Product Designer, Consumer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Consumer

Company: Toast

Location: Remote US

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / User Experience

Date Posted: October 24, 2025

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

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and evolution of guest-facing experiences, with a strategic focus on payment experiences and the broader payment innovation ecosystem within the Toast platform.

• Translate complex user needs and business objectives into intuitive, polished, and accessible native mobile and responsive web interfaces.

• Leverage behavioral data, user feedback, and AI-driven insights to iterate on and optimize the guest journey, ensuring a delightful and frictionless dining experience.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, Engineers, Marketers, and Researchers, to define, build, and ship innovative consumer-first solutions.

• Contribute to and expand shared design systems and component libraries to ensure design consistency and efficiency across the consumer product suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is specifically designated for "Consumer Product Designer," indicating a focus on end-user experiences rather than internal tools or B2B applications. The emphasis on "payment experiences and the payment innovation ecosystem" suggests a critical focus area within the consumer product strategy. The AI-generated experience level of "2-5 years" is a reasonable inference for a Product Designer role that requires ownership and cross-functional collaboration without being explicitly senior.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on end-to-end guest experiences for native mobile applications and responsive web platforms, ensuring a high degree of visual polish and user-centricity.

• Develop comprehensive UX deliverables, including journey maps, user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes to effectively communicate design concepts.

• Utilize user research findings, behavioral data analytics, and A/B testing results to inform design decisions and drive continuous improvement in user engagement and satisfaction.

• Actively participate in and contribute to design critiques, providing constructive feedback to peers and stakeholders to elevate the overall quality of design work.

• Champion accessibility best practices throughout the design process, ensuring that all consumer-facing products are usable by individuals with diverse abilities.

• Prototyping and experimentation: Build interactive prototypes using tools like Figma and explore the application of AI tools to accelerate ideation, streamline design workflows, and enhance the customer experience.

• Design and advocate for AI-first experiences that address significant customer pain points and unlock new opportunities for discovery, booking, and dining.

• Maintain and contribute to a robust design system, ensuring consistency in UI elements, patterns, and brand expression across all consumer touchpoints.

• Partner with product managers and engineers to define product requirements, technical constraints, and implementation details, ensuring designs are feasible and aligned with business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The raw description emphasizes "payment experiences and the payment innovation ecosystem" as a key focus. This implies responsibilities will heavily involve designing user flows for transactions, payment methods, loyalty programs, and potentially new payment technologies. The mention of AI tools and "AI-first experiences" suggests a responsibility to explore and integrate AI capabilities into the design process and final product.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is often preferred for Product Designer roles and would be beneficial. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience: Minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in product design, with a proven track record of designing and shipping consumer-facing digital products (native mobile and responsive web).

Required Skills:

• Proven experience designing native mobile and responsive web applications with a strong emphasis on consumer-grade visual polish.

• Fluency in Figma and proficiency with other prototyping tools (e.g., Cursor, Replit, Lovable as mentioned, though Figma is primary).

• Deep understanding of UX fundamentals, including journey mapping, user research methodologies, and data-driven iteration.

• Strong knowledge of accessibility best practices (WCAG standards) and their implementation in design.

• Exceptional attention to detail coupled with a robust product-thinking mindset, capable of understanding business objectives and user needs simultaneously.

• Ability to work effectively within core EST (Eastern Standard Time) working hours to facilitate cross-functional collaboration.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly and persuasively to diverse stakeholders.

• High adaptability and comfort working in fast-paced, iterative, and agile environments.

• Demonstrable growth mindset, openness to feedback, and a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience contributing to or maintaining design systems and component libraries.

• Familiarity with front-end development concepts (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and their impact on design implementation and performance.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot UX issues using data and user observation.

• Curiosity for new design tools and emerging AI technologies and their potential application in enhancing user outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Bonus Points (Special Sauce)" section directly translates into preferred skills. The explicit mention of "AI tools" and "emerging AI tech" as a point of curiosity indicates a preference for candidates who are already exploring or have experience with AI in design. The "core EST working hours" requirement is noted under required skills to highlight its importance for remote collaboration.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 end-to-end product design case studies demonstrating your process from problem definition to shipped solution.

