Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Tetsuwan Scientific

Location: San Francisco, CA

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / GTM Operations (Design for Scientific Workflow Automation)

Date Posted: 2026-06-03

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead end-to-end product design initiatives, from initial user research and conceptualization to final UI implementation and engineer handoff.

• Develop innovative and user-friendly interfaces for lab automation, translating complex scientific protocols into intuitive digital experiences for expert users.

• Collaborate closely with software engineers, automation engineers, scientists, and founders to shape the product vision and user experience.

• Drive the design process in a fast-paced, seed-stage startup environment, significantly influencing the product's direction and user adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the core function described—designing interfaces for lab automation and scientific protocols—places this role at the intersection of product design and GTM Operations, specifically in enabling scientific operational efficiency through technology. The focus on user research, information architecture, and translating complex technical workflows into usable interfaces is critical for operational success in the life sciences domain.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive user research to understand the needs, workflows, and pain points of scientists using laboratory automation equipment.

• Define and iterate on information architecture and user flows for a novel protocol editor and compiler, ensuring clarity and control for expert users.

• Design intuitive and efficient user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for complex technical software, focusing on usability for scientists.

• Create detailed wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups using Figma and other design tools.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure seamless implementation of designs, providing clear specifications and design assets.

• Advocate for the user throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring that design decisions align with user needs and business objectives.

• Contribute to the overall product strategy by identifying opportunities for design innovation and user engagement.

• Develop and maintain a design system to ensure consistency and scalability across the product.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on designing for expert users in a highly technical domain (lab automation) requires a deep dive into user workflows and data structures. The responsibilities lean heavily towards understanding and optimizing operational processes within a scientific context, making this role crucial for GTM enablement in the life sciences tech sector.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• No specific degree is mandated, but a strong portfolio demonstrating design thinking and execution in complex technical domains is paramount. Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in software product design, with a proven track record of managing projects from inception to completion.

• Demonstrated experience in conducting user research, defining information architecture, and creating detailed UI/UX designs. Required Skills:

• End-to-End Project Management: Ability to lead design projects from user research and ideation through to polished UI and engineer handoff.

• Figma Fluency: Advanced proficiency in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design.

• User Research & Analysis: Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies to gather insights and inform design decisions.

• Information Architecture: Expertise in structuring complex information and workflows for intuitive navigation and usability.

• UI/UX Design: Proven ability to design user-centered interfaces for technical software, focusing on clarity, efficiency, and ease of use.

• Technical Acumen: Comfort and willingness to engage with multi-disciplinary technical complexity, including discussions with engineers and scientists.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for scientific domains, life sciences, lab workflows, or similar technical fields where users are domain experts.

• Familiarity with visual programming tools, node graph editors, projectional editors, program state visualization, or error/diagnostic tools.

• Experience working in a startup or small-team environment, particularly at the early (seed) stage.

• Understanding of frontend development principles and the interplay between design and technical constraints.

• A personal creative practice (e.g., illustration, motion design, printmaking) demonstrating a passion for making and design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to Have" section highlights a strong preference for candidates who can navigate highly technical domains without being a domain expert themselves, a common requirement in operations roles that bridge technology and specific business functions. This indicates the company values adaptability and a strong foundational design skill set over deep pre-existing scientific knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your ability to manage a design project from end-to-end. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem, your research process, design solutions, and the impact of your work.

• Workflow Optimization: Include examples where your design directly improved a user's workflow, efficiency, or reduced error rates, particularly in complex technical environments.

• System Design Examples: Present designs for software systems that handle complex data, logic, or automation, illustrating your ability to manage intricate information architecture.

• Problem-Solving Demonstration: Highlight instances where you tackled novel design challenges with few existing comparators, showcasing your research and iterative design approach.

Process Documentation:

• Research Methodology: Clearly outline your user research process, including methods used (interviews, surveys, usability testing) and how insights were translated into design requirements.

• Design Iteration: Document the evolution of your designs, explaining the rationale behind key decisions and how feedback (from users or stakeholders) was incorporated.

• Handoff Protocols: Demonstrate your process for preparing and handing off design assets and specifications to engineering teams, ensuring clarity and minimizing implementation friction.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role like this, the portfolio is critical as it serves as the primary evidence of the candidate's ability to handle complex technical design challenges. Emphasizing case studies that show process, iteration, and measurable impact is key for demonstrating operational value in design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000 - $160,000 USD per year

Benefits:

• Equity: Opportunity to own a stake in a rapidly growing seed-stage company.

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: (Assumed standard for a US-based startup, details typically provided during the hiring process).

• Paid Time Off: (Assumed standard, details typically provided during the hiring process).

• Professional Development: Potential for access to learning resources and conferences relevant to design and technology.

Working Hours:

• Full-time, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected in a startup environment.

• On-site presence in San Francisco is required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a mid-level Product Designer in San Francisco. The inclusion of equity is a significant component for early-stage startups, reflecting the potential for high growth and impact. The specific benefits package would need to be confirmed, but equity is a key differentiator.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Biotechnology / Scientific Automation Software

Company Size: Small team (seed-stage startup)

Founded: (Not specified, but actively raising seed round, implying recent founding or early growth phase).

