Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer

Company: Wordsmith AI

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom / London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design (AI/Legal Tech Focus)

Date Posted: May 29, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: On-site (Default)

🚀 Role Summary

• Design AI-native products that fundamentally rethink how legal work is performed, moving beyond incremental improvements to existing tools.

• Own the complete product design lifecycle, from initial concept and research through to final implementation and user experience.

• Drive product direction and bring clarity to complex problem spaces, translating them into intuitive and reliable user workflows.

• Collaborate intimately with product managers, engineers, and legal specialists to shape both the problem definition and the ultimate solution.

• Leverage AI as a design tool for rapid exploration, prototyping, and conceptualization of novel UI patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a rapidly evolving AI and Legal Tech space. The emphasis on "AI-native products" and "rethinking how legal work gets done" suggests a need for designers who are not only skilled in traditional product design but also adept at exploring new interaction paradigms and comfortable with the inherent uncertainties of AI development. The "on-site default" with a strong emphasis on close collaboration indicates a preference for in-person ideation and rapid iteration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Champion and contribute to the overarching product and design strategy for the Wordsmith AI platform.

• Lead the full spectrum of the design process, including user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and overseeing the successful shipment of features.

• Architect and design intuitive, user-friendly experiences that effectively simplify intricate legal workflows and AI-driven processes.

• Engage in close, cross-functional collaboration with product managers, software engineers, and subject matter experts in the legal domain.

• Apply robust product thinking to bring clarity and structure to ambiguous and complex problem areas, ensuring user needs are met.

• Actively participate in design critiques, providing constructive feedback and contributing to the continuous elevation of design standards across the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a comprehensive ownership of the design process, emphasizing not just execution but also strategic contribution to product direction. The explicit mention of working with "legal specialists" implies a need for designers who can quickly grasp domain-specific challenges and translate them into effective design solutions, a critical aspect for specialized tech products.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is often preferred for roles requiring advanced product thinking and craft. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5+ years of dedicated experience in product design, with a demonstrated history of successfully shipping high-quality digital products.

Required Skills:

• Product Thinking: Proven ability to dissect complex problems and translate them into elegant, user-centric solutions.

• End-to-End Design Process: Mastery of user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

• Visual & Interaction Design: High level of craft across UI design, interaction design, and user experience principles.

• Prototyping Proficiency: Expertise in Figma for creating interactive prototypes and high-fidelity designs.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Experience working effectively within agile teams alongside product managers and engineers.

• Communication Skills: Clear and concise communication, capable of articulating design decisions and rationale to diverse stakeholders.

• Adaptability: Comfort and effectiveness in fast-paced, evolving environments with shifting priorities.

• Collaborative Mindset: Low ego, team-oriented approach focused on achieving the best collective outcome.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems: Experience in building, maintaining, or scaling design systems to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• AI Tooling: Familiarity with or experience using AI tools for concept exploration, rapid prototyping, or enhancing the design process.

• Legal Tech Domain: Prior experience or a strong interest in understanding the intricacies of legal workflows and technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "5+ years of product design experience" and a "track record of shipping high-quality products" suggests the company is looking for a seasoned designer capable of immediate impact. The emphasis on "product thinking" and "turning complex problems into simple, usable solutions" indicates a focus on strategic design rather than purely aesthetic execution. The "bonus" of AI tool experience and design systems further refines the ideal candidate profile towards someone who can contribute to both innovation and scalable design practices.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 in-depth case studies demonstrating your product design process from problem identification to solution implementation and impact.

• Problem-Solution Framing: Clearly articulate the user problem or business challenge addressed in each case study, alongside your strategic design approach.

• Process Visualization: Illustrate your design process, including research methodologies, ideation techniques, wireframes, user flows, and final UI mockups.

• Impact Measurement: Quantify the impact of your design solutions where possible, using metrics related to user engagement, task completion, efficiency gains, or business outcomes.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Examples: Highlight instances where you collaborated effectively with product managers and engineers, showcasing your role in the iterative development cycle.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Examples of how you've mapped out and designed complex user workflows, particularly those involving multiple steps or decision points.

