Senior Product Designer (Innovations)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (Innovations) Company: Palta (Simple / Zing / Lovi) Location: Remote (Poland, Armenia, Cyprus, Portugal, Serbia, Spain) Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Product Design / Innovation Date Posted: 2025-12-01 Experience Level: 5-10 Years

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is focused on driving innovation within the product, specifically by designing entirely new, engaging experiences aimed at a step-change in user retention for the Simple health coaching app.
• The Senior Product Designer will work within a small, ambitious, cross-functional team, empowered to experiment, move fast, and directly observe the impact of their design decisions on millions of users.
• The core of the role involves creating delightful, behavior-changing experiences by leveraging advanced science, AI coaching, and smart gamification techniques to solve complex user problems and achieve business objectives.
• This is a highly autonomous, individual contributor (IC) role that requires a deep understanding of user psychology, habit formation, and the ability to translate complex challenges into simple, impactful product moments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job title "Senior Product Designer (Innovations)" and the description emphasizing "bold, breakthrough ideas," "not an iteration role," and "redefine how people build healthy habits" strongly suggest this role is situated within a dedicated R&D or New Ventures function. This implies a high degree of autonomy, a focus on exploration and hypothesis testing, and a direct line of sight to significant business impact, rather than incremental feature improvements. The emphasis on "user retention" and "behavior change" within a health and wellness context indicates a need for strong UX research and psychological design principles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and iterate on novel product experiences that demonstrably improve user behavior change and drive significant increases in user retention.
• Lead the end-to-end design process, from deep problem definition and rapid ideation to polished execution and the implementation of in-product experiments.
• Foster tight, collaborative relationships with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Researchers to bring complex, innovative concepts from ideation to reality.
• Utilize principles of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and gamification as core design tools to craft highly motivating and engaging user journeys that encourage long-term habit formation.
• Employ rapid prototyping, frequent user testing, and data-driven insights to iteratively refine design concepts and effectively scale successful features.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement and evolution of design practices within the Innovation team, ensuring consistently high standards of quality and user experience.
• Leverage and enhance the existing design system, advocating for clarity, coherence, and consistency across all new user experiences.
• Apply robust critical thinking, deep user empathy, and keen market awareness to inform and guide bold product strategy and decision-making within the innovation pipeline.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a full-cycle design ownership, from discovery through execution and iteration, with a strong focus on innovation and impact. The mention of "AI and gamification principles as core design tools" and "in-product experiments" highlights a need for a designer comfortable with leveraging technology and data for user engagement and validation. The "end to end" ownership within a small team suggests significant autonomy and a broad scope of influence.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design thinking and execution is paramount. A background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, or a related field would be beneficial. Experience: 5+ years of professional experience in designing world-class B2C digital products, with a proven track record of shipping impactful features. Experience within the Health & Fitness app sector is considered a significant advantage.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Craft: Mastery of end-to-end product design, including user flows, wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity visual design for mobile applications.
• User Experience (UX) Research: Proficiency in conducting and leveraging UX research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) to deeply understand user needs, pain points, and behaviors.
• Data Analytics & Interpretation: A strong data-driven mindset, with the ability to interpret user data, A/B test results, and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.
• Prototyping & Iteration: Expertise in rapid prototyping tools and methodologies to quickly test hypotheses and iterate on designs based on user feedback and performance data.
• AI & Gamification Design: Demonstrated understanding and application of AI principles and gamification mechanics to drive user engagement, motivation, and behavior change.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Data, Science), fostering clear communication and shared understanding.
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills to untangle complex problems, define clear design challenges, and develop innovative solutions.
• Storytelling & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale, present ideas compellingly, and gain stakeholder alignment.
• Ownership & Initiative: A proactive and self-starting attitude, taking full ownership of design projects from conception to launch and beyond.
• Market & Business Acumen: Awareness of market trends, competitive landscapes, and business objectives to ensure designs deliver both user value and business impact.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience specifically within the Health & Fitness mobile app industry.
