Product Designer

Are you a passionate Product Designer who wants to play a part in creating technology that gives a voice to those without speech? Smartbox is seeking a dedicated and talented individual like you to join our team and make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

At Smartbox, we take pride in being a leading company in assistive communication technology. Our innovative products, combining specialised hardware, advanced software, and engaging content, are used by individuals with diverse needs worldwide. All around the world, our products, accomplishments and aspirations are a reflection of our teams’ values: passionate, caring, empowering, achieving together and enabling change.

We believe that everyone deserves a voice, and our inclusive culture reflects this belief. By joining Smartbox, you will become part of a team that values diversity, fosters collaboration, and supports a community of users who rely on our technology to communicate effectively.

In addition to the rewarding nature of our work, you will collaborate with talented professionals who share a common goal of pushing the boundaries of innovation while considering the environmental impact of our products and processes. We strive to develop sustainable solutions that minimise our carbon footprint and promote a greener world. By joining Smartbox, you will have the chance to shape a more inclusive society while actively contributing to our sustainability efforts. Together, let's make a difference that extends beyond communication technology and leaves a positive mark on our planet.

How will you be making a difference?

• Hands-on research: Diving deep to comprehend the fundamental needs and challenges of our target users, focusing on the people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and those who support them. You will use this understanding to influence every stage of product development to meet these core needs effectively.
• Cultivating Collaboration: Organising regular workshops and sprints to solve problems and build a new future using teamwork.
• Creative solutions: Conceptualising and prototyping novel products and features that are useful, highly intuitive, and just work.
• CAD modelling: Using CAD to develop detailed designs that are viable for manufacture with our engineers and suppliers.
• User testing: Constantly seeking to observe users, testing features and iterating.
• Beautiful presentation: Sketching, rendering, animating, photographing and making videos of our products for huge impact and engagement.
• Leading on style: Developing a design language that is distinctive, yet unobtrusive and mature. Selecting colours, materials and finishes that promote usability and achieve a feeling that is high quality and long-lasting.
• Balancing cost and value: Developing a clear understanding of proposed value and project costs, working with colleagues to achieve good value for our users and partners.
• Design evangelist: Telling the user’s story and the design journey to elevate product launches and win the hearts of customers, as well as sales, marketing, service and operational teams.
• Data-driven decision making: Using qualitative and quantitative data to inform decision-making and optimise product performance.
• Industry awareness: Staying updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in assistive technology, AAC and product management.

Essential Qualifications/skills/experience

• Minimum of 5 years of prior experience in a product design capacity.
• Demonstrated track record in the development and successful delivery of products.
• Expertise in leading user research initiatives encompassing personas, journey mapping, and user testing.
• Proficiency in applying accessibility and inclusive design principles.
• Confidence in creating and developing concepts through sketching, visual storytelling, prototypes and models, leaning into feedback and challenge.
• Diverse technical skills, including CAD modelling and render generation.
• Strategic acumen in leveraging brand identity through colour schemes, materials, and finishes.
• Proficiency in graphic design including typography, layout, and colour to produce beautiful labels and manuals.
• Proficiency in packaging design.
• The ability to collate and analyse complex and conflicting needs, distilling them effectively and communicating vision, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly to senior leadership, guiding them towards sensible, well-informed decisions.
• Ability to establish and maintain momentum, avoiding over-analysis, empowering decision-makers to take calculated risks, and offering clarity and direction in uncertain circumstances.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities, demonstrating both strategic thinking and tactical action.
• Strong collaborative skills, adept at working effectively in a compact, dynamic team environment and engaging with stakeholders across a larger organisation.
• Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written, capable of articulating complex ideas clearly and engagingly.
• Hands-on, down-to-earth, customer-centric approach.
• Readiness to travel to various Smartbox and client locations, potentially on an international scale.

Additional information:

• This is a hybrid role based in the Bristol location, with the requirement to come into the office twice a week.
• The salary for this position will be determined based on the applicant's education, skills and experience.

Why join us?

Here at Smartbox, we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, and encouraging all staff to engage in a diverse range of year-round learning and personal development opportunities. In addition, you will work alongside highly motivated colleagues in an environment of strong teamwork whilst also having fun. This is a hugely rewarding role and a career to be proud of where every day you will go home knowing you made a positive difference in the lives of disabled people.

Rewards and benefits:

At Smartbox, our employees always do their best, which is why we give so much in return. In addition to your competitive salary, private medical insurance, and a whooping 25 days of holiday plus public holidays, we’ll shower you with perks, including:

• Dress: We want you to feel comfortable in the office; smart casual is perfect.
• Food: You can find free healthy office snacks in our kitchens.
• Hybrid working: Laptop and home working IT kit provided.
• Flexible work schedule: Balance is key to innovation, and we want to make sure you are at the top of your game with a schedule that will work for you (prior agreement from your Line Manager is required).
• Give back to the community: Each year every member of staff will get the opportunity to spend one paid day volunteering for a good cause of their choice.
• You, our best asset: We believe in investing in you and your development. Stay with us and grow with us! We will reward you with more holidays for your long service!
• Wellness: Stretch away the stress every morning with our online trainers, available via our cooperative perk website or hit the gym. We provide gym discounts too!
• Wellbeing: You gain unlimited access to a benefit and Wellbeing app Yulife, providing store discounts and wellbeing services.
• Mental health: You will have access to the 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for a wide range of support, advice