A Product Design Career Guide for Individual Contributors
As Head of Design at Visible, it’s important for me to always be investing in process and organization for our design team, and similarly to most places, change is made harder when you’re “building the tracks, while running the train” in a fast-paced company. So, when our Head of Product asked me to put together a guide for how I see roles and career growth on my team, and shared with me this wonderful articleby Helena Seo for the Door Dash team, I thought I’d spend some time going through the exercise of outlining my expectations of the various levels of individual contributor roles that I’ve traveled throughout the years. The work is inspired by Seo at Doordash, and Watkins at Buzzfeed.
I’ve always disliked the modern notion that workers must distinctly choose between being a Leader and an Individual Contributor, as so much of the craft of design requires that people step up to lead through critique and example within teams, so I wanted to make an (admittedly imperfect) list that encapsulates what career growth looks like for Product Designers today. What shouldn’t have surprised me, is the awe of seeing the dozens upon dozens of stacking skills that build up as Product Designers advanced through their career. Build upon the fundamentals of design expertise, constant thirst for learning, and most importantly, empathy for the customer. Because no matter how many years into your career you get, if you lose sight of what they want, you are not even fit for a junior product design position.
Senior, Lead, Principal, and Staff
I’ve seen multiple titles mean lots of different things in our industry, and inevitably I came up against what progression for senior people look like on the team. The way I designed the senior progression has the Principal Product Designer as someone who’s executing as functionally the highest level on the team, and built the Staff Product Designer role as someone who has executed at the Principal level and brought significant business value to the company, over a meaningful period. Earning the Staff distinction depends on things like the age and maturity of the company, but you could imaging someone who’s brought multiple years of Principal-level value and has built strong relationships within the company as being someone who you’d consider making a Staff Product Designer.
Ok, Let’s get into it.
With that, I hope to use this guide I put together as a way to have a conversation with designers everywhere. Exploring what’s reasonable, unreasonable, missing, unnecessary, verbose, or under-explained.
Product Design Career Guide
Individual Contributors — v1
A note about this guide.
To every member of the team,
While the following guide outlines summaries of contributor roles and lists hard and soft skill expectations, we must build a team culture that fosters communication, critique, and an environment that makes it safe for each of us to take risks with our work, and grow our skills.
Use this guide as a way to plot your advancement within your career, growth within the company, and understand the standards that your peers and leaders should hold you to.
Delivery feedback quickly, honestly, and ideally, with kindness. Always take the time to grow your mastery of our tools and processes, do your best to set honest and reasonable expectations with your peers and stakeholders, and always empathize with the customer in everything you do.
Sincerely,
Ryan
PD I. Associate Product Designer
About this designer
The Associate Product Designer supports the team with their knowledge of tools, and fundamental understanding of design basics. The role is built to learn from its peers and practice honing your skills to become more firm in your skills.
Hard Skills
Proficient in UI Design tools (Sketch, Figma)
Proficient in Adobe Suite’s most popular tools
Understanding of design basics (color theory, typography, graphic design)
Can identify and document glaring discrepancies between mockups and implementation
Basic spec/red-line skills
Proficient in sketching, wireframing, mocking up, and basic prototyping
Can build basic user journeys
Understanding of design systems
Soft Skills
Ability to incorporate feedback into their work
Ability to learn from new data and learnings throughout a project.
Good communication skills
Empathy for the customer
How to Level Up:
Focus on learning from your peers
Grow your tools skills
Grow your presentation skills (decks, internal, and external presentations)
Grow your ability to give feedback on your peers work
Grow your understanding of how the technology that builds your products works
Invest time in learning about metrics of success
Learn about UX & UI best practices
Grow more advanced in your aesthetic execution
Participate in user testing with peers
Demonstrate how your work has improved through feedback and learning
Invest in regularly looking at sources of inspiration and reference
Incorporate more external insights (classes, courses, books, etc.) into your work
PD II. Product Designer
About this designer
The Product Designer has mastery over tools and can adapt and execute their own aesthetic, and adapt it to the works of their peers. They also understand the basics of what it takes to implement the designs they create. This role is built to take on projects, give feedback, and take direction to continually improve their work.
Hard Skills (in addition to PDI)
Understands beyond the basics of design (A11y, i18N, Form Design, Mobile, Responsive, etc…)
Detailed spec/red-line documentation including intent, states, and behaviors
Mastery of UI Design tools (Sketch, Figma)
Mastery of popular tools in the Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator)
Presentation and deck-building skills
Advanced in design basics (color theory, typography, graphic design)
Can execute user tests and incorporate learning into there work
Understands the basics of the technology their product is built with
Conducts detailed and thorough visual QA on their projects.
Practice building interactive prototypes of your work
Can audit existing systems for consistency
Experience working within and extending design systems
Soft Skills (in addition to PDI)
Regularly gives and takes critique with their peers
Regularly incorporated external reference and inspiration into their work
Can communicate with engineers about implementation details
Can write detailed documentation of user journeys
Seeks out data to shape their work proactively.
