Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer Company: Metropolis Location: Los Angeles, California, United States Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design Date Posted: 2026-05-12 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design process for innovative product features, bridging the gap between digital platforms and physical-world experiences within the emerging "Recognition Economy."
• Conduct user research and usability testing to inform design decisions and ensure seamless, intuitive user journeys across diverse touchpoints, including parking, security, and hospitality.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineers to translate requirements into technically feasible and aesthetically compelling designs.
• Contribute to and maintain a robust design system, ensuring visual consistency and a high standard of craft across all Metropolis products.
• Leverage product analytics and customer feedback to proactively identify areas for improvement and iterate on existing features, optimizing user satisfaction and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Product Designer with a strong emphasis on UX/UI, user research, and the unique challenge of designing for experiences that span both digital interfaces and physical environments. The "Recognition Economy" concept suggests a focus on leveraging AI and data to personalize and streamline user interactions in real-world settings, requiring a designer adept at mapping and optimizing complex, multi-modal customer journeys.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the entire design lifecycle for assigned product features, from initial concept exploration, user journey mapping, and wireframing, through to high-fidelity prototyping and detailed developer handoff.
• Execute tactical user research initiatives, including moderated and unmoderated usability testing, in-depth user interviews, and persona development, to gather actionable insights and validate design hypotheses.
• Actively partner with Product Management to define product strategy and requirements, and with Engineering to ensure the technical feasibility and successful implementation of design solutions.
• Champion the development and adherence to Metropolis's design system, ensuring consistency in visual language, interaction patterns, and overall user experience across all digital and physical touchpoints.
• Proactively analyze product analytics data and customer feedback channels to identify user pain points, friction areas, and opportunities for iterative design improvements that enhance user engagement and operational effectiveness.
• Design seamless end-to-end user journeys that effectively bridge digital interactions (e.g., mobile app) with physical environments (e.g., parking garages, retail spaces), ensuring a fluid and intuitive transition for users.
• Contribute to the strategic vision of the "Recognition Economy" by conceptualizing and designing innovative solutions that leverage AI and data to enhance user access, comfort, and belonging.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on design role with end-to-end ownership. The emphasis on "Recognition Economy" and bridging digital-physical interfaces indicates a need for designers who can think holistically about user experiences that extend beyond the screen, requiring strong skills in journey mapping, service design principles, and cross-functional collaboration with both product and engineering teams.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 3+ years of professional experience in UX/UI design, product design, or a closely related field, with a proven track record of successfully shipping functional and aesthetically pleasing digital products.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and optimizing seamless end-to-end journeys that effectively bridge digital interfaces with physical environments, ensuring fluid user transitions.
• Proven ability to map and optimize user touchpoints that extend beyond the screen, integrating digital interactions with real-world experiences to create cohesive and intuitive journeys.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level proficiency in Figma for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.
• Strong command of prototyping tools (e.g., Figma's built-in capabilities, or others like InVision) to create interactive and high-fidelity prototypes for user testing and stakeholder presentations.
• Proven experience conducting user research methodologies, including usability testing, user interviews, and surveys, to gather qualitative and quantitative data.
• Ability to translate user research findings and product requirements into clear, actionable design specifications, including wireframes, user flows, and high-fidelity mockups.
• Skill in contributing to and maintaining design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to brand guidelines.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions, rationale, and trade-offs to cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• A strong growth mindset, with the ability to receive and incorporate constructive feedback effectively to refine designs and improve outcomes.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within a B2B2C SaaS or technology-driven environment, particularly with products that have a significant consumer-facing impact.
• Familiarity with AI-first code editors like Cursor, and experience leveraging AI tools to enhance the design and development workflow, potentially bridging the gap from static mockups to production-ready design.
• Experience using advanced prototyping tools such as ProtoPie for creating complex, logic-based prototypes that simulate real-world interactions and complex user flows.
• Experience with product analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to interpret data and inform design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The preferred skills suggest a forward-thinking company that values innovation and embraces emerging technologies. Experience with AI tools and advanced prototyping indicates a desire for designers who can push the boundaries of interactive design and potentially contribute to more automated design-to-development workflows. The B2B2C SaaS experience is relevant for understanding complex business models and user ecosystems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase at least 2-3 distinct projects that demonstrate a deep understanding of UX/UI principles and a successful track record of shipping functional products.
• Highlight projects specifically focused on designing seamless end-to-end journeys that bridge digital interfaces with physical environments, clearly illustrating how you mapped and optimized touchpoints beyond the screen.
• Include examples of how you've contributed to or utilized design systems, demonstrating your understanding of maintaining visual consistency and scalability.
• Present case studies that detail your design process, from initial problem definition and user research, through to ideation, prototyping, testing, and final implementation.
• Demonstrate proficiency in Figma, with clear examples of complex wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.

Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, clearly articulate your design process, including discovery methods, research techniques employed, and how findings influenced design decisions.
• Detail the iterative nature of your design process, showing how feedback (from users, stakeholders, or analytics) was incorporated to refine solutions.
• Provide examples of how you collaborated with product managers and engineers, illustrating the handoff process and any challenges overcome.
• If applicable, showcase how you used product analytics or customer feedback to identify friction points and iterate on existing features, demonstrating a data-informed design approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, particularly one that showcases the ability to design for hybrid digital-physical experiences. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their design process in detail, emphasizing user-centricity, iterative refinement, and successful collaboration. The inclusion of analytics and feedback loops in case studies will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $165,000 - $175,000 USD Annually The stated salary range is an estimate based on the provided compensation details and industry benchmarks for a Product Designer with 3+ years of experience in a high-cost-of-living area like Los Angeles. Actual compensation will be determined by individual qualifications, experience, skills, and location.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits
• 401(k) Plan with potential company match
• Short-term Disability Coverage
• Long-term Disability Coverage
• Basic Life Insurance
• Lucrative Stock Option Plan
• Performance-based Bonus Plans

Working Hours: The job description implies a standard full-time work week, likely around 40 hours, with a hybrid arrangement requiring 4 days in the office. Flexibility may be available, but the office-first model is a key component.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and competitive for a mid-level Product Designer in the Los Angeles tech market. The benefits package is robust, including equity and bonus potential, which are attractive for roles in growth-stage technology companies. The hybrid model with mandated office days is a significant factor for candidates to consider.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Real Estate Technology, Mobility Services. Metropolis operates at the intersection of several dynamic industries, aiming to revolutionize physical spaces through AI. Company Size: Metropolis is a growth-stage company, likely between 50-250 employees, indicated by the need for a structured design process and the mention of building culture as the organization grows. This size offers opportunities for significant impact and visibility. Founded: Metropolis was founded with the vision of creating the "Recognition Economy," suggesting a relatively recent founding date with a strong focus on innovation and future-forward technology. The company is building an ecosystem of technologies to transform everyday experiences.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely consists of a small, specialized group of designers working closely with dedicated Product Managers and Engineering squads.
• Reporting structure would typically involve a Design Lead or Head of Product, with designers reporting to them, fostering a collaborative and agile environment.
• Cross-functional collaboration is paramount, with designers working daily with Product, Engineering, and potentially Marketing and Operations teams to ensure a cohesive product experience.

Methodology:

• Data analysis and insights are central to Metropolis's operations, driven by the "Recognition Economy" concept, requiring designers to be data-informed.
• Workflow planning and optimization are key, especially in designing seamless transitions between digital and physical realms, implying a focus on process efficiency and user journey optimization.
• Automation and efficiency practices are likely core to the company's mission, with AI playing a significant role in enhancing these aspects of the user experience.

Company Website: metropolis.io

📝 Enhancement Note: Metropolis is positioning itself as a leader in AI-driven real-world solutions. The company culture appears to be innovative, fast-paced, and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on building a unique "Recognition Economy." For a designer, this means being part of a team that is defining new paradigms for user interaction in physical spaces.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a mid-level Product Designer role, suitable for individuals with 2-5 years of experience. It offers significant ownership and the opportunity to shape core product experiences without the extensive strategic burden of a senior or lead role. The focus is on execution, user empathy, and cross-functional collaboration.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a Senior Product Designer, Design Lead, or Head of Product. They will work within agile pods or feature teams, collaborating closely with Product Managers and Software Engineers. This structure allows for direct impact on product development cycles.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will have a direct impact on the user experience, influencing customer adoption, engagement, and satisfaction within the "Recognition Economy." Their designs will shape how millions of users interact with Metropolis's technology in real-world scenarios, directly contributing to the perceived value of the service and partner relationships.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in designing for physical-digital integrations, AI-driven experiences, and advanced prototyping, potentially becoming a subject matter expert.
• Career Advancement: Potential to grow into a Senior Product Designer role, taking on more complex projects, mentoring junior designers, and contributing more significantly to design strategy.
• Leadership Potential: With demonstrated success and leadership in driving design initiatives, there could be pathways toward leading design efforts for specific product areas or even managing a design team in the future.
• Cross-functional Exposure: Gaining experience working within a fast-paced tech startup environment, understanding the interplay between design, product, engineering, and business strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a solid foundation for a mid-level designer looking to make a tangible impact and grow within a cutting-edge tech company. The emphasis on hybrid digital-physical design and AI positions the designer for in-demand skills in the evolving tech landscape.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Metropolis has an "office-first" model, requiring 4 days in the office per week. This indicates a preference for in-person collaboration, fostering organic interactions, and building a strong team culture. The environment is likely dynamic and focused on innovation.