• For each case study, clearly articulate the user problem, your role and contributions, the design process undertaken (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), and the final outcome.

• Highlight specific examples of how you leveraged user data, behavioral insights, or AI tools to inform design decisions and drive improvements.

• Demonstrate proficiency in creating intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for native mobile and responsive web applications.

Process Documentation:

• Your portfolio should implicitly or explicitly detail your approach to user research, journey mapping, and wireframing.

• Showcase examples of how you've contributed to or utilized design systems and component libraries for consistency and scalability.

• Provide evidence of your ability to collaborate effectively with product managers and engineers, illustrating how you translated requirements into design solutions.

• Where applicable, include examples of how you've tested designs, iterated based on feedback or data, and measured the impact of your design work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Product Designer role, a portfolio is paramount. The emphasis is on demonstrating a user-centered design process, problem-solving skills, and the ability to translate those into tangible design artifacts. The inclusion of AI tools and payment experience focus in the role description warrants specific mention in portfolio expectations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $115,000 - $184,000 USD per year. This range is typical for a mid-level Product Designer in the US tech industry, especially for a well-funded and growing company like Toast, with remote flexibility.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation package, including base salary, potential bonuses, and equity (if eligible).

• Comprehensive benefits programs designed to support employee well-being and lifestyle needs. Specifics are detailed at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning, including exposure to AI tools and technologies.

• Flexible work environment with the ability to work remotely within the United States.

• Paid time off and holidays.

Working Hours: The role requires working core EST working hours, implying a standard 40-hour work week with flexibility for asynchronous collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is directly provided in the job description. The benefits are mentioned broadly, with a link provided for more detail. The "core EST working hours" requirement is noted here to clarify the expected schedule for a remote role.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on the Food & Beverage and Hospitality sectors, providing a restaurant management platform. Toast is transitioning and heavily investing in its consumer-facing offerings.

Company Size: Toast is a significant player in the tech industry, likely falling into the "Large Enterprise" category (1000+ employees) based on its market presence and product suite. This size offers stability and resources while the consumer mission implies a dynamic, potentially startup-like environment within the larger organization.

Founded: Toast was founded in 2012, giving it over a decade of experience in the restaurant tech space, which underpins its new consumer-focused initiatives.

Team Structure:

• The Consumer Design team is described as "small but ambitious," suggesting a lean, agile, and impactful unit within Toast's broader product organization.

• Reporting structure likely involves a Design Manager or Director overseeing the Consumer Design function, with this Product Designer reporting into that leadership.

Methodology:

• Data-driven iteration and user-centered design are core methodologies, leveraging behavioral data, user feedback, and AI insights.

• Agile development principles are implied, given the fast-paced, iterative environment mentioned.

• A strong emphasis on building and maintaining design systems for consistency and efficiency.

• Embracing AI as a tool to enhance product development and customer experiences is a stated cultural pillar.

Company Website: https://careers.toasttab.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company description highlights Toast's evolution from a B2B powerhouse to a B2C innovator, with a significant investment in consumer experiences starting in 2025. This context is crucial for understanding the team's mission and the potential impact of this role. The "AI at Toast" section is a significant indicator of the company's strategic direction and cultural emphasis.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer, requiring independent contribution and cross-functional collaboration. It's a step beyond an entry-level role, demanding ownership of design problems and the ability to drive solutions from concept to completion.

Reporting Structure: The Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director within the Consumer Product organization. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads for specific product initiatives.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct and significant impact on Toast's strategic pivot towards consumer experiences. By shaping the guest-facing payment and dining journey, the designer will influence customer acquisition, retention, engagement, and ultimately, revenue generation through increased restaurant patronage facilitated by Toast's platform. The success of the "Local by Toast" app and other consumer initiatives hinges on the quality of the user experience delivered.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in mobile and web design, payment UX, AI-driven design, and contributing to/managing design systems. Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in consumer payment experiences.

