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United Airlines · 15 hours ago

Principal Designer - UX

Chicago, IL

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$110K/yr - $143K/yr

5+ years exp

United Airlines is a leading airline company focused on creating the best aviation experience through innovative technology. The Principal Designer - UX will lead the Customer UX team, focusing on enhancing digital product experiences for travelers by guiding design processes and fostering collaboration across teams.

HospitalityIn-Flight EntertainmentService IndustryTransportationTravel

Responsibilities

Lead a portfolio of work

Own and orchestrate a portfolio of products or problem spaces. Set direction, define priorities, and ensure your team delivers cohesive, high-quality solutions. Provide mentorship, critique, and oversight to help designers grow while raising the bar on design excellence

Manage and influence stakeholders

Build strong partnerships with product, engineering, operations, and business leaders. Facilitate alignment around strategy, scope, and success criteria. Communicate design decisions effectively, negotiate trade-offs, and proactively manage expectations to keep teams aligned and moving forward

Craft intuitive, usable, and visually excellent interactions

Design interaction models that balance clarity, usability, and visual refinement, enabling customers and employees to navigate confidently across products and touchpoints

Design Inclusive, Cohesive Omnichannel Experiences

Ensure interaction patterns, visual language, and behaviors remain consistent and seamless across platforms, devices, and channels—supporting a unified, end-to-end experience ecosystem

Define interaction and motion patterns

Establish how interfaces behave, from micro-interactions to complex workflows. Use motion, hierarchy, and visual cues to enhance comprehension, provide feedback, and improve overall usability

Prototype to explore, communicate, and validate

Create high-fidelity prototypes, interaction studies, and storyboards that bring behaviors and visuals to life. Use prototyping to test hypotheses, accelerate usability learning, and gain alignment with partners

Qualification

UI/UX designDigital design toolsPrototypingAccessibility standardsAgile methodologyUser-centered designCross-functional teamworkAirline experienceDesign principlesFront-end technologiesCommunication skillsProblem-solvingPositive attitudeAttention to detailAdaptability

Required

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (Human-Computer Interaction, information design, communications, Computer Systems, Visual Design or related disciplines)

5+ years of experience in UI/UX design, with 3 years as a design lead

Portfolio with case studies showing process, decisions, and business or customer impact

Abreast of emerging UI trends, tools, and technologies

Proficiency using digital design and prototyping tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.)

Experience applying WCAG accessibility standards to designs

Proven effectiveness in working as a lead in cross-functional teams which include business analysts, designers, researchers, developers, and product owners

Experience with Agile and/or lean philosophy and methods

Design experience for both web and mobile platforms

A user-centered approach in design perspective and practice

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Positive attitude and be able to work effectively in a team

Ability to manage multiple efforts and adapt to changing priorities, while maintaining high attention to detail

Ability to solve problems creatively and effectively