Mid-Senior UI/UX Designer

Lula is hiring a Mid-Senior UI/UX Designer to advocate for the user experience of SMEs in South Africa using financial services. This role involves collaborating with Product, Marketing, and Engineering teams to enhance web and mobile experiences. The designer will champion UX by planning and executing end-to-end user research, including interviews, usability testing, and design-thinking sessions, translating insights into seamless and intuitive designs to help SMEs thrive.

Must Have

• Plan and execute strategic UX research (interviews, usability tests, surveys, design-thinking workshops)
• Develop user personas, journey maps, and user flows
• Translate research findings into user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes
• Create engaging, intuitive, and pixel-perfect UI designs adhering to design principles
• Refine and iterate UI designs using customer insights, feedback, and data analytics
• Partner with Product Owners, UX designers, and Engineering teams for product discovery and design implementation
• Manage research logistics including participant recruiting, scheduling, tools, and scripts
• Present research findings and design decisions to stakeholders
• Possess a Grade 12 certificate
• Have 3-5 years of experience in UI/UX Design within a fast-paced environment
• Maintain a strong portfolio showcasing user research informing design decisions and successful outcomes
• Demonstrate a proven track record in planning, conducting, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative research
• Exhibit expertise in user-centered design principles and the full design process
• Possess hands-on experience with design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma)
• Have experience creating wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and process flows from conception to delivery

Good to Have

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field
• Experience in UI/UX Design within a fintech or SaaS environment
• Experience with user research tools (e.g., Maze, or similar)

Overall Purpose

Lula is hiring a Mid-Senior UI/UX Designer. This role is for a passionate advocate for the user. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and drive the user experience that SMEs in South Africa deserve when using financial services. You’ll work with the Product, Marketing, and Engineering teams to take our web and mobile experiences to the next level.

Crucially, you will be a UX champion, responsible for planning and executing end-to-end user research—from interviews and usability testing to design-thinking sessions. You will then translate those deep user insights into seamless, considerate, and intuitive designs that help SMEs thrive.

Responsibilities will include:

• UX Research & Discovery: Plan and execute top-tier, strategic research to get to the heart of what our users need. This includes conducting user interviews, running usability tests (moderated and unmoderated), deploying surveys, and facilitating design-thinking workshops.
• Insight Translation: Bring insights to life! Develop and refine user personas, journey maps, and user flows to clearly communicate user needs and identify opportunities for product improvement.
• End-to-End Design Execution: Translate complex research findings and product requirements into user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes. Create engaging, intuitive, and pixel-perfect UI designs that adhere to Lula’s design principles.
• Iteration & Validation: Leverage customer insights, feedback, and data analytics to refine and iterate on UI designs. Proactively identify opportunities to test and validate design concepts with users.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Owners, UX designers, and Engineering teams to fuel product discovery with forward-looking insights and ensure designs are implemented to a high, pixel-perfect standard.
• Research Operations: Manage the logistics of your research—from recruiting participants and scheduling sessions to managing research tools and scripts.
• Advocacy & Communication: Break down complex research into bite-sized, actionable insights for the team. Clearly and confidently present your research findings and design decisions to stakeholders.

The Skills and Experience We’re Looking For

• Grade 12 certificate
• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field is advantageous.
• 3-5 years of experience in UI/UX Design within a fast-paced environment (fintech or SaaS is a plus).
• A strong portfolio showcasing your design work, which must demonstrate how your user research (interviews, testing) directly informed your design decisions and led to successful outcomes.
• Proven track record of planning, conducting, and analysing qualitative research (especially usability testing and user interviews) and quantitative research (surveys).
• Expertise in user-centered design principles and a deep understanding of the full design process.
• Hands-on experience with design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma).
• Experience in creating wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and process flows from conception through to delivery.
• Experience with user research tools (e.g, Maze, or similar) is a strong plus.