Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: MDCalc

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: 2026-05-29

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Design user-centric features and experiences for clinical decision tools and medical reference content, impacting millions of healthcare professionals globally.

• Drive end-to-end product design, from conceptualization and user research to high-fidelity mockups and final implementation specifications.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts within an agile development framework.

• Contribute to and maintain a robust design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and scalability across all product surfaces.

• Support the design of commercial-facing elements, including ad placements and client-facing tooling, where user experience intersects with revenue generation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is embedded within a product and engineering team, indicating a highly collaborative and hands-on approach to design. The emphasis on "context-switching" and "craft at every level of fidelity" suggests a need for a versatile designer capable of handling diverse projects and detailed execution. The mention of "commercial-facing surfaces" points to an understanding of how design contributes to the business's revenue streams.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and iterate on features that enhance clinician engagement, discovery, and retention on the MDCalc platform.

• Translate complex clinical workflows and data into intuitive and accessible user interfaces for both desktop and mobile platforms.

• Develop detailed wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes to effectively communicate design solutions.

• Actively participate in user research activities, including planning, conducting, observing sessions, and synthesizing findings into actionable design improvements.

• Partner with Engineering to ensure accurate implementation of designs, providing clear specifications and conducting design reviews.

• Contribute to the evolution of MDCalc's design system, creating new components and updating existing ones with clear documentation and accessibility considerations.

• Analyze user behavior data and usability feedback to identify areas of friction and drive data-informed design iterations post-launch.

• Design and optimize commercial-facing UI elements such as ad placements, sponsored content interfaces, and client-facing tools that align with revenue goals.

• Clearly articulate design rationale and solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, fostering alignment and buy-in.

• Manage multiple design projects concurrently, prioritizing tasks and ensuring timely delivery across different product areas.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a full-stack design role, involving strategic UX thinking, detailed interaction and visual design, design system stewardship, and cross-functional collaboration. The explicit mention of "commercial-facing surfaces" and "revenue" indicates that the designer will also be involved in monetization strategies and client-facing tools, requiring an understanding of business objectives alongside user needs.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is generally expected for mid-level design roles.

Experience: 3-5 years of dedicated UX/Product Design experience, with a proven track record of delivering end-to-end design solutions.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A strong, comprehensive portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design work, showcasing problem-solving, process, and final outcomes.

• Interaction Design: Proficient in creating intuitive and efficient user flows and interaction patterns.

• Visual Design: Strong aesthetic sensibility and ability to create clean, professional, and user-friendly interfaces for both desktop and mobile contexts.

• Design Systems: Experience contributing to, maintaining, or working within established design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Figma Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in Figma, including component-level proficiency and collaborative features.

• Agile Collaboration: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with Product Managers and Engineers in an agile development environment.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and rationale clearly.

• User Research Exposure: Familiarity with user research methodologies such as usability testing, user interviews, and synthesis of findings.

• Data-Dense Interfaces: Experience designing for interfaces that require the clear presentation and interaction with significant amounts of data.

• Accessibility: Understanding of accessibility standards, including WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and experience applying them in design.

Preferred Skills:

• Healthcare/Clinical Tools: Prior experience designing for the healthcare industry, clinical decision support tools, or professional SaaS applications.

• Prototyping: Advanced prototyping skills to create high-fidelity, interactive mockups.

• User Research: Hands-on experience planning and conducting user research sessions.

• Data Analysis: Ability to interpret behavioral data and usability feedback to inform design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of 3-5 years combined with the portfolio demonstration of "end-to-end product design work" suggests that candidates should be prepared to showcase their entire design process, from discovery and problem definition to solution and iteration. The specific mention of Figma and WCAG indicates these are critical technical proficiencies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Detailed case studies that walk through the entire design process for at least 2-3 significant projects. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions, challenges, and outcomes.

• Problem Framing: Demonstrate how you identify and frame user problems and business needs.

• Design Process Documentation: Showcase your approach to user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, visual design, and user testing.

