Principal Product Designer, Core Experience

Tin Can

$125K — $150K *
Consumer Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of experience in designing and shipping consumer digital products with a focus on complex user experiences.
  • Strong visual design skills, capable of simplifying intricate workflows.
  • Systems thinker with expertise in building reusable design foundations.
  • Proven ability to collaborate strategically with Product teams on future product direction.
  • Experience leveraging AI in design processes for exploration and prototyping.
  • Strong understanding of user trust and safety, particularly in products for children and families.
  • Demonstrated capability to work independently and set a clear direction.

Responsibilities

  • Own the entire software experience design for Tin Can, enhancing user engagement.
  • Conduct user research to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
  • Collaborate with Product to define strategic future directions for the product.
  • Establish design patterns and language to enable fast, scalable development.
  • Engage hands-on with the design process, including prototyping and writing copy.

Benefits

  • Collaborative and inclusive company culture that encourages shared credit and teamwork.
  • Opportunity for hands-on involvement in shaping product experiences and features.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge technology, such as AI, in design processes.
  • Impactful work that directly affects families and children, fostering a meaningful connection.
Full Job Description
The Role

Kids want a phone that just works. Parents want to know exactly what it's doing. Designing for both, at once, without either one feeling like an afterthought - that's the role.

We're looking for a Principal UX Designer to own the experience of Tin Can from a family's first consideration to their eight millionth call. That means the app parents live in (contacts, quiet hours, their whole relationship with the device) and it means onboarding and retention, the moments that turn a new box on the counter into something a family can't imagine living without.

This isn't just a design-what's-asked-of-you role. You'll run research to understand what's actually working and what isn't, partnering with Product to figure out what to do next, not just how to build it. You'll work closely with the Head of Product, Engineering, and Brand so that software, hardware, and brand feel like one coherent product rather than a set of one-offs. This is a hands-on senior IC role: You'll do the design work yourself, and you'll establish the patterns, flows, and design language that let us scale design deliberately, including with AI, over time.

What You'll Do
  • Own design across the whole software experience, shaping the core Tin Can experience, the stuff that keeps the phone ringing
  • Run research yourself, talk to families, watch where things break, to set your next move
  • Shape what we build next, not just how; you're a strategic thought partner to Product, not just an executor
  • Build the patterns and design language that help the team and when appropriate, AI, move fast but meet our bar
  • Get hands-on: prototype it, write the copy, sit with an engineer until it's right
What We're Looking For
  • 10+ years designing and shipping consumer digital products, with clear examples of owning complex experiences end to end
  • Excellent visual design craft, with a gift for making complex workflows feel simple
  • A strong systems thinker who builds reusable foundations, not just one-off screens
  • A strategic partner to Product who shapes what we build next, not just how
  • Fluency using AI as a design multiplier (exploration, prototyping, production), and genuine interest in building a foundation the team can scale with it
  • Excellent judgment around user trust, safety, and quality, especially designing for kids and the parents who trust us
  • Ability to set direction and move independently, with little oversight
  • Hands-on and scrappy approach; you'd rather build the component or run the test yourself than wait on someone else
  • Low-ego and collaborative vibes; you share credit and pitch in on problems that aren't yours

If you're excited by the idea of shaping how thousands of families experience something simpler and better for their kids, please reach out. We can't wait to meet someone who's ready to jump in, set the bar, and help us grow.

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Tin Can

More Consumer Technology Jobs

Find similar Principal Product Designer, Core Experience jobs: