Lead Product Designer, Design Systems

As a Lead Product Designer, Design Systems at Realtor.com®, you will spearhead the ongoing development and optimization of our Design System. This includes ensuring a cohesive user experience across various platforms by refining UI components, introducing new solutions, maintaining design tokens, and evolving guidelines. You will also support cross-functional teams, advocate for design best practices, and ensure that all system components meet accessibility standards, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience.

To qualify for the Lead Product Designer, Design Systems role at Realtor.com®, you should have over 10 years of experience in UI/UX design and at least 3 years leading design system initiatives in product-driven organizations. A strong portfolio demonstrating your design contributions, proficiency in design tools like Figma, and a deep understanding of front-end technologies and accessibility standards are crucial. Additionally, excellent communication skills and a collaborative spirit are essential for success in this role.

In the role of Lead Product Designer, Design Systems at Realtor.com®, you will embed accessibility principles in every design and development workflow. This means ensuring all system components comply with WCAG standards, collaborating with engineering and product teams for accessibility testing, and promoting an inclusive design mindset. Your efforts will help ensure that our products serve a diverse user base effectively.

For the Lead Product Designer, Design Systems role at Realtor.com®, proficiency in design tools such as Figma is essential. You will also work with design tokens and component libraries while maintaining structured design documentation. Familiarity with front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks is important as they facilitate the seamless integration of design systems within development workflows.

The Lead Product Designer, Design Systems position at Realtor.com® stands out due to its high-visibility nature and the opportunity to shape user experiences that reach millions of consumers. You will play a pivotal role in driving design consistency and quality across various platforms, all within a collaborative and innovative environment committed to accessibility and inclusivity. Additionally, you will have ample opportunities for mentorship, professional growth, and leadership development.

When answering this question, it's vital to articulate your previous work with design systems. Provide specific examples of how you've developed, documented, and optimized design systems. Highlight any challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and how those systems benefited the end-users and the teams working with them.

You should explain your approach to integrating accessibility principles within your design workflow. Discuss your familiarity with WCAG standards and how you've implemented inclusive design practices in your previous roles. Mention any specific tools or processes you use to conduct accessibility testing and ensure compliance in the projects you have worked on.

It's important to emphasize your openness to feedback and collaboration. Discuss how you would gather and analyze feedback from different stakeholders, prioritize modifications based on usability and accessibility input, and communicate the rationale behind design choices. Show that you value diverse perspectives and continuously seek to improve the design system.

Convey your belief in the importance of user research as a foundational element of the design process. Explain the various methods you use to gather user insights, such as surveys, interviews, or usability testing, how those insights inform your design decisions, and any changes you've made to your systems based on user feedback.

Organizations often have various needs, so it's crucial to describe your decision-making process for prioritizing component development. You might discuss how you analyze user feedback, team requirements, and market trends to inform your priorities, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.

Use this opportunity to illustrate your problem-solving skills with a concrete example. Discuss a specific design process improvement you initiated, the steps you took to implement it, and the tangible benefits it brought, such as improved team collaboration or enhanced user experience.

Highlight your communication skills by discussing how you engage stakeholders at all levels—designers, engineers, and executives. Talk about the importance of showcasing data to demonstrate how the design system improves efficiency, user satisfaction, or team collaboration to facilitate buy-in and encourage adoption.

Mention your proficiency with specific design and development tools important for design systems, such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD. Share how these tools enhance your workflow, reduce handoff issues, and improve collaboration with developers, ensuring a smoother design integration.

Your approach to ongoing learning is important here. Describe how you follow industry news, attend conferences, participate in workshops, or engage in communities. Discuss how you apply new insights to your work, ensuring that the design systems you create are innovative and aligned with contemporary practices.

This is your chance to express genuine interest in the company and role. Discuss your admiration for Realtor.com®'s innovative approach to real estate, its commitment to user experience, and how your values align with its mission. Highlight your enthusiasm for contributing to a project that impacts so many people's lives in a meaningful way.