Staff Product Designer, Academia
Publishing
$190-215k
A platform for academics to share research papers
Open for applications
A platform for academics to share research papers
101-200 employees
Open for applications
$190-215k
101-200 employees
Company mission
Academia.edu is on a mission to accelerate the world's research. Their goal is to speed up research in every domain - finding a solution to climate change; finding cures for diseases; evolving artificial intelligence.
Role
Who you are
- At least 8 years of overall design experience
- Proven end-to-end design ability (UX strategy and design execution)
- Proven ability to design large complex products with positive results
- Solid understanding of design patterns, usability principles, and ethical design practices
- Proven ability to conduct user research and gather feedback to inform design decisions and iterate on solutions
- Experience with quantitative A/B testing methodologies and optimization strategies
- Demonstrated leadership skills in leading design initiatives within cross-functional teams
- Willingness to adapt and evolve team processes as the organization grows and learns
- A strong portfolio showcasing your exceptional design work, with a particular emphasis on end-to-end product design
What the job involves
- As a Staff Product Designer on the Publishing Team, you will play a pivotal role in designing the entire article publishing service for all of Academia’s journals
- You will create intuitive workflows for a range of user segments, including Academic Authors, Peer Reviewers, and Editors
- Collaborating closely with Product Managers and Engineers, you will define and implement innovative product strategies, incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as AI
- The projects you’ll engage with are complex and substantial in scale, offering ample opportunities to make a significant impact and advance your design skills
- Proactively identify and champion product opportunities for the Publishing business and user segments (academic authors, peer reviewers, and editors)
- Advocate for user-centric design principles, UX frameworks, and best practices within the Publishing Team and the broader organization
- Mentor and guide junior designers, nurturing their growth within the field of Product Design
- Design and optimize end-to-end workflows for the article publishing service
- Create designs that effectively address user needs and that are highly optimized to move key metrics. Utilize AI and other advanced technologies to enhance user experience and streamline processes
- Conduct quantitative A/B tests and iterate on designs based on test results
- Solicit feedback from the Product Manager and the Design Team to refine and improve design iterations
- Conduct user interviews to gather valuable feedback and insights on designs and user experiences
- Partner closely with the Product Manager and cross-functional teams to align on the product roadmap and UX requirements
- Collaborate with Data Analysts to analyze user data and test results, translating findings into actionable insights to inform design decisions
- Work closely with Engineers to ensure the smooth implementation of design solutions
- Engage in regular design feedback sessions with the Design Team, fostering a culture of collaboration and improvement
- Contribute to the refinement of design tools and processes, optimizing productivity and effectiveness
Our take
Academia.edu is pitched as a social media platform to help researchers and academics share papers for free - with over 185 million registered users and over 30 million visitors per month, it has remained an active and popular platform since its founding in 2008.
The company has had a chequered relationship with the academics it proposes to serve (and the institutions it intends to disrupt). Some claim the new paywalled suite of features runs counter to the free and open-access model; others balk at their use of the .edu domain usually reserved for academic institutions (they registered before its use became restricted).
Perhaps to overcome these obstacles, and to give them an edge over the increasing preference for competitors like ResearchGate and Google Scholar, Academia.edu have taken some interesting steps. One was to develop a mobile app for the platform. Another was the early 2020 acquisition of entrepreneurial training and toolkit platform The Start-Up Gate. This latter decision could signal an exciting new developmental direction for Academia.edu - but thus far, the motivation remains unclear.
Kirsty
Company Specialist
Insights
Some candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
4% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Feb 2022
$23m
SERIES D
Mar 2019
$16m
SERIES C
Total funding: $56.2m
Company benefits
- 21 days of paid vacation and 11 paid holidays per year
- 8 weeks of paid bonding parental leave plus 8 weeks of birth parent leave
- 6 weeks of fully-paid sabbatical leave for every four years you work here
- Book stipend
- Catered lunch
- Stock options
- Work from home opportunities
- Health insurance
- 401k
- FSA
- Activities
- Commuter benefits
Company values
- Mission Oriented
- Kindness
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Articles
Leadership
Richard Price
(CEO)Studied PPE at Oxford, going on to complete a PhD in Philosophy. Founded two other businesses: LiveOut.co.uk, and PeopleRadar.co.uk. For 7 years was a Fellow of All Souls College at Oxford University.
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