• Familiarity with advanced AI/ML concepts as they apply to user experience.
• Experience designing for habit formation and long-term behavioral change.
• Proficiency in contributing to and improving design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5+ years of experience working on world-class B2C product" requirement, coupled with the "Senior" title and "Innovation team" context, implies a need for candidates who can operate with significant autonomy and demonstrate strategic thinking beyond just executing visual designs. The emphasis on "data-driven mindset" and "rapid experimentation" suggests that candidates familiar with iterative product development cycles and performance metrics will be highly valued.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Innovation: Showcase at least one significant project that involved conceptualizing and designing a novel product experience or feature from scratch, rather than iterating on existing ones.
• Behavior Change Focus: Highlight case studies that clearly articulate how your design solutions aimed to influence user behavior, foster new habits, or improve retention, supported by data or user insights.
• End-to-End Process: Present a comprehensive overview of your design process for key projects, detailing problem framing, research, ideation, prototyping, user testing, iteration, and final execution.
• AI/Gamification Integration: Include examples where AI principles or gamification mechanics were strategically employed to enhance user engagement, motivation, or learning within a product.
• Data-Informed Design: Provide evidence of how data (user analytics, A/B test results, user feedback) informed your design decisions and was used to measure the impact of your work.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates are expected to articulate their design process clearly, demonstrating how they approach complex problem spaces, validate hypotheses, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• The portfolio should illustrate the ability to move from ambiguity to clarity, showing a structured approach to design challenges and a capacity for delivering polished, high-impact solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role focused on innovation, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond a collection of work and serve as a narrative of the candidate's problem-solving process, strategic thinking, and ability to drive tangible outcomes, particularly in areas like user retention and behavior change. Specific examples of how they've used AI/ML or gamification in product design would be a significant advantage.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in remote European roles with 5-10 years of experience, and considering the tech sector and the company's focus on innovation and growth, a competitive salary range is estimated between €60,000 - €90,000 annually. This range is subject to variation based on specific location within the listed countries, individual experience, and the candidate's demonstrated impact.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary Package: A financially rewarding compensation structure tailored to individual expertise, skillset, and product impact.
• Stock Options: Opportunity to gain equity in a growing company, aligning personal success with the company's growth.
• Relocation Package (Optional): Support for relocation if the candidate chooses to move to Cyprus.
• Equipment: Provision of all necessary equipment to ensure productivity and well-being.
• Premium SIMPLE Subscription: Full access to the company's flagship product for personal use.
• Annual Leave: 21 days of annual leave, plus observed bank holidays in the employee's locality.
• Flexible Hours: Emphasis on results over fixed working hours, allowing for a work-life balance that suits individual needs.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with flexibility in scheduling to accommodate different time zones and personal needs, focusing on output and results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on general market data for senior-level design roles in tech across Europe. Actual compensation will depend on the specific candidate's qualifications, location within the accepted remote regions, and the company's internal compensation bands. The benefits highlight a strong emphasis on employee well-being, growth, and alignment with company success.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: The company operates within the Health & Wellness Technology (HealthTech) sector, specifically focusing on digital health coaching and habit formation. Palta also has interests in other consumer app categories (Simple, Zing, Lovi), indicating a diverse portfolio approach within the mobile application space. Company Size: Palta is a growing company with a significant global reach, indicated by millions of downloads and a worldwide team. While an exact headcount isn't provided, its multi-product portfolio suggests a size that allows for dedicated innovation teams while maintaining agility. Founded: Palta's focus on innovation and its established presence in the app market suggest it's a mature startup or a scale-up organization, likely founded within the last decade to capitalize on mobile and AI trends.

Team Structure:

• The Innovation team is described as "small, highly talented and ambitious," implying a close-knit, agile unit where each member has significant influence.
• This team operates cross-functionally, with the Senior Product Designer collaborating closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Science experts.
• The reporting structure likely places this role within a product or design leadership hierarchy, with direct reporting to a Head of Product, Design Lead, or Innovation Lead.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A core value is "Think deeper," emphasizing reality-based decisions informed by quantitative and qualitative data, user feedback, and signals.
