Senior Product Designer (Illustration & Motion, EdTech)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer (Illustration & Motion, EdTech)

Company: Miaplaza

Location: Fully Remote (United States)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / UX/UI

Date Posted: 2026-08-18

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

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end product design for the student learning experience within a Product Trio, focusing on illustration and motion to enhance user engagement.

• Establish and elevate the company-wide illustration and motion design bar, defining standards, motion principles, and character direction for other designers and the design system.

• Art-direct AI-assisted production workflows for illustration and motion, leveraging AI tools to scale high-quality visual output efficiently.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering Managers to navigate pedagogical, technical, and business trade-offs in product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw job description focuses on design craft, the "Product Trio" mention and the emphasis on "real trade-offs — pedagogical, technical, and business" strongly suggest this role requires a product-minded designer who can contribute to strategy and decision-making beyond pure aesthetics, aligning with GTM and Revenue Operations principles of driving business outcomes through user-centric design. The "operations" aspect is interpreted through the lens of optimizing the product development process and maximizing user engagement for business success.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete product design lifecycle for the student learning experience, from problem framing and ideation through to final delivery and iteration.

• Develop and maintain high-quality illustration and motion design assets that align with Miaplaza's brand identity and pedagogical goals.

• Create and refine design systems components, focusing on illustration and motion principles that can be adopted across the organization.

• Articulate and advocate for design decisions, presenting rationale based on user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility.

• Collaborate with engineers to ensure faithful implementation of designs, providing clear specifications and ongoing support.

• Conduct and leverage user research, including usability testing and feedback analysis, to inform design iterations and product improvements.

• Develop and manage prompts, reference materials, and review processes for AI-assisted illustration and motion production.

• Contribute to the strategic direction of product features, ensuring design thinking is integrated early in the product development process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are inferred to include strategic product input and user research, extending beyond typical visual design tasks. This is based on the mention of "problem framing," "real trade-offs," and "running your own usability research," which are critical for a senior role aiming to impact product strategy and user experience effectively.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is often preferred for senior product design roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience: A minimum of 2 years of experience working within a product team, collaborating closely with Product Managers (PMs) and Engineers, is required. Candidates with 3-5 years of experience in similar roles will likely find stronger alignment.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated portfolio showcasing shipped digital product work, including examples of illustration and/or motion design integrated into live products.

• Proficiency in Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Strong illustration skills, with at least 1 year of focused primary craft experience.

• Strong motion design skills, with at least 1 year of focused primary craft experience.

• Experience collaborating within a Product Trio (Product Manager, Engineering Manager, Designer).

• Ability to direct or guide visual work produced by others, including freelancers, junior designers, or AI tools.

• Understanding of product strategy and the ability to contribute to problem framing for ambiguous challenges. Preferred Skills:

• Deep expertise in motion design for product contexts: interactions, transitions, onboarding flows, and character animation.

• Experience utilizing AI image or motion generation tools as production accelerators.

• Confidence and experience in conducting independent usability research and analyzing findings.

• Experience designing for multi-brand environments or within the education technology (EdTech) sector.

• Practical knowledge of accessibility best practices, particularly for neurodivergent audiences.

• Familiarity with design systems and their application in scaling product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level is inferred from the "Senior Product Designer" title and the explicit mention of "at least 2 years working inside a product team." The preferred skills are drawn directly from the "You’ll stand out if you also have" section of the provided description.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio of shipped digital product work, demonstrating end-to-end product design contributions.

• Specific case studies highlighting your role in illustration and/or motion design within product contexts.

• Examples showcasing your ability to art-direct visual output, especially if AI tools were involved.

• Demonstrations of your Figma proficiency, including prototyping and component usage.

• Evidence of collaboration within product teams, illustrating your contribution to problem framing and solution delivery. Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate the problem statement, your design process, the trade-offs considered (pedagogical, technical, business), and the impact of your design solutions.

• Showcase your approach to establishing illustration and motion standards, including principles and character direction guidelines.

• Detail your experience in art-directing AI-assisted production, including prompt engineering, reference curation, and review processes.