• Prototyping & Testing: Demonstrations of your ability to create interactive prototypes for user testing and gather actionable feedback.

• System Integration Thinking: Showcase how your designs integrate with existing or new system functionalities, considering data flow and user interaction across different components.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, especially one involving complex AI-driven workflows, a portfolio is paramount. The emphasis here is on demonstrating a structured design process, strategic thinking, and the ability to translate complex requirements into tangible, user-friendly solutions. The inclusion of "impact measurement" is crucial for showcasing ROI and understanding how design contributes to business objectives.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Product Designers with 5-10 years of experience in major UK tech hubs like Edinburgh and London, we estimate a competitive annual salary range of £60,000 - £90,000. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, demonstrated skills, and the final negotiation.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: A salary package commensurate with experience and industry standards.

• Meaningful Equity: Opportunity to own a stake in the company's growth and success through stock options.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs (specifics to be confirmed).

• Professional Development: Support for continuous learning, including training, conferences, and skill development opportunities.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Ample vacation days and public holidays to ensure work-life balance.

• Office Amenities: Access to modern office facilities and resources in Edinburgh.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, the company culture emphasizes efficient work and may offer some flexibility for focused deep work, ensuring that processes are not hindered by rigid schedules.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the locations (Edinburgh and London), the experience level (5+ years), and the industry (AI/Legal Tech), a salary range was estimated. London typically commands higher salaries than Edinburgh, and this range reflects that potential variance. The equity component is noted as "meaningful," suggesting it's a significant part of the total compensation package for key hires.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Legal Tech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software as a Service (SaaS). Wordsmith AI operates at the intersection of these dynamic sectors, aiming to revolutionize in-house legal operations with AI-powered solutions.

Company Size: Wordsmith AI appears to be a growing startup/scale-up, likely in the range of 50-200 employees, as suggested by the need for senior design hires and the emphasis on close-knit collaboration. This size offers the opportunity for significant impact and direct influence on product direction.

Founded: Founded with the mission to address the overwhelming challenges faced by legal teams, Wordsmith AI is focused on building "AI-native products." This implies a forward-thinking, innovation-driven ethos.

Team Structure:

• Design Team Integration: The design team is tightly integrated with product management and engineering, emphasizing a collaborative environment where designers are "in the room for decisions."

• Reporting: The Product Designer will likely report to a Head of Design, Design Lead, or potentially a Product Lead, working within a cross-functional product pod.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Expect close daily interaction with Product Managers to define problems and solutions, and with Engineers to ensure feasible and high-quality implementation. Legal specialists will provide domain expertise.

Methodology:

• Agile & Lean Principles: The company emphasizes keeping "process light and focus on shipping, learning, and improving quickly," indicative of agile methodologies and a lean startup approach.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While not explicitly stated, the nature of AI and SaaS products suggests a reliance on user data, A/B testing, and performance metrics to inform design and product decisions.

• Iterative Development: The culture supports rapid iteration and continuous improvement based on user feedback and market dynamics.

Company Website: https://www.wordsmith.ai

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's description as an "AI command centre for in-house legal" positions it as a disruptor in the legal tech space. The emphasis on "AI-native products" and "rethinking how legal work gets done" suggests a culture that values innovation, deep problem-solving, and pushing technological boundaries. The "in-office default" with close collaboration implies a preference for synchronous communication and team synergy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is for a Senior Product Designer, characterized by:

• End-to-End Ownership: Full responsibility for the design process from discovery to delivery.

• Strategic Input: Significant contribution to product strategy and direction, not just execution.

• Complex Problem Solving: Tackling ambiguous, multifaceted challenges with AI and domain-specific nuances.

• Mentorship Potential: Opportunity to influence junior designers and elevate design craft within the team.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a design leadership role (e.g., Head of Design, Design Manager) within a cross-functional product team structure. This structure allows for direct collaboration with product and engineering leads.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant, directly shaping the user experience of AI-powered legal tools. Success means making complex legal processes intuitive and efficient, thereby enhancing the productivity and strategic capacity of legal teams. This translates to tangible business value for Wordsmith AI's clients and drives the company's market position.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead Designer or Design Manager role as the company scales, taking on more strategic responsibilities and team leadership.