Office Location(s): Los Angeles, California, United States. This location is a major tech hub, offering access to a vibrant ecosystem of talent and resources. Specific office details regarding amenities or accessibility would need to be confirmed directly.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The 4-day in-office requirement emphasizes a collaborative workspace designed to encourage spontaneous discussions, brainstorming sessions, and team cohesion.
• Tools and Technology: Designers will have access to industry-standard design tools like Figma. The company's focus on AI and innovative technology suggests that the workspace may incorporate modern technological solutions to support design and development workflows.
• Team Interaction: The office setting facilitates direct interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders, promoting efficient communication and a shared understanding of project goals.

Work Schedule: While the core expectation is 4 days in the office, the typical work schedule for a full-time role would be around 40 hours per week. The hybrid nature offers some flexibility, but the emphasis is on in-person presence for a significant portion of the week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mandatory 4 days in the office is a key characteristic of this role and work environment. Candidates should be comfortable with this structure and understand its intent—to foster collaboration and culture. This setup is typical for growth-stage companies that prioritize team synergy and rapid iteration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and salary expectations.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: Candidates will present their portfolio, focusing on projects that demonstrate relevant experience in UX/UI, digital-physical integrations, and process. A design challenge may be assigned, requiring candidates to solve a specific problem related to Metropolis's domain.
• Technical Interviews: Discussions with Product Managers and Engineering leads to assess technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration style. This may involve deep dives into specific case studies or hypothetical scenarios.
• Final Round: Interviews with senior leadership (e.g., Head of Product, CTO) to evaluate strategic thinking, cultural alignment, and overall fit for the company's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Hybrid Experiences: Prioritize projects that explicitly showcase your ability to design for seamless transitions between digital interfaces and physical environments. Clearly articulate the user journey and the specific design decisions made to bridge this gap.
• Showcase Process & Rationale: For each project, walk through your thought process. Explain why you made certain design decisions, supported by user research, data, or strategic objectives. Use diagrams, user flows, and wireframes to illustrate your approach.
• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to navigate your Figma files, showcasing your organization, component usage, and prototyping capabilities. Highlight any contributions to or experience with design systems.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your designs using metrics (e.g., conversion rate improvements, task completion times, user satisfaction scores). If exact metrics aren't available, discuss how you would measure success.
• Tailor to Metropolis: Research Metropolis's "Recognition Economy" concept and their work in parking, mobility, and hospitality. Frame your experience and projects in a way that aligns with their mission and challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with the challenges of integrating digital services with physical spaces, especially in areas like parking, access control, and hospitality.
• Focus on User Journey: Approach any design challenge by first defining the user, their goals, and the context of their interaction. Map out the end-to-end journey, identifying key touchpoints and potential pain points.
• Iterative Design: Show that you can think iteratively. Outline potential solutions, discuss trade-offs, and explain how you would test and refine them.
• Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your design decisions concisely and effectively, as if presenting to a mixed audience of designers, product managers, and engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess a candidate's end-to-end design capabilities, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit. The portfolio is central, with a specific emphasis on hybrid digital-physical design. Candidates should prepare to articulate their process and rationale thoroughly, demonstrating how their work aligns with Metropolis's innovative mission.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaborative workflows. Expect to use its advanced features for component creation, auto layout, and interactive prototyping.
• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, experience with advanced tools like ProtoPie is a plus for creating highly interactive, logic-based prototypes that can simulate complex real-world interactions.
• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting and analyzing usability tests (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze) and managing user feedback.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools: Experience with platforms like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Amplitude is beneficial for understanding user behavior, identifying trends, and informing design iterations based on data.
• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools for creating dashboards and reports (e.g., Tableau, Looker Studio) may be helpful for communicating design impact to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's tool, understanding how user data flows through CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and how automation impacts user journeys can be valuable context for designing integrated experiences.
• AI-first Code Editors: Experience with tools like Cursor is a plus, indicating an interest in leveraging AI to streamline workflows and potentially bridge design and development more effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable. The emphasis on advanced prototyping tools and analytics indicates a desire for a designer who can create sophisticated, data-informed experiences. Familiarity with AI tools suggests a company that is at the forefront of integrating AI into its product development process.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: A strong drive to pioneer new solutions and push the boundaries of what's possible, particularly in leveraging AI for real-world applications.
• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving users, ensuring that technology enhances their lives and makes experiences feel "instinctive and magical."
• Collaboration: An emphasis on teamwork, open communication, and shared problem-solving across departments to achieve common goals.
• Craftsmanship & Quality: A dedication to building beautiful, functional, and high-quality products that meet a high bar for user experience and visual design.
• Growth Mindset: Encouraging continuous learning, embracing feedback, and adapting to new challenges and technologies.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely and collaboratively with Product Managers and Engineers, fostering a tight-knit product development team where design is involved from inception to launch.
• Open Feedback Loops: A culture that encourages constructive feedback, open dialogue, and iterative improvement. Designers should be comfortable giving and receiving feedback to refine designs and processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of insights, best practices, and learnings across the design team and with other departments to elevate the collective understanding and output.

