Product Designer (AI-Enabled Products)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer (AI-Enabled Products)

Company: Digital Foundry, Inc.

Location: Tiburon, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX Design (with AI Specialization)

Date Posted: 2026-06-24

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (Primarily Office-Based)

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and deliver user-centered interfaces for cutting-edge AI-enabled products, focusing on trust, interpretability, and human oversight.

• Translate complex AI outputs into intuitive user experiences across web and mobile platforms, ensuring clarity and confidence in AI-generated results.

• Collaborate closely with senior designers and engineers to develop human-in-the-loop touchpoints, enabling users to review, verify, and control AI-driven actions.

• Contribute to the development of design frameworks and best practices for AI product design within a production-focused, client-facing environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer with a specific focus on AI-enabled products. The emphasis is on hands-on design work, contributing to real client projects, and growing expertise in a specialized area of design. The hybrid work arrangement suggests a need for on-site presence for collaboration, typical in design and engineering teams.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and refine user interfaces and interaction flows for AI features, ensuring seamless integration into existing or new digital products.

• Design clear and effective methods for users to understand AI confidence levels, interpret outputs, and access supporting information or sources.

• Develop intuitive review and approval mechanisms for AI-generated actions, creating safe and controlled human-in-the-loop experiences.

• Ensure all designs adhere to accessibility standards and inclusive design principles, particularly crucial for mission-critical and regulated environments.

• Create detailed design documentation, specifications, and assets for efficient handoff to in-house development teams, facilitating accurate implementation.

• Support user research initiatives by facilitating interviews, workshops, and requirements gathering sessions to deeply understand user needs and workflows related to AI.

• Actively participate in design critiques, provide constructive feedback, and incorporate feedback to elevate the quality and usability of AI product designs.

• Utilize AI tools within your own design process for rapid prototyping, generating design variations, and synthesizing research findings to drive efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of traditional product design tasks with specialized AI design challenges. The focus on "real interfaces on real products" and "human side of AI features" indicates a hands-on role with direct client impact. The expectation to use AI in the design process itself is a forward-thinking aspect of this role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and design thinking is essential. A background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: Approximately 3 to 5 years of hands-on product or UX design experience, with a proven track record of delivering end-to-end design solutions.

Required Skills:

• User Research and Facilitation: Proven ability to conduct user interviews, support workshops, and lead requirements gathering sessions to uncover user needs and pain points.

• End-to-End Product & Interaction Design: A robust portfolio showcasing the ability to translate concepts into refined, functional, and aesthetically strong interfaces that meet user needs and project requirements.

• Figma Fluency: Mastery of Figma for creating designs, prototypes, and facilitating clean developer handoffs.

• Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Practical experience and a working understanding of designing for diverse user needs and ensuring digital products are usable by everyone.

• Technical Literacy: A solid grasp of technical feasibility and a proactive approach to collaborating with engineers to ensure designs are buildable and optimized.

• Clear Documentation & Communication: Ability to articulate design decisions and provide clear, concise documentation for developer handoff.

• AI Interface Design Fundamentals: A foundational understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in designing interfaces for AI-generated outputs, including concepts like confidence, uncertainty, and human oversight.

Preferred Skills:

• Direct experience designing AI features, data-dense tools, or complex workflow applications.

• Familiarity with designing for regulated industries, enterprise environments, or mission-critical systems.

• Experience with rapid prototyping tools and methodologies, including leveraging AI for design acceleration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio is paramount, especially for a design role. The "nice to have" section suggests that eagerness to learn AI design is as valuable as existing experience, making the role accessible to ambitious designers looking to specialize.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating a full design process from problem identification and user research through to final, shipped product interfaces.

• AI-Specific Design Examples: Include at least one project that highlights your approach to designing for AI, focusing on elements like trust, interpretability, human-in-the-loop workflows, or handling AI uncertainty.

• Figma Proficiency: Demonstrate your Figma skills through well-organized files, interactive prototypes, and clear developer handoff documentation.

• Accessibility Integration: Highlight how accessibility and inclusive design principles were incorporated into your design process and final deliverables.

