Product & Brand Designer - for Consumer Travel App Startup

Pilot; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A travel app company based in Vancouver is seeking a Product & Brand Designer to help create and improve their web and mobile applications. The role focuses on UX research, design solutions, and enhancing user experiences. Candidates should have a degree in Design and experience with Figma. The position is full-time and hybrid, offering a competitive salary and equity options.

Qualifications

• Understands and can interpret basic data analytics.
• Follows lean product methodology and can adapt to a fast product development process.
• Strong understanding of human psychology and empathy.
• Detail-oriented with strong design and critical thinking.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct UX research focused on user needs.
• Identify problems with existing designs and propose solutions.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.
• Conduct user research, interviews, and usability testing.

Skills

Understanding of data analytics

Experience using Figma

Understanding of branding

Experience incorporating AI tools

Strong empathy and communication skills

Ability to work independently

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design

Job description

Overview

Product & Brand Designer – for Consumer Travel App Startup. Hybrid role based in Vancouver. Compensation (cash / equity per year) based on experience: $40k – $65k CAD salary plus 0.1% – 0.3% equity (approx. $25k-$75k in equity based on latest valuation). All equity granted via stock options with standard vesting periods. Most recent equity valuation was $18M USD.

Ideal start date ASAP. Role will be closed once a suitable candidate is found.

We’re a travel app company with a mission to help people have an awesome time and make memories offline. We’re building Pilot to be a Collaborative Travel Hub, powered by AI, to help groups discover, plan, book, and share experiences with people they care about.

Check out our culture code and team at pilotplans.com/careers.

The role. The goal.

We’re looking for someone to help design our web and mobile applications and our brand. Immediate focus areas include improving conversion rates on our "explore" and booking features, with additional work on the core planner platform for both mobile and web. You’ll be involved in expanding our marketing website to promote our services.

What you’ll be doing

• Spend the majority of your time designing and conducting UX research, not on admin work. If you’re not talking to or observing users every week, you’re doing it wrong.
• Proactively identify problems with existing designs that hinder business goals (e.g., bookings) and design solutions.
• Research, design, and develop user interfaces and experiences independently and collaboratively.
• Simplify and communicate complex design concepts to stakeholders and team members.
• Conduct user research, interviews, and usability testing to understand user needs and gather feedback.
• Stay updated on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to apply them to design solutions.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups aligned with brand guidelines and user needs.
• Ensure design consistency and quality across all products and platforms.
• Develop and maintain design systems and documentation.
• Follow lean product development methodologies, iterating quickly based on user feedback and data.
• Utilize data analytics to inform and validate design decisions.
• Integrate marketing insights into design solutions for cohesive user experiences.

Qualifications and skills

Technical Knowledge and Data Analytics

• Understands and can interpret basic data analytics.
• General working knowledge of the latest tech, app, and design trends to apply them.
• Understanding of branding and its role in product development.
• Experience using Figma or similar tools.

Product Development and Methodology

• Follows lean product methodology and can adapt to a fast product development process.
• Stays focused in a fast-paced environment.

AI & Emerging Tech

• Experience incorporating AI tools to expedite the design process.
• Accountable for quality and reliability of AI designs; does not hand off without ownership and thoughtful consideration.

Empathy and User Interaction

• Strong understanding of human psychology and empathy.
• Highly empathetic; comfortable talking to users in person and online.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate well with engineers.

Mindset & Soft Skills

• Curious, loves learning, and keeps building skills in spare time.
• Ability to decompose complex problems into manageable units of work.
• Balance attention to detail with moving fast.

Independent and Collaborative Work

• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Self-reliant and able to drive themselves forward without heavy management.
• Enjoys open, collaborative work.

Education and Design Expertise

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design or related discipline.
• Understands and expresses brand through product choices.
• Detail-oriented with strong design and critical thinking.

If you meet even 50-70% of these, you could be a great fit!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Location & Employment type

• Hybrid role based in Vancouver, Canada. Full-time.

Company

Pilot is building a Collaborative Travel Hub platform to help groups plan, book, and share experiences.