• Outcome Metrics: Quantify the impact of your designs whenever possible, using metrics related to user engagement, task completion, conversion rates, or user satisfaction.

• Visual & Interaction Design: Include high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes to showcase your visual design skills and interaction patterns.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Illustrate examples of how you have designed or optimized user workflows to improve efficiency and user experience.

• Design System Contributions: If applicable, include examples of components designed or contributions made to a design system, highlighting documentation and consistency.

• Implementation Collaboration: Show how you have worked with engineering teams to ensure design fidelity during implementation, perhaps through annotated mockups or collaboration logs.

• Iteration & Data-Driven Improvement: Present instances where user feedback or data led to design iterations and demonstrable improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is crucial for this role, as it directly demonstrates the candidate's ability to execute the core responsibilities. Candidates should focus on showcasing their problem-solving skills and the impact of their designs, rather than just presenting a collection of UI screens. Including case studies that highlight collaboration with engineering and data analysis will be particularly valuable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 3-5 years of experience in New York City, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between $110,000 - $150,000 annually. This range accounts for the company's established position in the market, the specialized nature of healthcare tech, and the cost of living in NYC.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans to cover employees and their dependents.

• Short-Term Disability Insurance: Company-sponsored coverage to provide income protection during short-term periods of disability.

• Generous Parental Leave: A fully paid 8-week parental leave policy for new parents, available after six months of employment.

• Retirement Savings: Company-sponsored 401k plan with potential matching contributions, available after three months of employment.

• Unlimited Vacation Policy: A flexible, trust-based unlimited vacation policy for salaried roles, encouraging work-life balance.

• Monthly Work-From-Home Stipend: Financial support for remote work expenses, reinforcing the hybrid work model.

• Company Offsites: Tri-annual company-wide events designed for team building, strategic planning, and reflection.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model offers flexibility in terms of location, but core working hours will likely align with team collaboration needs, typically within standard business hours (e.g., 9 AM - 5 PM ET), with flexibility managed by the team and manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on typical compensation for Product Designers with 3-5 years of experience in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City, considering the company's industry and size. The benefits package is robust, with a notable emphasis on parental leave and flexible vacation policies, aligning with modern tech company offerings.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Medical Reference & Clinical Decision Support. MDCalc operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology, providing essential tools for medical professionals. This industry demands a high degree of accuracy, credibility, and user trust.

Company Size: MDCalc is a growing company with a significant global reach. While not explicitly stated in the raw data, its claim of being used by over 65% of physicians worldwide suggests a substantial user base and likely a mid-to-large sized organization with dedicated departments for product, engineering, sales, and marketing.

Founded: Founded in 2005, MDCalc has a long-standing presence in the digital health space, indicating stability and deep domain expertise. This history suggests a culture that values experience and continuous improvement.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional Embedded Design: The Product Designer will be embedded within cross-functional teams, working directly alongside Product Managers and Engineers. This structure promotes close collaboration and rapid iteration.

• Product & Engineering Focus: The primary reporting line and collaboration will be within the product development lifecycle, emphasizing a user-centric and data-driven approach.

• Commercial Integration: The role also involves collaboration with commercial initiatives, indicating that designers will interface with sales, marketing, or business development teams to understand and design for revenue-generating features.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design: Emphasis on understanding clinician workflows and patient outcomes to drive design decisions.

• Data-Informed Iteration: Utilization of behavioral data and user feedback to continuously improve product experiences.

• Agile Development: Integration into sprint and discovery workflows, reflecting a fast-paced, iterative development process.

• Design System Governance: Commitment to maintaining a consistent and scalable design language across the platform.

