Sr Technical UX Designer II, XR

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr Technical UX Designer II, XR

Company: Axon

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / XR Design

Date Posted: 2026-02-24

Experience Level: Senior (8+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product UX for Extended Reality (XR) experiences, encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

• Design XR experiences at a systems level, mapping the full customer journey and ensuring consistency, learnability, and reliability across all touchpoints and handoffs.

• Develop high-fidelity, testable Unity experiences that go beyond basic demos, informing implementation and potentially accelerating production timelines.

• Leverage AI-assisted coding tools to enhance productivity within Unity, while maintaining high standards for code quality, clarity, and maintainability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is highly specialized, focusing on the intersection of advanced UX design principles, system-level thinking, and practical development within the Unity engine for XR applications. The emphasis on "prototype-plus" and AI-assisted coding indicates a forward-thinking approach to product development, aiming to bridge the gap between design and engineering more effectively.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect and design end-to-end customer experiences (CX) and experience architectures for XR applications, defining interaction models, service flows, and robust failure/recovery paths.

• Create high-fidelity Unity prototypes that serve as more than just demonstrations, possessing sufficient structure and fidelity to guide engineering implementation and potentially accelerate production.

• Utilize AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Cursor) to expedite development within Unity, demonstrating the ability to evaluate, debug, and refactor generated code.

• Extend and build upon the existing design system within Unity, translating semantic tokens and component contracts into functional runtime UI that is consistent and scalable.

• Develop reusable foundational assets, including components, prefabs, interaction templates, and reference implementations, to minimize rework and enhance consistency across teams and projects.

• Translate conceptual experience intent into real-time user behavior, implementing state models, input handling, spatial layout rules, navigation, feedback mechanisms, error states, and edge cases that perform reliably within a headset environment.

• Define the organizational structure and user comprehension of XR experiences, including concepts, labels, navigation models, system states, and mental models for complex workflows.

• Drive customer-focused research loops, including defining study goals/hypotheses, designing tasks/protocols, conducting user sessions, synthesizing findings, and iterating based on user behavior, comfort, and measurable outcomes.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure a smooth handoff of designs and learnings, clearly delineating exploratory work from implementation-ready components and standardizing design elements.

• Effectively communicate prototypes, research findings, and system decisions with clear rationale to diverse stakeholders, ensuring understanding of both the 'what' and the 'why' behind design choices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant emphasis on practical development and system-level design within Unity. The expectation to create "prototype-plus" experiences and contribute reusable assets underscores the need for a designer who can not only conceptualize but also build and engineer solutions within the XR space, directly impacting production velocity and product quality.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Degree in Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 8+ years in product/UX design, with a proven track record of leading major initiatives from discovery through implementation.

Required Skills:

• XR Interaction Design Expertise: Proven experience designing end-to-end XR interactions, including mastery of spatial UI/3D UI patterns, comfort and ergonomics principles, spatial discoverability, in-headset feedback, affordances, and accessibility-minded design choices.

• Deep Unity and C# Proficiency: Strong hands-on experience with Unity, coupled with solid C# programming skills. Demonstrated ability to build and maintain interactive Unity projects beyond simple scripts, with a strong understanding of architectural patterns, debugging, and performance trade-offs.

• AI-Assisted Coding Fluency (Grounded): Practical, daily experience using AI coding assistants in Unity (e.g., Cursor) to accelerate development, with the engineering judgment to evaluate, refactor, and maintain the generated code.

• Systems-Level Experience Design: Demonstrated ability to drive experience architecture, end-to-end customer journey mapping, scalable interaction models, and design for reliable recovery and edge cases.

• Design System Fluency: Experience working with design systems, understanding semantic structures (tokens, states, variants, usage rules), and mapping design intent into runtime component behavior.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to align product, engineering, and research teams through prototypes, evidence-based rationale, and clear articulation of trade-offs, without requiring formal authority.

• Communication Excellence: Exceptional ability to explain complex design decisions clearly to diverse audiences and effectively guide stakeholders through the design process.

• Tool Proficiency: High skill level in modern design tools such as Figma, with a proactive interest in exploring emerging design and AI prototyping technologies.

• Portfolio: A compelling portfolio showcasing senior-level systems design work and Unity-based interaction/prototyping examples (video walkthroughs are encouraged).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with performance optimization within Unity for XR devices.

• Familiarity with real-time rendering techniques and 3D asset pipelines.

• Understanding of user research methodologies specific to XR environments.

