Principal Experience Designer

Zynga Early Careers; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

14+ paid holidays per year

Vacation time 15–25 days

Job summary

Zynga is seeking a Principal Experience Designer with deep knowledge of mobile game development and prototyping to shape engaging player experiences. You will collaborate with the Art Director, Project Manager, and Creative Director to ensure game features look amazing and feel approachable on mobile.

You will lead all UX/UI stages, from concept to Unity implementation, while mentoring senior staff and driving design standards across pods.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in the game development industry specializing in UX, having worked on 3+ different game titles.
• Deep knowledge of mobile game development, particularly prototyping.

Responsibilities

• Lead UX / UI design across game features and collaborate with the Art Director, Project Manager, and Creative Director.
• Create user flows, interface wireframes, prototypes, and design documentation.
• Bring solutions grounded in research, industry standards, and best practices for mobile interaction.
• Create Design Systems that establish continuity and efficiency, while remaining flexible to change.
• Expert in the application of fundamental UX & UI Design Principles.
• Prepare and implement assets in the game engine, partnering with technical artists and engineers.
• Accomplished expert in creating user interfaces in Unity.
• Set up Figma Design Systems that are collaborative, organized, and easy to change.
• Fully understands the limitations and best practices of developing games for mobile devices.
• Mentor senior UI/UX staff and lead multiple feature pods.

Skills

UX design for games

Mobile prototyping

Leadership

Tools

Figma

Unity

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!

At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times-connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.

From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more!

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation- and where you can take your career to the next level.

Join us and be part of the play!

Position Overview:

We are looking for an outstanding Principal Experience Designer with deep knowledge of mobile game development, particularly prototyping. Our team is a nimble group of self-motivated, extremely talented individuals that take personal accountability for the quality of their work. We take pride in owning our lanes, delivering quality work, and maintaining a high level of technical knowledge that makes implementation smooth and efficient. Our team has fun while working in an agile, constantly evolving, and iterative environment. If you believe you would be a force multiplier and thrive in this environment then we want to hear from you!

Your role will be to create inspiring, beautiful game experiences that delight and motivate our players. You will work hand in hand with the Art Director, Project Manager, and Creative Director to make games that meet product goals, look amazing, and feel approachable to our players.

You will lead all phases of the UX / UI design process including conceptual design/development, graphic and interface design, interactive model prototypes in Figma, UX flows, art production, and Unity implementation.

Previous experience in Production and Live Game lifecycles is a bonus.

What You'll Do:

UX / UI Design

• Create user flows, interface wireframes, prototypes, and design documentation.
• Bring solutions grounded in research, industry standards, and best practices for mobile interaction.
• Create Design Systems that establish continuity and efficiency, while remaining flexible enough to adapt to change.
• Expert in the application of fundamental UX & UI Design Principles.
• An authority on the UX Design process: defining usability challenges, researching the problem space, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, designing appropriate solutions, and validating ideas through testing.
• Experienced in designing for games vs. task completion, specifically supporting fun and engagement.
• High degree of competence in assessing and addressing product usability and applying user psychology.

Art

• Create graybox mockups and prototypes that evolve through collaboration into high-quality final game art..
• Develop mood boards and help guide the visual design of features.
• Collaborate with the art team to define and adhere to a thematic art style.
• Design functional animation for user interactions.
• Adapt and adhere to an established visual style, building upon it consistently.
• Produce high-quality visual assets for user interfaces using the Adobe Creative Suite.

Research & Testing

• Conduct market competitor research and deconstructions.
• Research consumer insights, develop personas, and analyze data.
• Conduct heuristic evaluations of internal and external products.
• Establish the right look to achieve the correct feel for our demographic.

Technical UI Development

• Prepare and implement assets in the game engine, partnering with technical artists and engineers.
• Accomplished expert in creating user interfaces in Unity.
• Set up Figma Design Systems that are collaborative, organized, and easy to change.
• Fully understands the limitations and best practices of developing games for mobile devices.

Leadership

• Set examples and establish standard methodologies in UI/UX for your game team.
• Lead and participate in company-wide UI/UX community events, critiques, product reviews, and feature retrospectives.
• Own the UX for multiple game feature pods.
• Mentor senior UI/UX staff.
• Collaborate with UI/UX staff from other game teams to share findings and develop standard methodologies across the organization.

General

• Synthesize the needs of players with the needs of the game team to find solutions that work for both.
• Ability to adapt and work in a fast-paced setting, rapidly developing new skills and behaviors in response to changing circumstances.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, work efficiently, manage time effectively, and complete work with minimal oversight.
• Demonstrates proactive self-development and interest in leveling up personal, interpersonal, and craft skills.
• Organized with good digital hygiene; adheres to established naming conventions and organizational standards.

Communications

• Able to present complex ideas to diverse audiences and articulate a convincing point of view, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to connect and collaborate with multiple studio locations, teams, and partners.
• Proactive communicator with a willingness to build consensus across opposing perspectives.

What You Bring:

• 6+ years of experience in the game development industry specializing in UX, having worked on 3+ different game titles.
• Deep knowledge of mobile game development, particularly prototyping.

What We Offer You

Zynga offers a world-class benefits package that helps support and balance the needs of our teams. To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $123K and $170K per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

The pay range for this position in Illinois at the start of employment is expected to be between $107K and $150K per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at [e-mail] to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga's in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).