A Founder's Guide to Hiring Your First Product Designer

Good product design is more important than ever for buidling a successful tech business. It drives customer satisfaction and loyalty, differentiates your product from your competitors - and ultimately boosts your return on investment. For tech startups, hiring your first product designer is a pivotal step towards scalable growth. But how do you know when it’s time to make this hire, and what qualities should you look for?

Whether you’re a tech founder, talent partner, or an aspiring product designer, this guide is here to help. We’ll explore when to hire, what skills and qualities matter most, and how to make sure you find the right fit.

Why product design matters

Investing in product design early pays dividends. Quality design can reduce development time by up to 55% and support costs by up to 90%. A seamless user experience (UX) not only enhances user satisfaction but also boosts conversions. For example, a well-designed user interface can increase conversion rates by up to 200%, while improved UX can boost conversions by 400%.

A skilled product designer will make sure your product is intuitive, visually appealing, and user-friendly—key factors for retaining your users and maximising revenue.

When should you make your first product design hire?

The right timing depends on several factors:

➡️ The stage of your business

If you’re validating your core idea in the early MVP stage, you might not need a full-time designer. Many founders opt for contract designers or handle the basics themselves to stay lean.
When you’ve achieved product-market fit and are scaling, this is usually the best time for a dedicated designer who can focus on refining the user experience and aligning functionality with user needs.
If your product is consumer-facing, a strong design is important early on. First impressions impact adoption and retention, so an early designer hire can help differentiate you from competitors.

➡️ Your team’s skillset

If you or your co-founder have a design background, you might be able to handle early design needs and delay hiring. But if your strengths are primarily technical or business-focused, bringing in a designer can fill that gap and ensure UX doesn’t suffer.
Technical founders might benefit from hiring a designer sooner to bridge functionality and usability. Business-focused founders may wait until they have more clarity on user engagement and adoption drivers.

➡️ Product complexity

In B2B or niche industries, functionality is likely to be prioritised. But as the product matures, a designer can simplify complex workflows, reduce user friction & support customer retention.
Products with straightforward interfaces or limited interactions might not need a dedicated designer right away. But for products with heavy interactions or visuals (like e-commerce or social networks), an early design hire is essential to keep the user experience smooth and prevent usability issues that could prevent growth.

⁉️ Questions to ask yourself...

How important is design to our product’s value?
Are we getting feedback about usability issues?
Do we have enough design skills on our team?
Are we moving from MVP to growth and retention?
Are usability challenges slowing down development?
Does our product have complex interactions?
Is brand perception critical to our market?
Do we have the budget to support a designer?
Are we ready to incorporate user research?

If you’re still uncertain, consider working with a freelance designer. This allows you to make iterative design improvements without committing to a full-time hire prematurely.

What to look for in your first Product Designer

Hiring your first designer is about finding a versatile generalist who can handle various aspects of design and thrive in a startup environment. Key skills to prioritise include...

Versatility: Ability to manage UX, UI, branding, and potentially some front-end development
Adaptability: Comfortable creating processes in a scaling business
Collaboration: Works seamlessly cross-functionally, with engineers and product managers
User research skills: Gathers insights to inform design decisions
Communication: Clearly explains ideas and incorporates feedback
Impact-driven: Focuses on delivering results over rigid processes
Tools: Proficiency in Figma and prototyping tools.
Effective storytelling: Able to communicate design processes with clarity.

Detail-focused: Attention to detail while maintaining speed and quality.

Contract Designers vs Permanent Designers

The choice between a permanent design hire and a contractor depends on your goals:

A permanent hire is ideal for long-term growth, building processes, and scaling your product.

Whilst a contractor can be a cost-effective for short-term needs or foundational design work.

How much does it cost to hire a Product Designer?

Salaries for product designers in the UK vary based on experience and location:

Mid-Level Designer: If you’re looking for someone ambitious who’s newer to this role, expect to pay around £70,000+.
Experienced Designer: For someone with significant experience as a first design hire, who can thrive independently and build processes, expect to pay £120,000+.

(These salary ranges are based on London-based roles.)

How to hire your first Product Designer

1. Start with your network

Typically when making early hires, founders start with their personal networks. As hiring needs become more specific though, this can become limiting. Definitely leverage your investor and business networks for referrals or introductions. These contacts usually know trusted professionals who have relevant experience, although bare in mind these experienced hires are likely to come with higher salary expectations.

If budget constraints are a concern, hiring someone with less experience but strong soft skills and a willingness to learn can be a more cost-effective option. With the right mentorship and proactive attitude, these candidates can grow into the role over time.

Keep in mind that hiring your first product designer—or any role in a new discipline—may take longer than filling roles in established teams. This hire will play a pivotal role in shaping the culture and standards of your new function, making it essential to get it right.

2. Work with specialist Product Design Recruiters

Partnering with a tech recruitment agency can add significantly improve both your time to hire and quality of hire. Specialist agencies that work in product design recruitment can connect you with passive candidates who might not be actively looking but are a perfect fit for your needs.

Experienced recruiters can present your opportunity in the best light, leveraging the trust they’ve built with candidates over time. This often results in high-quality hires while saving you valuable time on market mapping and candidate sourcing. So you can focus on running your business and engaging with only the most qualified candidates.

3. Write a clear job description

Include specifics about:

Your company’s mission and product.
The scope of responsibilities (e.g., UX, UI, branding).
Tools and skills required (e.g., Figma, prototyping).
Expected outcomes and impact on business goals.

Insights from a Founding Product Designer

"The need for speed is the most important skill in my eyes. As the Founding Designer you'll be tempted to push for "pixel perfect" as soon as possible, but you'll need to weigh that up against velocity, especially if you're working in an early-stage start-up. It's important to decide quickly when something is "good enough" for where you're at.

Communication skills. As a Founding Designer you'll need to be able to talk through ideas and designs to the rest of the team in a way which makes sense to them. Try to understand what motivates an engineer, a product manager, or a founder. If you know where they're coming from you'll be able to meet in the middle more easily.

In terms of top priorities when starting the role - establish a process for sharing your ideas early and often. Design shouldn't be a black box. If your role is remote you'll need to be more intentional about how you go about doing this. Be open to all constructive feedback. Remember, it's better if an engineer tells you that your idea is difficult to build before you've spent time designing it in detail.

Research! Get to know your users. As a Founding Designer you'll most likely be acting as your company's User Research function as well. Get to know your users and understand how to ask them the right questions. Establish when and how to get the information you need to ensure your designs have the best chance of solving their problems."

Hiring your first product designer is a strategic investment that can elevate your product, improve user satisfaction, and drive your businesses growth. By understanding the right timing, prioritising key qualities and soft skills, and leveraging specialist tech recruiters, you can make this crucial hire with confidence.

Are you looking for support hiring your first product designer? Contact us to connect with our established network of Design specialists based around the UK and Europe. For an informal chat with an experienced tech recruiter specialising in product design and technology recruitment, reach out to Megan today.

A Guide To Hiring Your First Product Designer