Articles by Aaron James
A guide to becoming a senior product designerAaron provides guidance for product designers to advance their careers up the ladder. He explains that career ladders typically have defined levels that clarify expectations and what a company values in designers. To level up, one should assess their skills, study the expectations for the next level, and create goals to strengthen skills needed for promotion. Examples of career levels include junior, mid, senior, and principal. Aaron also identifies six core design axes that encompass both hard and soft skills, including product thinking, interaction design, and self-awareness. He notes that ambitious designers should seek projects that allow them to experiment in new problem spaces. Creating a career plan and sharing it with managers can help designers advance in a structured way through achieving agreed upon goals.