• Agile & Iterative Development: The emphasis on "Focus on impact," "Results and speed matter," and "Rapid experimentation" points to agile methodologies with a strong bias for action and learning.
• Empowered Ownership: The value "Take ownership" suggests a culture where individuals are empowered to identify problems, drive solutions, and take responsibility for outcomes.

Company Website: https://palta.teamtailor.com/, https://simple.life/

📝 Enhancement Note: Palta's dual presence (company site and specific product site) indicates a structure that supports both corporate vision and product-specific development. The company values strongly influence the operational style of its teams, particularly the Innovation team, favoring autonomy, data, and impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Individual Contributor (IC) within the specialized Innovation team. It requires a high level of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to operate independently on complex, high-impact projects. The focus is on deep craft and driving breakthrough product development rather than people management. Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Product, or a Director of Innovation within the company. They will work closely with peers in Engineering, Product Management, Data Science, and potentially Scientific advisors. Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on core business objectives, specifically user retention and engagement for the Simple app. By designing new experiences, the designer will be instrumental in driving user growth, improving product-market fit for new initiatives, and ultimately contributing to the company's revenue and market position in the competitive HealthTech space.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Specialization: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in designing for behavior change, AI-driven experiences, and gamification within the health and wellness domain.
• Leadership in Innovation: Potential to influence the strategic direction of new product initiatives and act as a design thought leader within the Innovation team and the broader company.
• Skill Expansion: Exposure to cutting-edge AI technologies, advanced scientific principles in health, and sophisticated data analysis techniques will broaden skill sets.
• Career Progression: Potential pathways could lead to Principal Product Designer roles, Design Lead positions within specialized teams, or even venturing into product management or founding new ventures within Palta.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title and "Innovations" focus suggest this is a role for experienced designers who want to push boundaries and have a significant impact without necessarily managing a team. Growth will likely be measured by the impact of their designs and their ability to influence strategic product direction.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers flexible work arrangements, including remote, hybrid, and in-office options. For the remote roles, the environment is designed to foster collaboration and productivity regardless of physical location. Office Location(s): While remote work is a primary option, specific office locations are mentioned in Cyprus (Agios Athanasios), with broader remote work supported across Poland, Armenia, Portugal, Serbia, and Spain. This suggests a distributed global team.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Ecosystem: The design encourages close collaboration within the small, cross-functional Innovation team, emphasizing shared goals and mutual support.
• Technology & Tools: Employees are provided with "whatever equipment you need to be happy and productive," implying a commitment to equipping designers with top-tier tools for ideation, prototyping, and execution.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will be through digital collaboration tools, virtual meetings, and potentially in-person gatherings or team offsites, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: Flexible hours are a key perk, with the focus placed on achieving results rather than adhering to a rigid schedule. This allows designers to manage their time effectively, aligning work with their most productive periods and personal commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on flexibility and remote work aligns with modern tech company practices. The provision of necessary equipment and the focus on results suggest an environment that supports focused, independent work while maintaining strong team connectivity through digital means.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, focusing on your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the role's requirements and the company's innovation focus.
• Portfolio Deep Dive: Expect a session where you will walk through your portfolio, discussing specific projects, your design process, and how you've tackled complex challenges, particularly those involving behavior change, AI, or gamification. Be prepared to articulate the "why" behind your design decisions and the impact achieved.
• Cross-Functional Interview: Discussions with members of the Innovation team (Product Manager, Engineer, Data Scientist) to assess collaboration style, problem-solving approach, and technical understanding.
• Hiring Manager/Leadership Interview: A conversation to evaluate strategic thinking, cultural fit, alignment with company values, and overall seniority and leadership potential within an IC capacity.
• Potential Design Challenge: A take-home assignment or a live design exercise that simulates a real-world problem the team is facing, assessing your ability to think critically, ideate, and present solutions under time constraints.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Innovation: Select projects that best showcase your ability to innovate, design for behavior change, and leverage technologies like AI or gamification. Highlight projects where you initiated new concepts or significantly redefined existing experiences.