• Leadership Potential: With proven success, opportunities for mentorship of junior designers, leading design initiatives, or moving into more senior/lead designer roles within the consumer product space.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain comprehensive understanding of product strategy, engineering constraints, marketing initiatives, and research methodologies across a rapidly growing tech company.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to shaping the future of dining technology and consumer engagement in the restaurant industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Consumer Mission" section strongly implies this role is central to Toast's future growth and strategic direction. The impact is tied directly to revenue through increased consumer engagement with restaurants using Toast. Growth opportunities are framed around specialized design skills and potential leadership within a growing consumer product team.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position within the United States. Toast embraces a hybrid work model overall, but this specific role is designated as remote.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, Toast has physical offices. The mention of https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast suggests they have a distributed presence, but the specific work arrangement for this role is remote.

Workspace Context:

• Remote work environment, allowing for flexibility in location within the US.

• Emphasis on asynchronous communication and collaboration tools to bridge geographical distances.

• Access to modern design tools (Figma, etc.) and potentially AI-powered design assistants.

• Opportunities for virtual collaboration with a diverse and distributed team.

• A culture that supports learning and experimentation with new technologies, including AI.

Work Schedule: The role requires working core EST working hours. This is crucial for seamless collaboration with East Coast-based teams and for participating in real-time meetings, design critiques, and sprint planning sessions. A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with potential for occasional overtime depending on project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature is a key aspect. The "core EST working hours" is a critical detail for a remote role to ensure alignment with the primary operational time zone of many of Toast's core teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Recruiter call to assess general fit, experience, and interest in the role and Toast's consumer mission.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager (likely a Design Manager or Lead) to delve deeper into experience, design philosophy, and alignment with team values.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A core part of the process will involve presenting a portfolio with 2-3 detailed case studies. This may be accompanied by a take-home design challenge or an in-person (virtual) whiteboarding exercise focused on a specific design problem relevant to consumer payment experiences or AI integration.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Researchers to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to work within a team.

• Final Interview: Typically with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Product Design, VP of Product) for a final assessment of strategic thinking, cultural fit, and overall potential impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives. Clearly define the problem, your unique contribution, the process, and the measurable impact.

• Process Transparency: Detail your design thinking, research methods, and decision-making rationale. Show how you arrived at your solutions, not just the final output.

• Highlight Key Areas: Emphasize your experience with mobile/web design, payment UX, and any exposure to AI tools or AI-first design principles. Showcase your ability to create visually polished and intuitive interfaces.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics (e.g., conversion rates, engagement increases, task completion times) to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Tailor to Toast: Research Toast's consumer mission and current offerings. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience align with their specific goals, especially regarding payment innovation and AI.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research Toast's consumer products and the restaurant industry.

• Focus on Process: Even if the solution isn't perfect, demonstrate a strong, user-centered design process.

• AI Integration: Be prepared to discuss how AI could be integrated into the proposed solution or design process.

• Presentation: Practice presenting your findings and solutions concisely and clearly, anticipating questions about trade-offs, constraints, and future iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "payment experiences and the payment innovation ecosystem" and "AI-first experiences" should be a central theme in portfolio case studies and potential design challenges.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The primary tool for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Fluency is essential.

• Prototyping Tools: Experience with other tools like Cursor, Replit, Lovable is a bonus, indicating adaptability and exploration of new technologies.

• Design Systems: Experience using and contributing to design systems (e.g., component libraries, style guides) is highly valued.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a required tool for the designer, understanding how to interpret and utilize data from analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) is crucial for data-driven iteration.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core responsibilities of a Product Designer, but understanding the broader Toast platform and how consumer interactions fit into the overall restaurant ecosystem might be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the clearly stated primary tool. The mention of AI tools like Cursor and Replit suggests an openness to and interest in cutting-edge design and development environments, especially those that might integrate AI capabilities.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Hungry to Build and Learn: Embracing new tools, including AI, to build faster, more independently, and with higher quality. A proactive and experimental approach to technology.

• Customer-Centricity: Designing experiences that solve real user needs and create delight for both guests and restaurants.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication, active participation in design critiques, and a willingness to share knowledge and feedback.

• Adaptability & Iteration: Comfort with ambiguity, fast-paced environments, and iterating based on data and feedback.

