Mission 🙏

To help Cantilever clients fulfill their missions by designing digital technology to meet the needs of their users.

Definition of Success 📈

1. Successfully solve client problems based on the client’s own metrics/definitions of success
2. Deliver complete work within self-agreed due dates at least 90% of the time
3. Consistently deliver high-quality work within self-provided estimates at least 90% of the time

Key Responsibilities 💪

• Takes clarified design tasks and creates high-quality, user-centric design solutions that solve the client’s needs
• Helps clarify upcoming work and helps strategists shape solutions
• Conducts research and analysis to understand the real-world factors that should influence design work
• Coordinates with developers to ensure that our final sites are top quality

Ladder Tiers

<aside> ❓ The career ladder is a subjective assessment of someone’s skillset. Each tier has a description. To find a fair place on the ladder for someone, find the description that best matches their abilities today. Don’t worry if parts of the description are not a perfect match – you’re looking for the best overall fit.

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Level 1

Level 1 is the minimum level of ability required to work at Cantilever.

The Level 1 designer is getting started in their career. They are able to deliver production-level design work on our simpler projects with significant assistance from more senior people. Though they are junior, they demonstrate excellent instincts for usable, accessible design, and a great sense of style. They are willing to learn and grow, particularly in areas of design that they are not adept at. They know Figma well and able to work efficiently within an existing design system, using best practices like components and shared styles. They have at least one design discipline (UX, Visual Design, Motion, UI design, Branding, etc) where they are especially strong and want to focus. They understand the basics of how the web works. They are able to communicate their ideas effectively.

Level 2

A Level 2 designer is able to contribute effectively to an existing design system, augmenting it seamlessly with new styles and components. They need substantial creative direction, but are able to come up with their own ideas. They have a strong understanding of design theory and history, and apply classic design principles to their work without being told. They integrate AI tools into their workflow to save time. They know the basic rules of web accessibility and seek feedback from experts to ensure their work is accessible. They are able to think critically about the purpose and audience of a small-to-medium website or application and make effective decisions about what it should do and how it should be laid out. They are comfortable running user tests and interpreting the results. They present well to clients and can collaborate with them, drawing from a solid understanding of how the web works, and which conventions are most effective.

Level 3

A Level 3 designer is able to construct a full design system by themselves. They are excellent in Figma and can implement complex components with lots of variants and nesting. They have a distinctive visual style but can adapt to any aesthetic. They have a finger on the pulse of the design community and know the latest trends and when they are appropriate. They undestand web accessibility well and can instruct others on best practices. They are exceptional in a specific area of design and can direct other designers within that discipline. They have a strong sense of how their work will be implemented in code, and can collaborate with developers to make their designs easier to develop.

Level 4

A Level 4 designer is able to lead a moderately sized design system project. They are a Figma wizard and know all the latest techniques for saving time, including with AI. They know how to utilize toolkits in Figma to improve the design→development pipeline. They’ve done some coding, and they have an intuitive sense of how to ensure that their design work is easy to build. They are able to manage and direct designers across multiple projects to deliver work at their level. They are active in the design community, publishing work and their thoughts to improve Cantilever’s visibility. They can lead a meeting and present work without much help from PMs/Strategists.

Level 5

A Level 5 designer has a reputation as a design expert and is a vocal member of the community, regularly posting work, speaking, and promoting Cantilever. They have a specific style that they can teach others. They are experts on web accessibility. They know how to create Figma plugins and toolkits that help us spread our brand. They are a great leader and mentor for other designers and are able to deliver their own work at a high level while helping others elevate their own level.