UX Recruitment

The titles overlap. A product designer typically covers the whole journey, from research through to interface design, working closely with product and engineering. A UX designer tends to focus on flows, structure and usability. A UI designer concentrates on the visual interface and design systems. Companies use these titles differently, so we look at the work someone has done rather than the label.

More companies are hiring a single senior product designer who can cover research, UX and UI. That person needs to be comfortable working without a design team around them, and able to set up the basics, such as a simple design system. It suits someone who enjoys breadth. A designer used to a large, specialised team may find the move harder than expected.

Not always. In smaller teams, designers and product managers can often run light research themselves. A dedicated researcher tends to earn their place when decisions are expensive to get wrong, when several teams need insight, or when users are hard to reach or work in complex, regulated settings. The right researcher turns what they learn into decisions the team acts on.

Polished screens only tell part of the story. Look for how the designer framed the problem, what constraints they worked within, their own role in team projects and what changed as a result. Much of the best design work sits behind confidentiality agreements, so a walk-through conversation often reveals more than the portfolio itself.

AI tools are speeding up exploration, prototyping and production work, so smaller design teams can often do more. That shifts where designers add value: framing the right problem, understanding users and deciding what is worth building. Hiring managers increasingly ask designers how they use these tools, and how they check the results still work for real people.

Usually once you have several designers across different teams, and the work starts to feel inconsistent. Another sign is when design needs a stronger voice in product decisions. Before that stage, a lead designer can often hold standards together. A fractional UX leader can also help set direction and shape the permanent role before you commit to it.

Clients can get in touch to discuss a brief, and candidates are welcome to register their interest. The quickest route is our contact page or a call to +44 203 397 4565, and one of our consultants will pick things up from there.