UX Designer III, Consumer Search & Discovery

Responsibilities

• CarGurus is seeking a full-spectrum UX/Product Designer III with exceptional visual design craft, strong UX problem-solving skills, and fluency in AI-enhanced design workflows to join our Discover team
• In this role, you will work across the entire design process-problem framing, research collaboration, interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and validation
• You'll be a key contributor in shaping how users explore a complex marketplace and make confident car-buying decisions
• You will collaborate with product managers, engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and content strategists
• You'll also leverage AI and no-code prototyping tools to rapidly explore concepts, test ideas, and uncover user needs

Skills

• End-to-End UX & Problem Solving
  • Map user journeys, define flows, create wireframes, and design production-ready UI
  • Translate complex problems and data-rich surfaces into intuitive, approachable UX
  • Partner with researchers to shape research plans, refine insights, and translate findings into actionable design
  • Use AI tools to explore user needs, generate hypotheses, and synthesize early insights
• Visual Design & Interaction Quality
  • Produce high-fidelity designs with excellent craft, clarity, and hierarchy
  • Bring interactions to life with well-considered motion, transitions, and microinteractions
  • Elevate the visual and experiential quality across Discover experiences
• AI-Powered Discovery Design
  • Design hybrid experiences that blend traditional search, filters, ranking, and browse with conversational flows, AI summaries, explanations, recommendations, and model-driven insights
  • Translate AI model outputs into predictable, trustworthy UX
  • Apply emerging best practices in AI search interfaces, conversational UI, and mixed-initiative interaction models
• Rapid Prototyping & No-Code AI Tools
  • Use no-code AI tools (e.g., conversational prototyping platforms, AI-generated UI tools) to:
  • Build rapid prototypes
  • Simulate conversational or AI-driven flows
  • Test hypotheses early
  • Validate usability before engineering investment
  • Use AI-assisted prototyping to accelerate exploration without sacrificing quality
• Experimentation, Research & Validation
  • Collaborate on concept tests, usability studies, and remote testing
  • Pair with analysts to interpret behavioral data, A/B tests, and search analytics
  • Incorporate evidence from multiple sources-qualitative and quantitative-into design decisions
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with PMs, engineers, researchers, data scientists, and content strategists throughout the lifecycle
  • Structure and communicate design decisions clearly, framing tradeoffs and rationale
  • Participate in critiques and rituals that strengthen shared understanding and alignment
• Design Systems & Consistency
  • Work within and contribute to CarGurus' design system
  • Propose improvements to patterns, especially for emerging AI-powered interaction surfaces
  • Ensure consistency, accessibility, and high-quality execution across Discover-facing UI
• AI Fluency & Emerging Capabilities
  • Use AI for ideation, exploration, content generation, research synthesis, and prototyping tasks
  • Stay current on evolving AI search patterns, conversational UI models, and generative interaction principles
  • Understand how LLMs, retrieval systems, and ranking models shape UX possibilities and constraints

Benefits

• 🎨 A strong portfolio demonstrating thoughtful UX, polished visual design, and iterative exploration is required
• 🛠 Use no-code AI tools (e.g., conversational prototyping platforms, AI-generated UI tools) to:
• 🧪 Test hypotheses early
• 🧭 Validate usability before engineering investment
• 🤖 AI Fluency & Emerging Capabilities
• 💡 Use AI for ideation, exploration, content generation, research synthesis, and prototyping tasks
• 🔄 Stay current on evolving AI search patterns, conversational UI models, and generative interaction principles
• 🕰 4-6+ years of UX/Product Design experience, ideally in a consumer-facing product
• 🎨 A portfolio demonstrating:
• 🖌 Strong visual design and UI polish
• 🧩 Clear interaction design and UX reasoning
• 📊 Experience with complex or data-rich interfaces
• 🔄 Iteration grounded in insights
• 🛠 Proficiency in Figma, prototyping, and design system usage
• 🤖 Experience with no-code prototyping tools and/or AI-assisted prototyping
• 💻 Hands-on experience designing responsive web interfaces
• 🧠 Curiosity and comfort engaging with AI tools, workflows, and generative exploration
• 🧩 Strong ability to structure ambiguous problems and bring clarity through design
• 🗣 Effective communication with cross-functional partners
• 📚 Familiarity with user research methods and how to incorporate insights into design
• ♿ Understanding of accessibility and inclusive design standards
• 🚀 Ability to move quickly while maintaining a high bar for quality