Product Designers are assigned to a specific area of the product, known as Stage Groups, where they immerse themselves in user workflows to solve real customer problems.
They are also responsible for broader UX department efforts, such as:
Each designer works as a manager of one to solve customers problems and align with the direction of the product. They collaborate with stage peers and managers to manage their capacity and deliver results on time. For a detailed view into how Product Designers work, review the Product Designer workflow page.
For more information on Stage Groups, team member assignments, and product direction, visit the product category page.
As Product Designers, we are entrusted with the authority of design judgment. Our process begins with understanding the problem and prioritizing for the best user experience. When additional constraints or insights (e.g. technical considerations or marketing strategies) arise, we collaboratively evaluate and adjust our designs accordingly. We proactively communicate how these constraints impact our designs and what changes will affect the user.
In cases where our counterparts have differing opinions, we consider their perspectives but hold the final say on design decisions as we are the ultimate guardians of design judgment.
Our design principles are outlined in the Pajamas Design System.
Product Designer Tools
Figma and Figjam are our primary design tool of choice. Refer to the usage and access details.
Product Designers adhere to the Product Development flow in collaboration with stable counterparts. Key aspects include:
New GitLab Product Designers should refer to the Product Designer Workflow handbook page for a comprehensive guide to getting started.
Our continuous learning initiatives are documented in the UX Department Learning and Development section.
This initiative aims to enhance our product’s usability by leveraging the best practices from the “Macro UX” experiment, which paired Product Designers and Engineers to make self-directed improvements. See the retro issue for details.
Key Elements:
To volunteer, Product Designers and Engineers should:
Volunteers:
| Milestone | Product Designer | Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| 17.5 | ||
| 17.6 | ||
| 17.7 | Emily Bauman | Anna Vovchenko |
| 17.8 | ||
| 17.9 |
| Milestone | Product Designer | Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| 17.1 (2024-05-13) | Veethika M | Miguel Rincon |
| 16.1 (2023-05-18) | Veethika M | Payton Burdette |
| 15.11 (2023-03-18) | Annabel Gray | Phil Hughes |
| 15.6 (2022-10-18) | Matej Latin | Deepika Guliani |
| 15.5 (2022-09-18) | Katie Macoy | Anna Vovchenko |
| 15.4 (2022-08-18) | Nadia Sotnikova | Alex Kalderimis |
| 15.2 (2022-06-18) | Emily Bauman | Jannik Lehmann |
| 15.1 (2022-05-18) | Sascha Eggenberger | Robert Hunt |
| 15.0 (2022-04-18) | Annabel Gray | Phil Hughes |
Success of the program will be tracked by the total number of MRs merged with the “Beautifying our UI” label.
By following these guidelines, GitLab’s Product Design team can continue to drive meaningful, user-centric improvements across the platform.
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