Product Designer - Mobile UI UX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer - Mobile UI UX

Company: Liftoff

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design / UI/UX

Date Posted: August 14, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end mobile app surface design, from initial concept to final implementation, ensuring a cohesive and engaging user experience.

• Conduct rigorous UX evaluations and perform targeted repairs on live app features to enhance user flow, reduce friction, and improve key performance indicators.

• Establish and maintain robust user feedback loops through interviews and usability sessions to inform and iterate on design decisions.

• Grow and maintain a scalable design system, ensuring visual consistency and reusability of components across the application.

• Contribute to the creation of engaging graphic and visual assets that align with the brand's playful, gamified fitness mission.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a blend of traditional UI/UX design and product ownership within the design function. The emphasis on "UX evaluation and repair" and "running the feedback loop" indicates a strong focus on data-driven iteration and user-centric problem-solving, aligning with a growth-oriented product development strategy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design mobile app screens, user flows, and interactive components with a keen eye for usability, accessibility, and cognitive load.

• Translate product ideas and feature briefs into detailed wireframes, user flows, and high-fidelity mockups using Figma.

• Audit existing app surfaces to identify user pain points, friction areas, and opportunities for UX improvement, prioritizing fixes based on potential impact.

• Plan, execute, and analyze user interviews and usability testing sessions to gather actionable insights that directly inform design iterations.

• Develop and maintain a consistent visual language and reusable component library within the design system to ensure scalability and brand integrity.

• Create in-app graphics, including splash screens, status cards, and game-like items, as well as vector character work for the brand mascot.

• Clearly communicate animation intent through storyboarding or specification, with the ability to execute straightforward animations in Rive.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Growth teams to ensure seamless execution from design concept to shipped product.

• Document design decisions, specifications, and learnings to facilitate knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a product-centric approach to design, requiring the candidate to not only create new features but also to actively diagnose and improve existing ones based on user data and feedback. The inclusion of "thinking in hierarchy, flow, accessibility, cognitive load, and micro-interactions" highlights a sophisticated understanding of UX principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and knowledge is paramount. A background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of professional experience in consumer mobile product design, with a proven track record of shipping impactful features.

Required Skills:

• Strong UX Fundamentals: Ability to articulate the rationale behind design choices, focusing on user experience principles and effectiveness.

• Deep Figma Fluency: Expertise in Figma's advanced features including Auto Layout, Components, Variables, and Prototyping.

• Mobile-First Design Experience: Demonstrated experience designing for iOS and Android platforms, specifically for shipped consumer mobile applications or game interfaces.

• Hands-on User Research: Proven experience conducting user interviews and usability tests, and a track record of integrating findings into design solutions.

• End-to-End Product Design: Ability to manage the entire design lifecycle from ideation to implementation, demonstrating ownership and decision-making.

• Clear Written Communication: Proficiency in documenting design decisions, writing technical specifications, and sharing project learnings effectively.

• Startup Environment Adaptability: Comfort working in a fast-paced startup setting with short feedback loops, significant ownership, and minimal bureaucracy.

Preferred Skills:

• Video game UI/UX background or a strong passion for gaming.

• Illustration experience with a keen sense of visual humor.

• Experience maintaining and evolving a comprehensive design system.

• Prior experience in health, wellness, social, or gaming industries.

• Proven ability to create shareable or viral graphics for apps or games.

• Proficiency in animation tools such as Rive for stateful animations or Adobe After Effects + Lottie for motion graphics.

• Basic understanding or experience with React Native/Expo or Tailwind CSS for implementation.

• Demonstrated sustained depth in a craft, sport, or community outside of work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "evidence you've shipped something real" and the emphasis on "decisions and trade-offs" in the portfolio indicate that practical experience and a portfolio showcasing problem-solving are highly valued over formal education. The "Bonus Attributes" highlight areas where candidates can differentiate themselves, particularly in animation and illustration.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end product design work for mobile, web, or games, clearly illustrating the design process, including key decisions and trade-offs made.

• Demonstrate how user research and feedback loops directly influenced design outcomes and iterative improvements.

• Present case studies that highlight measurable UX improvements on live features and the impact on key product metrics.

• Include examples of design system contributions, such as component creation, style guide maintenance, and ensuring visual consistency.