• Storytelling is Key: Structure your case studies with a clear narrative: the problem, your approach, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, the solutions implemented, and the measurable outcomes (user metrics, retention impact).
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals, prototypes, and data visualizations to illustrate your design process and the impact of your work. Explain your rationale clearly and concisely.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. If direct metrics are unavailable, discuss how you would measure success and what hypotheses you would test.
• Address Company Values: Subtly weave in how your approach aligns with Palta's values (Think Deeper, Focus on Impact, Take Ownership, Push the Limits, Be a Championship Team).

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Mission: If given a design challenge, ensure you fully grasp the user problem and business objective. Ask clarifying questions.
• Embrace Ambiguity: The Innovation team thrives on ambiguity. Show how you can frame problems, make assumptions (and state them), and move forward with a structured approach.
• Focus on Process and Rationale: It’s not just about the final UI; it’s about your thought process, how you justify your decisions, and how you would validate your solutions.
• Consider AI/Gamification: Think about how these elements could be integrated to solve the given problem, even if not explicitly stated in the prompt.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on innovation and a small, fast-paced team, the interview process is likely to be rigorous, emphasizing not just design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and cultural alignment with Palta's values. The portfolio is the primary tool for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, industry standard for collaborative mobile design), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Prototyping & Interaction: InVision, ProtoPie, Framer (for advanced interactive prototypes).
• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze (for remote usability testing and feedback collection).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Firebase Analytics (for tracking user behavior, engagement, and retention metrics).
• A/B Testing Platforms: Optimizely, VWO (Visual Website Optimizer), Firebase A/B Testing (for experimenting with design variations).
• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker (for exploring and presenting data insights, though direct use might be by data analysts, designers need to interpret).

CRM & Automation: While not directly a design tool, understanding CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation principles can inform user journey design, especially in B2C contexts where user lifecycle management is crucial. For Palta's B2C focus, understanding how user data flows and influences in-app experiences is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern collaborative design tools like Figma is almost a given. The emphasis on data-driven design and experimentation means familiarity with analytics platforms and A/B testing methodologies is crucial for a Senior Product Designer role, even if they aren't the primary analysts. The ability to interpret data and feed insights back into the design process is paramount.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Think Deeper: This translates to a commitment to data-informed decision-making, rigorous analysis of user behavior and market trends, and a willingness to challenge assumptions with evidence. For operations, this means prioritizing data integrity, robust reporting, and continuous learning.
• Focus on Impact: Emphasizes results, speed, and prioritizing initiatives that yield the greatest measurable outcome. In an operational context, this means streamlining processes, eliminating bottlenecks, and ensuring that all efforts contribute directly to key performance indicators (KPIs) like user retention and engagement.
• Take Ownership: A culture where individuals are empowered and expected to take responsibility for their work and its outcomes. This fosters proactivity, accountability, and a drive to improve all facets of the business, including operational efficiency.
• Push the Limits: Encourages innovation, challenging the status quo, and exploring new ideas. This value drives continuous improvement in operational processes, adoption of new technologies, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Be a Championship Team: Focuses on collaboration, mutual support, accountability, and a shared pursuit of common goals. This fosters a highly cohesive and effective working environment where team members elevate each other's performance.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The Innovation team operates with tight integration across disciplines (Product, Engineering, Data, Science), fostering a holistic approach to product development.
• Direct Communication: The culture values direct communication and constructive debate, encouraging team members to challenge ideas and express opinions openly to reach the best solutions.
• Data-Centric Discussions: Conversations are expected to be grounded in data and evidence, facilitating objective decision-making and clear problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: Palta's values are strongly oriented towards a proactive, data-driven, and collaborative culture. For operations-minded professionals, these values translate into an environment that rewards initiative, measurable impact, continuous improvement, and strong teamwork, particularly within the agile Innovation team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining "Breakthrough": Identifying and designing truly novel experiences that are not incremental but represent a significant leap forward in user engagement and retention requires deep insight and bold vision.
