Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: Activision Blizzard (King)

Location: Stockholm, Sweden (Primary); Berlin, Germany; Malmö, Sweden; London, UK; Barcelona, Spain (Potential other locations)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Game Design

Date Posted: January 20, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years implied)

Remote Status: On-site (Primarily, with potential for hybrid depending on team and location)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the user experience (UX) design for core meta game systems and key game features for the highly successful Candy Crush Saga franchise.

• Craft delightful and engaging player experiences, ensuring alignment with the game's creative vision, player needs, and business objectives in a free-to-play mobile environment.

• Collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams including Game Designers, UI Designers, Artists, Developers, Researchers, and Product Managers to deliver end-to-end design solutions.

• Leverage expertise in UX strategy, design thinking, and prototyping tools to conceptualize and iterate on complex social and game systems.

• Analyze competitor games and player data to inform hypotheses, validate insights, and translate them into meaningful, intuitive, and engaging user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is specifically for the Candy Crush Saga franchise, indicating a focus on established, highly monetized, and globally recognized mobile games. The emphasis on "meta systems and features" suggests a need for designers who can think holistically about player engagement beyond core gameplay loops, potentially involving monetization, social interactions, and long-term progression. The "Senior" title implies significant autonomy and leadership in design decisions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the UX design process for core meta game systems and significant game features, ensuring seamless integration with the overall game vision and player motivation.

• Develop comprehensive design documentation, including wireframes, user flows, copywriting, low-fidelity concepts, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes.

• Champion creative excellence by generating innovative ideas and solutions that enhance player engagement and satisfaction.

• Foster a cohesive meta-experience by collaborating closely with other UX designers within the team.

• Partner with Game Designers, UI Designers, Artists, and Developers to translate design concepts into implemented features, understanding and navigating technical constraints.

• Conduct competitive analysis to identify market trends and best practices, and work with UX Researchers and Analysts to validate design hypotheses with data and player insights.

• Proactively explore emerging design trends, AI tooling, and UX theories to continuously improve and expand the team's methodological toolkit.

• Contribute to the "freemium" best practices by designing for player acquisition, retention, and monetization within a free-to-play model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design thinking, hands-on execution (wireframing, prototyping), and collaborative problem-solving. The explicit mention of "copywriting" indicates that this role requires a designer who can not only design interfaces but also craft compelling in-game text and messaging. The emphasis on "AI tooling" suggests an expectation for the candidate to be forward-thinking and open to integrating new technologies.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5-10 years of demonstrated success in UX design, with a significant portion focused on free-to-play (F2P) mobile games.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in UX design principles and methodologies, specifically applied to mobile gaming.

• Strong portfolio showcasing successful design of core game systems, meta-features, and engaging player experiences.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale clearly, both verbally and in writing (including copywriting for in-game text and UI elements).

• Demonstrated experience in UX strategy, design thinking, and problem-solving for complex systems.

• Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma.

• Understanding of technical constraints and the ability to optimize designs for implementation on mobile platforms.

• Experience working effectively within Agile development environments and adapting to iterative design processes.

• High level of creativity and a passion for developing innovative and "wow" moments for players.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with emerging AI tools for design (e.g., Figma Make, generative AI for content).

• Knowledge of freemium monetization strategies and best practices in mobile gaming.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and data analysis to inform design decisions.

• Experience in UI design and visual aesthetics, complementing UX strategy.

• Interest in exploring new game mechanics and player engagement strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5-10 years" experience level is inferred from the "Senior" title, common industry practice, and the scope of responsibilities involving driving design for major game systems. The emphasis on Figma is critical, as it's a pervasive tool in modern design workflows. The combination of UX, copywriting, and F2P mobile game experience is a unique and crucial requirement for this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 significant projects demonstrating end-to-end UX design for free-to-play mobile games, with a focus on meta-systems or complex features.

• Clearly articulate your role and contributions within each project, highlighting your design process from conception to execution.

• Include case studies that detail problem identification, user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and final design outcomes.

• Quantify impact wherever possible, using metrics related to player engagement, retention, monetization, or user satisfaction.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to user-centered design, including how you gather and synthesize player feedback and data.

• Explain your methods for collaborating with game designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure design feasibility and alignment.