• Provide examples of graphic and visual assets created, especially in-app graphics or character work, if applicable. Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate the design process followed for each case study, from problem definition and user research to ideation, prototyping, and final design.

• Detail the methods used for user feedback collection and analysis, and how this data was synthesized into actionable design changes.

• Explain the approach to maintaining design system integrity, including component versioning, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration for adoption.

• Document the rationale behind design decisions, including trade-offs considered regarding usability, performance, and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application instructions specifically request a portfolio that shows "decisions and trade-offs, not only final artifacts," and the interview process includes a "live UX critique of an existing Liftoff surface." This emphasizes the need for candidates to present their design thinking and problem-solving capabilities, not just polished visuals.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: CAD 80,000 - CAD 120,000 per year. This range is competitive for a mid-level Product Designer role in Montreal, Quebec, considering the company's stated commitment to top-of-the-market compensation for high performers and the specified experience level.

Benefits:

• Competitive cash compensation based on level and scope.

• Equity compensation, reflecting the company's high-performance culture and startup environment.

• Company-paid lunch every day for employees working in the office, enhancing the on-site work experience.

• Lifetime Liftoff Pro membership, offering ongoing access to the company's core product.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week is the standard for a full-time role. The company emphasizes autonomy and ownership, suggesting flexibility in how work is structured, but a commitment to delivering results is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided and aligns with typical market rates for a mid-level designer in a major Canadian city. The benefits package is lean but includes attractive elements like equity and daily catered lunches, common in tech startups aiming to foster a strong in-office culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on Fitness Tech and Gamification. Liftoff operates in a rapidly growing market that leverages behavioral psychology and game mechanics to drive user engagement and habit formation in fitness.

Company Size: Liftoff has experienced rapid growth, achieving $8M+ ARR in under two years. While an exact employee count isn't provided, this suggests a growing, likely mid-sized startup (e.g., 50-200 employees), operating with agility and a lean structure.

Founded: Founded less than two years prior to the job posting (implied by rapid ARR growth), indicating a relatively young, dynamic, and potentially fast-paced company culture.

Team Structure:

• The Product team is central to Liftoff's development process, working closely with the Head of Product.

• Collaboration is expected across Engineering, Design, and Growth departments, highlighting a cross-functional and integrated approach to product development.

• Design is positioned as a front-runner, with the surfaces created being critical for experiments, retention, and user engagement. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using "real user input," "product metrics," and "community signal" to drive design decisions and measure success.

• Agile Development: Implied by "moves fast," "owns the details," and "short feedback loops," suggesting an iterative development process.

• Experimentation: The product surfaces are described as what "experiments run on," indicating a culture of A/B testing and continuous optimization.

Company Website: https://liftoffrank.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by speed, ownership, and a data-driven approach, typical of successful tech startups. The emphasis on design's central role and the direct link between design output and business metrics (retention, ARR) is a strong signal for ambitious designers.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer with significant ownership. The designer is expected to "own app surfaces end-to-end," indicating a high degree of autonomy and responsibility that goes beyond typical junior designer roles. It's a key position within a lean product team.

Reporting Structure: The designer will join the Product team and work closely with the Head of Product. This suggests a direct reporting line or close mentorship from a senior product leader, providing significant exposure to strategic product discussions and decision-making.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and substantial impact on the company's success. The design surfaces are critical for user acquisition, retention, and habit formation, directly influencing the $8M+ ARR and future growth of the business. Improvements in UX are expected to "move the metric," linking design work directly to business outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deep Product Ownership: Opportunity to take full ownership of significant app areas, driving strategy and execution from concept to launch.

• Skill Specialization: Potential to deepen expertise in mobile UI/UX, gamified design, user research methodologies, and design system management.

• Leadership Potential: As the company scales, there may be opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, or transition into a Design Lead role.

• Exposure to Growth Strategies: Close collaboration with the Growth team provides insight into user acquisition, engagement, and monetization strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a significant opportunity for impact and growth within a rapidly scaling, profitable startup. The close collaboration with the Head of Product and the emphasis on end-to-end ownership provide a strong foundation for career advancement in product design.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is listed as "On-site" in Montreal, Quebec. The mention of "Company-paid lunch every day (if you’re in office)" strongly suggests a preference for, and likely availability of, a physical office space that the company actively promotes for in-office employees.

