3+ years of relevant experience in user research and UI/UX design, or 2+ years with a completed design program
Portfolio showcasing leadership in both research and product design
Understanding of user-centered design process and UX best practices
Proficiency with design tools like Figma and testing platforms
Experience in agile environments collaborating with product managers
Ability to create responsive designs across devices meeting accessibility standards
Comfortable using AI tools in design workflows
Responsibilities
Own knowledge of user personas and their challenges to create effective solutions
Lead user research to define problems and prioritize solutions
Design user experiences using various methods to understand behavior and validate concepts
Rapidly create mockups and prototypes for feedback and discovery
Organize user testing sessions and analyze findings for actionable insights
Extend and maintain a robust design system for consistency across products
Collaborate with engineers to ensure design accuracy in implementation
Benefits
Hybrid work environment with 3 days remote and 2 days in-office
Engagement with social entrepreneurship and technology addressing social issues
Opportunity to influence product roadmaps and design processes
Access to AI-powered tools for design efficiency
Work in a dynamic team with a focus on user advocacy
Full Job Description
Overview
The Product Designer plays an essential role in the creation and continuous improvement of STEAMe products. You'll own end-to-end user experiences - from user research through rapid prototyping - providing day-to-day design across our four products and working closely with product managers and engineers to bring new solutions to market. This role reports to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and partners closely with our UX Lead.
Responsibilities
Own knowledge of our user personas, their pain points, and use cases to create valuable and delightful solutions
Plan and lead user research to inform problem definition and prioritization
Design end-to-end experiences using a design-thinking approach - observational studies, customer interviews, usability testing, and other qualitative and quantitative methods - to learn about user behavior and validate concepts
Create rapid iterations of mockups and prototypes for discovery and validation
Organize, recruit, and lead user testing sessions on new functionality
Analyze findings and communicate key insights to drive team decisions
Work within and extend our robust design system (in place from day one) to keep our four products consistent and efficient to build
Create high-quality design materials - wireframes, mockups, and style guides
Collaborate with engineering to ensure design specs are implemented
Contribute to product roadmap development and help define requirements
Use AI-powered design and research tools to work faster, and bring a point of view on where AI can improve our design process and products
Partner with the UX Lead to refine processes and best practices for product design
Requirements
3+ years of relevant experience across user research and UI/UX design - or 2+ years with a completed UX/UI design program or related degree
A portfolio (include the password if applicable) with examples where you led both the research and the product design of the resulting solution
Solid grasp of the user-centered design process, UX best practices, and methodologies
Proficiency with design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma) and user testing platforms
Experience in an agile software environment, guiding product decisions through research and iterative feedback alongside product managers
Experience creating responsive designs across desktop, tablet, and mobile web that meet accessibility standards (WCAG)
Comfort with AI tooling in a design workflow
Strong communication skills to present and explain design decisions to teammates, users, and stakeholders, and to advocate for our users
Demonstrated passion for social entrepreneurship or using technology to address social challenges
Preferred Experience
Previous work on a social-impact solution or in B2B/B2B2C
0-to-1 design experience
Fast-paced startup environment working with multiple PMs and engineering teams
Experience working within and contributing to an established design system
Environmental Job Requirements & Working Conditions
This position is based in Chicago, IL
STEAMe is a Hybrid work environment, with 3 days work from home and 2 days in-office work
The pay range for this role is: $90,000 - 110,000. This salary range represents our target hiring range. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including experience, skill set, and alignment to the role's scope and level.
