Digital Designer, Web and Product

About the Company

Little Plains is a modern brand and product studio that partners with early-stage companies from pre-launch through Series A. Operating as an embedded creative partner rather than a traditional agency, they build cohesive brand, product, and go-to-market systems that scale as companies grow, working across healthcare, biotech, SaaS, and consumer products.

About the Role

Little Plains is seeking a Digital Designer, Web and Product to lead end-to-end design work on UI/UX and product design for early-stage companies. This is a contract-to-hire opportunity (with full-time conversion available) based in the Utica-Rome Area, New York or remote (EST preferred). You'll move fluidly between research, prototyping, and production-ready UI—designing both the logic of user flows and the visual precision of interfaces. The ideal candidate has 3–5 years of digital design experience and is comfortable working alongside product leads and engineers in fast-paced cycles, with a strong focus on craft and detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead digital design end-to-end on projects, from user research and early prototyping through production-ready UI for web and mobile
• Design intuitive user flows, interaction patterns, and interfaces that balance functionality with visual strength
• Translate brand systems into consistent, scalable UI and maintain design systems with reusable components
• Think in systems and design patterns that scale across products, ensuring components work at every size and state
• Collaborate closely with product managers and engineers to keep designs grounded in what can actually ship
• Move quickly, iterate based on feedback, and hold a clear point of view on what works
• Use tools like Claude, Figma Make, and other AI tools to prototype ideas early, before committing to high-fidelity design

Requirements

• 3–5 years of experience in digital, UI/UX, or product design, ideally with consumer tech, SaaS, or AI-driven products
• Proficiency in Figma with strong skills in user research, user flows, and interaction design
• Experience designing interfaces across web and mobile with a focus on both function and craft
• Experience building design systems and reusable components
• Ability to translate brand systems into functional, scalable product UI
• Comfort working with product managers and engineers in fast-paced cycles
• Active use of AI tools (e.g., Claude, MidJourney, Paper, or similar) to accelerate ideation and workflows, plus high attention to detail and commitment to quality at every scale

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI-native products and new thinking around flows, states, and real-time system communication
• Familiarity with emerging design tools and rapid prototyping workflows

Benefits & Perks

• Contract rate: $85–$125/hr | Full-time base salary: $85,000–$125,000 (base)
• Quarterly profit share tied to studio performance
• Equity participation for long-term team members
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (50% employer-covered)
• 15 days PTO in Year 1, increasing by 2 days per year
• One week paid office closure every summer
• Paid office closure between Christmas and New Year's
• Parental leave: 12 weeks (birth parent) or 6 weeks (non-birth parent) at full pay
• Prenatal leave: 20 hours paid per year
• $1,000/year craft and tools stipend
• $200/month coworking stipend

Little Plains is a modern brand and product studio that works with early-stage companies from pre-launch through Series A, operating as an embedded creative partner building brand, product, and go-to-market work across healthcare, biotech, SaaS, and consumer products.