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: 2026-08-05T18:29:34

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end design process for innovative product features, from initial concept and wireframing through high-fidelity prototyping and developer handoff, focusing on bridging digital experiences with physical environments.

• Conduct rigorous user research, including usability testing and in-depth interviews, to gather actionable insights and translate them into tangible design improvements that enhance user journeys.

• Collaborate strategically with Product Managers and Engineering teams to define product requirements, ensure technical feasibility, and deliver seamless, intuitive user experiences.

• Champion and contribute to the evolution of the company's design system, ensuring visual consistency, adherence to brand guidelines, and a consistently high standard of craft across all digital and physical touchpoints.

• Proactively leverage product analytics and direct customer feedback to identify key friction points, propose data-driven solutions, and continuously iterate on existing features for optimal user satisfaction and business impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role emphasizes a unique blend of digital and physical design, requiring the candidate to think holistically about user journeys that extend beyond the screen. This is crucial for a company operating in the "Recognition Economy" that integrates technology with real-world experiences like parking, retail, and hospitality.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design lifecycle for assigned product features, encompassing user discovery, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final handoff to development teams.

• Execute tactical user research methodologies, including usability testing, user interviews, and surveys, to validate design hypotheses and inform iterative design improvements.

• Act as a key design liaison, partnering closely with Product Managers to understand business objectives and with Engineers to ensure the technical feasibility and successful implementation of design solutions.

• Develop, maintain, and advocate for the company's design system, ensuring consistency in UI elements, interaction patterns, and visual language across all product touchpoints.

• Analyze product usage data and customer feedback to identify areas for optimization, propose solutions, and drive measurable improvements in user engagement and task completion rates.

• Design seamless end-to-end user journeys that effectively bridge the gap between digital interfaces (e.g., mobile app) and physical environments (e.g., parking garages, retail spaces).

• Create high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes to effectively communicate design concepts, user flows, and interaction details to cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

• Contribute to the strategic product roadmap by identifying user needs and opportunities for innovation through design thinking and user-centered design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "map and optimize touchpoints that occur beyond the screen" is a critical differentiator for this role. Candidates will need to demonstrate a strong understanding of how physical interactions influence digital design and vice-versa, a key aspect of designing for the "Recognition Economy."

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field is typically expected for mid-level product design roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in UX/UI Design or Product Design, with a proven track record of shipping functional and aesthetically pleasing products.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated experience in end-to-end product design, from discovery through to launch and iteration.

• Proven ability to design seamless user journeys that integrate digital interfaces with physical environments.

• Expertise in mapping and optimizing user touchpoints that extend beyond the digital screen, ensuring fluid transitions between mobile and physical interactions.

• Expert-level proficiency in design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma.

• Skilled in conducting user research, including usability testing and qualitative interviews, to inform design decisions.

• Ability to articulate design decisions clearly and persuasively to diverse stakeholders (e.g., product managers, engineers, leadership).

• A strong growth mindset, with the capacity to receive and integrate constructive feedback into the design process.

• Experience contributing to or maintaining design systems to ensure brand consistency and efficiency.

• Familiarity with product analytics tools to identify user behavior patterns and areas for improvement. Preferred Skills:

• Experience within a B2B2C SaaS or technology-driven environment with a significant consumer-facing impact.

• Familiarity with AI-first code editors like Cursor for design-to-code workflows.

• Experience with advanced prototyping tools such as ProtoPie to create complex, logic-based prototypes.

• Understanding of the mobility, parking, or real estate technology sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on designing for physical environments and bridging digital-physical touchpoints suggests a need for candidates with experience in IoT, smart environments, or complex service design. Familiarity with tools like Cursor and ProtoPie indicates a desire for candidates who are at the forefront of design technology and AI integration.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating end-to-end product design projects.

• Clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and responsibilities, the design process followed, and the rationale behind key design decisions.

• Highlight projects that specifically demonstrate the ability to design for seamless transitions between digital interfaces and physical environments.

