Sr UX Designer - AI Labs

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr UX Designer - AI Labs

Company: Target

Location: Bangalore, India

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: September 1, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years (Mid to Senior Level)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and prototype advanced agentic AI experiences, focusing on multi-agent interactions and cross-domain surfaces.

• Develop and refine interaction models that ensure visibility and trustworthiness in AI system reasoning.

• Collaborate closely with product and engineering teams to transform nascent ideas into tangible product directions.

• Establish and implement best practices for designing trust, autonomy, guardrails, and human-in-the-loop functionalities within AI systems.

• Drive systems-level design thinking, ensuring consistency and scalability of UX patterns across multiple teams and use cases.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within Target's AI Labs, indicating a focus on cutting-edge AI development. The emphasis on "agentic experiences" suggests a deep dive into AI systems that can act autonomously or semi-autonomously, requiring a designer who can conceptualize and operationalize complex human-AI interactions. The role requires a strong strategic and systems-thinking approach, moving beyond single-screen design to address broader interaction paradigms.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, design, and prototype novel agentic AI experiences, including multi-agent entry points and cross-domain interfaces.

• Develop rapid demonstrations and interactive prototypes to facilitate feedback and iterative development with internal teams.

• Partner directly with product managers and engineers to translate early-stage AI concepts into actionable product strategies and user-centered designs.

• Define and design critical elements of AI interaction, such as trust indicators, autonomy levels, human-in-the-loop mechanisms, and provenance surfacing.

• Create comprehensive UX artifacts, including journey maps, user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes, maintaining a high standard of craft and strategic foresight.

• Research and adapt industry best practices while actively developing new methodologies for uncharted territories in AI-driven user experiences.

• Ensure designs adhere to WCAG accessibility standards and promote inclusive user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant degree of ambiguity and innovation, common in AI research and development. The emphasis on "inventing the approach" suggests that candidates will need to be self-starters and comfortable with defining processes and frameworks rather than simply executing pre-defined ones. The need for "systems-level" design implies a focus on the architecture of user interactions within complex AI ecosystems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior UX Designer role.

Experience: 6+ years of progressive experience in product/UX design, with a demonstrated ability to think beyond single interfaces and focus on broader system interactions.

Required Skills:

• Product/UX Design: Proven track record in designing intuitive and effective user experiences for complex digital products.

• Portfolio: A robust portfolio showcasing systems-level thinking, complex interaction models, and design solutions beyond screen-level craft.

• Agentic AI/Complex Workflow Design: Direct exposure or demonstrable experience in designing for AI, agentic systems, developer experience, complex workflow tools, or large-scale design systems.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Demonstrated ability to structure thinking and work effectively in environments with high levels of ambiguity and evolving requirements.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced expertise in Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• WCAG Accessibility Standards: Solid understanding and practical application of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to conceptualize how a design pattern or UX solution scales and performs across various contexts and use cases.

• Prototyping: Skill in creating fast, functional prototypes for rapid iteration and feedback.

Preferred Skills:

• Technical Fluency: Basic understanding of APIs, experience with design-to-code tools, or comfort prototyping with code to accelerate iteration cycles.

• Design System Contribution: Experience in developing, contributing to, or maintaining a comprehensive design system.

• Communication & Rationale: Ability to articulate design decisions clearly and justify them based on user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.

• Industry Interest: Demonstrated passion for AI, agentic systems, or related fields through side projects, writings, or public contributions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "direct exposure to AI/agentic product design" or "adjacent work like complex workflow tools, platform/infrastructure UX, or design systems at enterprise scale" is crucial. This suggests Target is looking for candidates who have already grappled with similar complexities, even if not in a formal AI role, indicating a need for proactive problem-solving and a deep understanding of user interaction with sophisticated systems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Systems-Level Design: Showcase projects where you've designed complex, interconnected systems or platforms, demonstrating an understanding of how components interact.

• AI/Agentic Experience Examples: Include case studies that specifically address the design of AI-driven features, agentic behaviors, or complex workflows. Highlight the challenges and your unique solutions.

• Process & Methodology: Detail your design process for each project, emphasizing how you tackled ambiguity, user research, ideation, prototyping, and iteration.

