About the role
<p>At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to design a better future. Our Product Design Directors craft the interfaces, systems, and experiences that define how brands behave in the modern world, across mobile, spatial, voice, wearables, and AI-powered environments.<br><br>As a Product Design Director, you’ll lead the design of products and brand experiences for some of the world’s most influential organisations, from luxury ecosystems and cultural platforms to next-generation mobility and wellness systems. You’ll guide multi-disciplinary teams to create elegant, human-centred design solutions that are as intelligent as they are inspiring.<br><br>You’ll define design direction across a portfolio of complex, high-impact digital products, establishing benchmarks in accessibility, interaction, and multi-modal experience. You’ll champion the new frontier of brand user interfaces: adaptive design languages that translate brand identity into behaviour, sound, motion, and intelligence.<br><br>AKQA Product Design Directors operate at the intersection of brand, craft, and computation, working side-by-side with strategy, data, and engineering teams to shape products that learn, evolve, and earn love over time.<br><br>This is a leadership role within AKQA’s London studio, part of a globally connected studio network shaping the future of digital experiences for brands including Nike, Rolls-Royce, Samsung, Airbnb, and Google. You’ll be at the forefront of AI-powered product design, helping redefine how creativity, intelligence, and empathy coexist in every interaction.</p> <h3><strong>ROLE REQUIREMENTS</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Lead concept, design, and delivery of world-class digital products and connected experiences that define new standards for creativity and usability.</li> <li>Partner with UX, Creative Technology, and AI Engineering teams to shape AI-native interfaces, generative UI systems, and adaptive design components.</li> <li>Establish and evolve brand-led design systems that perform across screen, voice, gesture, and spatial interfaces.</li> <li>Embed accessibility and inclusivity from first principles, ensuring WCAG compliance and usability for all audiences.</li> <li>Drive experimentation across new modalities: voice and audio UX, wearable ecosystems, computer vision, and mixed reality.</li> <li>Mentor, grow, and inspire a diverse team of product designers, cultivating craftsmanship, critical thinking, and innovation.</li> <li>Collaborate closely with strategists and client partners to translate brand purpose into tangible, useful digital products.</li> <li>Represent AKQA in new business opportunities, articulating the value of design in solving complex business and human challenges.</li> <li>Contribute to AKQA’s g