• Include examples of user research conducted, how it informed design, and the resulting impact on user experience or business metrics.

• Present wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes, showcasing your visual design skills and interaction design capabilities.

• Demonstrate experience in contributing to or utilizing design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Quantify the impact of your designs whenever possible, using metrics related to user engagement, task completion, conversion rates, or efficiency gains. Process Documentation:

• Clearly document the user research methodologies employed, including participant recruitment, interview scripts, and synthesis of findings.

• Detail the ideation and wireframing processes, illustrating how initial concepts evolved based on user feedback and technical constraints.

• Provide examples of prototyping techniques used, specifying the tools and fidelity achieved to test key interactions and user flows.

• Showcase developer handoff processes, including asset organization, style guides, and collaboration with engineering teams.

• Include documentation of how product analytics and customer feedback were used for post-launch iteration and optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on bridging digital and physical realms, portfolios should ideally include case studies that illustrate complex service design or interaction design within physical spaces, not just app-based interfaces. Demonstrating how to translate physical user needs into digital solutions is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The anticipated base salary for this position is $165,000.00 USD to $175,000.00 USD annually.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive healthcare benefits.

• 401(k) plan.

• Short-term disability coverage.

• Long-term disability coverage.

• Basic life insurance.

• Lucrative stock option plan.

• Bonus plans.

Working Hours: The standard working hours for this role are assumed to be approximately 40 hours per week, aligning with a full-time position. The company's "4 Days in Office" policy indicates a hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific to the Los Angeles, California, United States location. This range is considered competitive for a mid-level Product Designer with 3+ years of experience in a high-cost-of-living tech hub like Los Angeles. The detailed benefits package is typical for a growth-stage tech company aiming to attract and retain top talent. The "4 Days in Office" policy is a key aspect of the work arrangement, indicating a preference for in-person collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, AI, Real Estate, Mobility, Hospitality. Metropolis is pioneering the "Recognition Economy," aiming to make the physical world responsive through AI, transforming everyday experiences like parking and retail.

Company Size: Metropolis is a growing company, indicated by the need for experienced designers and a hybrid work model that values in-person collaboration. The specific size is not detailed but implies a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company is described as building an ecosystem of technologies and growing, suggesting it is past the early startup phase and into a scaling phase.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team likely collaborates closely with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Marketing/Brand teams.

• As a mid-level designer, you will report to a Design Lead or Head of Product, with potential for mentorship from more senior designers.

• Cross-functional collaboration is central, with designers expected to partner closely with Product Managers and Engineers throughout the product development lifecycle. Methodology:

• Design thinking and user-centered design principles are foundational.

• Emphasis on data-driven decision-making, using product analytics and customer feedback.

• Agile development methodologies are likely employed, requiring iterative design processes and close collaboration with engineering.

• A focus on building and maintaining a cohesive design system for scalability and consistency.

Company Website: Metropolis.io

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to create a "Recognition Economy" suggests a culture that values innovation, forward-thinking technology (AI), and seamless integration of digital and physical experiences. The "4 Days in Office" policy highlights a strong belief in the value of in-person collaboration for creativity and team cohesion.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a mid-level Product Designer role, requiring 3+ years of experience. It offers the opportunity to take ownership of specific product features and significantly influence user experience design. The role is crucial in defining how users interact with Metropolis's technology in both digital and physical spaces.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a Design Lead, Senior Product Designer, or Head of Product. Collaboration will be extensive with Product Managers and Engineering teams.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's impact is direct and significant, shaping the user experience of Metropolis's core offerings. By designing intuitive and magical experiences, they directly contribute to customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction, which in turn drives revenue and market adoption of the "Recognition Economy" vision.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in designing for physical-digital integrations, advanced prototyping (ProtoPie), and potentially AI-assisted design workflows (Cursor).