• Experience in developing design patterns for complex enterprise or public safety applications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "8+ years" and "senior" designation, coupled with deep Unity/C# and AI coding assistant requirements, positions this as a lead or principal-level design role. Candidates are expected to not only design but also to possess engineering-level understanding and practical development skills within the XR domain. The portfolio requirement is critical and should heavily feature Unity-based work.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Systems Design Case Studies: Showcase projects demonstrating end-to-end customer journey mapping, experience architecture, and the design of scalable interaction models for complex XR applications.

• Unity-Based Prototyping: Provide examples of interactive Unity prototypes with sufficient fidelity to illustrate core mechanics, spatial UI, and interaction flows. Video walkthroughs are highly recommended.

• Design System Contribution: Illustrate experience in extending or contributing to design systems, showing how design tokens, components, and interaction patterns are applied consistently within Unity.

• AI-Assisted Development Examples: If possible, highlight instances where AI coding tools were used to accelerate development in Unity, demonstrating your ability to integrate and manage AI-generated code.

• Problem/Solution Framing: Clearly articulate the design problem, proposed solution, technical constraints, and the user/business outcomes achieved for each project.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Evidence of designing and optimizing complex workflows for XR environments, ensuring learnability, efficiency, and user comfort.

• Implementation & Automation: Demonstrations of how designs were translated into implementable Unity components and how AI or other tools were used to automate or accelerate aspects of the design-to-development pipeline.

• User Research & Iteration: Examples of integrating user research findings into the iterative design process for XR, showing how feedback shaped the final experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are exceptionally specific, demanding a blend of traditional UX design artifacts and tangible Unity development work. Candidates must clearly demonstrate their ability to "build in Unity" and think "in systems" for XR. The expectation for "prototype-plus" means static mockups are insufficient; interactive Unity experiences are key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $143,250 - $229,200 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Financial Well-being: Bonus potential, stock awards, and 401(k) matching.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off, holidays, and a hybrid work schedule.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and career growth.

• Wellness Programs: Support for physical, emotional, and financial well-being.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

• Additional Perks: Details available at https://www.axon.com/careers.

Working Hours: Standard 40-hour work week, with a hybrid schedule requiring 4 days in the Seattle office (Tuesday-Friday) and the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a senior technical UX designer role in a high-cost-of-living area like Seattle, especially within the specialized XR field. The "total compensation" model implies that base salary is only one component, with bonus and stock awards contributing significantly to overall remuneration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Public Safety, Software, Security & Safety. Axon is a leader in developing technology solutions for law enforcement and public safety, including body-worn cameras, cloud-based evidence management, and now, advanced XR training and simulation tools.

Company Size: Large (1,000 - 10,000+ employees). This indicates a well-established organization with structured processes, significant resources, and opportunities for impact within a large ecosystem.

Founded: 1993. Axon has a long history, evolving from a hardware-focused company to a comprehensive technology solutions provider. This longevity suggests stability and a proven ability to adapt and innovate.

Team Structure:

• Reporting: This role reports to the Director of Product Design, AR/VR, indicating a dedicated leadership structure for XR design initiatives.

• Team Size: Individual contributor role with no direct reports, but expected to collaborate closely with other prototypers, designers, product managers, and engineering teams.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: High emphasis on close partnership with engineering, product management, and research teams to drive product development from concept to implementation.

Methodology:

• Systems-Level Design: A core approach is designing experiences as interconnected systems rather than isolated features, focusing on the entire customer journey.

• Data-Driven Iteration: User research and measurable outcomes are crucial for informing design decisions and iterating on XR experiences.

• Agile Development Integration: The role implies working within agile development cycles, where prototypes and learnings are continuously fed into the implementation process.

• AI Integration: Proactive use of AI tools to accelerate development and enhance design workflows.

Company Website: https://www.axon.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Axon's mission to "Protect Life" and its focus on public safety create a mission-driven environment. The XR design team is likely working on cutting-edge applications for training, simulation, and operational support, offering a unique and impactful design challenge. The hybrid work model emphasizes the value placed on in-person collaboration for innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Technical UX Designer II. This level signifies a highly experienced individual contributor expected to take ownership of complex projects, drive technical design decisions, and mentor others. The "II" suggests a progression within the senior IC track.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Director of Product Design, AR/VR. This provides a clear line of mentorship and strategic guidance within the XR design domain.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the usability, effectiveness, and adoption of Axon's XR products. By creating intuitive, reliable, and engaging XR experiences, this designer will significantly influence user proficiency, training outcomes, and operational effectiveness for public safety professionals. The ability to accelerate production through high-fidelity prototypes also impacts time-to-market and competitive advantage.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in Unity, C#, XR interaction patterns, and AI-assisted design/development within a leading XR product team.