Office Location(s): Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This is a vibrant tech hub, offering a rich ecosystem of talent and innovation. Specific office details beyond the city are not provided but can be assumed to be a professional workspace conducive to collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Growth teams, indicating a team-oriented workspace where cross-functional communication is key.

• Tooling: Access to a modern tech stack including Figma, Rive, and potentially other design and animation software, facilitating efficient and creative work.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage directly with product leadership and fellow team members, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving.

Work Schedule: The standard 40-hour work week is specified. However, the company's emphasis on autonomy and ownership suggests that while hours are standard, the focus is on results and flexibility in how tasks are managed, rather than strict time-tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement, coupled with the catered lunch benefit, points to a company culture that values in-person collaboration and team cohesion. This environment is ideal for designers who thrive in a dynamic, interactive setting.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Hiring Manager Screening: An initial conversation, likely with Noa, to assess cultural fit, motivation, and high-level alignment with the role. Prepare to discuss your passion for the fitness/gamification space and your interest in Liftoff.

• Take-Home Challenge: A practical exercise focused on designing an app screen. This assesses your core design skills, ability to follow a brief, and your Figma proficiency. Focus on delivering a well-reasoned, visually polished solution.

• Design Deep Dive: A portfolio walkthrough where you present your past work, emphasizing your design process, decision-making, and impact. This will be followed by a live UX critique of an existing Liftoff surface, testing your analytical skills and ability to provide constructive feedback. Be ready to articulate your thought process clearly and defend your design choices.

• Work Week Trial (Paid): A simulated work environment where you'll tackle real tasks. This assesses your ability to integrate into the team, your working style, and your output under realistic conditions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Decision-Making: Highlight the "why" behind your designs, detailing the problems you solved, the user needs you addressed, and the trade-offs you made. Use case studies that demonstrate your entire design process.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or evidence of how your designs have positively impacted user behavior, engagement, or business goals.

• Focus on Mobile UX: Ensure your portfolio prominently features mobile design examples, showcasing your understanding of mobile-first principles, native patterns, and interaction design.

• Design System Examples: If you have experience with design systems, include examples of components you've designed or how you've contributed to system consistency.

• Visual Storytelling: Present your work in a clear, engaging narrative that guides the reviewer through your thought process and the evolution of your solutions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Take-Home Challenge: Practice designing a mobile screen under time constraints. Focus on delivering a clean, intuitive UI that addresses a specific user need or business objective.

• UX Critique: Study Liftoff's current app (if accessible) or similar fitness/gamification apps. Prepare to analyze user flows, identify usability issues, and propose actionable improvements with clear justifications.

• Portfolio Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough to ensure a smooth, concise, and impactful presentation. Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is rigorous, incorporating practical assessments like a take-home challenge and a work trial. The emphasis on a "live UX critique" and showcasing "decisions and trade-offs" in the portfolio means candidates need to demonstrate not just aesthetic skill but also strategic thinking and analytical ability.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma (Primary): Essential for wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Deep fluency with Auto Layout, Components, and Variables is required.

• Rive: For creating stateful animations directly within the app.

• Adobe After Effects + Lottie: For more complex motion graphics and visual effects.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Statsig: Used for experimentation (A/B testing) and analytics, indicating a data-driven approach to product development and optimization.

CRM & Automation: (Not directly applicable to this design role, but background knowledge is useful)

• RevenueCat & Superwall: Platforms for managing in-app subscriptions and monetization.

• Supabase, Vercel, tRPC, Node.js, React Native (Expo), Typescript: These are the core technologies for app development, indicating the design needs to be compatible with this stack.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a hard requirement. Familiarity with animation tools like Rive and After Effects is a significant plus, especially given the company's gamified approach. Understanding the development stack (React Native, Typescript) will help designers create more feasible and integrated designs.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong focus on the mission "Making the world a better, healthier place by gamifying fitness." This should resonate with the designer's personal values.

• Ownership & Accountability: "Moves fast, owns the details, and does the work." This implies a culture where individuals take initiative and are responsible for their contributions.