• Rationale & Decision-Making: Clearly articulate the "why" behind your design choices, focusing on user needs, technical feasibility, and business impact. For AI projects, explain how you designed for trust, control, and transparency.

• Collaboration & Impact: Illustrate how you collaborated with cross-functional teams (product, engineering) and the measurable impact of your designs.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating detailed user flows, journey maps, and interaction specifications that clearly outline complex system behaviors.

• Examples of how you have documented design decisions and the rationale behind them, especially in ambiguous or evolving project phases.

• Demonstrations of how you have translated abstract concepts or technical capabilities into tangible user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the novelty of "agentic experiences," the portfolio should heavily emphasize the candidate's ability to define new interaction paradigms. Candidates should be prepared to showcase how they've navigated uncharted design territories, developed novel processes, and articulated complex system behaviors through clear documentation and visual artifacts.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior UX Designer role in Bangalore, India, with 6+ years of experience, a competitive salary range can be estimated between ₹18,00,000 to ₹30,00,000 per annum. This range accounts for the specialized nature of AI UX design and the senior level of the position.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision).

• Retirement savings plans or provident fund contributions.

• Paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays).

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and conference attendance.

• Employee discounts on Target products and services.

• Potential for performance-based bonuses or stock options (depending on company policy).

• Access to employee assistance programs and wellness initiatives.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. While on-site, there may be some flexibility offered, but core business hours will require presence in the office for collaboration with global teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges are estimates based on industry benchmarks for senior UX/Product Designers in Bangalore, India, considering the tech and retail sectors. The actual salary will depend on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and performance during the interview process. Benefits are standard for large multinational corporations in India, with specific details available upon request.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Retail, Technology, E-commerce. Target is a leading multinational retailer known for its innovative approach to in-store and online shopping experiences. Its AI Labs division signifies a strong investment in future technologies.

Company Size: Target is a Fortune 50 company with over 400,000 team members globally, and more than 4,000 team members in its Bengaluru, India operations. This indicates a large, established organization with significant resources and complex structures.

Founded: Target was founded in 1902, with its India operations established more recently. This blend of a long-standing retail heritage and a forward-looking technology division offers a unique work environment.

Team Structure:

• The AI Labs team is likely a specialized, cross-functional unit comprising researchers, product managers, engineers, and designers focused on developing advanced AI capabilities.

• Designers will report into a Design leadership structure, likely within the AI or Product organization, and will collaborate closely with dedicated Product and Engineering teams for specific AI initiatives.

• Cross-functional collaboration is paramount, requiring designers to work seamlessly with diverse teams, including those in the US, to align on global strategies and product roadmaps. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: Decisions are expected to be informed by user research, analytics, and A/B testing, with a strong emphasis on measurable outcomes.

• Agile Development: The teams likely operate within an agile framework, emphasizing iterative design and development cycles.

• Systems-Level Design Thinking: A core methodology will involve designing holistic experiences that consider the interconnectedness of various AI components and user touchpoints.

• Human-Centered AI: Despite the focus on AI, the approach remains human-centered, prioritizing user needs, trust, and ethical considerations in AI development.

Company Website: https://corporate.target.com/, https://india.target.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Target's established presence in retail combined with its investment in AI Labs suggests a company that values both robust operational excellence and forward-thinking innovation. The Bengaluru center plays a crucial role in Target's global technology strategy, offering designers exposure to large-scale projects with significant impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as a Senior UX Designer, indicating a mid-to-senior level position. It requires a strong foundation in UX principles and a proven ability to handle complex design challenges independently, mentor junior designers, and influence product strategy.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Lead within the AI Labs division. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads on specific AI projects, forming a core project team.

Operations Impact: The work in AI Labs directly influences the future of Target's products and services. This role has the potential to shape how customers and internal teams interact with cutting-edge AI technologies, driving innovation, efficiency, and enhanced user experiences across the retail landscape.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in AI/Agentic Design: Deepen expertise in a rapidly evolving field, becoming a go-to specialist in designing human-AI interactions.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives for key AI projects, and potentially move into Design Lead or Management roles.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Exposure to various product areas and technologies within Target, potentially leading to opportunities in different design domains or product teams.