• Leadership in Design Systems: Contribute to and evolve the Unity-based design system, influencing design consistency and efficiency across multiple XR initiatives.

• Cross-functional Influence: Grow influence by successfully translating complex technical designs into impactful shipped products through strong collaboration with engineering and product.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to informally mentor junior designers or engineers on XR best practices and Unity development through shared learnings and collaboration.

• Strategic Design Input: Contribute to the strategic direction of Axon's XR product offerings through impactful design leadership and user advocacy.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a specialized and growing field (XR) at a well-established company. Growth opportunities are likely focused on deepening technical and design expertise within XR, influencing product strategy, and potentially moving into principal-level IC roles or specialized leadership positions within the design or XR product organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model. The Seattle office is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success, with a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington, United States. This location places the role within a major technology hub known for its innovation in AR/VR and software development.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model (4 days in-office) is intended to maximize opportunities for spontaneous collaboration, brainstorming, and knowledge sharing with colleagues.

• Technology & Tools: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma) and advanced development environments (Unity) with potential for cutting-edge AI prototyping technologies.

• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with product designers, engineers, product managers, and researchers, fostering a dynamic and cross-functional work environment.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility for remote work on Mondays. This structure allows for focused individual work while ensuring dedicated time for team-based collaboration and innovation in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on in-office collaboration (Tuesdays-Fridays) suggests that the company values face-to-face interaction for ideation, problem-solving, and team cohesion, particularly for a role that involves complex technical design and development.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess qualifications, especially for XR design and Unity development experience.

• Technical & Design Interview: In-depth discussion of XR interaction design principles, systems thinking, and a review of portfolio projects. Expect to discuss your approach to complex UX challenges in XR.

• Unity/C# Technical Assessment: Practical evaluation of your Unity and C# skills, potentially involving coding exercises or a deep dive into a Unity project from your portfolio. This may include assessing your use of AI coding assistants.

• System Design Challenge: A take-home assignment or live design exercise focusing on system-level UX design for an XR scenario, requiring you to demonstrate your process and rationale.

• Cross-functional Panel Interview: Discussion with engineering, product, and research stakeholders to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to align diverse perspectives.

• Final Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager (Director of Product Design, AR/VR) to assess overall fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Prioritize interactive Unity prototypes and video walkthroughs over static mockups. Clearly demonstrate your Unity development capabilities.

• Systemic Thinking Focus: For each project, explain how you approached the problem systemically – mapping journeys, defining interaction models, and considering edge cases and failure states.

• Unity & C# Depth: Be prepared to discuss the technical architecture of your Unity projects, your C# coding practices, and how you managed performance and debugging.

• AI Integration Context: If showcasing AI-assisted coding, explain your workflow, how you evaluated and refined the AI output, and the benefits achieved.

• Problem & Rationale Clarity: Clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your design rationale, and the tangible outcomes or learnings from your work, especially as they relate to user comfort, learnability, and system reliability in XR.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario Analysis: Practice breaking down complex XR scenarios into user journeys, interaction models, and system requirements.

• Unity Prototyping Practice: Be ready to quickly prototype elements in Unity to illustrate concepts during a live exercise or to prepare for a take-home assignment.

• Communication of Trade-offs: Prepare to articulate technical and design trade-offs clearly and justify your decisions with evidence and user-centric reasoning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is rigorous, with a significant emphasis on practical Unity development skills and system-level design thinking for XR. Candidates must be prepared to demonstrate proficiency in both design and engineering aspects of XR product development.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unity: The core development platform for building interactive XR experiences. Proficiency in creating high-fidelity prototypes, implementing UI, and managing project architecture is essential.

• C#: The primary programming language used within Unity for scripting and implementing game logic and interactive elements.

• Figma: The primary tool for 2D design, wireframing, and collaboration on design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Unity Analytics: Potentially used for in-prototype or in-game analytics to gather user behavior data.

• Custom Analytics Solutions: May be integrated for specific data tracking and performance analysis within XR experiences.

• BI Tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI): For broader company-wide performance analysis, though direct use by this role might be limited to understanding broader business metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly specified, but: Understanding how XR experiences might integrate with broader Axon platforms (e.g., evidence management, training platforms) is beneficial.

• Version Control (e.g., Git): Essential for managing Unity projects and code collaboratively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily weighted towards Unity and C#, underscoring the "technical" aspect of the UX Designer role. Proficiency here is non-negotiable. The integration of AI coding assistants like Cursor is a key differentiator.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Protect Life: A core mission driving all work, emphasizing the importance and impact of Axon's products in public safety.

• Aim Far: Encouraging ambitious goals, long-term thinking, and a drive for significant innovation.