• Provide examples of how you've integrated user research findings into your design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are tailored based on the "A portfolio of shipped digital product work" mandate and the role's emphasis on illustration, motion, AI art direction, and product ownership. The emphasis on process documentation is derived from the need to demonstrate strategic thinking and problem-solving beyond just visual output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €60,000 to €90,000 annually. This range is adjusted based on experience and location, with Miaplaza's compensation philosophy aiming for equity and competitiveness while considering regional labor costs.

Benefits:

• Full-time employment with 40 hours per week.

• Fully remote work arrangement, allowing flexibility in location within EMEA (with team gatherings in person a few times a year).

• Opportunity to work in the EdTech sector, contributing to educational platforms for over 150,000 students.

• Collaboration with a senior, small design team and a supportive leadership structure, reporting to the Head of UX.

• Potential for upward career growth, focusing on deeper craft leadership or cross-product influence.

• Exposure to and utilization of AI tools for production acceleration.

• Participation in a self-funded, growing EdTech company.

Working Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week. The remote setup within EMEA (CET±2) suggests a need for alignment with core European working hours for team collaboration, though the "Fully Remote" status implies flexibility within that timezone band.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is directly from the input. Benefits are extrapolated from the general company description and the role's context, focusing on aspects valuable to a senior remote professional. The timezone clarification is added for practical remote work considerations.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Education Technology (EdTech). Miaplaza operates in a dynamic sector focused on developing digital learning solutions for K-12 students, specifically targeting homeschoolers. This implies a culture that values innovation, user-centricity, and educational impact.

Company Size: Miaplaza is described as a "growing, self-funded EdTech company." While an exact number isn't provided, this suggests a mid-sized organization where individual contributions are highly visible and can significantly influence product direction and company growth. The design team is specifically mentioned as "small and senior," indicating a high-performance, collaborative environment.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company has established multiple platforms (Miacademy, MiaPrep, Online High School) serving over 150,000 students, indicating a mature product suite and a solid operational foundation.

Team Structure:

• The design team consists of five senior designers, each bringing a distinct strength (brand, design systems, research, and the incoming illustration/motion specialist).

• The Senior Product Designer will operate within a "Product Trio" model, collaborating directly with a Product Manager (PM) and an Engineering Manager (EM).

• Reporting structure is to the Head of UX, with regular 1:1s focused on craft, product, and career development. Methodology:

• The company emphasizes a "step change in how our products feel," indicating a focus on polish, craft, and user delight through illustration and motion.

• There's a clear embrace of AI tools as "production accelerators," suggesting a forward-thinking approach to leveraging technology for efficiency and scale.

• The hiring process highlights a commitment to "honest, timely feedback" and respect for candidate time, reflecting a transparent and candidate-centric approach.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Company context is synthesized from the provided description, focusing on aspects relevant to a designer's work environment and impact. The "Methodology" section highlights the company's approach to design and technology, which is crucial for understanding the operational ethos.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Senior Product Designer." This implies a level of autonomy, strategic contribution, and ownership over significant product areas. The responsibilities extend beyond execution to include setting standards, art direction, and contributing to product strategy, indicating a role that requires seasoned judgment and leadership potential.

Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to the Head of UX provides a clear line of mentorship and career guidance. Collaboration within the Product Trio ensures integration with product management and engineering leadership on a day-to-day basis.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the "feel" and memorability of the learning experience for over 150,000 students. By enhancing illustration and motion, the designer will influence user engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, the perceived value of Miaplaza's educational products. The strategic involvement in product direction also means influencing business outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deeper Craft Leadership: Opportunities to further specialize and become a recognized expert in illustration, motion design, and AI-assisted visual production within the EdTech space.

• Cross-Product Influence: Potential to expand influence beyond the student learning experience to shape design standards and product direction across Miaplaza's suite of products.

• Mentorship and Team Development: As a senior member, there's an opportunity to mentor junior designers or contribute to the growth of the design team and its practices.

