Career Ladder Inspiration · Design
Generic's design career framework
Generic product design career ladder covering 5 competency areas across 5 levels including both IC (Designer to Principal) and a Manager track. Covers craft, research, collaboration, systems thinking, and leadership.
Company Generic|Year 2026|Discipline Design|Tracks TBD|License
Scroll horizontally to explore all 5 levels
Clone this templateProduct Designer | Senior Product Designer | Staff Product Designer | Principal Product Designer | Design Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Skills Design Craft | Creates designs that are visually cohesive and follow established design systems. Understands layout, typography, and visual hierarchy. Produces designs for well-scoped features. | Demonstrates and articulates understanding of design principles. Uses design systems creatively to produce designs and, where appropriate, new styles and patterns. Produces high-quality work consistently. | Teaches and raises the bar for design quality across the team. Gives strong design direction. Maintains and evolves design systems and principles with a holistic view. | Defines the design vision for the product. Creates new design paradigms that elevate overall quality. Recognized as an authority on design craft. | Ensures design quality across the team. Provides constructive feedback that elevates others' work. Champions design excellence. |
Skills User Research & Insight | Understands user needs through existing research. Applies user insights to design decisions. Participates in user research sessions. | Conducts user research independently. Synthesizes findings into actionable insights. Uses research to validate and iterate on designs effectively. | Drives research strategy for their product area. Creates research frameworks that the team uses. Champions evidence-based design decisions. | Defines the organization's approach to understanding users. Connects user insights to business strategy. Pushes the industry on user-centered practices. | Ensures the team is grounded in user research. Creates culture of evidence-based design. Coaches designers on research skills. |
Skills Cross-functional Collaboration | Works effectively with engineering and PM partners. Contributes to sprint planning and feature discussions. | Trusted by product and engineering to make design decisions. Acts as a thought partner for PMs. Navigates scope and implementation tradeoffs. | Drives cross-functional initiatives. Influences product strategy through design thinking. Collaborates effectively with senior leadership across disciplines. | Leads design strategy across multiple product areas. Shapes product direction at the organizational level. Partners with executive leadership. | Facilitates collaboration between designers and cross-functional partners. Ensures designers are empowered and supported in cross-functional relationships. |
Skills Systems Thinking | Considers how their designs fit within the broader product. Follows existing design patterns and conventions. | Thinks holistically about design patterns across features. Identifies opportunities to improve consistency and reusability. | Designs for scale and consistency across the product. Creates and evolves design systems. Thinks about the long-term architectural implications of design decisions. | Defines the design architecture for the entire product. Creates frameworks that enable the design team to work more effectively at scale. | Ensures the team thinks systemically about design. Drives adoption and evolution of design systems. |
Skills Growth & Leadership | Actively learning and developing design skills. Seeks feedback and mentorship. Participates in design critiques. | Mentors junior designers. Participates in hiring. Contributes to design team culture and process improvements. | Leads design initiatives. Grows and develops designers. Drives design culture. Champions the design team externally through talks, posts, and open source. | Builds the next generation of design leaders. Defines design culture and values. Industry thought leader in product design. | Manages and develops designers. Conducts performance reviews and career coaching. Hires effectively. Creates an environment where designers thrive and do their best work. |
Framework by Generic · Licensed
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