Senior Product Designer - Leeds, United Kingdom

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Speechify Location: Leeds, United Kingdom Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / UX/UI Date Posted: 2025-11-04T10:51:18 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the end-to-end design process for new features, from initial pitch and prototyping through to testing, building, shipping, and iterative refinement, ensuring a seamless user experience across platforms.
• Drive the evolution of UX/UI patterns and user flows within Speechify's core iOS and Android applications, with a particular focus on optimizing the user onboarding experience and core user journeys.
• Contribute significantly to the product roadmap by leveraging data-driven insights, customer feedback, and strategic product thinking to identify and prioritize key opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Play a pivotal role in shaping the design organization by refining internal design processes, establishing best practices, and fostering a collaborative and high-performing design culture.
• Actively engage with customers to gather qualitative feedback, integrating user insights directly into the design process to ensure a deeply user-centric product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw description focuses on design tasks, this role clearly involves significant strategic influence and process ownership within the design organization, indicative of a senior-level position. The emphasis on "influencing the product roadmap" and "refining our process" suggests a high degree of autonomy and impact.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and deliver innovative features for Speechify's suite of text-to-speech products, including iOS, Android, Web, and Chrome Extension platforms.
• Conduct user research, including interviews and usability testing, to deeply understand user needs, pain points, and behaviors, translating these insights into actionable design solutions.
• Develop high-fidelity prototypes and wireframes to effectively communicate design concepts and user flows to cross-functional teams, including product managers and engineers.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers to define product strategy, identify key performance indicators (KPIs), and analyze user analytics to inform design decisions and measure feature success.
• Refine and maintain the consistency of UX/UI patterns, design systems, and style guides across all Speechify applications to ensure a cohesive and intuitive user experience.
• Champion a customer-centric approach by advocating for user needs and incorporating feedback throughout the design and development lifecycle.
• Contribute to the strategic vision of the product by staying abreast of industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging technologies, particularly in AI and audio.
• Actively participate in design critiques and provide constructive feedback to peers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and shared learning within the design team.
• Document design decisions, user flows, and system specifications to ensure clarity and alignment across development teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are expanded to explicitly include user research methodologies, prototyping tools, cross-functional collaboration with Product Managers, and the importance of design systems, which are standard expectations for a Senior Product Designer in a high-growth tech environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for senior roles, demonstrating a foundational understanding of design principles and user-centered methodologies.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of delivering consumer-facing digital products across multiple platforms (mobile, web, desktop). Experience in a high-growth startup environment is highly advantageous.

Required Skills:

• Product Thinking & Strategy: Ability to translate business objectives and user needs into effective product strategies; understanding of market dynamics and competitive analysis.
• UX/UI Design Expertise: Mastery of user experience design principles, information architecture, interaction design, and visual design for digital products.
• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) for creating low-fidelity to high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes.
• User Research & Testing: Experience conducting various forms of user research (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing) and synthesizing findings into actionable design improvements.
• Customer-Centricity: Demonstrated ability to empathize with users, gather and interpret customer feedback, and integrate it effectively into the design process.
• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to articulate design rationale, negotiate with stakeholders (PMs, engineers, executives), and present ideas clearly at various resolutions.
• Platform Proficiency: Understanding of design feasibility and constraints for iOS, Android, and web/browser environments.
• Analytical Acumen: Ability to work with analytics tools to understand user behavior, identify trends, and measure the impact of design decisions.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, or contributing to robust design systems.
• Micro-interactions & Animation: Skill in designing subtle yet impactful micro-interactions and animations that enhance user experience.
• Typography & Information Design: Advanced understanding of typography principles and effective information hierarchy for complex data.
• Audio Technology Interest: Curiosity and a foundational understanding of audio-related technologies and their user experience implications.
• AI Integration: Familiarity with how AI can be leveraged within product design and user experience.
• Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Experience working within agile development frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Experience" requirement is quantified based on the "Senior" title and the typical expectations for such roles in fast-paced tech companies. Preferred skills are inferred from the "craft" and "curiosity about audio" mentions in the original description.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 comprehensive case studies that detail your involvement from problem definition and user research through to solution design, prototyping, testing, and final product delivery.
• Platform Diversity: Demonstrate experience designing for multiple platforms, ideally including mobile (iOS/Android) and web/browser applications, reflecting Speechify's product suite.
• Problem-Solution Articulation: Clearly articulate the user problem or business challenge addressed in each project, your design process, the rationale behind key decisions, and the impact of your solutions.
• Visual & Interaction Design: Include high-quality visual designs, wireframes, prototypes, and examples of micro-interactions that highlight your craft and attention to detail.
• Metrics & Impact: Where possible, include data or metrics that demonstrate the success or impact of your designs (e.g., conversion rate improvements, user satisfaction scores, task completion rates).

