Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Pogo Technologies

Location: Brooklyn, Ohio, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-08T12:45:04

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

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive product design and creative direction for a new B2B consumer insights platform and a growing consumer app with 3 million users.

• Design core product experiences end-to-end, focusing on polished, delightful interfaces that build trust and showcase data/AI technology.

• Contribute to defining the product roadmap, design language, systems, and culture within a fast-paced startup environment.

• Collaborate closely with engineering and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams, acting as one of two designers to ship high-quality work.

• Leverage LLMs and other advanced design tools to achieve "escape velocity design" and make strategic tradeoffs for rapid iteration.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer", the responsibilities and company context strongly suggest a role focused on UI/UX design for both B2B enterprise and B2C applications, with a significant emphasis on rapid iteration and leveraging AI tools in the design workflow. The "2-5 years" experience level aligns with a mid-level designer who can work independently but also benefits from senior guidance.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process for core product experiences across the B2B platform and consumer app, from initial concept and exploration to launch and post-launch iteration.

• Create visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces, paying meticulous attention to layout, typography, spacing, color, motion, and interaction design to enhance user trust and product appeal.

• Actively participate in product roadmap discussions, contributing to strategic decisions and laying the foundational elements for the company's design language, scalable design systems, and overall design culture.

• Manage design tradeoffs and make near-term compromises while maintaining a strong product vision and awareness of future improvements, embodying the "Calculated Speed" value.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering and GTM teams to ensure seamless product development and successful market launches, facilitating quick feedback loops and iterative improvements.

• Explore and integrate AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Claude, into the design workflow to enhance efficiency, ideation, and the creation of sophisticated AI interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a "full-stack designer" capability, requiring the candidate to be proficient from early ideation to detailed execution and iteration, with a keen eye for both B2B enterprise needs and B2C user delight.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is typically expected for Product Designer roles.

Experience: 2-5 years of professional experience designing software products.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in designing software products, with a strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design capabilities.

• High proficiency in Figma for rapid prototyping, design system development, and collaborative design workflows.

• Demonstrated ability to design polished, delightful, and trustworthy user interfaces with exceptional attention to detail in layout, typography, spacing, color, motion, and interactions.

• Experience in making strategic design tradeoffs and taking "calculated shortcuts" to achieve rapid iteration and meet fast-paced startup timelines.

• Strong product intuition and the ability to create simple, clear user experiences, while remaining open to iterating based on user data and feedback.

• Full-stack design capabilities, including the ability to take experiences from scratch and work cross-functionally with product and engineering.

• Experience using LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) in the design workflow for ideation, content generation, or other design-related tasks.

• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly with engineering and GTM teams. Preferred Skills:

• Previous experience working in a startup environment.

• Experience designing AI interactions or enterprise-grade products.

• Experience in establishing or contributing to design systems and design languages.

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and translating user feedback into design solutions.

• Knowledge of best practices for B2B enterprise product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "escape velocity design," "calculated speed," and leveraging LLMs points to a need for a designer who is not only skilled but also highly adaptable and efficient, capable of thriving in a dynamic, experimental startup culture.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio demonstrating end-to-end product design experience, with a strong emphasis on B2B and/or consumer applications.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the design problem, your process, the solutions you developed, and the impact of your work.

• Examples of how you've paid attention to detail in visual design, interaction design, and user experience polish.

• Demonstrations of your ability to work efficiently and make strategic tradeoffs in a fast-paced environment.

• Evidence of your proficiency with Figma and how you leverage it for design systems, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Specific examples showcasing your experience with AI interactions or enterprise-grade product design, if applicable. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail your process for exploring problems, iterating on solutions, and incorporating feedback.

• Highlight your approach to defining and applying design languages and systems.

• Showcase how you collaborate with engineering and GTM teams throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Include examples of how you've managed to ship high-quality work under tight deadlines or in ambiguous situations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should not only showcase design skills but also the candidate's ability to contribute to defining design systems and culture, and their capacity for rapid, strategic iteration in a startup context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the location (Brooklyn, Ohio), the experience level (2-5 years), and the company's statement of offering "above-market salaries & equity" for this role, a competitive salary range would likely fall between $100,000 - $140,000 USD annually. This estimate considers the cost of living in a mid-sized US city, the demand for skilled product designers in tech startups, and the company's explicit commitment to offering above-market compensation.