📝 Enhancement Note: Metropolis values a culture of innovation, user focus, and strong collaboration. Designers are expected to be proactive, adaptable, and comfortable working in a dynamic team environment where feedback is integral to the development process.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: The "Recognition Economy" is a new frontier, meaning designers will face challenges in defining and validating user needs and optimal solutions in less-charted territory.
• Bridging Digital and Physical: Effectively designing for experiences that seamlessly transition between screen-based interactions and real-world physical environments requires a unique skill set and careful consideration of diverse user contexts.
• Balancing Innovation with Feasibility: Keeping pace with cutting-edge AI technology while ensuring designs are technically feasible and deliver tangible value to users and partners.
• Scaling Design Systems: As the company grows and product offerings expand, maintaining and scaling the design system to support new features and platforms will be an ongoing challenge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Skill Development: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-driven experiences, complex physical-digital integrations, and advanced prototyping techniques.
• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences, workshops, and engage with emerging technologies that inform product design.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Opportunities for mentorship from senior design or product leaders, and potential to take on leadership responsibilities as the team grows.
• Impactful Contribution: The chance to significantly shape a nascent product category and contribute to a company with a bold vision for the future.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents exciting challenges in a rapidly evolving field. Designers who thrive in ambiguous environments and are eager to tackle complex, novel problems will find significant growth opportunities at Metropolis.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed a product or feature that bridged a digital interface with a physical experience. What were the key challenges, and how did you address them?" (Prepare a specific case study from your portfolio that highlights this. Focus on user journeys, touchpoints, and your process.)
• "How do you approach balancing user needs with technical constraints and business goals when designing a new feature?" (Discuss your decision-making framework, emphasizing trade-offs and collaborative problem-solving.)
• "Imagine we are designing a new AI-powered feature for our parking service that anticipates a user's needs. How would you approach the initial discovery and concept phase?" (Outline your research methods, ideation techniques, and how you'd validate early concepts.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Metropolis's vision for the 'Recognition Economy'?" (Research the company's mission and articulate your genuine interest and how your skills align.)
• "How do you contribute to a collaborative team environment, especially within a hybrid work model?" (Provide examples of your communication style, how you give/receive feedback, and how you foster teamwork.)
• "How do you ensure your designs are inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of users?" (Discuss your approach to accessibility in design and any relevant experience.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Structure your portfolio presentation as a narrative for each project. Start with the problem, introduce the user, explain your process and solutions, and conclude with the impact and learnings.
• Visual Clarity: Use high-quality visuals (mockups, prototypes, user flows) and keep text concise. Focus on demonstrating the why behind your design choices.
• Interactive Demo: Be prepared to walk through interactive prototypes in Figma or other tools, showcasing the user experience and key interactions.
• Q&A Readiness: Anticipate questions about your process, design decisions, challenges overcome, and how you measure success. Be ready to discuss quantifiable results.
• Connect to Metropolis: Explicitly draw parallels between your experience and the challenges and opportunities at Metropolis. Show you've done your research.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on showcasing practical problem-solving skills, a deep understanding of the design process, and the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly. Candidates should be ready to demonstrate their expertise with Figma and their ability to design for unique digital-physical scenarios relevant to Metropolis's domain.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Metropolis's career page (likely Greenhouse).
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects that demonstrate your experience with UX/UI design, end-to-end journey mapping (especially across digital and physical realms), and Figma proficiency. Tailor the selection to highlight your understanding of how technology can enhance real-world experiences.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 3+ years of relevant experience, specific product achievements, and proficiency in key tools like Figma. Use action verbs and quantify your impact where possible, incorporating keywords like "Product Design," "UX/UI," "User Research," and "Digital-Physical Integration."
• Prepare Your Narrative: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough, focusing on storytelling and clearly articulating your design process, rationale, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with user research and how you translate insights into design solutions.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Metropolis, its "Recognition Economy" vision, and its products in parking, mobility, and hospitality. Understand their value proposition and consider how your design approach can contribute to their mission.

⚠️ 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.