• Leadership Potential: Opportunity to lead design for key product initiatives, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the evolution of the design team and its processes as the company scales.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain valuable experience working with cutting-edge AI technology, real estate, and mobility sectors, broadening industry knowledge.

• Design System Ownership: Potential to take on more responsibility for the design system's architecture and governance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for a Product Designer at a company like Metropolis is likely to involve increasing scope of responsibility, leadership opportunities, and specialization in areas like physical-digital interaction design or AI-driven user experiences.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Metropolis has an "office-first" model, requiring team members to be on-site at least four days a week. This indicates a preference for a collaborative, in-person work environment.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Los Angeles, California. The specific office location within Los Angeles is not detailed but can be assumed to be a modern, well-equipped workspace designed to foster collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is designed to encourage organic interactions and spark creativity, aligning with the company's emphasis on in-person collaboration.

• Access to industry-standard design tools and technology, including Figma and potentially advanced prototyping tools.

• Opportunities for frequent interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and fellow designers, fostering a strong team dynamic.

• The environment is likely fast-paced and innovative, reflecting the company's mission to build the "Recognition Economy."

Work Schedule: While the core work is likely standard business hours (e.g., 9 AM - 6 PM PST), the hybrid model offers some flexibility, with 4 days required in the office. The nature of product design often involves project-based deadlines, which may require occasional flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 4-day in-office requirement is a significant factor for work-life balance and collaboration style. Candidates should be comfortable with this structured hybrid approach.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A presentation of your portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate your skills in end-to-end design, particularly for physical-digital interactions. This may be followed by a take-home design challenge or an in-person whiteboard exercise focused on a specific product problem.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your experience, design philosophy, problem-solving approach, and how you collaborate with product and engineering teams.

• Team Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to assess collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit.

• Final Round: May involve a presentation to senior leadership or a final discussion on strategic contributions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Craft a narrative around each case study, clearly explaining the problem, your approach, and the impact.

• Focus on Process: Detail your thought process, research methodologies, and decision-making rationale.

• Highlight Physical-Digital Integration: Showcase projects that explicitly address bridging digital interfaces with physical environments.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, and how you handle feedback.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Be ready to walk through your Figma files and explain your system usage.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Core Business: Research Metropolis, its mission ("Recognition Economy"), and its products (parking, retail, hospitality integrations).

• Think Holistically: For any design challenge, consider the entire user journey, including physical touchpoints.

• Prioritize: If given a broad problem, focus on a specific user segment or key interaction.

• Whiteboard Skills: Practice sketching and articulating ideas clearly on a whiteboard.

• AI Integration: Consider how AI could play a role in solving the problem, reflecting the company's focus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on physical-digital integration means interviewers will likely probe deeply into how you consider the real-world context of user interactions. Portfolios and challenges should reflect this.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expert-level proficiency is required for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, experience with advanced tools like ProtoPie (or similar) for logic-based prototypes is a significant plus.

• User Research Tools: Experience with platforms for usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze) and participant recruitment.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, identify trends, and measure feature adoption.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret data presented in dashboards or reports.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design impacts CRM data and user onboarding within a CRM context can be beneficial.

• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) for collaboration with engineering. AI-Assisted Design Tools:

• Experience with AI-first code editors like Cursor is a plus, indicating an interest in leveraging AI to streamline the design-to-development workflow.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable. The mention of ProtoPie and Cursor suggests the company is interested in designers who are pushing the boundaries of prototyping and exploring AI's role in the design process.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation: A drive to create a novel "Recognition Economy" and build magical, instinctive experiences.

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, both digital and physical.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on in-person teamwork, cross-functional partnerships, and open communication.

• Craftsmanship: A high bar for design quality, visual appeal, and seamless user experiences.

• Data-Driven: Utilizing analytics and feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Growth Mindset: Embracing challenges, learning from feedback, and continuously improving.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expect close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers, with designers actively participating in requirements definition and technical discussions.

• Iterative Design: A culture of continuous improvement, where designs are refined based on user feedback and data.