• Problem-Solving & Rationale: Clearly articulate the design challenges, your thought process, the rationale behind key design decisions, and the outcomes achieved.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Evidence of designing and documenting user workflows, with a focus on efficiency and user satisfaction, especially in complex or AI-assisted processes.

• System Implementation Standards: Showcase how your designs align with development constraints and best practices for implementation, particularly in the context of AI systems.

• Metrics & Performance Analysis: If available, include examples of how you've used data or user feedback to iterate on designs and measure their impact on product performance or user behavior.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a design role, particularly one focused on AI, the portfolio is critical. It needs to demonstrate not just aesthetic skills but a deep understanding of process, user needs, and the specific challenges of designing for AI. Emphasis on "shipped" work is key given Digital Foundry's production-oriented approach.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $85,000 - $115,000 USD per year (Base Salary).

The specific salary within this range will be determined by factors such as the candidate's location, experience level, skills, and overall qualifications.

Benefits:

• Performance Bonuses: Additional compensation tied to individual and company performance.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.

• Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with employer matching contributions.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Up to three weeks of paid time off in the first year, with flexibility.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for learning and growth in specialized AI design.

• Supportive Work Environment: A culture that promotes work-life balance and flexibility.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week, aligning with a full-time role. While the environment is supportive and flexible, the hybrid nature of the role suggests core working hours will be expected for team collaboration and office presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to California, as per the job description. The benefits are standard for a full-time role in the tech industry, with a particular mention of performance bonuses and 401(k) matching, which are attractive to mid-level professionals. The PTO is also a good indicator of work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Product Development & Consulting, with a strong focus on AI-enabled solutions, IoT, and custom software for Fortune 500 and mission-critical organizations.

Company Size: Small to Medium-sized (implied by "small team" and the ability to have direct access to senior leaders). This size fosters close-knit collaboration and direct impact.

Founded: 1996 (30 years of experience). This longevity suggests stability, deep industry knowledge, and a proven track record in digital product development.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Designers work closely with senior designers, engineers, and potentially research teams on client projects.

• Mentorship Model: A strong emphasis on learning from senior designers and engineers, indicating a structured approach to skill development.

• Production-Oriented: The team is focused on building and shipping real products, not just concepts or presentations.

Methodology:

• Agile & Iterative Design: Implicitly follows iterative design processes, using research, prototyping, and user feedback to refine products.

• AI Integration in Practice: Encourages the use of AI tools within the design process itself for efficiency and innovation.

• Quality & Trust Focus: Prioritizes building trustworthy, usable, and robust software, especially for high-stakes environments.

Company Website: http://digitalfoundry.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Digital Foundry positions itself as a pragmatic, production-focused agency that builds lasting digital products. The emphasis on AI is a key differentiator, and the company culture appears to value hands-on contribution, continuous learning, and collaboration within a specialized domain.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-Level Product Designer. This role is designed for individuals with foundational skills who are looking to deepen their expertise, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of AI product design. The position offers a clear path to becoming a senior designer and potentially leading AI design initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Principal Designer, working in close collaboration with engineering managers and product stakeholders on client projects.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the usability, trustworthiness, and success of AI-enabled digital products for Digital Foundry's clients. Successful designs will translate into enhanced user trust, improved operational efficiency for clients, and the successful deployment of critical software.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in AI Design: Develop deep expertise in the emerging field of designing trustworthy and effective AI-powered user experiences, a highly sought-after skill.

• Leadership Potential: Grow into a senior designer role, potentially leading design efforts for AI products, mentoring junior designers, and contributing to the company's AI design strategy.

• Skill Advancement: Continuous learning through hands-on work with senior mentors, exposure to diverse client projects, and the opportunity to explore and integrate new AI design tools and methodologies.

• Client Project Leadership: As experience grows, opportunities may arise to take on more ownership and leadership on specific client engagements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path is clearly defined: move from mid-level to senior, specializing in AI design. This is a significant draw for designers wanting to be at the forefront of technological innovation in their field. The emphasis on "shipping real products" means growth is tied to tangible outcomes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company maintains a physical office in Tiburon, CA, suggesting a collaborative, in-person work environment is the primary mode of operation. This setting is conducive to spontaneous discussions, brainstorming, and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Tiburon, California. This location offers a scenic environment and is accessible, though potentially requiring a commute for those coming from San Francisco or other Bay Area locations. The job description implies a need for local candidates who can work primarily from the office.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Atmosphere: The office environment likely supports teamwork, with opportunities for designers to engage with peers and cross-functional teams.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools like Figma, and potentially AI tools integrated into the design workflow.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for direct interaction with senior designers and engineers, fostering a learning-rich environment.