• Showcase your process for iterating on designs based on feedback, testing, and performance analysis.

• Articulate your understanding of the development lifecycle in an agile environment and how UX integrates within it.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role, especially in gaming, a portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond static images and demonstrate a deep understanding of the player journey, system design, and the ability to translate complex player needs into intuitive interfaces. The emphasis on "meta systems" means showcasing designs that go beyond core gameplay, potentially including progression, economy, social features, or live ops events.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Designers in Stockholm, Sweden, with 5-10 years of experience in the gaming sector, the estimated salary range is approximately SEK 600,000 - 950,000 per year. This range can vary based on specific experience, negotiation, and the final candidate's skill set.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and potential bonus structures.

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits (including medical, dental, and vision).

• Generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick leave).

• Pension scheme and retirement savings plans.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and attending industry conferences.

• Employee assistance programs and well-being initiatives.

• Potential for stock options or equity grants (common in tech/gaming).

• Relocation assistance for international candidates.

• Access to company-provided gaming hardware and software.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, typically around 40 hours per week. While on-site is the default, there may be flexibility for hybrid arrangements depending on team needs and individual circumstances. Adherence to project deadlines may occasionally require flexible working.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on data from industry salary aggregators for Senior UX Designers in Stockholm, adjusted for the gaming industry, which can sometimes offer premium compensation. Benefits are standard for large, international tech/gaming companies like Activision Blizzard/King. The "40 hours" is a baseline, with game development often involving crunch periods.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Interactive Entertainment / Mobile Gaming. King is a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, a major player in the global gaming market.

Company Size: Activision Blizzard is a large enterprise with thousands of employees across multiple studios and locations worldwide. King, as a significant part of it, also operates at a considerable scale.

Founded: King was founded in 2003, acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2016, and is now part of Microsoft.

Team Structure:

• The UX Design team likely operates within the Candy Crush Saga product development group.

• It will consist of UX Designers, UI Designers, UX Researchers, and potentially UX Writers.

• This team collaborates closely with Game Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and Artists.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Heavy reliance on player data, analytics, and A/B testing to inform design decisions and validate hypotheses.

• Agile Development: Iterative design and development cycles, with frequent collaboration and feedback loops.

• User-Centricity: Focus on understanding player needs, motivations, and behaviors to create engaging experiences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Emphasis on teamwork and shared ownership across disciplines to achieve product goals.

• Experimentation: Encouragement to explore new ideas, tools (like AI), and methodologies to push creative boundaries.

Company Website: https://king.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Activision Blizzard's acquisition by Microsoft is a significant recent development that may influence company culture, resources, and strategic direction. King's mission "Making the World Playful" emphasizes fun, creativity, and inclusivity. The "all sorts of heroes" tagline promotes diversity and broad representation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior UX Designer. This level indicates a significant degree of autonomy, ownership over major design areas, and the expectation to mentor junior team members. It's a critical role that bridges strategic design thinking with hands-on execution.

Reporting Structure: Typically reports to a Design Lead, UX Manager, or Head of Design within the specific game division (Candy Crush Saga). Will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's work directly influences player engagement, retention, monetization, and overall player satisfaction, which are key performance indicators (KPIs) for free-to-play mobile games. Successful UX design translates directly to business success through increased playtime and in-app purchases.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership: Progression to Lead UX Designer, UX Manager, or Principal UX Designer roles, overseeing teams and strategy.

• Specialization: Deepening expertise in specific areas like F2P monetization design, social systems, live operations UX, or emerging technologies (AI in game design).

• Cross-Disciplinary Movement: Potential to move into Product Management, Game Design leadership, or other strategic roles within the company.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning through internal workshops, external conferences, and access to cutting-edge design tools and methodologies.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to fostering design talent within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies that candidates are expected to operate with a high degree of independence and contribute strategically, not just execute tasks. Growth opportunities are typical for large gaming companies, offering clear paths for advancement and specialization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job description implies an on-site or hybrid work environment, typical for large game development studios like King. These environments are often designed to foster collaboration and creativity.

Office Location(s): Primary location is Stockholm, Sweden. However, the posting lists other potential locations like Berlin, Malmö, London, and Barcelona, suggesting that the role might be open to candidates in these regions or that the team has global reach.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices likely feature open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and dedicated creative spaces to facilitate teamwork and brainstorming.