Company Website: https://mdcalc.com

📝 Enhancement Note: MDCalc's mission to improve patient outcomes through essential clinical decision tools shapes its culture. The company values clinical credibility, user trust, and the impact of its technology. The hybrid work environment and focus on collaboration suggest a culture that balances autonomy with team synergy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer, requiring 3-5 years of experience. It offers a hands-on design opportunity with significant autonomy in shaping user experiences. It's a crucial role for bridging user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Head of Product Design, or a Product Manager, depending on the specific team structure. The emphasis on collaboration with Product and Engineering suggests a flat or matrixed reporting structure within project teams.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer plays a pivotal role in the success of MDCalc by ensuring its tools are usable, credible, and effective for clinicians. Their work directly impacts user adoption, engagement, and satisfaction, which in turn influences the platform's authority and commercial success. Designing for both clinical utility and commercial surfaces means the role has a direct impact on revenue and market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepen Domain Expertise: Opportunity to become an expert in healthcare technology, clinical workflows, and the specific needs of medical professionals.

• Lead Design Initiatives: Potential to lead design for major features or product areas, taking on more strategic responsibilities.

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to contribute significantly to or lead the evolution of the design system, potentially becoming a system owner.

• Mentorship: As experience grows, opportunities to mentor junior designers and contribute to team best practices.

• Cross-functional Skill Development: Exposure to product strategy, data analysis, and commercial aspects of the business can broaden skill sets beyond core design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth trajectory for a Product Designer at MDCalc likely involves specializing in healthcare UX, taking on more complex projects, and potentially moving into senior or lead design roles. The hybrid nature and embedded team structure encourage continuous learning and broad exposure.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: MDCalc offers a hybrid work environment, combining remote flexibility with a physical office presence. The office is located in Greenwich Village, NYC, suggesting a vibrant, accessible urban workspace.

Office Location(s): Greenwich Village, New York City. This location is known for its cultural hub status and accessibility via public transportation.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The NYC office likely serves as a central point for team collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and in-person meetings.

• Modern Tools & Technology: Designers will have access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools, with Figma being central to the workflow.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages intentional in-person interaction for key design discussions, workshops, and team building, while embracing remote work for focused individual tasks.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule (approx. 40 hours/week) is expected. The hybrid arrangement allows for flexibility in where work is performed, but core collaboration hours will need to be observed to ensure seamless interaction with the NYC-based office and remote team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model in a prime NYC location suggests a company that values both flexibility and the benefits of in-person collaboration. Designers should anticipate a dynamic environment where they can leverage remote focus time and in-office synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess qualifications and fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A dedicated session where you present 1-3 key case studies from your portfolio, discussing your process, decisions, and outcomes. Expect in-depth questions about your design rationale and problem-solving approach.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: You may be given a small design exercise or a take-home challenge to assess your skills in a practical scenario, potentially related to a specific MDCalc feature or problem.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineers to evaluate your collaboration style, technical understanding, and ability to work within an agile team.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to assess overall fit, career aspirations, and alignment with company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate the "why" behind your design decisions, showcasing your problem-solving methodology.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success and impact of your designs.

• Tailor to MDCalc: Select case studies that best align with MDCalc's mission, user base (clinicians), and the types of challenges they face (data-dense interfaces, clinical credibility).

• Highlight Collaboration: Show how you’ve worked with engineers and product managers, and how you’ve handled feedback.

• Demonstrate Figma & Design System Skills: Be prepared to discuss your experience with Figma and design systems, ideally showcasing examples within your case studies.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with MDCalc's platform, its users (clinicians), and the types of medical information it presents.

• Practice Problem Framing: Be ready to break down a given problem into its core components and user needs.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Understand that design often involves trade-offs; be prepared to discuss why you made certain decisions and what alternatives you considered.

• Focus on Clarity and Credibility: For healthcare-related challenges, emphasize clear communication and maintaining clinical credibility in your proposed solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess not only design skills but also collaboration, communication, and domain suitability. A strong portfolio that clearly articulates the design process and impact is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for wireframing, prototyping, visual design, and collaboration. Proficiency is essential.

• Design System Tools: Tools associated with managing and contributing to a design system (e.g., Storybook, Zeroheight, or Figma's own component features).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics for understanding user behavior and product performance.

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools that help analyze and present data (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or even advanced Excel/Google Sheets).

