recent projects).
• "How do you approach collaboration within a multidisciplinary team, especially when there are differing opinions?" (Provide examples of your collaborative style and conflict resolution).
• "Describe a time you received challenging feedback on your design. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?" (Showcase your ability to handle critique constructively).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation around a compelling narrative for each case study, emphasizing the problem, your role, your process, and the impact.
• Visual Storytelling: Use high-quality visuals, mockups, and perhaps short video clips or interactive prototypes to bring your work to life.
• Concise & Focused: Be mindful of time. Highlight key decisions and outcomes rather than detailing every step.
• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use data or metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., user engagement increases, conversion rates, brand perception improvements).
• Authenticity: Be genuine and passionate about your work. Show your personality and your unique perspective.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their entire design process, from initial ideation to final execution, with a strong emphasis on strategic thinking, emotional resonance, and the effective use of modern tools, including AI.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the greenhouse job board.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is tailored to highlight work that demonstrates a strong blend of brand integration, emotional design, and innovative use of tools, particularly AI. Select case studies that showcase your senior-level strategic thinking and impact.
• Resume Optimization: Craft a resume that clearly articulates your 5-10 years of experience, emphasizing achievements and responsibilities relevant to product strategy, brand-driven design, and leading creative output. Use keywords like "visual storytelling," "motion design," "UI/UX," and "cultural relevance."
• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly review the company's work and values. Prepare to present your portfolio confidently, articulate your design process, and discuss your experience with AI tools and collaborative environments. Practice answering potential interview questions.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with ustwo's recent projects, their philosophy, and their impact in the digital product space. Understand their hybrid work model and studio culture to better articulate your fit.

⚠️ 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.