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2021   2022

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Senior Product Designer. Required Skills  – 2021

If you want to know how to create a perfect design resume, you have to know what companies are looking for in their job descriptions. On this page, you can find what companies are looking for when they hire a Senior Product Designer.

We analyzed 100 job descriptions on LinkedIn and Glassdoor from companies across North America. Let's dive deeper and see what you can learn to make the best resume and learn the necessary skills.

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Most Popular Design Tools of 2021

Design tools are essential to the design process, allowing designers to create, edit, and refine their work. In today's world, a wide variety of design tools are available, each with unique features and capabilities.

We will look at some of the most popular design tools designers currently use worldwide. From industry-standard software like Adobe Creative Suite to newer, up-and-coming tools like Figma, this article will provide an overview of the tools that are helping designers create beautiful and effective designs.

This list comprises the top 10 design tools mentioned in job descriptions. The list is updated annually based on research on senior product designer job descriptions.

JD – Job description
How often an app appears in job descriptions?

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1. Figma - 18.96%

Figma is the most mentioned design tool on the list and has gained significant popularity in recent years. Many companies have also made the switch from Sketch to Figma as their primary tool.

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2. Adobe Suite - 18.4%

Adobe Suite is still a commonly required tool for design-related job positions, with tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD considered essential for a senior product designer to be proficient in.

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3. Sketch - 16.09%

Although Sketch has lost some users to Figma in recent years, it remains in the top 3 list of the most popular design tools.

others

4. Others - 10.04%

There are several less popular design tools that are occasionally mentioned in job descriptions for product designers, including Origami Studio, Principle, ProtoPie, UXPin, Marvel, Proto.io, Balsamiq, Finto and others that in combination take more than 10% of the list.

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5. InVision - 8.6%

InVision, a prototyping tool, was once popular but has since lost ground to Figma and Sketch. Even the release of InVision Studio in 2017 didn't help.

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6. HTML - 8%

It feels like HTML and CSS are always somewhere in the middle of lists of design tools, and while some companies consider them "nice-to-have" skills in job descriptions, others place a greater emphasis on them.

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7. CSS - 7.85%

Knowing CSS can allow a designer to make small adjustments to their designs on their own, rather than having to rely on a developers. However, the specific importance of CSS may vary depending on the needs of the company and the specific responsibilities of the designer.

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8. JavaScript - 5.75%

Currently, JavaScript is not as commonly emphasized in designers' job descriptions as recently. While it is a complex language that requires a lot of practice, designers generally do not focus on development work as a primary responsibility.

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9. Framer - 4.05%

Framer is a design tool that requires code knowledge, specifically a simplified version of JavaScript called CoffeeScript, to enhance prototyping capabilities. However, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of JavaScript to use Framer effectively.
 

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10. Axure - 2.2%

Axure PR is an ancient prototyping tool that has been made around 2002. Surprisingly it's still around and somehow made its way to the Top 10 tools mentioned in job descriptions. 

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Position Requirements

Position requirements refer to the qualifications and skills necessary for a person to successfully fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a senior product designer role. These requirements may include education, experience, knowledge, skills, and other personal characteristics necessary for the job.

To be successful in a senior product designer role, individuals must meet certain requirements, such as possessing the right educational background, demonstrating prior experience, showcasing specialized knowledge, having relevant skills, and displaying desirable personal traits.