Benefits:

• Equity: Significant stock options or grants, reflecting the early-stage nature of the company and the desire to reward impactful contributions.

• Unlimited PTO: Flexibility and trust for employees to manage their time off, promoting work-life balance.

• Minimum 20 Days Vacation Policy: A guaranteed minimum vacation period, ensuring employees take adequate time to recharge, even within an unlimited PTO framework.

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Standard comprehensive benefits package.

• Professional Development Support: Opportunities for learning, attending conferences, or acquiring new skills relevant to product design and AI.

Working Hours: While the company states "raw hours make an impact at our current stage" and expects more than 9-to-5 at times, they also emphasize trust in team members to create a flexible work schedule that allows for maximum productivity and accommodates other priorities. A standard full-time role typically implies around 40 hours per week, with flexibility built in.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for mid-level Product Designers in US tech startups, adjusted for the specific location and the company's stated compensation philosophy. The benefits listed are directly from the job description.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on consumer insights, data analytics, and AI-driven platforms. Pogo Technologies operates at the intersection of B2B SaaS for brands/retailers and a B2C consumer application, leveraging purchase-verified data.

Company Size: Early-stage startup. As the second product designer, the team is small and growing. This implies a lean, agile, and highly collaborative environment where individual contributions have a significant impact.

Founded: While the founding date is not provided, the description suggests a company that has moved beyond the initial seed stage and is actively building out its core product and team, aiming for significant growth and enterprise adoption.

Team Structure:

• The design team currently consists of a Lead Product Designer and this role, making it a very small and focused design function.

• Collaboration is expected to be highly cross-functional, with close partnerships between designers, engineers, and GTM (Go-To-Market) teams.

• The culture values "product thinking" across all roles, implying a shared obsession with building great products.

• There's an emphasis on "Calculated Speed" and rapid iteration, suggesting a bias for action and learning. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making, with quick feedback loops from users and data informing product direction.

• Emphasis on experimentation and a willingness to pivot based on insights.

• Design processes are likely lean and agile, prioritizing shipping and iterating over extensive, formal processes.

• Active use of LLMs in the design workflow.

Company Website: joinpogo.com (inferred from the source domain)

📝 Enhancement Note: The small team size and early stage mean that the culture is still being defined. This presents an opportunity for the new designer to shape it but also requires comfort with ambiguity and a proactive approach.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Product Designer (2-5 years experience). The "second Product Designer" title signifies a crucial early hire who will be instrumental in building out the design function, not just executing tasks. This implies a significant level of autonomy and responsibility beyond typical mid-level roles.

Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to the Lead Product Designer, who is described as having previous experience at Figma, Slack, and Glean. This offers a valuable mentorship opportunity with a seasoned design leader.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer will have a direct and substantial impact on the core product experience for both B2B enterprise clients and a large B2C user base. Decisions made will shape user acquisition, engagement, retention, and the overall perception of Pogo Technologies as a leading consumer insights platform. The role is pivotal in laying the groundwork for future design scale and sophistication.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As the team grows, there will be opportunities to take on more senior responsibilities, potentially leading specific product areas or mentoring junior designers.

• Design System Ownership: The role is explicitly tasked with helping to define and build the design language and systems, offering a chance to own critical foundational elements of the design practice.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Deep collaboration with engineering and GTM will foster a strong understanding of product development and market strategy, broadening career options within product-focused roles.

• AI Design Specialization: Gaining hands-on experience designing with and for AI technologies can position the designer for high-demand roles in the future.

• Startup Experience: Successfully navigating the challenges and rapid growth of an early-stage startup provides invaluable experience applicable to future leadership roles in tech.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "second designer" aspect is key here; this isn't just a contributor role but a foundational one that offers significant growth potential in shaping the design practice from its early stages.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is listed as "TELECOMMUTE" and #LI-Remote, indicating a fully remote work arrangement. This means there is no central office for this role, and work is conducted from a home office.