• Recreational Opportunities: The mention of lunchtime basketball, volleyball, or runs along the Bay suggests a company culture that values well-being and informal team bonding.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility offered within a hybrid model. The emphasis on delivering production-ready designs suggests a results-oriented approach where meeting project deadlines is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model, with a strong preference for office-based work, is typical for collaborative design roles. The Tiburon location is a specific detail that might influence candidate choice. The mention of recreational activities points to a company culture that values work-life balance and team camaraderie.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A brief call with HR or a hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role.

2. Portfolio Review & Discussion: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, focusing on 1-2 key projects that best showcase their skills, particularly any AI-related design work. This stage will delve into your design process, problem-solving approach, and rationale.

3. Design Challenge/Workshop: Candidates may be asked to complete a small design exercise or participate in a collaborative workshop, either pre-interview or during a later stage, to assess their practical design skills, problem-solving abilities, and how they approach AI-specific design challenges.

4. Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with senior designers and engineers to evaluate technical skills, collaboration style, and fit within the team. Expect discussions on how you handle constraints, communicate with developers, and approach complex problems.

5. Final Interview: A concluding interview, potentially with a company leader, to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and confirm alignment with the company's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and, crucially, your experience or aptitude for designing AI-enabled features. Highlight your role and contributions clearly.

• Tell a Story: For each project, articulate the problem, your approach, the constraints, your specific contributions, the design decisions you made, and the outcomes (quantifiable if possible).

• Showcase AI Thinking: If you have AI design experience, make it prominent. If not, demonstrate your understanding of AI design principles and your eagerness to learn. Show how you'd approach designing for uncertainty, trust, or human-in-the-loop interactions.

• Figma & Handoff: Be prepared to walk through your Figma files, demonstrating organization, component usage, and how you prepare assets and specifications for developer handoff.

• Accessibility First: Clearly explain how accessibility was integrated into your design process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand AI Design Nuances: Research common challenges in AI product design (e.g., explainability, bias, user trust, error handling, human oversight).

• Practice Design Rationale: Be ready to articulate why you made specific design choices, especially under constraints.

• Collaborative Mindset: If a collaborative exercise is involved, focus on clear communication, active listening, and building upon others' ideas.

• Focus on Production: Remember Digital Foundry's emphasis on shipping real products. Frame your solutions with feasibility and implementation in mind.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate a designer's practical skills, problem-solving capabilities, and specific aptitude for AI design. The portfolio review is critical, and candidates should tailor their presentation to highlight relevant experience and potential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and developer handoff. Proficiency is explicitly required.

• Prototyping Tools: Likely extensions or advanced features within Figma, or potentially other tools for rapid prototyping and user flow visualization.

• AI Design Augmentation Tools: Candidates are expected to use AI in their own practice, implying familiarity with AI-powered design assistants, content generation tools, or research synthesis aids.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a requirement for the designer, understanding how to interpret user data and analytics from tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Amplitude would be beneficial for informing design decisions.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with how designs will be represented in dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) could be advantageous.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer role, but understanding the client's CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms might provide context for the business objectives and user journeys of the products being designed.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello are likely used for task management and tracking project progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the cornerstone tool. The expectation to use AI in the design process itself is a key differentiator, suggesting familiarity with generative AI tools for design assistance is a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Production-Oriented: A strong emphasis on delivering tangible, shippable products rather than theoretical concepts. "Products that get put into production, not slide decks that get shelved."

• Trustworthiness & Reliability: Designing software that is dependable, especially in mission-critical and regulated environments.

• User-Centricity: Deeply understanding user needs and workflows to create genuinely usable and effective solutions.

• Continuous Learning & Innovation: Embracing new technologies like AI and actively seeking to understand and design for its unique challenges.

• Collaboration & Mentorship: Fostering a supportive environment where team members learn from each other and work together to achieve project goals.

