Senior Product Designer (Systems + UX) - Equity only

About Palette

Palette is built specifically for travel.

A lot of new products in this space are either:

• general bookmarking and organization tools, or
• “AI itinerary in 10 seconds” generators.

Palette is for travelers who discover travel ideas on social media, save and share them, and then want to plan their own trip: activity by activity, restaurant by restaurant.

We believe the building is part of the trip. The anticipation and craft of putting a trip together makes the experience more fulfilling than being handed a generic itinerary.

Why now

Social-driven travel is how most people discover places today. People do not start by calling a friend for recommendations. They start with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and blogs. Even friend recommendations are often influenced by what someone has seen online.

There are a lot of startups launching around saving travel content, but most stop at bookmarking. We are focused on turning saved ideas into a real plan.

Product pillars

Save → Organize → Map → Build itinerary → Book

Palette is not a simple bookmarking product. The experience spans responsive web and mobile web (PWA), with map-based exploration, itinerary building, and turning messy saved links into structured trip building blocks. That means lots of interaction detail: states, edge cases, and a system that stays consistent as the product grows.

We are a small team with fast feedback loops. Designers are expected to shape the product, not just polish it. We make decisions quickly, iterate in tight cycles, and value clear reasoning over hierarchy.

Where we are right now

We have launched an MVP and we are gearing up for beta. We are starting to share Palette on social and bring early travelers into the product as we iterate.

The role

We are looking for a mid-to-senior Product Designer (Systems + UX) who loves turning “almost-there” products into “this feels great” products.

This role is hands-on and high autonomy. You will ship real work fast, and you will help set the standard for consistency and craft across the product.

This is an equity-only role (1–3%), designed for someone excited to join an early-stage startup and build with a real sense of ownership.

What you will do

Phase 1: the cleanup + systemization sprint (first 2–3 weeks, intensive)

• Audit the product and find the “death by a thousand cuts” moments.
• Consolidate existing feedback and add your own.
• Standardize UI patterns: spacing, typography, components, interactions.
• Design missing states: loading, error, empty, edge cases.
• Clean up and organize our Figma so it is easier to move fast.
• Set up a usable design system foundation (components, variants, guidelines).
• Leave engineering with designs that are annotated, clear, and buildable.

Phase 2: keep building (ongoing)

• Improve UX + UI consistency across the product as we scale.
• Evolve the design system as new patterns appear.
• Design and ship new flows/screens based on team priorities.
• Partner with engineering on QA and iteration.
• Do lightweight validation when it helps (quick prototypes, usability checks, user conversations).

UX vs UI (how we think about it)

We do not need a heavyweight research specialist. We do need someone who can do both:

• UI craft: clean, consistent, production-ready work in Figma.
• Product UX: clear flows, interaction details, and the stuff that makes the experience feel complete.

If you have strong opinions and can explain your reasoning, that is a plus.

How we work

• Remote team, with timezone overlap in America / Vancouver.
• Async-first, with focused check-ins.
• Builder-first: we ship fast, test early, and iterate.
• Everyone contributes to product thinking.

Time commitment

This is not required to be a traditional 9–5 full-time role.

Most of our team builds in the evenings (roughly 5–9) and on weekends. If you can contribute more hours, that is great, but what matters most is consistent momentum, clear communication, and shipping quality work.

We want someone who does not just “take direction.” We value designers who speak up, challenge assumptions respectfully, and bring a clear point of view backed by rationale.

Must-haves

• Mid-to-senior product design experience (UX + UI).
• Strong Figma skills (components, variants, libraries, organization, handoff).
• Experience working with imperfect or evolving design systems.
• Ability to spot inconsistencies and proactively improve quality.
• Comfort operating with autonomy, ambiguity, and speed.
• Strong communication and documentation habits.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with early-stage products.
• Comfort with lightweight testing and validation.
• Motion and interaction design.

Portfolio

Please share 2–4 projects that show:

• Your process (problem framing, iterations, constraints)
• Shipped outcomes (what went live)
• Collaboration (how you worked with product and engineering)

Compensation

This is an equity-only role.

• Equity range: 1–3% (depending on involvement and scope)
• Trial: 60 days
• Around day 45, we will discuss equity structure and vesting details

Interested?

Email [email protected] with:

• A quick intro
• Portfolio link
• Availability and location / timezone