• Domain Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI and Legal Tech, becoming a go-to authority on designing for these complex domains.

• Product Strategy Influence: Evolve from designing features to influencing broader product roadmaps and company strategy.

• Skill Expansion: Opportunity to explore emerging AI design patterns, advanced prototyping techniques, and potentially contribute to design system evolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is clearly positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant autonomy and potential for leadership growth. The "AI-native" aspect means designers here are at the forefront of a new wave of product development, offering unique career development opportunities in a high-demand field.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company operates an in-office model, emphasizing that "We work together because it helps us collaborate closely, move faster, and make better product decisions." This indicates a preference for a traditional office environment conducive to spontaneous interaction and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): The role is available in Edinburgh and London, providing options for candidates based in or willing to relocate to these vibrant tech hubs.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Expect an office environment designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, open work areas, and potentially dedicated spaces for design critiques and brainstorming.

• Tools & Technology: Access to necessary design software (Figma), potentially advanced prototyping tools, and company-provided hardware. The company also encourages the use of AI tools within the design process.

• Team Interaction: Daily proximity to product managers, engineers, and other key stakeholders, facilitating seamless communication and rapid feedback loops.

Work Schedule: The standard work week is approximately 40 hours, with an expectation of being in the office. While structured, the culture aims for efficiency and impact over strict adherence to hours, allowing for deep work sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit statement about being "in the office as your default" and the reasoning behind it ("collaborate closely, move faster") strongly signals a company culture that values in-person interaction. This is a key consideration for candidates seeking remote flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess initial fit, understanding of the role, and alignment with company values.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, walking through 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate their product thinking, design process, and impact. Expect in-depth questions about your contributions and decision-making.

• Design Exercise/Challenge: Potentially a take-home assignment or a live design exercise focusing on a complex workflow or problem relevant to Wordsmith AI's domain. This will assess your ability to think critically and apply your skills under realistic conditions.

• Team Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially other designers to evaluate collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: A conversation with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product, CEO) to discuss strategic vision, career aspirations, and overall alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as compelling narratives, highlighting the problem, your unique approach, the challenges faced, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Process: Clearly articulate how you arrived at your solutions, not just what you designed. Showcase your research, ideation, and iteration methods.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs. Explain the "so what?" of your work.

• Highlight Collaboration: Show instances of effective teamwork and how you've navigated stakeholder feedback and cross-functional dependencies.

• Tailor to Wordsmith AI: Emphasize projects that demonstrate your ability to handle complexity, ambiguity, and potentially AI-driven interactions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research AI in legal tech and common challenges faced by in-house legal teams.

• Focus on Problem-Solving: Anticipate a challenge that requires breaking down a complex, ambiguous problem into manageable parts and proposing a user-centered solution.

• Demonstrate AI Fluency: If the challenge involves AI, consider how users interact with AI outputs, manage AI-generated content, and trust AI recommendations.

• Structure Your Approach: Prepare to walk through your thought process logically, starting with understanding the problem, defining requirements, exploring solutions, and outlining testing/validation steps.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess not only design skills but also strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and cultural fit within a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment. The portfolio review and design exercise are critical components for demonstrating practical application of skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect to use its advanced features for complex design systems and interactive prototypes.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., Principle, Framer) might be beneficial for more advanced animations or interactions.

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

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Slack for communication, Jira/Asana for project management, and Confluence for documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and product performance.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret data from dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Looker) to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, understanding how products integrate with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) or automation platforms can be advantageous for context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly mentioned, making it a non-negotiable skill. The emphasis on AI and complex workflows suggests that proficiency in tools that facilitate rapid prototyping and user testing is highly valued. Understanding product analytics is crucial for demonstrating the impact of design decisions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & AI-Native: A core value is building cutting-edge, AI-driven products that redefine existing paradigms. Designers are expected to be curious about AI's potential.

