Lead Product Designer, Mobile (Native & Mobile)

Details

Perplexity is looking for an experienced Lead Product Designer to own iPhone and Android design on the Native & Mobile team. The role focuses on designing how Perplexity works across mobile devices, macOS, Windows, Linux, and AI agents, creating a cohesive experience across platforms.

The role involves designing native mobile experiences that use platform capabilities such as notifications, Live Activities, Dynamic Island, widgets, voice, Shortcuts, App Intents, sharing, system extensions, and Android equivalents. You will prototype on device using real code and coding agents, including SwiftUI and production codebases, while working closely with iOS, Android, desktop, product, and design teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead product design for iPhone and Android apps from early concepts through polished, shipped experiences.
• Design how mobile devices work alongside desktop applications on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Design experiences for background-running AI agents, including progress updates, interruptions, approvals, and handoffs.
• Use native platform capabilities such as notifications, Live Activities, widgets, voice, system intents, and extensions.
• Design clear permissions, approvals, and privacy flows that keep users in control of agent actions.
• Prototype on device using real code to answer questions that static mockups cannot.
• Use coding agents to build in the production codebase and submit pull requests alongside engineers.
• Maintain consistent patterns across iOS, Android, and desktop while respecting platform conventions.
• Explore new platform capabilities, input methods, and form factors.
• Make product decisions that support both initial launches and long-term scalability.
• Contribute to design processes that support frequent, high-quality shipping.

Requirements

• Strong track record of shipping native mobile applications for consumer or prosumer products.
• Deep fluency in iOS platform conventions, navigation patterns, gestures, system components, and new platform capabilities.
• Working knowledge of Android and Material conventions.
• Experience designing products that span multiple devices or integrate deeply with operating-system features.
• Excellent interaction, visual, and motion design skills, with strong attention to detail at small sizes and in glanceable experiences.
• Experience using coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or similar tools to prototype on device and make changes in production codebases.
• Sufficient knowledge of SwiftUI and Xcode to direct coding-agent work, review its output, and assess its quality.
• Strong systems-thinking skills and the ability to simplify complex, technical, or asynchronous behavior.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain design rationale to team members and leadership.
• Strong focus on shipping high-quality software.
• Comfort working with significant autonomy and ambiguity and operating as a peer lead within the design team.
• At least 5 years of industry experience.
• Portfolio submission is required.

Nice to Have

• Experience designing for Android or working with Jetpack Compose.
• Experience designing for macOS, Windows, or other desktop platforms.
• Experience designing for AI agents, automation, developer tools, or products where software acts on a person's behalf.
• Shipped work involving Live Activities, widgets, App Intents, watchOS, or other system-level surfaces.
• Experience exploring or prototyping interactions for new form factors such as foldables.

Benefits

Full-time U.S. employees receive benefits including equity, health, dental, vision, retirement, fitness, commuter, and dependent care accounts. Benefits for international employees are tailored to their region of residence.