• Craftsmanship: A commitment to high-quality design and buildable solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers work closely with engineers and senior design leads, emphasizing shared understanding and iterative feedback.

• Direct Communication: The "small team" environment likely facilitates open and direct communication channels.

• Mentorship-Driven: Senior team members actively guide and support mid-level designers, creating a learning-focused collaborative dynamic.

• Problem-Solving Focus: Collaboration is geared towards solving complex design and technical challenges for clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core values revolve around practical application, quality, and continuous improvement, particularly in the context of AI. The collaborative style is hands-on and mentorship-focused.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for AI Uncertainty: The inherent variability and potential for error in AI outputs present a unique design challenge that requires careful consideration of user trust, confidence display, and error handling.

• Balancing Innovation with Reliability: Integrating cutting-edge AI capabilities while ensuring the product remains trustworthy, usable, and compliant in regulated or high-stakes environments.

• Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape: Keeping pace with the fast-changing advancements in AI technology and design methodologies to ensure solutions remain relevant and effective.

• Translating Technical Complexity: Effectively communicating complex AI functionalities and limitations to users through intuitive interface design.

• Hybrid Work Integration: Adapting to a hybrid work model that requires effective in-office collaboration and communication alongside potential remote work days.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Gaining hands-on experience and mentorship in a niche and high-demand area of product design.

• Industry Exposure: Working on diverse projects for Fortune 500 and critical organizations, offering broad industry insight.

• Mentorship from Experts: Direct daily access to senior designers and engineers, providing invaluable learning opportunities.

• Skill Development in AI Tools: Learning to leverage AI tools within the design process to enhance efficiency and creativity.

• Career Progression: A clear path to becoming a senior designer and potentially leading AI design initiatives within the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to designing with AI, making this role an excellent opportunity for growth. The learning opportunities are strongly tied to specializing in this cutting-edge field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• AI Design Approach: "Describe your process for designing an AI feature that needs to convey confidence and handle potential errors. How would you ensure user trust?" Prepare a case study or hypothetical scenario.

• Collaboration & Handoff: "How do you typically collaborate with engineers during the design process? Walk me through your developer handoff process, especially for complex interactions." Focus on clear communication strategies.

• Problem-Solving: "Imagine a scenario where an AI tool provides incorrect information. How would you design the user interface to manage this situation effectively and help the user recover?" Be ready to sketch or explain your solution.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Motivation for AI Design: "What specifically interests you about designing AI-enabled products, and why Digital Foundry?" Connect your passion to the company's mission.

• Teamwork & Mentorship: "Describe a time you learned a new skill from a colleague or mentor. How do you approach giving and receiving feedback in a team setting?"

• Production Focus: "How do you ensure your designs are not only user-friendly but also feasible to build and maintain in a production environment?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, key decisions, challenges, and outcomes. Use a consistent structure.

• Highlight AI Relevance: If a project involved AI, data-dense interfaces, or complex workflows, make that connection explicit. If not, explain how your foundational design skills transfer to AI challenges.

• Demo Figma Skills: Be prepared to navigate your Figma files, showcasing organization, component usage, and your prototyping capabilities.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics (user satisfaction, task completion rates, efficiency gains) to demonstrate the impact of your designs.

• Be Ready for Constraints: Discuss how you’ve worked within technical, time, or budget constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating practical design skills, a thoughtful approach to AI-specific challenges, and strong collaborative potential, all within the context of Digital Foundry's production-oriented culture.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit Your Application: Navigate to the provided application link and complete the initial submission.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects. Prioritize those demonstrating end-to-end design process, user research, and particularly any experience or clear understanding of designing for AI, data-dense interfaces, or complex workflows. Ensure your portfolio clearly highlights your contributions and rationale.

• Tailor Your Resume: Update your resume to emphasize keywords relevant to product design, UX design, Figma proficiency, user research, accessibility, and any experience or interest in AI product design. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio projects. Focus on telling a compelling story about the problem, your process, your design decisions, and the outcomes. Be ready to discuss your experience with Figma and how you approach developer handoffs.

• Research Digital Foundry: Understand their mission, their focus on production-ready products, their work with AI, and their emphasis on building trustworthy software. This will help you tailor your responses 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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