What staff designers are really hired to do?

WaffleFries
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:35:16 +0000

“shaping conditions” is real — the best staff designers I’ve worked with barely touched Figma some weeks, but everything got clearer and faster anyway. It’s like they’re editing the team’s decision-making: tighter problem framing, fewer opinion wars, and juniors suddenly shipping stronger stuff because the bar + direction is actually legible.