• Continuous Learning: Access to internal training, external conferences, and workshops focused on AI, UX research, and emerging design trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr UX Designer - AI Labs" title implies a career path focused on specialized UX within advanced technology domains. Growth likely involves increasing complexity of projects, leadership responsibilities, and deeper expertise in AI interaction design, rather than a traditional linear progression.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role in Bangalore, India. Target's India operations likely feature a modern, collaborative office space designed to foster innovation and teamwork.

Office Location(s): The office is located in Bangalore, a major technology hub in India, providing access to a vibrant tech ecosystem. Specific details about the office amenities and accessibility would be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect an open, dynamic workspace designed for team collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma), prototyping software, and potentially specialized AI/ML development environments.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities to engage with fellow designers, product managers, engineers, and researchers, both within the AI Labs team and across global Target teams.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with a standard 40-hour work week. While the primary location is on-site, collaboration with teams in different time zones (especially the US) may require some flexibility in working hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Bangalore emphasizes the importance of in-person collaboration for complex, innovative projects like those in AI Labs. The environment is expected to be fast-paced, challenging, and conducive to deep work and team synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where the candidate presents their portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key projects that demonstrate systems thinking, AI/complex workflow design, and problem-solving skills. Expect questions about design decisions, process, and impact.

• Technical/Design Interview: In-depth discussion with senior designers or design leads to evaluate UX craft, interaction design skills, and understanding of AI UX principles. This may involve design challenges or case studies.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Conversation with the hiring manager to discuss role expectations, team dynamics, career growth, and overall fit.

• Cross-Functional Interview: Potential interviews with product managers or engineers to assess collaboration and communication skills.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best highlight your experience with complex systems, AI, ambiguity, and your ability to think beyond single interfaces.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you faced, your solutions, and the outcomes/impact.

• Emphasize the "Why": Be prepared to defend your design decisions with data, user research insights, and a clear understanding of business objectives.

• Showcase Process: Detail your iterative process, how you handled ambiguity, and how you collaborated with teams. Include artifacts like journey maps, flows, and prototypes.

• Highlight AI/Agentic Design: For AI projects, specifically discuss how you approached trust, autonomy, transparency, and human-in-the-loop mechanisms.

• Be Ready for "What Ifs": Anticipate questions about alternative solutions, how your designs would scale, and how you'd handle unforeseen technical constraints.

Challenge Preparation:

• Systems Design Challenge: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to design an AI-driven system or feature, requiring you to outline user flows, interaction models, and key considerations.

• Problem-Solving Exercise: You might be given a complex UX problem related to AI and asked to walk through your approach to solving it.

• Figma/Prototyping Skills: Practice creating rapid prototypes or mockups to demonstrate your proficiency and speed.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss the trade-offs involved in design decisions, especially concerning AI capabilities, user experience, and technical feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio that shows "thinking past a single user and a single interface, beyond screen-level craft alone" is critical. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate how their work has influenced broader systems and user journeys, not just individual screens.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency is explicitly required for design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, ProtoPie) might be beneficial for demonstrating advanced interaction concepts.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly mentioned for the designer role, understanding how to interpret user analytics, A/B test results, and performance metrics from tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal BI platforms would be advantageous for data-informed design. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the UX Designer role, but awareness of how CRM systems (like Salesforce) and marketing automation tools integrate with user-facing applications can provide broader context. Other Relevant Technologies:

• AI/ML Platforms: Familiarity with the concepts behind AI/ML models and platforms, even without deep technical knowledge, is crucial for designing agentic experiences.

• Design Systems: Experience with or contribution to design systems (e.g., using Storybook, or internal component libraries) is a plus.

• Accessibility Tools: Familiarity with tools for testing and validating WCAG compliance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and WCAG standards highlights their importance. The "Nice to Have" section about technical fluency suggests that an understanding of how designs translate into code or interact with APIs is highly valued, even if the candidate isn't a developer.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A relentless focus on understanding and serving the customer, ensuring AI designs enhance the Target experience.