• Inclusivity & Diversity: A commitment to creating equitable opportunities and experiences for all, mirroring the diversity of the restaurant industry.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and Marketers to ensure holistic product development.

• Design Critiques: Regular participation in design reviews to foster a culture of continuous improvement and peer learning.

• Data-Informed: Decisions are supported by user research, behavioral data, and AI insights, rather than solely intuition.

• Agile & Iterative: Working in sprints, embracing feedback loops, and making incremental improvements to products.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "AI at Toast" section provides key insights into the company's values around technology adoption and learning. The "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" section highlights a commitment to inclusive design and workplace culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Pivoting to Consumer: Navigating the complexities of transitioning from a primarily B2B platform to a significant consumer-facing player, requiring a different design mindset and user understanding.

• Payment UX Complexity: Designing intuitive and secure payment experiences for a diverse user base across various scenarios (in-app, online ordering, potential in-restaurant payments).

• AI Integration: Effectively integrating AI into the design process and user-facing features in a way that adds genuine value without being intrusive or overly complex.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Ensuring designs meet the needs of consumers, restaurants, and Toast's business objectives simultaneously.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective communication in a fully remote setting.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Design Skills: Deepen expertise in payment UX, mobile-first design, AI-powered design workflows, and accessibility.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of consumer technology, AI advancements, and emerging trends in the hospitality and fintech sectors.

• Design System Contribution: Opportunity to significantly influence and expand Toast's consumer design system.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain insights into product strategy, engineering, and marketing from a leading tech company.

• Career Progression: Potential to grow into senior designer, lead designer, or management roles within Toast's expanding consumer product organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed around the specific context of Toast's consumer mission and the complexities of the payment and AI domains. Growth opportunities are tied to developing specialized skills relevant to these challenges.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex payment experience you designed. What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure security and ease of use?"

• "How do you approach designing AI-first experiences? Can you walk us through an example of how you've used AI in your design process or to enhance a user feature?"

• "Toast is undergoing a significant consumer pivot. How would you approach understanding and designing for the needs of a new consumer audience compared to a B2B audience?"

• "Walk us through a case study from your portfolio that demonstrates your process for iterating on a design based on user data or feedback."

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Toast's consumer mission and the 'Local by Toast' app?"

• "How do you see AI impacting the future of dining experiences, and how would you incorporate that vision into your design work at Toast?"

• "Describe a time you had to collaborate with engineers or product managers who had different perspectives on a design solution. How did you navigate that?"

• "How do you stay updated on design trends and new technologies like AI?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your process, and the measurable outcomes. Quantify results whenever possible.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to illustrate your design process, from early sketches to high-fidelity mockups and prototypes.

• Explain Your "Why": Be prepared to defend your design decisions, explaining the rationale behind choices related to user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.

• Highlight AI and Payment Experience: Explicitly point out any aspects of your portfolio that showcase your experience or interest in AI-driven design or payment systems.

• Be Concise and Engaging: Practice your presentation to ensure it flows well and stays within the allotted time, leaving ample room for discussion.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions are tailored to probe for experience in consumer design, payment UX, AI integration, and the specific context of Toast's strategic shift. Portfolio presentation advice emphasizes showcasing relevant experience and demonstrating a strong design process.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Toast Careers portal via the provided link: https://careers.toasttab.com/jobs?gh_jid=7356408.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your experience in consumer-facing mobile and web design, ideally including any work related to payment flows, e-commerce, or AI-enhanced features. Tailor your case study descriptions to highlight your design process, problem-solving skills, and measurable impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your experience with Figma, prototyping, UX fundamentals, accessibility, and any exposure to AI tools or consumer product design. Use keywords from the job description, such as "Consumer Product Designer," "Payment Experiences," "AI," and "Responsive Design."

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clear storytelling, explaining your design rationale, and demonstrating your collaborative approach. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI tools and payment UX in detail.

• Research Toast's Consumer Mission: Understand their current initiatives like "Local by Toast" and their broader strategy to transform dining experiences. Be prepared to articulate how your skills and passion align with their vision.

⚠️ 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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