Office Location(s): While the derived location is Brooklyn, Ohio, the remote nature suggests that the employee can work from anywhere within the United States, as long as they can effectively collaborate with the team. The company may have operational hubs or a headquarters elsewhere, but this specific role is remote.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The workspace will be virtual, relying heavily on digital communication and collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Figma, video conferencing).

• Flexibility: The remote setup allows for flexible working hours, enabling individuals to structure their day around peaks of productivity and personal commitments, as long as deadlines are met.

• Autonomy: Expect a high degree of autonomy in managing your workday and environment.

• Technology Stack: Access to a robust set of digital tools for design, communication, and project management will be essential.

Work Schedule: The company emphasizes "Calculated Speed" and expects "raw hours make an impact," suggesting a demanding pace. However, they also explicitly state trust in team members to create a flexible schedule that allows for maximum productivity while accommodating other priorities. This implies a results-oriented approach rather than strict adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule, with a strong encouragement for taking time off (minimum 20 days vacation, plus unlimited PTO).

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature is a critical aspect, requiring strong self-discipline, excellent virtual communication skills, and the ability to create a productive home office environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a brief call with HR or a recruiter to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A significant part of the process will involve presenting your portfolio, walking through case studies, and potentially completing a take-home design challenge or a live design exercise. This will assess your design thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate your process.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with engineering leads, product managers, and potentially the CEO or other co-founders to evaluate collaboration style, product intuition, and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Potentially a discussion with the Lead Product Designer or a co-founder to solidify fit and discuss the vision for the design function.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase End-to-End Process: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your research/discovery phase, ideation, design iterations, final solution, and impact.

• Highlight Detail & Polish: Explicitly point out the details in your work – typography, spacing, interaction design, motion – and explain why they matter.

• Emphasize Collaboration: If possible, show how you worked with engineers and PMs. Mention any feedback loops or iterative processes.

• Demonstrate Speed & Adaptability: Include examples where you had to iterate quickly or make tradeoffs. Explain your reasoning for "calculated shortcuts."

• AI & Enterprise Focus: If you have relevant experience, highlight projects involving AI interactions or enterprise-grade software design.

• Figma Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your Figma workflow, including how you use it for design systems and prototyping.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Pogo's Product: Research Pogo Technologies, their consumer insights platform, and their consumer app. Understand their target users (brands/retailers and consumers) and their value proposition.

• Anticipate Design Problems: Consider potential design challenges for a B2B platform connecting brands with purchase-verified consumers, or for a consumer app in this space.

• Think "Calculated Speed": If given a challenge, focus on delivering a well-reasoned solution quickly, rather than aiming for absolute perfection. Be prepared to explain your tradeoffs.

• Articulate AI Integration: Be ready to discuss how AI could be leveraged in the product or in your design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh the candidate's ability to demonstrate practical design skills, strategic thinking, and adaptability in a fast-paced, remote startup environment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management. Proficiency is essential.

• LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude): Expected to be used within the design workflow for ideation, content generation, or exploring AI-driven design solutions.

• Prototyping Tools: Likely advanced Figma prototyping capabilities, or potentially other tools for more complex interactions if needed.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed, expect to interact with data and analytics tools used by the company to understand user behavior and product performance. This could include tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or internal dashboards.

• Ability to interpret user data and feedback to inform design decisions is crucial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly in the designer's purview but understanding how the product integrates with or supports CRM and sales automation processes for B2B clients would be beneficial.

• Familiarity with how design impacts user onboarding and adoption within these systems is valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and LLMs indicates a modern, efficient design stack. The designer will need to be comfortable with digital collaboration tools and potentially learning new systems as required.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Calculated Speed: A core value emphasizing rapid iteration, shipping quickly, and making pragmatic tradeoffs to move fast in a startup environment.

• Product Obsession: A company-wide focus on product thinking, where everyone is invested in building the best possible product.

• Design Matters: A deep appreciation for high-quality design, with leadership that understands and values its importance.

• Data-Driven Experimentation: A culture of testing assumptions, gathering user feedback, and pivoting based on data and insights.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working cross-functionally and openly sharing ideas and feedback.