• High Standards & Low Ego: "Low-ego, high standards, and real ownership." This suggests a team that is focused on achieving excellent results collaboratively without excessive hierarchy or individual ego getting in the way.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Reliance on user input, metrics, and experimentation to guide product development.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close working relationships with Product Management, Engineering, and Growth are essential for seamless product development.

• Iterative Feedback: A culture that values continuous feedback loops, both from users and internal teams, to refine designs and product strategy.

• Transparency: Open communication regarding design decisions, rationale, and outcomes is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values align with a typical high-performing tech startup: a strong mission, emphasis on individual contribution and ownership, and a collaborative, results-oriented approach. Designers who are proactive, communicative, and passionate about the mission will likely thrive.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Gamification with Usability: Creating engaging, game-like experiences while ensuring the core fitness functionality remains clear, intuitive, and accessible for all users.

• Iterative Improvement of Existing Features: Diagnosing and fixing UX issues in a live product requires analytical skill, user empathy, and the ability to implement changes that demonstrably improve metrics.

• Scaling the Design System: As the app grows, maintaining consistency and usability within an expanding design system requires diligent work and strategic thinking.

• Rapid Development Cycles: Working in a fast-paced startup environment means adapting quickly to changing priorities and delivering high-quality designs under tight deadlines.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Gamification & Behavioral Design: Opportunity to become an expert in applying game mechanics and psychological principles to drive user engagement in a health context.

• Mastery of Mobile UX & Design Systems: Significant hands-on experience will hone skills in mobile-specific design patterns, accessibility, and robust design system management.

• User Research & Data Analysis: Developing advanced capabilities in planning and executing user research and interpreting product metrics to inform design decisions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Gaining experience working closely with engineering (React Native), product, and growth teams, understanding the full product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents a unique challenge in blending gamified aesthetics with functional fitness app design. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering deep expertise in niche areas of product design and development within a successful startup.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to diagnose and fix a problematic user experience on a live product. What was your process, what did you learn, and what was the impact?" (Focus on your UX audit, user research, and iteration process.)

• "How do you approach building or evolving a design system? What are the key principles for scalability and consistency in a mobile app context?" (Highlight your understanding of component libraries, visual language, and collaboration.)

• "Walk us through a complex mobile flow you designed. What were the user needs, business goals, and technical constraints you considered? What trade-offs did you make?" (Be prepared to detail your decision-making process.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Liftoff and our mission to gamify fitness?" (Connect your personal values and career aspirations to the company's mission.)

• "How do you handle feedback on your designs, especially constructive criticism?" (Emphasize your openness to feedback, collaborative approach, and focus on improving the product.)

• "Describe your experience working in a fast-paced startup environment. How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively?" (Highlight your adaptability, ownership, and ability to deliver results.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Polish: Clearly articulate the problem, your research, your ideation, your design iterations, and the rationale behind your final solutions. Show wireframes, user flows, and prototypes.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics or evidence demonstrating the success of your designs. If direct metrics aren't available, discuss how you would measure success and what impact you aimed for.

• Be Ready for a Live Critique: Practice analyzing a mobile app's UX on the spot. Identify pain points, suggest improvements, and explain your reasoning clearly and concisely.

• Highlight Key Skills: Ensure your presentation showcases your Figma proficiency, mobile-first design expertise, and any experience with animation, illustration, or design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to demonstrate a strong understanding of UX principles, a data-informed design process, and the ability to articulate their decision-making. The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also problem-solving abilities and cultural fit within a high-performing startup.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Send the following to noa@liftoffrank.com:

• Portfolio: Showcase end-to-end product design (mobile, web, or games), focusing on decisions, trade-offs, and the process, not just final artifacts. Ensure it highlights mobile UI/UX and user research.

• Resume & Profile: Submit your updated resume and LinkedIn/X profile for review.

• Visual Work: Include any character, mascot, or in-app visual asset work you have created.

• Motion Work (Optional): If available, include Rive files, After Effects clips, or motion mockups.

• Motivation Statement: Briefly explain why you are interested in this specific role at Liftoff.

• Prepare for the Interview Process: Familiarize yourself with Liftoff's app and mission. Practice your portfolio presentation and be ready for a live UX critique. Understand that a take-home challenge and a paid work trial are part of the selection process.

⚠️ 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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