Articles by Jonathon Colman
Redesigning our job levels for product designersIntercom redesigned their product designer job levels to provide clearer career paths and advancement for their designers. They started by identifying problems through employee surveys, then determined what good job levels should look like by reviewing industry examples and setting principles. They made key changes like introducing a new staff designer level, focusing expectations on actions designers control rather than outcomes, grouping competencies into meaningful categories, and documenting previously unstated expectations that are important. Intercom believes setting clear expectations is an act of kindness that helps designers perform their best, so they shared their updated job levels publicly to help other teams.