• Strategic Product Contribution: Evolving into a role with greater strategic input on product roadmaps and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career analysis is based on the "Senior" title and the described responsibilities, framing them within typical career progression paths for product designers. The "Operations Impact" emphasizes the link between design quality and business metrics like engagement and perceived value.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully remote, with occasional in-person team gatherings. This offers maximum flexibility for location while still fostering team cohesion and collaboration through planned physical meetups.

Office Location(s): While the role is fully remote, the primary timezone alignment is EMEA (CET±2). This means candidates should ideally be located within this timezone band to facilitate seamless collaboration with the core team. The job description also mentions location adjustment for compensation, suggesting candidates from various regions within the US are considered, but the primary operational timezone is EMEA.

Workspace Context:

• A fully remote setup allows for personalized work environments and autonomy.

• The use of collaborative tools like Figma is central to the daily workflow, enabling seamless design iteration and feedback.

• Opportunities for deep work on craft (illustration, motion) are balanced with collaborative sessions within the Product Trio and the broader design team.

• Access to AI tools is provided, encouraging experimentation and efficiency in the design process.

Work Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week. While remote, adherence to core working hours within the EMEA timezone (CET±2) is likely expected for effective team collaboration, especially within the Product Trio. Flexibility is implied within this framework.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description emphasizes the remote aspect and its implications for flexibility and collaboration. The timezone detail is crucial for setting expectations regarding daily work patterns and team interaction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Application & Eligibility Check: Initial screening for work authorization, timezone alignment (EMEA), and availability.

2. Async Assessment: A two-part assessment: first, ~30 minutes of scenario-based multiple-choice questions, followed by ~45 minutes of open-ended written questions if the first part is passed.

3. Portfolio Review: The design team will evaluate your submitted portfolio, focusing on shipped product work, illustration, motion, and AI art direction capabilities.

4. Behavioral Interview: A conversation with the People team to assess work style, collaboration, and cultural fit.

5. Take-home Design Task: A ~60-minute task, encouraging the use of AI tools, designed to simulate real-world problem-solving for this role.

6. Hiring Team Interview: A discussion with a design team member and the Head of UX to delve deeper into your craft, product thinking, and fit.

7. Skip-level Conversation: An interview with executive leadership to assess strategic alignment and overall fit.

8. Reference Checks: Standard background verification.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Shipped Work: Prioritize case studies of products that have been launched and are in use, not just conceptual projects.

• Highlight Illustration & Motion Craft: Dedicate sections or specific case studies to your strongest illustration and motion design work within product contexts.

• Demonstrate AI Art Direction: If you have experience using AI tools for production, clearly articulate your process, prompt engineering skills, and how you art-directed the output.

• Illustrate Product Thinking: For each case study, explain the problem, your thought process, the trade-offs you navigated (pedagogical, technical, business), and the measurable impact of your design.

• Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your Figma workflow, component usage, and prototyping capabilities.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Tool Integration: Be ready to leverage AI tools effectively in the take-home task, showcasing your ability to direct AI output rather than just using defaults.

• Problem Framing: Practice articulating how you would approach ambiguous problems and define scope for design challenges.

• Trade-off Articulation: Prepare to discuss how you balance user needs with technical constraints and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process is detailed and structured. The portfolio and challenge preparation tips are tailored to the specific requirements of this role, emphasizing AI art direction and product-level problem-solving.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Mandatory tool for design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect to use it extensively for UI design, component creation, and interactive prototypes.

• Illustration Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools for creating high-quality illustrations (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer) is expected, though the output will be integrated into Figma.

• Motion Design Tools: Expertise in tools for creating product animations, transitions, and character animations (e.g., After Effects, Principle, Lottie) is highly valued.

• AI Image/Motion Generation Tools: Familiarity with tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, or similar platforms for generating visual assets and accelerating production is a significant advantage.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly stated as a primary tool, understanding how to use analytics to inform design decisions is crucial. Familiarity with tools that track user engagement, feature adoption, and conversion rates within a product would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this design role, but understanding how product features contribute to user onboarding, retention, and overall customer lifecycle within an EdTech context is important.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tool stack is derived directly from the "Proficiency in Figma" requirement and the emphasis on illustration, motion, and AI tools. The other categories are standard for product roles but are less emphasized here, reflecting the role's specific focus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Polish: A strong emphasis on the aesthetic quality and "feel" of the product, driven by expressive illustration and purposeful motion.