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The designer will work directly with software engineers, automation engineers, scientists, and founders, emphasizing a highly collaborative and integrated approach.

• Lean & Agile: As a seed-stage company, expect a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a focus on rapid iteration and problem-solving.

• User-Centric Innovation: A core philosophy is to empower scientists by surfacing detailed control over experimental protocols, requiring a deep understanding of user needs and technical capabilities.

Methodology:

• Protocol-to-Code Compilation: The company's core technology involves translating scientist-described protocols into executable code for robotic lab instruments. This requires sophisticated design and engineering.

• Iterative Product Development: Expect a culture of continuous feedback, testing, and refinement of the product based on user interaction and scientific validation.

• Data-Driven Insights: While not explicitly stated for design, the company's focus on scientific research implies an underlying value for data and empirical evidence in decision-making.

Company Website: https://tetsuwan.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Tetsuwan Scientific operates at the cutting edge of biotech and software. The culture is likely to be highly intellectual, driven by innovation, and focused on solving complex problems. The emphasis on empowering scientists suggests a mission-driven organization that values user impact and scientific rigor.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a foundational design position within Tetsuwan Scientific. As the first dedicated Product Designer, the individual will have significant autonomy and influence. It represents a critical step for anyone looking to build a career in product design within specialized technical fields.

Reporting Structure: The designer will work closely with the founders and engineering leads. Direct reporting lines are not specified but are likely to be to a founder or Head of Engineering/Product, given the early stage.

Operations Impact: The Product Designer's work will directly impact the usability and adoption of Tetsuwan Scientific's core technology. By making complex lab automation accessible and efficient, the designer will enable faster scientific discovery, directly contributing to the company's value proposition and Go-To-Market strategy for scientific research institutions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to build and lead a design team as the company scales.

• Product Strategy Influence: Opportunity to shape the product roadmap and define the user experience for a novel technology.

• Domain Expertise: Develop deep knowledge in life sciences, lab automation, and scientific software design.

• Startup Growth Experience: Gain invaluable experience in scaling a technology company from its early stages.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity for a designer to establish the design function within a promising startup. The growth trajectory is tied to the company's success, with potential for significant leadership and strategic impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: In-person office environment located in SoMa, San Francisco.

Office Location(s): San Francisco, CA (SoMa district).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is designed for close collaboration between diverse technical teams (software, automation, science) and founders.

• Resource Availability: Expect access to modern design tools (Figma) and potentially other relevant software and hardware for testing and development.

• Innovation Focus: The environment is geared towards problem-solving, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of scientific automation.

Work Schedule:

• Full-time, on-site. While a standard work week is expected, the startup environment may require flexibility. The focus is on delivering results and collaborating effectively within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for on-site work in San Francisco indicates a preference for high-bandwidth collaboration and team cohesion, crucial in an early-stage startup environment where rapid iteration and shared understanding are key.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Intro Call: Initial screening to assess general fit, interest, and basic qualifications.

• Portfolio Review & Design Conversation: In-depth discussion of your portfolio, focusing on your design process, problem-solving skills, and experience with complex technical systems. This is where you'll demonstrate your understanding of user-centered design for expert users.

• Onsite with Team & Paid Design Exercise: A more comprehensive interview day involving meetings with various team members (engineers, scientists, founders) and a practical design challenge. This exercise will likely assess your ability to tackle a specific problem relevant to the company's product and your communication skills.

• References: Verification of your professional background and performance.

• Offer: Final offer extended to the selected candidate.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each case study, clearly articulate the "why" behind your design decisions. Use visuals that illustrate your thought process, from initial sketches to final outputs.

• Highlight Technical Domain Experience: If you have experience designing for complex technical domains (even if not life sciences), emphasize how you approached understanding expert users and intricate workflows.

• Demonstrate Process Ownership: Clearly show how you managed projects end-to-end, including research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and handoff.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the positive impact of your designs on users or business objectives.

• Tailor to Tetsuwan: Understand Tetsuwan's mission (accelerating scientific experimentation through automation software) and subtly tailor your presentation to show how your skills align with their unique challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Problem Space: Research lab automation, scientific protocols, and the challenges of translating manual lab work into automated processes. Familiarize yourself with the company's existing product (via demo, if available).

• Focus on User Needs: For any design exercise, prioritize understanding the target user (scientists) and their specific needs and constraints.

• Communicate Your Thinking: Be prepared to articulate your design decisions clearly and concisely, explaining your rationale and any trade-offs considered.

• Embrace Ambiguity: Recognize that startup design challenges often involve incomplete information. Demonstrate your ability to make reasoned decisions and iterate.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to thoroughly assess both design skills and cultural fit. The emphasis on a "paid design exercise" is common for design roles and requires candidates to be prepared for a practical demonstration of their abilities under time constraints.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is explicitly required.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping or animation tools may be beneficial for conveying complex interactions.