Research – 2/per listing
Design research is a broad term for the process designers use to better understand the underlying and sometimes hidden desires, needs, and challenges of end users, also known as the target audience.
Mobile – 88%
Design for mobile is an important skill, especially when 56% of all web traffic comes through smartphones. Stay updated on the latest technologies and learn how people interact with the websites on their phones.
Web – 68%
The web is the most popular medium for designers. As job descriptions show, there is a 68% chance that you will be dealing with web apps in your next position,  and you must understand its limitations and differences from native apps.
Accessibility – 60%
Recently, “accessibility” has become a very popular word in job descriptions. Companies are looking for people who have worked with accessibility standards in the past and can implement them.
Prototyping – 54%
To edit the text and items of your accordion, just hover above the accordion module and click on the edit icon. Now you can just edit your text inline and add or remove items.
iOS – 32%
Not every company can afford a dedicated team for a native iOS application so it appears only in every third job description. It's always beneficial to know the design specifications for this platform.
Sketching – 22%
Everybody knows how to sketch. Some people can make it more beautiful than others, but this is not the point of sketching. This step is just a high-level exploration of the idea.
User Flows – 18%
User flow is the path taken by a prototypical user on a website or app to complete a task. The user flow takes them from their entry point through a set of steps towards a successful outcome and final action, such as purchasing a product.
Android – 16%
Android is twice less popular as iOS in job descriptions. Even though there are more than a billion devices out there that work on Android, companies rarely ask for this specific platform.
Wireframing – 10%
Wireframing is a way to design a website service at the structural level. A wireframe is commonly used to lay out content and functionality on a page which takes into account user needs and user journeys.
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Other Requirements

In addition to the specific qualifications and skills required for a senior product designer position, there may be other requirements that a candidate should possess to be successful in this role.

Business – 78%
Business usually goes in word pairs like "Business needs" and "Business requirements". Funny enough, this word is mentioned more times than "Design Thinking," "Wireframing," "Responsive," and "User Flow."
Feedback – 76%
Collecting feedback is one of the essential parts of our day-to-day work. Improvements to the implemented design can be made only in case you've collected the feedback and iterated on it.
Advocate – 24%
A design advocate is a person who would promote the design within the company and would be part of your day-to-day work. This is a proactive position in educating others about the importance of design.
Design Thinking – 22%
Design thinking is a buzzword that has become very annoying to designers. Everybody was trying to add this word to their vocabulary. In the last year or two, designers have begun to avoid this word; that's why it has only 16.2% and still falling.
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What Do Companies Provide?

Product designers may enjoy various benefits and perks depending on the organization and the particular role. These include but are not limited to medical and dental insurance, retirement plans, vacation time, and other perks such as unlimited PTO or educational reimbursement.

Benefits – 32%
Companies can provide many more benefits: an extended health package or some additional money for education. These are just several options that startups mention in their job description.
Dental – 10%
Collecting feedback is one of the essential parts of our day-to-day work. Improvements to the implemented design can be made only in case you've collected the feedback and iterated on it.
Unlim. PTO – 10%
It is not uncommon for companies to offer unlimited paid time off (PTO) as a benefit to their employees. However, the prevalence of this benefit varies depending on the industry, size of the company, and location.
Vacation – 15%
Every company must provide vacation time by law, but only 15% mention it in their job description. Usually, vacation is mentioned when it is a bit more extended than a regular 2 weeks.
Stock Option – 32%
It was surprising to see that the "Stock option" is mentioned almost the same amount of times as "Vacation," "Dental," and "Unlimited sick days" together combined. If a company provides it, they will make sure to mention it.
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Other Interesting Words

Check other interesting words that appear on senior product designer job descriptions that can help you understand what companies are looking for in a potential candidate for the senior product designer role.

Design – 14/per listing
Yes, it's all about design. On average, it's mentioned around 9 times per application. 
Data – 80%
Data is at the top-3 list of words that have been mentioned the most. Research is always based on data, and data is in second place in this list. So we can clearly see the correlation between different requirements.
Design System – 76%
In the last 2-3 years ability to build and manage design systems has become one of the essential qualifications of a product designer. In 2022 mentions of a design system skyrocketed to 1.6 words per job description.
Degree – 38%
More and more companies are moving away from requesting degrees as part of the hiring process in recent years. Despite this fact, the word "Degree" is still heavily mentioned in job descriptions for Senior Designers.
Pixel-Perfect – 24%
Several years ago "pixel-perfect" was a trendy word. It was everywhere, including portfolios and Twitter profiles. Probably it was on the same level as the word "Design system" today. Now, it's barely making it into every fourth job description.
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