CRM & Automation: (Less direct for this role, but contextually relevant)

• Project Management Tools: Familiarity with agile project management tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking tasks and sprints.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for day-to-day team communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a non-negotiable requirement. Experience with user analytics platforms and data visualization tools is highly beneficial as the role involves using data to drive design iterations and demonstrating impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Clinical Credibility: A deep commitment to accuracy, evidence-based content, and maintaining the trust of healthcare professionals.

• User-Centricity: A relentless focus on understanding and serving the needs of clinicians to improve patient outcomes.

• Impact & Mission: A shared dedication to MDCalc's mission of making medicine more accessible and effective globally.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, shared ownership, and a willingness to learn from each other across disciplines.

• Craftsmanship & Detail: A pride in producing high-quality, well-executed work at all levels of fidelity.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded & Integrated: Designers work closely within product teams, fostering seamless collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers from discovery through launch.

• Data-Driven Feedback Loops: Regular use of user data and feedback to inform design decisions and iterate on solutions.

• Open Communication: Encouragement of clear articulation of design rationale and constructive feedback.

• Agile Cadence: Participation in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at MDCalc is strongly driven by its mission in healthcare. Designers are expected to be collaborative, detail-oriented, and dedicated to creating high-impact products that clinicians can trust.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Clinical Complexity with Usability: Designing for data-dense, information-heavy medical interfaces that are also intuitive and easy for busy clinicians to use.

• Bridging Design and Revenue: Effectively designing commercial-facing user experiences that align with revenue goals without compromising user trust or clinical credibility.

• Maintaining Design System Scalability: Ensuring the design system can support rapid feature development across diverse product areas while remaining consistent and accessible.

• Context Switching: Managing multiple projects across different product lines and workstreams simultaneously, requiring strong organizational and prioritization skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Healthcare UX Specialization: Deepen expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities of designing for the healthcare industry.

• Advanced Design System Contributions: Take on more significant roles in shaping the design system's architecture and governance.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Develop a stronger understanding of product strategy, data analytics, and business development through close collaboration.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design practice within MDCalc.

• Industry Trends: Stay abreast of evolving UX/UI best practices, accessibility standards, and technologies relevant to medical reference and clinical decision support.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges in this role are significant but offer substantial growth potential. Overcoming them requires strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to a complex, mission-driven environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a highly data-dense interface. What were the key challenges, and how did you approach them?" (Focus on information hierarchy, clarity, and efficient interaction patterns.)

• "How do you balance user needs with business objectives, especially when designing commercial-facing features?" (Highlight your process for understanding both stakeholder requirements and user pain points, and how you advocate for user-centric solutions.)

• "Walk us through your process for contributing to or maintaining a design system. What are the critical elements for success?" (Discuss component design, documentation, versioning, and collaboration with engineering.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in MDCalc and our mission to improve clinical decision-making?" (Research MDCalc's impact, its use by clinicians, and connect it to your own values or career aspirations.)

• "How do you approach user research, and how has it informed your design decisions in the past?" (Be ready with specific examples of research methods used and the resulting design changes.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, your process, key decisions, solutions, and measurable outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visual aids (mockups, prototypes, flow diagrams) to illustrate your points effectively.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions on specific design choices, trade-offs, and how you handled challenges.

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with cross-functional teams and incorporated their feedback.

• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Be ready to navigate your Figma files or share specific examples of component usage or prototyping techniques.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a deep understanding of the design process, strong collaboration skills, and a genuine interest in MDCalc's mission. Being able to articulate the "why" behind design decisions and quantify impact will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to highlight 2-3 of your strongest end-to-end product design case studies. Prioritize examples that showcase data-dense interfaces, user research, design system contributions, and collaboration with engineering.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your years of experience, specific skills (Figma, UX/UI, Design Systems, User Research), and achievements in product design roles. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and rationale. Be ready to present your portfolio and discuss your experience with healthcare tech or professional SaaS if applicable. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research MDCalc's mission, products, and target audience (clinicians). Understand their unique position in the healthcare technology landscape and how your design skills can contribute to their success.

⚠️ 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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