• User-Centricity & Craft: A strong commitment to designing intuitive, reliable, and high-quality user experiences, even within complex domains. Attention to detail and polish are valued.

• Collaboration & Transparency: An emphasis on working closely with other functions, sharing ideas openly, and operating with a "low ego."

• Speed & Iteration: A culture that prioritizes shipping, learning, and iterating quickly to adapt to market needs and customer feedback.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on solving real-world problems for legal teams and delivering tangible value through technology.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Pods: Design is not siloed; designers work as integral parts of cross-functional product teams (Product, Engineering, Design).

• Open Critique: A culture of design critique is encouraged to foster learning and continuous improvement of design quality.

• Direct Communication: Preference for direct, synchronous communication (in-person or via collaboration tools) to ensure clarity and speed.

• Shared Ownership: team members are encouraged to contribute to problem definition and solution ideation, fostering a sense of collective ownership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at Wordsmith AI appears to be a blend of startup agility and a strong focus on product craft and user impact. The "AI-native" aspect is a defining characteristic, suggesting a team that is excited about leveraging new technologies to solve challenging problems.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: Working with AI, where outcomes can be probabilistic and user behaviors less predictable, requires designers to create robust, adaptable interfaces.

• Simplifying Complex Workflows: Translating intricate legal processes and AI outputs into interfaces that feel simple and reliable for users is a significant design challenge.

• Rapid Iteration: The fast-paced environment means designs must be developed, tested, and iterated upon quickly, requiring efficient workflows and quick decision-making.

• Balancing Innovation with Usability: Integrating cutting-edge AI capabilities while ensuring the product remains accessible and usable for a professional audience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Expertise: Develop deep skills in designing for AI-driven products, a rapidly growing and in-demand specialization.

• Legal Tech Domain Mastery: Gain in-depth knowledge of the legal industry's operational challenges and how technology can address them.

• Strategic Product Influence: Grow from feature design to contributing to high-level product strategy and roadmap development.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Enhance skills in collaborating with and influencing diverse stakeholders across engineering, product, and business functions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers the opportunity to tackle novel design challenges at the forefront of AI and Legal Tech. The growth path is geared towards becoming a highly skilled, strategic designer with expertise in complex, emerging technology domains.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you turned a highly complex problem into a simple, intuitive user experience. What was your process?" (Focus on problem decomposition, user research, and solution rationale.)

• "How would you approach designing a feature where the AI's output might not always be perfect or predictable? What safeguards or user controls would you consider?" (Demonstrate understanding of AI limitations and user trust.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Wordsmith AI's mission to build AI-native products for legal teams?" (Show genuine interest in the domain and the company's vision.)

• "How do you contribute to a collaborative team environment, especially when working in an office setting?" (Emphasize your team player mentality and preferred working style.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start Strong: Begin with a high-level overview of your career and what you're looking for, then dive into your most relevant case study.

• Structure Each Case Study: Problem -> Your Role -> Process (Research, Ideation, Design, Testing) -> Solution -> Impact/Outcome.

• Be Specific: Discuss your contributions, not just the team's. Use "I" when describing your actions and decisions.

• Showcase Visuals: Use clear mockups, user flows, and prototypes. Explain your design decisions verbally.

• Engage Your Audience: Ask for questions, be prepared for deep dives, and tailor your answers to the interviewer's role (e.g., engineer might ask about technical feasibility).

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating a clear, strategic design process and demonstrating how you handle complexity, ambiguity, and collaboration. Understanding the AI and legal tech context will be crucial for tailoring responses.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 2-3 projects that best showcase your experience with complex problem-solving, end-to-end design process, and ideally, any work involving AI or intricate workflows.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 5+ years of experience, specific achievements in product design, proficiency in Figma, and your ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams. Use keywords like "Product Thinking," "User Experience," "Interaction Design," and "AI."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and decision-making for your portfolio case studies. Prepare to discuss your experience with ambiguity and how you approach AI-related design challenges.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Wordsmith AI's mission, product offerings, and the legal tech industry. Understand their emphasis on "AI-native" solutions and their collaborative, in-office culture.

⚠️ 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.