Sr. Product Designer - UX/UI & User Research (Contract to Hire)
Description
Sr. Product Designer - UX/UI & User Research
Type: Temporary contract role with the potential to become a full-time position.
Direct hire contract only; no agencies or C2C
Location: Seattle or SF Bay area
Dates of Engagement: Oct 1 to Dec 15, 2025
Hours Per Week Available: 25 hrs - to 35 hrs per week
Start Date: ASAP
Rate Projected: $55-75/hour
Our client is looking for a visionary Product Designer to craft intuitive, delightful experiences that make complex AI capabilities feel magical and accessible. You'll be responsible for end-to-end design of our core product, from early user research to detailed interaction design, working closely with engineers and product to ship features used by millions.
What You'll Design
AI-First Product Experiences
● Design conversational interfaces and AI chat experiences that feel natural and helpful
● Create intuitive workflows for complex AI outputs (generated content, data analysis, predictions)
● Solve novel UX challenges around AI transparency, explainability, and user trust
● Design adaptive interfaces that learn and personalize based on user behavior
Core Product Features
● Own the complete design process for major product areas from 0-to-1
● Create comprehensive design systems that scale across web and mobile platforms
● Design onboarding flows that get users to "aha" moments in under 60 seconds
● Build responsive, accessible experiences that work beautifully on all devices
User Research & Insights
● Plan and conduct user interviews, usability tests, and behavioral analysis
● Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data to drive product decisions
● Create user personas, journey maps, and opportunity frameworks
● Establish design principles and UX guidelines for AI-powered products
What We're Looking For
Design Excellence
● 7+ years of product design experience at fast-growing tech companies
● Strong portfolio showcasing end-to-end design process and shipped products
● Expert proficiency in Figma, prototyping tools, and modern design workflows
● Experience designing for AI/ML products, developer tools, or complex B2B software
User-Centered Approach
● Proven track record of conducting user research and translating insights into design
● Experience with quantitative analysis, A/B testing, and data-driven design decisions
● Ability to balance user needs with business goals and technical constraints
● Strong advocate for accessibility, inclusive design, and design ethics
Technical Collaboration
● Experience working closely with engineers and understanding technical trade-offs
● Familiarity with frontend development (HTML/CSS/React) for effective design handoffs
● Understanding of design system implementation and component-driven development
● Knowledge of AI/ML concepts and how they impact user experience design
Communication & Leadership
● Excellent presentation skills and ability to articulate design decisions to stakeholders
● Experience mentoring junior designers and contributing to design culture
● Collaborative approach to cross-functional teamwork and stakeholder management
● Startup mindset with comfort in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
Nice to Have
● Experience at AI companies (OpenAI, Anthropic, Midjourney) or designing AI products
● Background in HCI, cognitive science, or related field
● Experience with motion design, micro-interactions, and advanced prototyping
● Knowledge of emerging technologies (AR/VR, voice interfaces, multimodal AI)
● Design leadership experience scaling design teams from 1-10 people
Your Design Impact
● User Growth: Your designs directly drive user acquisition and retention metrics
● Product Innovation: Shape entirely new product categories and interaction paradigms
● Design Leadership: Establish design standards that will scale with 100x team growth
● Industry Influence: Your work will be studied and referenced by other AI companies
Tools & Tech Stack
● Design: Figma, Principle, ProtoPie, Adobe Creative Suite
● Research: Maze, UserTesting, Hotjar, Amplitude, Mixpanel
● Collaboration: Linear, Notion, Slack, GitHub
● Frontend: React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS (helpful to understand)