• Technology Access: Employees will have access to high-performance workstations, industry-standard software (Figma, etc.), and potentially specialized hardware for game testing.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for informal and formal interaction with colleagues across design, development, and product teams.

• Gaming Culture: An environment steeped in gaming culture, with opportunities to play and discuss games with passionate colleagues.

Work Schedule: Standard business hours are expected, typically 40 hours per week. However, the dynamic nature of game development can sometimes necessitate flexible hours or occasional overtime, particularly around key milestones and releases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The listing of multiple locations suggests a global team structure for Candy Crush Saga, which is common for massive live-service games. While "on-site" is indicated, hybrid arrangements are increasingly common in the industry, so candidates should inquire about specific team policies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present their portfolio, walking through 1-2 key projects. Expect in-depth questions about their design process, decision-making, and impact.

• Technical/Design Interview: A session with senior designers and potentially game designers to assess design thinking, problem-solving skills, and technical proficiency (e.g., Figma usage, understanding of game systems). This may include a design exercise or a whiteboard challenge.

• Cross-Functional Interview: Meeting with stakeholders from engineering, product management, or art to evaluate collaboration skills and ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a hiring manager or senior leadership to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and confirm expectations.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your experience with free-to-play mobile games, meta-systems, and complex features. Prioritize quality over quantity.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, your key decisions, the challenges faced, and the outcome/impact. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Figma Proficiency: Be ready to demonstrate your mastery of Figma, including complex prototyping, component usage, and collaboration features.

• Showcase Copywriting: If possible, include examples of in-game copy or UI text you've written, explaining the rationale behind it.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, provide data (e.g., engagement metrics, retention rates, monetization uplift) to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Address "Wow" Factor: Be prepared to discuss how your designs create moments of delight and surprise for players.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be ready for a short, timed design challenge that might involve conceptualizing a new feature, improving an existing one, or solving a specific player friction point. Focus on process and rationale.

• Whiteboarding: Practice articulating design ideas verbally and visually on a whiteboard, explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.

• Case Study Prep: Prepare to discuss a specific case study from your portfolio in detail, as if presenting it live.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is the most crucial part of the application for a Senior UX Designer. Candidates must be prepared to deep-dive into their work and defend their design decisions with data, player insights, and a clear understanding of F2P game design principles. The emphasis on "AI tooling" and "copywriting" means these aspects should be highlighted if present in their portfolio or experience.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and team collaboration. Expect advanced usage and potential contributions to design systems.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., Adobe XD, InVision) might be beneficial.

• Design System Tools: Experience contributing to or utilizing design systems for consistency and efficiency.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Platforms: Familiarity with tools used for game analytics (e.g., internal BI tools, Amplitude, GameAnalytics) to interpret player behavior and performance data.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Understanding how to design for and interpret results from A/B tests.

CRM & Automation:

Other Relevant Tools:

• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Jira, Confluence for team communication and project management.

• AI Tools: Emerging interest in AI for design assistance, content generation, or workflow optimization (e.g., Figma Make, generative AI platforms).

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a required skill, making it the cornerstone of the technical stack for this role. The implied need to analyze data suggests familiarity with analytics platforms, even if not directly hands-on with the tools themselves. The mention of AI tools indicates a forward-looking approach to design technology.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Player Focus: Prioritizing the player experience above all else, aiming to create fun, engaging, and rewarding interactions.

• Creativity & Innovation: Encouraging novel ideas and pushing the boundaries of game design and player engagement.

• Collaboration: Fostering a team-oriented environment where diverse perspectives are valued and contribute to collective success.

• Data-Informed Decisions: Using analytics and player insights to guide design choices, ensuring that creativity is grounded in effectiveness.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to learning, iterating, and refining designs and processes to achieve excellence.

• Inclusivity: "A Great Saga Needs All Sorts of Heroes" reflects a value for diversity in people and perspectives, essential for creating games for a global audience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Strong emphasis on working closely with game designers, engineers, artists, and product managers.

• Open Communication: Encouraging direct and honest feedback exchange to drive design iteration and problem-solving.

• Shared Ownership: Promoting a sense of collective responsibility for the success of the game features and systems.

• Iterative & Experimental: A culture that supports trying new approaches and learning from both successes and failures.

📝 Enhancement Note: King's stated values like "Making the World Playful" and "A Great Saga Needs All Sorts of Heroes" are central to their culture. This implies an environment that values fun, creativity, inclusivity, and a passion for gaming. The emphasis on collaboration is critical for a complex product like Candy Crush Saga.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Maintaining Engagement: Designing features that keep millions of diverse players engaged long-term in a highly competitive F2P market.

• Balancing Monetization and Player Experience: Crafting monetization strategies that are effective without alienating players or compromising the fun.

• Technical Constraints: Working within the limitations of mobile platforms and game engines while still delivering innovative UX.

• Global Audience Needs: Designing for a vast, international player base with diverse cultural expectations and preferences.

• Evolving AI Landscape: Integrating new AI tools effectively and ethically into the design workflow.

• Keeping Pace with Trends: Staying ahead of rapidly evolving player expectations and mobile gaming trends.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Access to courses and workshops on advanced UX techniques, game design principles, and new technologies.

• Industry Events: Opportunities to attend leading game development and UX conferences (e.g., GDC, UX Copenhagen).

• Mentorship Programs: Formal or informal mentorship from senior designers and leaders within Activision Blizzard/King.

• Internal Knowledge Sharing: Participation in design critiques, brown bag sessions, and internal guilds to share best practices.

• Exposure to Multiple Titles: Potential to contribute to or learn from other King game titles, broadening experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to operating at the scale of Candy Crush Saga. The growth opportunities are substantial, reflecting King's commitment to employee development and its position as a major player in the gaming industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex meta-system you designed for a free-to-play mobile game. What were the key challenges, and how did your UX approach address them?" (Focus on process, player impact, and rationale).

• "How do you balance player experience with monetization goals in a game like Candy Crush Saga?" (Demonstrate understanding of F2P economics and player psychology).

• "Walk us through a time you used player data or research to significantly change a design direction. What was the outcome?" (Highlight data-driven decision-making).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about working on Candy Crush Saga specifically, and what do you see as its core UX strengths and weaknesses?" (Demonstrate research and genuine interest).

• "How do you contribute to a positive and collaborative team environment, especially when working with diverse disciplines like engineering and art?" (Align with King's culture of collaboration).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Choose Your Best: Select 1-2 projects that best represent your senior-level capabilities, focusing on meta-systems, F2P mobile games, and significant impact.

• Structure Your Narrative: Clearly define the problem, your unique role, your process (research, ideation, iteration), key design decisions with rationale, and quantified outcomes.

• Emphasize Figma: Be prepared to demonstrate actual Figma files, prototypes, or flows, explaining your usage of advanced features.

• Highlight Copywriting: If you have examples of in-game copy you've written, be ready to discuss the strategic reasoning behind it.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about every aspect of your presented work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design a Game Feature: Practice ideating and designing a new feature or system for a mobile game, focusing on user flows, core mechanics, and player engagement.

• Improve an Existing Flow: Be ready to critique and propose improvements for a given user flow or feature, explaining your reasoning.

• Whiteboard Your Process: Practice articulating your design process and decision-making verbally and visually on a whiteboard.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should heavily focus on demonstrating a deep understanding of free-to-play mobile game design, player psychology, and the ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive and engaging experiences. The explicit mention of "AI tooling" and "copywriting" means candidates should be ready to discuss their experience or perspective on these areas.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the official Activision Blizzard/King careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight relevant free-to-play mobile game projects, emphasizing meta-systems and complex feature design. Ensure Figma proficiency is clearly demonstrated.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to prominently feature keywords related to UX design, mobile gaming, F2P monetization, Figma, prototyping, copywriting, and Agile methodologies. Quantify achievements with metrics where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice your portfolio presentation, focusing on telling a compelling story about your design process and impact. Prepare answers for common UX strategy and behavioral questions, especially those related to game design and player engagement.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research King, Activision Blizzard, and the Candy Crush Saga franchise. Understand their mission, values, target audience, and recent developments (e.g., Microsoft acquisition) to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural alignment.

⚠️ 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.