Product Designer (Social) - TikTok

TikTok Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 76,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Short-term & long-term disability

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

10 paid holidays per year

10 paid sick days per year

17 days of Paid Personal Time

Job summary

TikTok Inc. is seeking a UX Design lead to own TikTok's social product design across core scenarios and drive authentic interaction among users.

You will translate user needs into product directions and work with PMs and engineers to launch validated experiences. This role emphasizes prototyping with AI coding tools to surface optimization opportunities, maintaining a high aesthetic bar, and solving complex problems with simple design.

Qualifications

• Hands-on practice turning ideas into interactive demos.
• Strong product and data sense with attention to experience detail.
• Identify and define problems in complex contexts and drive launches.
• Excellent communication and cross-team collaboration in fast-changing environments.
• Ability to curate AI-generated output to elevate experiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead TikTok's social product design - Own design across core social scenarios (friend interactions and sharing, Story, DMs) and explore new ways to spark authentic connection and interaction between users
• Translate user needs into product direction - Build deep business understanding. Use product thinking and data to surface real user needs, propose product directions and design ideas, and drive them through to launch and validation
• Prototype with AI coding tools - Use AI coding tools fluently to surface optimization opportunities and rapidly turn ideas into interactive demos, shortening the path from idea to validation
• Bring strong product taste and social instinct - Maintain a high aesthetic bar. Actively use a range of social products across markets and stay current on social interaction patterns and cultural trends
• Solve complex problems simply, ship together - In complex business contexts, use the simplest design approach to solve the core problem. Partner closely with product managers and engineers, staying effective in cross‑functional coordination to ship high-quality product experiences

Skills

AI coding tools

Product thinking

User experience

Design critique

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Responsibilities

About the team TikTok UX team is responsible for the product design of the TikTok app. Our key vertical ownership areas include Core app Product Infrastructure, Social, Creation, and Design Systems. Providing professional design methods and practices, the team helps improve user experience and working efficiency of these products and areas.

• 1. Lead TikTok's social product design - Own design across core social scenarios (friend interactions and sharing, Story, DMs) and explore new ways to spark authentic connection and interaction between users
• 2. Translate user needs into product direction - Build deep business understanding. Use product thinking and data to surface real user needs, propose product directions and design ideas, and drive them through to launch and validation
• 3. Prototype with AI coding tools - Use AI coding tools fluently to surface optimization opportunities and rapidly turn ideas into interactive demos, shortening the path from idea to validation
• 4. Bring strong product taste and social instinct - Maintain a high aesthetic bar. Actively use a range of social products across markets and stay current on social interaction patterns and cultural trends
• 5. Solve complex problems simply, ship together - In complex business contexts, use the simplest design approach to solve the core problem. Partner closely with product managers and engineers, staying effective in cross-functional coordination to ship high-quality product experiences

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• - Open to candidates at any experience level; what matters is deep hands‑on practice with AI coding tools, able to independently turn product and design ideas into high‑fidelity, interactive demos that validate experience and feasibility
• - Strong product and data sense; sharp design judgment, high aesthetic bar, and attention to experience detail; able to curate and elevate from large volumes of AI-generated output, turning the "ordinary" into the "extraordinary"; curiosity and drive to explore the unknown
• - Able to identify and define problems in complex business and user contexts, propose well‑judged solutions, and drive them to launch
• - Strong communication and cross‑team collaboration; optimistic, and effective in fast‑changing environments
• - Strong self‑drive and learning loop; values reflection and retrospection, turning experience into reusable methods and insight

Preferred Qualifications

• - Experience shipping social, creator, or content products at scale
• - Side projects involving social, AI-driven, or generative experiences
• - Hands‑on coding background
• - Passion for TikTok and creator communities

Job Information

[For Pay Transparency] Compensation Description (annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $76000 - $151200 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

• 1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• 2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
• 3. Exercising sound judgment.

Responsibilities

About the team TikTok UX team is responsible for the product design of the TikTok app. Our key vertical ownership areas include Core app Product Infrastructure, Social, Creation, and Design Systems. Providing professional design methods and practices, the team helps improve user experience and working efficiency of these products and areas.

• 1. Lead TikTok's social product design - Own design across core social scenarios (friend interactions and sharing, Story, DMs) and explore new ways to spark authentic connection and interaction between users
• 2. Translate user needs into product direction - Build deep business understanding. Use product thinking and data to surface real user needs, propose product directions and design ideas, and drive them through to launch and validation
• 3. Prototype with AI coding tools - Use AI coding tools fluently to surface optimization opportunities and rapidly turn ideas into interactive demos, shortening the path from idea to validation
• 4. Bring strong product taste and social instinct - Maintain a high aesthetic bar. Actively use a range of social products across markets and stay current on social interaction patterns and cultural trends
• 5. Solve complex problems simply, ship together - In complex business contexts, use the simplest design approach to solve the core problem. Partner closely with product managers and engineers, staying effective in cross‑functional coordination to ship high-quality product experiences