• Open Communication: Encouragement of candid feedback and transparent discussions to ensure the best ideas prevail.

• Shared Ownership: A team mentality where everyone contributes to the product's success, fostering a sense of collective responsibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values are deeply tied to its mission. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they embody these values in their design work and collaborative approach. The "4 Days in Office" policy is a strong indicator of their collaborative culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Bridging Physical & Digital: Designing for seamless transitions between app interfaces and real-world interactions in diverse environments (parking, retail, hospitality) is a complex challenge requiring unique problem-solving skills.

• AI Integration: Effectively incorporating AI into user experiences to create "magical" and "instinctive" interactions, while ensuring clarity and usability.

• Scalability: Designing solutions that can scale across multiple product lines and user bases while maintaining a high bar for craft and consistency.

• Rapid Growth Environment: Adapting to a fast-paced, evolving company where priorities may shift and new challenges emerge frequently.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Design Expertise: Gaining deep experience in designing for complex physical-digital ecosystems and AI-driven products.

• Advanced Tool Proficiency: Opportunities to master tools like ProtoPie and explore AI-assisted design workflows.

• Cross-Industry Exposure: Understanding the nuances of the mobility, real estate, and hospitality sectors.

• Leadership Development: Potential to take on design leadership roles as the company grows and the design team expands.

• Mentorship: Access to experienced product leaders and engineers for guidance and professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant opportunities for growth. Candidates who thrive on complex problems and enjoy pushing the boundaries of design will find this role particularly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you designed an experience that bridged a digital interface with a physical environment. What were the key challenges and how did you address them?"

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for our parking product that leverages AI to make the user experience more intuitive and 'magical'?"

• "Walk me through your process for conducting user research and how you translate findings into actionable design improvements, especially for complex user journeys."

• "Imagine we're launching a new partnership with a retail store. How would you ensure a seamless integration of our 'Recognition Economy' features into their customer journey?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Metropolis's mission to create the 'Recognition Economy'?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers, especially when there are differing opinions?"

• "Describe your experience contributing to or working with design systems. Why are they important?"

• "How do you stay updated on the latest trends in UX/UI design, AI, and interaction design?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with a high-level overview of your portfolio, then dive into 2-3 case studies. For each case study:

  • Context: Briefly introduce the company/product and the problem you were solving.
  • Your Role: Clearly define your responsibilities.
  • Process: Detail your research, ideation, design, and testing phases.
  • Solutions: Showcase key design artifacts (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) and explain your rationale.
  • Impact: Quantify results or discuss key learnings.

• Highlight Physical-Digital: Explicitly call out how each relevant case study addresses the integration of digital and physical experiences.

• Figma Walkthrough: Be prepared to navigate your Figma files to show your design process, component usage, and prototyping techniques.

• Engagement: Be ready to answer questions throughout your presentation and engage in a discussion about your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For strategy questions, think about the specific context of Metropolis – AI, physical spaces, real estate, mobility. For portfolio presentations, focus on demonstrating your ability to solve complex problems with elegant, user-centered solutions that consider the full spectrum of user interaction.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Metropolis careers portal via the provided Greenhouse link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your end-to-end design process, particularly those demonstrating experience with physical-digital integrations and complex user journeys. Ensure each case study clearly articulates the problem, your role, process, solution, and impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords from the job description, such as "Product Design," "UX/UI," "Figma," "User Research," "Prototyping," and "Physical-Digital Integration." Quantify your achievements with specific metrics where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies concisely and engagingly. Be ready to explain your design decisions, research insights, and the impact of your work. Prepare to discuss how you would approach design challenges specific to Metropolis's mission.

• Research Metropolis: Thoroughly investigate Metropolis's mission, products, and recent news. Understand their "Recognition Economy" vision and how design plays a role in achieving it. Familiarize yourself with their existing digital presence and any publicly available information about their physical integrations.

⚠️ 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.