ustwo

Freelance Product Design Lead

Posted 4 Days Ago

New York, NY, USA

Hybrid

Entry level

Mobile • Software • Design

The Role

Leads product design for complex tools and platforms, championing user needs through research, journey mapping, interaction design, prototyping, and end-to-end product strategy. Collaborates with clients, founders, and cross-functional teams to translate business and technical constraints into actionable designs. Uses AI-assisted design and development workflows, contributes production-ready front-end code, facilitates workshops and reviews, and guides teams through ambiguity with autonomy.

Summary Generated by Built In

We’re looking for experienced freelance Product Design Leads to help design and build complex tools and platforms.
You’ll champion the user’s voice and confidently map and optimise end-to-end journeys across complex product ecosystems. You’ll bring a strong understanding of user research, with a toolkit of methods and techniques to uncover insights and test design concepts and prototypes.
AI is central to how we work, and you’ll use it throughout the design process, from research and concept development through to shipping production-ready code. You’ll also work closely with client stakeholders, often directly with founders and early-stage teams, so clear communication and the ability to build strong relationships are essential.
As a discipline lead on the project, you’ll work alongside a talented, collaborative team to shape, design and build new products.
Job requirements

Able to communicate with and understand clients’ business goals, and technical limitations, working within those constraints to unpack the challenge and explore innovative solutions for users and drive value for clients
Skilled in identifying and prioritizing the right problems to solve and alignments across teams and clients
Adept in both qualitative and quantitative research methods to fill knowledge gaps, quickly translate insights, unearth opportunities, and translate complex requirements into tangible design artifacts.
Ability to craft designs that are grounded in user-centric decision making including experience journeys and end-to-end flows.
Capable of high-level strategic thinking and conceptual exploration across the product ecosystem, while also detail-oriented enough to be able to get into the weeds of the designs and able to guide your team accordingly.
Skilled in crafting compelling interaction models and design solutions through visual expression, design, and prototyping.
Experienced in leading design within cross-functional teams and able to distill complex information into actionable steps for the team.
Fluent in AI-assisted design and development workflows. You can generate code with AI, understand how it fits within the technical stack, and contribute production-ready front-end work.
A strong product mindset. You can judge what the product needs at each stage (what to build, what to cut, how far to take it), keeping momentum toward the bigger vision.
Comfortable working at startup pace with a high degree of autonomy. You self-direct, make decisions, and manage your own output without needing close oversight.

Why we’re excited about you

As a skilled storyteller and proactive communicator, you effectively convey every phase of your design process and tailor your communication to suit different audiences.
You thrive in a collaborative working style. You’re skilled in facilitating workshops and design reviews with clients and team members and ensure everyone's perspectives are heard and incorporated.
You enjoy working through ambiguity and are able to adapt and guide your team through any difficult or changing client needs and you build trust by consistently delivering.
You’ve reshaped how you work around AI, and you can explain where it accelerates the work and where design judgement matters most.

Skills Required

Communicate with clients, understand business goals and technical limitations, and develop innovative user-focused solutions.
Identify and prioritize problems to solve and align stakeholders across teams and clients.
Use qualitative and quantitative research methods to uncover insights and translate requirements into design artifacts.
Create user-centered experience journeys and end-to-end flows.
Apply strategic thinking and conceptual exploration while providing detailed design guidance.
Craft interaction models, visual designs, and prototypes.
Lead design within cross-functional teams and translate complex information into actionable steps.
Use AI-assisted design and development workflows, generate code with AI, understand technical stacks, and contribute production-ready front-end work.
Apply strong product judgment to determine priorities, scope, and product direction.
Work autonomously at startup pace and manage deliverables without close oversight.
Communicate clearly, tell compelling stories, facilitate workshops and design reviews, and collaborate effectively.
Adapt to ambiguity and changing client needs while building trust through consistent delivery.