Balances multiple projects against given priorities
Participates in driving team consistency & process
Can identify and can replicate design trends
Seeks out understanding of customer and business needs
Can evolve a product or feature based on feedback, customer, and business needs
How to Level Up
Learn more beyond the basics of product design (aesthetics, HTML/CSS, motion, illustration, research, advanced prototyping, etc.)
Hone your storytelling & presentation skills
Learn to identify bias in research
Regularly identify the goals of a project beyond the initial stakeholder request
Self-start on projects with stakeholders
Ship multiple projects that demonstrate tool mastery and learning
Grow your understanding of product management (use cases, KPIs, hypothesis forming)
Practice expectation setting and study your process
PD III. Senior Product Designer
About this designer
Senior Product Designers have demonstrated a history of high-quality work that balances the complexities of customer and business needs. They also have enough practice to speak a bit of business and development. This role is looked to regularly for feedback and improves the work of their stakeholders and peers.
Hard Skills (in addition to PDI-II)
Advanced in A11y, i18N, Form Design, Mobile, Responsive, etc…
Can lead design critique sessions
Early adopts new tools and processes for the team
Can guide and evolve the companies aesthetic and experience direction
Can build and document complicated design components and user journeys
Can build basic use cases with product managers and participates in ideation
Design documentation also may include implementation suggestions
Brings value to the team leveraging a product design specialization
Capable of running regular tests and driving out bias in user test plans
Understands the metrics that drive the business and can use design to affect them.
Sits with devs during implementation and can understand technical implementation details
Experience building, and implementing design systems
Soft Skills (in addition to PDI-II)
Can step a design a project from start to finish incorporating all inputs along the way
Shape team tools and process
Regularly provides design direction & mentorship to PDs and APDs
Drives consistency within the design team
Skilled in storytelling and spreading design awareness throughout an org
Works with product managers to question project goals and assumptions
Incepts product ideas and partners with PMs and Dev to ideate and build
Is adaptable to changes in strategic direction
Can analyze and deconstruct complicated trends and UX patterns
Gives mostly accurate timelines on execution and set stakeholder expectations.
How to Level Up:
Become an expert in an aspect of product design (aesthetics, motion, illustration, research)
Self-initiate new projects with stakeholders
Demonstrate critical thinking with your stakeholders, and challenge their hypothesis
Practice swiftly moving through your process and the phases of design and development
Become a master at juggling priorities
Demonstrate the ability to step into projects at various stages and help complete them
Build a reputation for delivering high quality work that brings value to the business.
Spread design’s influence in the organization through skill sharing and participation.
PD IV. Principal Product Designer
About this designer
Principal Product Designers had amassed a long history of shipped products and features, regularly improves their peer’s work through critique and partnering, and regularly demonstrates strategic product and business thinking in addition to their specialty. This role is leading by example for the design team, and you’re entrusted on by the Head of Design to execute on the companies design vision.
Skills (in addition to PDI-III)
Years to total products and features shipped throughout a career
Demonstrates advanced knowledge of one or more product design specializations
Experience shipping products for internationalization and accessibility
Has strong, trusted relationships within the company
Easily adapts and scales their communication for developers, designers, stakeholders, and executives
Helps choose new tools and processes for the team
Can execute all aspects of product design with little-to-no oversight
Can quickly product designs and documentation for every detail of their work, including behavior, a11y i18N, etc.
Can teach their skills to less senior designers
Can step-in as a Product Manager for a given project.
Can participate in strategic sessions with upper management to shape product thinking
Master at setting expectations with stakeholders and peers
Is a valued resource inside and outside the team for decision making
Has a deep understanding of business metrics and a proven track record of delivering value for the business
Is unflappable during sudden changes in priorities and objectives
Has a deep history of adapting to trends and best practices in product design and development.
Guides the evolution of the companies visual language
How to Level Up:
Keep showing up, demonstrating your value, and building the teams and your reputation within the company.
PD V. Staff Product Designer
About this designer
The Staff Product Designer is the ultimate end-game for the path. Encompassing all of the skills and development of the previous roles, with a special distinction for both tenure at the company and a trusting relationship with senior management. It is a distinction granted for individuals who are responsible for driving years of business value for the company.
Skills (in addition to PDI-IV)
Constantly still trying to learn and keep a beginner’s mind.
Multiple years of large products and features shipped for the company
Partners regularly with design leadership
Years of significant contribution to company revenue and KPIs.
Multiple years of experience building and maintaining relationships with all levels and teams within the company.
Multiple years of impact and value brought to all levels and teams within the company.
Knows when they need a vacation, and when others probably need one too.
How to Level Up:
Self-directed, the journey is the reward.
Take a breath
That’s where I’ve landed, and I’m ready to talk about it. Leave a comment, send me a tweet, or email me and let’s talk about it, to be a great craftsperson, it takes a lifetime of commitment, and I’m honored to be on this journey with all of my fellow designers.