• User-Centricity: Designing for kids aged 4-18, with a focus on creating engaging and memorable learning experiences.

• Innovation & Efficiency: Embracing AI tools as accelerators to achieve high-quality visual output at scale.

• Collaboration & Directness: Operating within Product Trios and a senior design team, expecting strong opinions and direct communication.

• Impact-Driven: Focusing on how design translates into pedagogical and business outcomes, not just visual aesthetics.

Collaboration Style:

• Product Trio Model: Close, integrated collaboration with PMs and EMs, involving shared ownership and decision-making.

• Cross-functional Design Input: Working with other senior designers (brand, design systems, research) to establish company-wide standards.

• Art Direction & Guidance: Providing clear direction and feedback to junior team members or AI tools to maintain visual quality and consistency.

• Feedback Culture: Expectation of receiving and giving honest, timely feedback throughout the hiring process and within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture and values are inferred from the company's mission, the description of the design team, and the emphasis on craft, AI, and collaboration. These elements highlight the operational approach to design within Miaplaza.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Craft with Scale: Artfully directing AI tools to achieve high-quality, consistent illustration and motion at a scale that hand-crafting alone cannot achieve.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Shaping and solving problems that are not yet clearly defined, requiring strong product sense and strategic thinking.

• Cross-Disciplinary Alignment: Ensuring design vision aligns with pedagogical goals, technical feasibility, and business objectives within the Product Trio.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective communication in a fully remote environment, balanced with occasional in-person gatherings.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Tool Proficiency: Deepening expertise in using AI for creative production and art direction.

• Product Strategy Contribution: Gaining experience in influencing product roadmaps and strategic decision-making within the EdTech sector.

• Craft Specialization: Becoming a leader in illustration and motion design within the context of digital learning products.

• Design System Evolution: Contributing to the growth and application of design systems with a focus on rich visual elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are framed around the unique aspects of the role, such as AI art direction and ambiguous problem-solving. Growth opportunities are tied to the senior level and the specific focus areas of the role.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to art-direct visual output (e.g., from a junior designer, freelancer, or AI tool). What was your process, and what were the key outcomes?"

• "How do you balance the need for high-quality visual craft (illustration, motion) with the constraints of product development (time, technical limitations, budget)?"

• "Walk us through a product design challenge you faced where you had to consider pedagogical, technical, and business trade-offs. How did you approach it and what was the result?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Miaplaza's mission and products, how would you approach setting the illustration and motion bar for our student learning experience?"

• "How do you see AI tools impacting the future of product design, particularly in illustration and motion? How would you leverage them responsibly at Miaplaza?"

• "Describe your experience working within a Product Trio or similar cross-functional team. What makes for effective collaboration in such a setup?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific contribution, the design process, and the measurable impact on users or business goals.

• Highlight AI Art Direction: If applicable, dedicate a segment to showcasing your process and results from using AI tools, emphasizing your directorial role.

• Demonstrate Craft: Be prepared to discuss the nuances of your illustration and motion design choices, explaining their purpose within the product experience.

• Figma Walkthrough: Be ready to share your Figma files or a recorded walkthrough to demonstrate your proficiency and design system thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions are crafted to probe the core competencies of the role: art direction, product thinking, AI utilization, and craft. Preparation advice focuses on demonstrating these skills effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Miaplaza careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature shipped digital product work, with a strong emphasis on your illustration and motion design skills. Include at least one case study demonstrating your art direction of AI-assisted visual production if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your experience within product teams, your proficiency in Figma, and any experience directing visual work or using AI tools. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly review the company's products (Miacademy, MiaPrep, etc.) and understand their target audience. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and practice articulating your design process, focusing on trade-offs and impact.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Miaplaza's mission, values, and the EdTech landscape. Understand their approach to AI and their commitment to the "feel" of their products.

⚠️ 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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