Process Documentation:

• Design Process Clarity: Provide a clear overview of your personal design process, highlighting how you approach discovery, ideation, iteration, and validation.
• Collaboration Evidence: Showcase instances where you've effectively collaborated with cross-functional teams (PMs, engineers, researchers) and how you managed feedback and stakeholder input.
• Tool Proficiency: Implicitly demonstrate proficiency in relevant design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch) through the quality and presentation of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Portfolio requirements are detailed to guide candidates on what Speechify likely expects for a Senior Product Designer role, emphasizing the end-to-end nature of projects and the need to demonstrate impact and collaboration.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior Product Designer in Leeds, United Kingdom, with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is typically between £60,000 and £90,000 GBP. This range can vary based on specific skills, the candidate's portfolio, and the company's compensation structure.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation: Includes salary, potential for stock options or performance-based bonuses, reflecting the high-growth startup environment.
• Asynchronous Work Culture: Emphasis on a flexible, asynchronous work model that promotes autonomy and work-life balance, crucial for a distributed team.
• Impactful Product: The opportunity to work on a product with a significant social impact, particularly for individuals with learning differences.
• Professional Development: Access to learning opportunities, industry conferences, and potentially funding for certifications or advanced training.
• Health & Wellness: While specifics aren't detailed, typical benefits in the UK include private healthcare options, mental health support, and potentially wellness stipends.
• Remote Work Support: Resources or stipends to ensure a productive and comfortable home working environment.

Working Hours: Speechify operates with a 100% distributed, asynchronous model. While a standard full-time commitment is expected (approximately 40 hours per week), the emphasis is on output and flexibility rather than rigid office hours, allowing individuals to structure their workdays to maximize productivity and personal well-being.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on industry benchmarks for Senior Product Designers in Leeds, UK, factoring in the company's tech focus and remote nature. Benefits are inferred from typical offerings in tech startups and the explicit mention of an "exceptional asynchronous work culture."

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on EdTech (Education Technology) and AI-powered accessibility solutions, leveraging text-to-speech technology. Speechify operates at the intersection of AI, audio, and education, aiming to democratize access to information. Company Size: Approximately 200 employees globally. This signifies a growing, dynamic startup environment where individual contributions are highly visible and impactful. Founded: Speechify was founded with the mission to ensure reading is never a barrier to learning. While the exact founding year isn't provided, its current scale suggests significant growth and product maturity.

Team Structure:

• Distributed & Asynchronous: The entire company operates remotely with no physical offices, fostering a culture of autonomy and asynchronous communication.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The team comprises engineers, AI research scientists, designers, and product managers from diverse backgrounds (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Stripe), emphasizing strong collaboration across disciplines.
• Design Team: The design organization is likely structured to support product development across multiple platforms, with senior members like this role mentoring and influencing processes.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: The team embraces analytics to pinpoint key opportunities and guide product decisions, integrating user feedback with quantitative data.
• Agile & Iterative: A high-growth startup environment implies an agile approach, with rapid iteration, testing, and shipping of new features.
• User-Centric Design: A core tenet is understanding and serving the user, particularly those with learning differences, which informs all aspects of product development.

Company Website: speechify.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Company context is synthesized from the provided description, highlighting its mission, size, distributed nature, and the innovative intersection of AI and audio for accessibility.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is designated as "Senior," indicating a level of expertise and responsibility beyond junior or mid-level designers. Senior Product Designers are expected to lead projects, mentor junior team members, influence product strategy, and contribute to the evolution of design processes. They are key contributors who can operate independently and drive significant outcomes.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Design, Director of Product Design, or potentially a VP of Product. They will work closely with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and other designers, collaborating within a matrixed structure common in agile tech companies.

Operations Impact: The Senior Product Designer has a direct and significant impact on Speechify's core mission and business success by:

• Enhancing user experience and product usability, directly influencing user acquisition, retention, and engagement metrics.
• Driving product innovation through feature development that addresses unmet user needs and expands the product's capabilities.
• Contributing to the company's competitive edge by ensuring a high-quality, user-friendly interface that differentiates Speechify in the market.
• Directly supporting the inclusivity mission by designing for users with learning differences, expanding the reach and impact of the product.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to grow into a Lead Product Designer, Design Manager, or Product Lead role, managing teams and strategic initiatives.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like AI-driven design, audio UX, or accessibility design.
• Product Strategy Influence: Increased involvement in high-level product strategy, roadmap planning, and business decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into Product Management or other strategic roles within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The analysis focuses on the implications of a "Senior" title in a tech startup, detailing expected impact, reporting lines, and clear pathways for career progression relevant to design professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Speechify operates as a 100% remote company with no physical offices. This means the "work environment" is entirely virtual, emphasizing asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools.

