About the role
Product / UX Designer
About Haystack
Haystack News is the leading news-streaming platform, connecting 40+ million viewers to local, national, and world news. We’re redefining how people consume news, offering a personalized, free, on-demand experience across connected TVs, mobile, web, and automotive interfaces. We partner with hundreds of broadcasters and are expanding into premium experiences that bring trust, innovation and simplicity to everyday news consumption.
About the Role
We’re looking for an experienced Product/UX Designer to shape how viewers experience Haystack across all device surfaces. You’ll help deepen engagement, strengthen retention, and make the product easier and more enjoyable for millions of users.
This is a hands-on IC role within a small, nimble team. You’ll collaborate closely with the founders, engineering and QA to make thoughtful design decisions, advocate for user-centered improvements, and take work from concept through polished implementation. We work in short, experimental cycles, shipping quickly, learning and refining.
Responsibilities
Cross-platform product design
Own end-to-end design for a variety of new features across product surfaces (onboarding, personalization, discovery, playback, subscription flows) across iOS, Android, web, connected TV and automotive systems. Ensure cohesion and accessibility across touchpoints, and work closely with engineering during implementation to maintain fidelity and polish.
User-centered problem solving
Translate product goals into clear flows, wireframes and high-quality UI. Use research insights, user feedback and data to refine and iterate on your work.
Engagement & retention design
Create experiences that help viewers get more value from Haystack by improving discovery, enjoyment and long-term retention.
Collaboration & communication
Work with founders, engineering and QA to scope projects, validate assumptions, support implementation and ensure designs are built as intended. Communicate design decisions clearly and collaboratively.
Design system contributions
Contribute to our cross-platform design system — including components, patterns, interactions and visual standards — to improve consistency and scalability as the product evolves.
Execution & iteration
Prototype solutions, test concepts quickly, gather insights and ship incremental improvements. Help design and evaluate product experiments; you’ll help shape hypotheses, create testable UI variations, review results, and use insights to refine the experience.
What We’re Looking For
- Experience: 4+ years designing consumer digital products with a strong portfolio showing mobile, web and/or CTV work. Experience in media or streaming is a plus.
- Hands-on execution: You excel at taking work from concept to implementation while collaborating closely with cross functional partners.
- Systems & product thinking: Ability to connect product goals to simple, thoughtful user experiences.
- Data informed: You rely on user insights and metrics to guide and improve your work.
- Attention to detail: Meticulous execution and a commitment to polished, high quality deliverables across platforms.
- Communication: Clear storytelling and rationale, with comfort presenting to founders and engineers.
- Tools: Fluency in Figma and prototyping tools; openness to AI-assisted design workflows.
Who Thrives Here
Designers who enjoy hands-on product work, value close collaboration with founders and engineers, and thrive in short, fast-paced iteration cycles will excel here. We move quickly, test ideas early and learn through experimentation, so people who like shipping, refining and improving week to week tend to be happiest.
Those looking for a highly structured organization, long product cycles or large design teams may not find this role a fit.
Why Join Haystack
- Shape a cross-platform product used by millions of viewers.
- Build foundational design systems and processes as we scale.
- Work in a collaborative environment that values experimentation and iteration.
- Contribute to a mission-driven company improving access to trusted news and information.