Junior UX/UI designer
Meetup · Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- On site
- Full-time
- €66,065 / year
- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Job highlights
- Design intuitive and delightful UI/UX for a community platform.
- Leverage AI for design ideation and rapid prototyping.
- Collaborate closely with PMs and engineers on product features.
- Validate designs through customer research and data analysis.
- Shape product experiences for significant business impact.
About the role
About Meetup and Bending Spoons
Meetup is a community-building platform used by millions to discover events and connect with others. Now part of Bending Spoons, it's a key player in a portfolio of innovative digital businesses. Joining Meetup means becoming part of the wider Bending Spoons team, potentially contributing to other leading products. You'll work in a high-performing, collaborative environment focused on innovation and operational excellence. Bending Spoons aims to be one of the all-time great companies, serving a vast customer base and fostering team member growth. They focus on acquiring and operating digital businesses for the long term, driving deep transformations to enhance customer value and business performance. The company operates with minimal hierarchy, small, talent-dense teams, and integrates AI to augment human judgment. Working at Bending Spoons offers talented, driven individuals an opportunity to learn, make an impact, and accelerate their careers.Key Responsibilities
- Shape high-leverage product experiences by designing intuitive, effective, and delightful UI and UX from concept to delivery.
- Utilize AI tools to clarify intent, draft specifications, and identify risks before commencing design work.
- Prototype and build interactive experiences, leveraging AI tools and turning concepts into production-ready frontend code.
- Collaborate closely with Product Managers and engineers from inception through release, defining UX requirements and making engineering-aware design decisions.
- Validate designs through direct customer interaction, quick tests, and data analysis (funnels, retention, adoption) to iterate and improve.
- Identify high-leverage opportunities in the product backlog that can unlock business value, aligning stakeholders and delivering rapidly.
What We Look For
- Reasoning ability: Capacity to solve complex problems, think from first principles, structure ideas sharply, resist biases, and focus on critical details.
- Drive: Extreme ambition, initiative, effort, and tenacity, coupled with a strong sense of responsibility and a commitment to a high and rising standard.
- Team spirit: Generosity, support for the best ideas over personal ideas, willingness to help the team, reliability, honesty, and transparency.
- Proficiency in English: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
What We Offer
- Talented Teams: Work in small, autonomous, result-oriented teams with exceptionally bright individuals.
- Growth Opportunity: Significant career progression, with opportunities to lead products and play essential roles in major projects early on.
- Competitive Compensation: Competitive pay, with the potential for equity in the company at a discounted price. Salary ranges provided for different experience levels and locations (e.g., £85,797 in London for early career).
- Benefits: Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning and training support, top-tier health insurance, relocation package, generous parental support, and an annual retreat.
- Tax Benefits: Potential 50% tax cut for those relocating to Italy.
Commitment & Contract
Permanent or fixed-term, Full-time.Location
Milan (Italy), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland), or remote in selected countries.The Selection Process
Meetup prioritizes verifiable signals of excellence. They encourage individuals to apply even if they feel they lack experience. The process includes challenging tests that may take several hours. Offers are extended only upon confidence in finding the right candidate.Before You Apply
Applicants who previously applied without success are advised to wait at least one year before reapplying. Bending Spoons is a demanding environment requiring significant commitment, but it offers extraordinary learning and growth. It is recommended to spend the first few months in the Milan office to quickly absorb the company culture and build team trust, with support for travel and accommodation. Long-term work can be from offices in Milan or London, or remotely from approved countries. Key skills/competency Junior UX/UI Designer, Product Design, UI Design, UX Design, Prototyping, AI Tools, Customer Research, Design Systems, Figma, User TestingSkills & topics
- UX/UI Designer
- Product Design
- User Experience
- User Interface
- Prototyping
- Figma
- AI Design Tools
- Customer Research
- Bending Spoons
- Meetup
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight UX/UI design skills, AI tool proficiency, and collaborative project experience relevant to Meetup.
- Showcase your portfolio: Prepare a strong portfolio demonstrating your design process, problem-solving abilities, and impact on product outcomes.
- Understand Bending Spoons' values: Emphasize reasoning, drive, and team spirit in your application and interviews.
- Prepare for tests: Be ready for challenging design tests that assess your problem-solving and technical skills.
- Highlight AI proficiency: Clearly articulate your experience using AI tools in the design workflow.
Technical preparation
Master Figma and AI design tools.,Build interactive prototypes quickly.,Learn to generate frontend code.,Practice user testing methodologies.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex problem you solved.,How do you handle ambitious goals?,Share an example of teamwork.,How do you ensure quality in your work?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the typical career progression for a Junior UX/UI Designer at Meetup/Bending Spoons?
- At Bending Spoons, career progression is rapid for high-potential individuals. As a Junior UX/UI Designer, you can expect significant learning opportunities and the chance to take on more responsibility quickly. Spooners in their 20s often lead products, indicating that with demonstrated capability, you can advance to senior roles and impact major projects at an accelerated pace.
- How does Bending Spoons integrate AI into the UX/UI design process?
- Bending Spoons deeply integrates AI into its workflows. For a Junior UX/UI Designer, this means using AI tools to clarify intent, draft specs, identify risks, prototype concepts, and even generate frontend code. The goal is to augment human judgment, explore more design directions, and accelerate the design and development cycle.
- What kind of collaborative environment can I expect as a Junior UX/UI Designer?
- You'll join small, talent-dense, autonomous teams focused on results. Collaboration with Product Managers and engineers is expected from day one, involving co-creation of requirements, design decisions, and through the entire build and release process. The culture emphasizes supporting the best idea and being transparent and reliable.
- What are the salary expectations for a Junior UX/UI Designer at Meetup?
- For individuals at the start of their career, Bending Spoons typically offers an annual salary of £85,797 in London and €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. Compensation is competitive and varies by location and expected impact, with potential for growth and equity participation.
- How challenging are the tests in the Bending Spoons selection process for a Junior UX/UI Designer?
- The tests are designed to be challenging and may involve unfamiliar problems, requiring several hours to complete. They are a critical part of the screening process to identify verifiable signals of excellence and ensure a strong fit for Bending Spoons' high standards.
- Is prior experience with specific design tools like Figma mandatory for this Junior UX/UI Designer role?
- While proficiency in tools like Figma is beneficial, the description emphasizes knowing when to use code versus design tools and moving fluidly between them. The focus is on your ability to use the 'best available tools' to explore directions and raise the quality bar. Demonstrating adaptability and a strong design process is key.
- What is the recommended onboarding process for a Junior UX/UI Designer joining Meetup?
- It is recommended to spend the first few months in the Milan office, regardless of your long-term work location. This provides the best environment to quickly absorb the company culture and build trust with teammates. Travel and accommodation assistance are provided for this initial period.