• Connect with Candor and Care: Fostering open, honest communication while maintaining empathy and respect for diverse perspectives.

• Work Better Together: Valuing collaboration, teamwork, and the collective strength derived from diverse contributions.

• Take Ownership and Drive Change: Empowering individuals to lead initiatives and make a tangible impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Strong emphasis on seamless collaboration between design, engineering, product management, and research to ensure alignment and efficient product development.

• Evidence-Based Decision Making: Design decisions are supported by user research, data, and clear rationale, fostering a culture of informed iteration.

• Iterative Design Process: Embracing a continuous cycle of prototyping, testing, and refinement to build robust and user-centered XR experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is mission-driven and values ambitious innovation, strong collaboration, and a commitment to user success. For this role, it means being comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where user impact and technical excellence are paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Bridging Design and Engineering Gaps: Effectively translating complex UX concepts into functional, high-fidelity Unity prototypes and ensuring smooth handoff for production implementation.

• Navigating XR Design Complexity: Designing intuitive and learnable experiences within the nascent and complex domain of XR, considering factors like user comfort, spatial awareness, and diverse hardware capabilities.

• Leveraging AI Effectively: Integrating AI coding assistants into a professional workflow while maintaining code quality, security, and ethical considerations.

• Scalability of Design Systems: Ensuring that design patterns and components developed in Unity are scalable and reusable across multiple XR initiatives and future projects.

• Balancing Innovation with Production: Delivering cutting-edge XR experiences while meeting production timelines and engineering constraints.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• XR Technology Advancement: Stay at the forefront of XR hardware, software, and interaction paradigms.

• Unity & C# Mastery: Deepen technical skills in Unity development and C# programming, potentially exploring advanced topics like performance optimization and rendering techniques.

• AI in Design & Development: Become an expert in leveraging AI tools for rapid prototyping and development within design workflows.

• Design System Evolution: Contribute to the growth and refinement of Axon's design system for XR, influencing future product development.

• Cross-Disciplinary Growth: Gain deeper insights into public safety technology, product management, and engineering processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to working at the cutting edge of XR technology and integrating new tools like AI. The growth opportunities are substantial for someone looking to build deep expertise in a high-demand, specialized field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• System Design Approach: "Describe your process for designing an end-to-end XR experience as a system. How do you ensure consistency, learnability, and reliability across touchpoints?" (Prepare to discuss journey mapping, interaction models, and failure states.)

• Unity Prototyping Philosophy: "How do you define 'prototype-plus' in Unity, and what level of fidelity do you aim for? How does this approach differ from traditional UX prototyping?" (Focus on informing implementation and accelerating production.)

• AI in XR Design: "How have you used AI coding assistants in your workflow, specifically in Unity? What are the benefits and potential pitfalls you've encountered?" (Be ready to discuss evaluation, refactoring, and maintainability.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "How does Axon's mission to 'Protect Life' resonate with you, and how do you see XR technology contributing to this mission?" (Connect your passion for design with the company's purpose.)

• Collaboration Preferences: "Describe your ideal collaboration with engineering and product teams on an XR project. How do you ensure alignment and manage differing perspectives?" (Highlight your cross-functional leadership skills.)

• Design System Philosophy: "What makes a design system effective, especially within a Unity-based XR environment? How do you contribute to its scalability and adoption?" (Discuss tokens, components, and runtime behavior.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Unity Project Deep Dive: Select 1-2 key Unity projects to showcase. Be prepared to walk through the interactive experience, explaining design decisions, technical implementation, and user outcomes.

• Systemic Design Narrative: For each portfolio piece, clearly articulate the problem, your systemic design approach, the specific challenges you overcame, and the results achieved.

• Demonstrate Technical Craft: Be ready to discuss your C# code, Unity architecture, and any challenges related to performance or platform constraints.

• AI Tool Integration Story: If applicable, narrate your experience using AI coding tools, highlighting your judgment in evaluating and refining the output.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should heavily focus on demonstrating practical Unity development skills, a systems-thinking approach to XR design, and the ability to articulate complex technical and design decisions clearly.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your strongest Unity-based XR design projects. Ensure video walkthroughs are clear, concise, and highlight your technical proficiency and systemic design thinking.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 8+ years of senior UX design experience, specific XR interaction design expertise, deep Unity and C# skills, and any experience with AI coding assistants. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, technical capabilities, and collaborative approach using the STAR method. Prepare to discuss your portfolio projects in detail and rehearse answers to common technical and behavioral questions.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Axon's mission, products (especially their XR initiatives), and company values. Understand how your skills and passion align with their goal to "Protect Life."

⚠️ 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.