Collaboration Style:

• Close-Knit Teams: Working in small, cross-functional teams (designer, engineer, GTM) requires strong communication and mutual respect.

• Open Feedback: Expect an environment where constructive feedback is regularly exchanged to drive product improvement.

• Shared Ownership: A sense of collective responsibility for the product's success, from design to delivery.

• Lean Processes: Collaboration will likely be facilitated through agile methodologies, with an emphasis on efficient communication channels like Slack and Figma.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture is geared towards highly motivated individuals who thrive in fast-paced, experimental environments and are passionate about building impactful products. The values are actionable and directly influence daily work.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity and Shifting Priorities: The startup environment means priorities can change quickly, requiring adaptability and resilience.

• Limited Design Overhead: As one of two designers, there's no dedicated UX research team or extensive design management structure, meaning the designer must be self-sufficient and proactive.

• Rapid Design-to-Ship Cycles: The "Calculated Speed" value means designing and iterating very quickly, with designs potentially shipping within a week. This requires efficiency and comfort with rapid iteration.

• Balancing B2B Enterprise Needs with B2C User Experience: Designing for a platform that serves both sophisticated enterprise clients and a broad consumer base requires careful consideration of different user needs and expectations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mentorship from Lead Designer: Opportunity to learn from a seasoned designer with experience at top tech companies.

• Foundational Design Role: Chance to significantly influence and build out the design practice, language, and systems from the ground up.

• AI Design Experience: Gaining practical experience designing with and for AI technologies, a highly sought-after skill.

• Startup Growth Experience: Developing skills in adaptability, problem-solving in ambiguous situations, and contributing to rapid growth.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Deepening understanding of product management, engineering processes, and go-to-market strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly linked to the growth opportunities, offering a steep learning curve and significant potential for professional development for the right candidate.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex feature with limited user data. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses product intuition, ability to handle ambiguity, and decision-making process.)

• "How would you approach building a design system for a product that serves both enterprise clients and millions of consumers?" (Tests understanding of design systems at scale and ability to balance diverse user needs.)

• "Walk us through a project where you had to make significant tradeoffs to ship quickly. What was your thought process, and what did you learn?" (Evaluates understanding of 'Calculated Speed' and strategic decision-making.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Pogo Technologies' mission and our consumer insights product?" (Assesses genuine interest and alignment with company goals.)

• "How do you see yourself contributing to shaping Pogo's design culture from the ground up?" (Explores proactive mindset and leadership potential.)

• "Describe your experience working in a fast-paced, iterative startup environment. What are the biggest challenges and rewards for you?" (Gauges fit with the company's operating model.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: Frame your case studies as narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your approach, your specific contributions, the solution, and the impact (quantifiable if possible).

• Focus on Process & Rationale: Explain why you made certain design decisions, not just what you designed. Highlight your thinking behind UI elements, interactions, and user flows.

• Showcase Detail and Polish: Point out specific examples of your attention to detail in visual design, typography, and micro-interactions.

• Address Collaboration: Mention how you worked with engineers and product managers, and how feedback influenced your designs.

• Be Ready for Live Design/Critique: Prepare for potential live design exercises or a critique of your existing work, demonstrating your thought process in real-time.

• Highlight AI/LLM Usage: If applicable, clearly articulate how you've integrated AI tools into your workflow and the benefits gained.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not only their design skills but also their strategic thinking, adaptability, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and remote startup environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.gem.com.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best represent your end-to-end product design process, ideally showcasing B2B enterprise and/or consumer app experience. Tailor your portfolio to highlight your Figma proficiency, attention to detail, and experience with rapid iteration.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your years of experience, key skills (Figma, UI/UX, B2B/Enterprise Design, AI interaction design), and achievements relevant to the role. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your selected case studies, focusing on your design thinking, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your process for handling ambiguity and shipping quickly.

• Research Pogo Technologies: Understand their product, target audience, and company mission. Familiarize yourself with their values like "Calculated Speed" and "product obsession." Prepare thoughtful questions about the design team's vision and challenges.

⚠️ 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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