I’m often asked how I measure success or develop career growth for designers. I’ve made this map to help guide. Use this to know if you are in the right title and what a promotion entails. Also use this in recruiting to put someone at the right level when they join. I hope its helpful.
Level 1: Shadowing
- Can learn by watching, Won’t embarrass us
Level 2: Intern
- Everything in Shadowing AND
- Can follow instructions and collaborate with relevant employees
- Has a good work ethic and attitude
- Gets along well with others
- Can be assigned small tasks
Level 3: Intern II
- Everything in Level 2 AND
- Has 1 season of Intern
- Has some basic domain skills
Level 4: Associate Product Designer
- Everything in Level 3 AND
- Recognized as a junior/entry member of the team
- Personally contributes towards concrete goals and deliverables
- Very little or no work experience in domain
Level 5: Product Designer
- Everything in Level 4 AND
- Has 1-3 years of professional domain experience
- Has intermediate skills (4+) in a few (30%) facets of domain
- Can lead small (1-2 week) projects with oversight
Level 6: Product Designer II
- Everything in Level 5 AND
- Has 2-4 years of professional domain experience
- Has intermediate skills (4+) in many (60%) facets of domain
- Can lead small projects (1-2 weeks) on their own
- Can lead medium projects (2-4 weeks) with oversight
Level 7: Product Designer III
- Everything in Level 6 AND
- Demonstrates team leadership
- Has 3-6 years of professional domain experience
- Has intermediate domain skills (4+) in most (90%) facets
- Influences others outside his/her own project
- Can lead medium-sized projects (2-4 weeks) on their own
- Can be part of an interview panel
Level 8: Sr. Product Designer
- Everything in Level 7 AND
- Actively seeks to be a resource outside of immediate project/team/local scope
- People will come and ask them for input
- Advanced domain skills (8+) in a few (30%) facets
- Has 4-8 years of professional domain experience
- Can lead large projects (1-2 months) with oversight
- Mentor 1-2 junior members of the team
Level 9: Sr. Product Designer II
- Everything in Level 8 AND
- Advanced domain skills in many facets
- Has 5-8 years of professional domain experience
Level 10: Sr. Product Designer III
- Everything in Level 9 AND
- Advanced domain skills (8+) in most (90+) individual contribution facets
- Can lead large projects (1-2 months) on their own
Level 11: Director of Product Design
- Everything in Level 10 AND
- Can do detailed critiques/reviews as well as mentor/manage lower levels on a daily basis.
- Executes on mid-range plans
- Able to identify, plan, and execute career development for employees
- Able to teach team on their own initiative
- Influences architecture/process beyond their own project
- Looks across the organization
- Mastery of craft
- Can lead Gionormous projects (1-4 quarters) with oversight
- Has 6+ years of professional domain experience
- Is part of the recruiting process on an active basis
Level 12: Sr. Director of Product Design
- Everything in Level 11 AND
- Can fill in for the VP if needed
- Has strong knowledge of the complete ecosystem
- Recognized as an influential leader
- Manages performance on a daily basis
- Executes on long-range plans
- Works effectively to hire and retain talent
- Effectively manages employee performance
- Influences architecture/process beyond their own project
- Looks across the organization
Level 13: VP, Product Design
- Everything in Level 12 AND
- Is recognized as the leader in the company
- Works consistently with other leaders in the organization
- Builds effective process and standards
Legend
| Small project | 1-2 weeks |
| Medium project | 2-4 weeks |
| Large project | 1-2 months |
| Gionormous project | 1-4 quarters |
| Beginner Skills | 0-3 |
| Intermediate Skills | 4-7 |
| Advanced Skills | 8-10 |
| A Few Facets | 30% |
| Many Facets | 60% |
| Most Faces | 90% |
| Worksheet of Product Design Facets |
|
| 1 | Usability |
|
| 2 | Illustration |
|
| 3 | Color Theory |
|
| 4 | Sketching (paper) |
|
| 5 | Idea generation |
|
| 6 | Prototyping/Storyboarding |
|
| 7 | Interaction Design (Web) |
|
| 8 | Interaction Design (Mobile) |
|
| 9 | Information Architecture |
|
| 10 | Emotional design |
|
| 11 | Design Software (Figma, XD, etc) |
|
| 12 | Mobile visual design |
|
| 13 | Web application visual design |
|
| 14 | Composition |
|
| 15 | Testing (Design of Experiments) |
|
| 16 | Working with Product Managers |
|
| 17 | Working with Engineers |
|
| 18 | Ethnographic Interviews |
|
| 19 | Typography |
|