Office Location(s): N/A (Fully Remote)

Workspace Context:

• Asynchronous Collaboration: The primary mode of communication and collaboration is asynchronous, leveraging tools like Slack, email, and project management software. This requires strong self-management, clear documentation, and thoughtful communication.
• Digital Toolset: Access to and proficiency with a robust suite of digital tools for design, prototyping, communication, and project management is essential.
• Global Team Interaction: Opportunities to collaborate with a diverse, global team, fostering cross-cultural understanding and exposure to different perspectives.
• Focus on Output: The environment prioritizes results and impact over traditional office presence or fixed working hours.

Work Schedule: Speechify promotes an asynchronous work culture. While a full-time commitment (approximately 40 hours/week) is expected, employees have flexibility in structuring their workdays to align with their productivity peaks and personal needs, provided they meet deadlines and maintain effective communication with their teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Work Environment" section is adapted to reflect the fully remote and asynchronous nature of Speechify, detailing how this impacts collaboration, communication, and work schedules.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in Speechify's mission.
2. Hiring Manager/Team Interview: A more in-depth discussion with the hiring manager (likely a Design Lead or Head of Design) and potentially other senior designers, focusing on your experience, design philosophy, and approach to problem-solving.
3. Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A critical stage where candidates present their portfolio, showcasing key case studies and their design process. This may be followed by a specific design challenge designed to assess your skills in areas relevant to Speechify's products (e.g., user flow optimization, prototyping a new feature concept).
4. Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team.
5. Final Interview: A potential final discussion with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, CEO) to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with company values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Focus on 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that demonstrate end-to-end design thinking and impact. Prioritize projects that align with Speechify's mission and product type (consumer-facing, mobile/web, potentially AI/audio).
• Tell a Compelling Story: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, your process, the challenges faced, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Use visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) to illustrate your journey.
• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you worked with PMs, engineers, and other stakeholders. Describe how you incorporated feedback and navigated differing opinions.
• Demonstrate Product Thinking: Articulate not just how you designed, but why. Show an understanding of business goals, user needs, and market context.
• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, your process, how you handle feedback, and your understanding of Speechify's product and mission.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Scope: If a design challenge is provided, thoroughly understand the brief, target users, and objectives.
• Think Aloud: During the challenge (especially if live), vocalize your thought process, assumptions, and design considerations.
• Prioritize & Justify: Focus on the most critical aspects of the problem. Be prepared to justify your design choices based on user needs and business goals.
• Iterate & Adapt: Show flexibility and the ability to adapt your design based on new information or constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is detailed based on standard tech company practices for senior design roles, with specific advice tailored to portfolio presentation and the unique aspects of Speechify's mission and remote-first culture.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Highly likely to be the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration, given its industry prevalence.
• Sketch: If not Figma, then Sketch is a strong possibility for UI design and prototyping.
• Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop): Useful for asset creation, image editing, and potentially more complex visual design tasks.

Prototyping & User Testing Tools:

• InVision/Marvel: May be used for advanced prototyping, collaboration, and user testing workflows.
• UserTesting.com / Maze: Platforms for conducting remote usability testing and gathering user feedback on prototypes or live products.

Collaboration & Communication Tools:

• Slack: Essential for real-time team communication, quick questions, and team announcements in a remote environment.
• Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides): For documentation, presentations, data analysis, and collaborative content creation.
• Jira / Asana / Trello: Project management tools for tracking tasks, sprints, and product development workflows.

Analytics & Research Tools:

• Google Analytics / Amplitude / Mixpanel: For tracking user behavior, engagement metrics, and analyzing product performance.
• Hotjar / FullStory: For heatmaps, session recordings, and user behavior analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is inferred based on industry standards for product design roles in tech companies, particularly those that are remote-first and focus on consumer-facing applications.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to Speechify's mission of making reading accessible and overcoming barriers to learning, particularly for individuals with dyslexia, ADD, and other learning differences.
• User-Centricity: Deep empathy for users and a dedication to understanding their needs and pain points to create impactful solutions.
• Innovation & Curiosity: A drive to explore new technologies (AI, audio) and creative solutions to solve complex problems.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, willingness to share ideas, provide constructive feedback, and work effectively across disciplines.
• Autonomy & Accountability: Trust placed in individuals to manage their work, deliver results, and take ownership of their contributions within a remote, asynchronous setting.
• Inclusivity & Diversity: A commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals feel valued and respected.