• Balancing Innovation with Business Needs: Ensuring that highly innovative concepts are also aligned with business objectives, market viability, and the company's strategic roadmap.
• Rapid Iteration in an Ambiguous Space: Operating in an "innovation" context often means dealing with high levels of uncertainty. The challenge lies in maintaining momentum and making progress through rapid experimentation and learning.
• Leveraging AI Ethically and Effectively: Designing AI-powered experiences that are genuinely helpful and engaging, while also being transparent, ethical, and user-centric.
• Cross-Disciplinary Communication: Effectively translating complex design ideas and user needs to technical and scientific counterparts, and vice-versa, to ensure cohesive product development.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Methodologies: Opportunities to hone skills in areas like speculative design, AI-driven personalization, complex gamification systems, and behavioral economics applied to digital products.
• Industry Exposure: Deep immersion in the HealthTech sector, understanding its unique challenges, opportunities, and user needs.
• Mentorship & Networking: Potential to learn from experienced leaders within Palta and gain exposure to a global network of professionals in product development and innovation.
• Skill Deepening: Continuous learning in areas of AI, data science, and behavioral psychology, directly applied to product design challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the demanding yet rewarding nature of innovation work. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing specialized expertise in a high-demand field, making this role attractive for ambitious designers looking to make a significant impact and advance their careers in cutting-edge product development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed a product experience that significantly impacted user retention or behavior change. What was your process, what were the key challenges, and what were the measurable results?" (Focus on process, impact, and data-driven validation).
• "How would you approach designing a new feature for our Simple app that leverages AI to encourage users to build a new healthy habit? What are the potential pitfalls, and how would you mitigate them?" (Assess understanding of AI, habit formation, and problem-solving).
• "Imagine you're tasked with creating a completely new engaging experience within the Simple app that is not an iteration. How would you start, what would be your first steps in problem framing and ideation, and how would you involve your cross-functional team?" (Evaluate your innovation process, collaboration style, and ability to handle ambiguity).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on our company values (Think Deeper, Focus on Impact, Take Ownership, Push the Limits, Be a Championship Team), how do you see yourself contributing to our culture, particularly within an innovation team?" (Prepare examples that showcase alignment with these values).
• "What are your thoughts on the current health and wellness app market? What opportunities do you see for disruption or innovation?" (Demonstrate market awareness and strategic thinking).
• "How do you handle disagreements or differing opinions within a cross-functional team, especially when pushing for bold new ideas?" (Assess collaboration and conflict resolution skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the problem you were solving, the user need, and the business objective for each project.
• Walk Through Your Process: Detail your steps, from research and ideation to prototyping and testing. Explain the rationale behind your decisions at each stage.
• Highlight Your Contribution: Be specific about what you did, especially in team projects. Focus on your unique insights and design solutions.
• Showcase Impact with Data: Present metrics, user feedback, or A/B test results to validate the success of your designs. If direct metrics are unavailable, discuss how you would measure success and what hypotheses you would test.
• Connect to Palta's Mission: Frame your work in the context of improving user lives, driving behavior change, and contributing to a product like Simple.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills but also strategic thinking, a deep understanding of user psychology and habit formation, and a proactive, data-driven approach aligned with Palta's innovation-focused culture. Be ready to discuss your process and impact in detail.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Palta's Teamtailor portal.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your experience in B2C product design, innovation, behavior change, and ideally, AI or gamification. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your process, your specific contributions, and the impact achieved, preferably with quantifiable results.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of relevant experience, specific skills in UX research, data analytics, prototyping, and mobile design. Use keywords from the job description and emphasize achievements related to user retention and engagement.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your understanding of habit formation and how you'd approach designing for behavior change in a health app.
• Research Palta & Simple: Understand the company's mission, products (especially Simple), and values. Prepare to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with their culture and goals.

⚠️ 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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