• User Research Platforms: Experience with tools for conducting interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., Lookback, UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly a design tool, understanding how design impacts user behavior and how to interpret analytics (e.g., user engagement, task completion rates) would be advantageous. Familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel) could be a plus. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the designer's primary output, but understanding how design integrates with broader product and GTM systems can be helpful. CRM familiarity (e.g., Salesforce) or marketing automation tools is less critical for this role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma as a required tool emphasizes its central role in the design workflow. The lack of specific requirements for analytics or CRM tools suggests the focus is purely on the product design lifecycle, with collaboration with other teams handling those aspects.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Scientific Rigor: A commitment to accuracy, reproducibility, and data-driven decision-making, mirroring scientific principles.

• User Empowerment: A core value focused on providing scientists with the control and tools they need to accelerate their research.

• Innovation & Problem-Solving: A drive to tackle complex challenges and develop novel solutions at the intersection of biology and technology.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functionality: A belief that the best solutions emerge from diverse perspectives working together.

• Efficiency & Speed: While focused on scientific depth, there's an underlying goal to increase the pace and efficiency of scientific experimentation.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers, engineers, and scientists work hand-in-hand, sharing knowledge and feedback openly.

• Direct Communication: In a small startup, direct and transparent communication is essential.

• Iterative Design Feedback: A culture where design concepts are shared early and often for constructive feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values are deeply rooted in the scientific field it serves and the operational challenges it aims to solve. A candidate who respects scientific precision and thrives in a collaborative, innovation-focused environment will be a strong fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Expert Users: Creating interfaces that are both powerful and intuitive for scientists who are experts in their field but may not be software experts. This requires a deep understanding of user workflows and mental models.

• Novel Interface Design: Tackling problems with "few points of comparison," meaning standard UI patterns may not apply, requiring innovative solutions for communicating complex automation concepts.

• Balancing Control and Simplicity: Surfacing granular control to scientists without overwhelming them with complexity is a significant design tension.

• Early-Stage Startup Dynamics: Navigating the inherent uncertainties, rapid changes, and resource constraints of a seed-stage company.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Gain unparalleled insight into life sciences, laboratory automation, and the scientific research process.

• Foundational Design Role: Establish and shape the design function within a growing company, setting standards and processes.

• Cutting-Edge Technology: Work with advanced robotics and software compilation technologies.

• Startup Acumen: Develop skills in product strategy, cross-functional leadership, and navigating startup growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but offer substantial opportunities for professional growth and impact, particularly for a designer interested in specialized technical fields.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operational Workflow Design: "How would you approach designing an interface that allows a scientist to define a complex multi-step lab protocol, ensuring all critical parameters are captured and executable by automation hardware?" Be ready to discuss user research methods, information architecture, and interaction design patterns for complex technical inputs.

• Communicating Technical Concepts: "Describe a time you had to design an interface to explain a complex technical process or state to a non-technical or expert user. What was your approach?" Focus on clarity, abstraction levels, and visual communication strategies.

• Balancing User Control and Simplicity: "Tetsuwan's philosophy is to surface detailed control to scientists. How do you balance this need for granular control with the goal of creating a user-friendly and efficient interface?" Prepare to discuss progressive disclosure, customizable UIs, and context-aware design.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "Why are you interested in Tetsuwan Scientific's mission to accelerate biological experimentation?" Research the company's goals and articulate how your design skills can contribute.

• Startup Fit: "How do you approach working in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment with evolving priorities?" Highlight your adaptability, proactivity, and comfort with ambiguity.

• Collaboration Experience: "Describe your experience working with engineers and domain experts (like scientists) on technical products. How do you ensure effective collaboration?" Emphasize your communication skills and ability to bridge technical and design disciplines.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed, your specific contributions, the design solutions, and the outcomes or learnings.

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: Demonstrate your thinking and problem-solving methodology. Show sketches, wireframes, user flows, and iterations, explaining the rationale behind each step.

• Highlight Technical Design Challenges: If you have experience with complex systems, dev tools, or technical workflows, make sure these examples are prominent.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect detailed questions about your design decisions, research findings, and how you handled trade-offs.

• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Be ready to navigate your Figma files and explain your component usage, prototyping techniques, and design system approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation for this role should heavily emphasize understanding the intersection of product design and operational efficiency in a scientific context. Candidates should be ready to discuss their process for managing complexity and communicating technical information through design.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 detailed case studies showcasing end-to-end design process, especially any experience with complex technical domains, workflow optimization, or novel interface design. Tailor your presentation to highlight how you'd approach Tetsuwan's unique challenge.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your 3+ years of software product design experience, specific skills in Figma, user research, information architecture, and any experience with technical or scientific software. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and decision-making rationale. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions related to collaboration, problem-solving in ambiguous situations, and working with technical teams.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Tetsuwan Scientific's mission, technology (watch the demo!), and the life sciences automation market. Understand their user (scientists) and their core design philosophy of empowering users with control.

⚠️ 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.