Collaboration Style:

• Asynchronous First: Communication and collaboration are primarily asynchronous, requiring clear written communication, detailed documentation, and proactive engagement.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers is central to the design process, involving regular check-ins, design reviews, and joint problem-solving.
• Feedback Culture: An environment that encourages constructive feedback on designs and processes, fostering continuous improvement and shared learning.
• Global Perspective: The opportunity to collaborate with a globally distributed team, bringing diverse perspectives and experiences to problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Team Culture & Values" section is populated by directly extracting and elaborating on the company's stated mission, remote-first approach, and implied values from the job description.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Systems: As Speechify grows, maintaining and evolving a cohesive design system across multiple platforms requires ongoing effort and strategic planning.
• Balancing Innovation with Stability: A high-growth startup environment demands rapid feature development while ensuring product stability, scalability, and a consistent user experience.
• Remote Collaboration Nuances: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong team cohesion in a fully asynchronous, remote setting requires discipline, clear communication strategies, and proactive engagement.
• Accessibility Design Mastery: Continuously improving the product's accessibility for users with diverse learning differences presents unique design challenges that require deep understanding and empathy.
• Rapidly Evolving Tech Landscape: Staying ahead of advancements in AI, audio technology, and user interface trends requires continuous learning and adaptation.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI & Audio UX: Gain specialized expertise at the forefront of AI-driven user experiences and audio interface design.
• Leadership Track: Develop leadership skills through mentoring junior designers, leading design initiatives, and contributing to strategic product decisions.
• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend relevant conferences, workshops, and training sessions focused on product design, UX, AI, and accessibility.
• Cross-Functional Acumen: Expand understanding of product management, engineering, and business strategy through close collaboration.
• Impactful Contribution: The direct impact on a product that changes lives provides significant professional fulfillment and learning through user success stories.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges and growth opportunities are framed around the specific context of a senior product designer role in a fast-growing, remote, AI-focused tech company, emphasizing both the complexities and the potential for professional advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product roadmap based on user research. What was the outcome?" (Focus on user advocacy, data interpretation, and strategic persuasion.)
• "How do you approach designing for users with learning differences like dyslexia or ADD? Walk us through your process for ensuring inclusivity." (Highlight empathy, research methods for specific user groups, and accessibility best practices.)
• "Pitch a new feature for Speechify that leverages AI to enhance the reading experience. What problem does it solve, and what's your design approach?" (Demonstrate product thinking, creativity, and understanding of Speechify's domain.)
• "Describe your experience with asynchronous collaboration. How do you ensure effective communication and alignment with remote teams?" (Emphasize written communication skills, documentation practices, and proactive stakeholder management.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Speechify's mission and our work in text-to-speech and AI?" (Show genuine interest and alignment with the company's purpose.)
• "How do you contribute to shaping a design organization's processes and culture?" (Discuss your experience with best practices, mentorship, and fostering collaboration.)
• "How do you balance the need for rapid iteration in a startup with maintaining high design quality and user experience?" (Address your understanding of agile methodologies and trade-offs.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the 'Why': Begin each case study by clearly articulating the problem and its significance to the user and/or business.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (sketches, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, user flows) to illustrate your design process and solutions.
• Explain Your Role & Decisions: Be specific about your contributions and the rationale behind critical design choices.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the success of your designs.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions on specific design details, trade-offs you made, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions and preparation tips are tailored to a Senior Product Designer role at Speechify, focusing on their mission, AI/audio focus, and remote-first culture, as well as general best practices for senior-level interviews.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase end-to-end product design, particularly for mobile and web platforms. Prioritize case studies demonstrating empathy for users, strategic product thinking, and measurable impact. Ensure your portfolio highlights your design process, collaboration skills, and proficiency with relevant tools.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in consumer-facing products, UX/UI design, user research, prototyping, and working in fast-paced environments. Use keywords from the job description such as "Product Design," "UX/UI," "Prototyping," "User Research," "Analytics," and "Collaboration."
• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your passion for Speechify's mission and how your skills and experience align with the company's values and the role's responsibilities. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and compellingly, focusing on the problem, your process, and the outcomes.
• Research Speechify: Familiarize yourself with Speechify's products, mission, and recent achievements. Understand their target audience and their commitment to accessibility and AI. This will enable you to ask insightful questions and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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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