• Innovation & Curiosity: A drive to explore new technologies, experiment with novel approaches, and push the boundaries of what's possible in AI and UX.

• Collaboration & Inclusion: A commitment to working together across diverse teams and backgrounds, valuing every perspective to create equitable experiences.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing insights from data and research to inform design choices and measure impact.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for designs, processes, and outcomes, driving projects from concept to completion.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Active and transparent collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, AI Research, and other design disciplines.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: A culture that encourages frequent feedback, open critique, and continuous improvement of designs and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of insights, learnings, and best practices within the AI Labs team and across the broader Target design community.

• Proactive Communication: Maintaining clear and consistent communication, especially when working with globally distributed teams and navigating ambiguous project spaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: Target emphasizes "mutual care and respect," "authentic and respectful" relationships, and "inclusion" as core values. For this role, these translate to collaborative design practices that are mindful of diverse user needs and team dynamics, especially when working on potentially complex or sensitive AI technologies.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for the Unknown: Working with emerging AI technologies where user interaction patterns are not yet established, requiring significant conceptualization and experimentation.

• Balancing Autonomy and Control: Designing AI systems that offer powerful autonomous capabilities while ensuring users feel in control and can trust the system's actions.

• Cross-Time Zone Collaboration: Effectively collaborating with teams in different geographical locations and time zones to ensure alignment and timely progress.

• Translating Technical Complexity: Simplifying complex AI concepts and functionalities into intuitive and understandable user experiences.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge AI Exposure: Direct involvement in developing and designing next-generation AI capabilities, offering unparalleled learning in this domain.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from experienced AI researchers, product leaders, and senior designers within Target.

• Skill Specialization: Focus on developing deep expertise in agentic AI UX, human-AI interaction, and ethical AI design principles.

• Industry Conferences & Training: Support for attending relevant conferences (e.g., CHI, UXRConf, AI UX events) and pursuing specialized training.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in pioneering new design territory. Candidates must be comfortable with ambiguity and view it as an opportunity for innovation and personal growth in a rapidly evolving field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a user interface for an AI system that needs to gain user trust when its reasoning processes are inherently complex or opaque?"

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex system or workflow with limited precedents. What was your process, and how did you manage ambiguity?"

• "Imagine you're designing an AI agent that can proactively take actions on behalf of a user. What are the critical guardrails and human-in-the-loop mechanisms you would implement, and why?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Target and the retail industry, where do you see the biggest opportunities for agentic AI to impact the customer experience?"

• "How do you ensure your design process remains inclusive and considers diverse user needs, especially when working with new technologies like AI?"

• "What does 'systems-level thinking' mean to you in the context of UX design, and how have you applied it in past projects?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: Quantify the results of your projects whenever possible (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced task completion time, increased user satisfaction).

• Showcase Your Process: For each project, clearly outline your design methodology, research insights, and iterative steps. Use visuals like journey maps, flows, and wireframes.

• Highlight AI/Complex System Design: Dedicate significant time to projects that demonstrate your ability to handle complexity, ambiguity, and AI-specific challenges. Explain how you designed for trust, transparency, and user control.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to elaborate on any aspect of your portfolio, especially your design decisions, trade-offs, and collaborations.

• Demonstrate Technical Awareness: Even if not a coder, be prepared to discuss how your designs might be implemented and any technical considerations or constraints you factored in.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for candidates who not only possess strong UX skills but also have the strategic foresight, technical curiosity, and collaborative spirit to thrive in an innovative AI environment. Your ability to articulate complex ideas and demonstrate a structured approach to ambiguity will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Target's careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating systems-level thinking, experience with complex workflows, AI/agentic design principles, and your ability to navigate ambiguity. Prioritize case studies that showcase your process and the measurable impact of your designs.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 6+ years of relevant experience, emphasizing skills in product design, UX design, Figma, AI/agentic systems, and accessibility. Use keywords from the job description to align with ATS scanning.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and project outcomes. Prepare to discuss your approach to challenging AI UX problems and your understanding of Target's business context.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Target's mission, values, and its strategic investments in technology and AI. Understand how the AI Labs role contributes to the broader company objectives.

⚠️ 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.