Product Design Intern
About Wellspoken
Wellspoken is an AI app that helps people communicate more clearly in meetings, interviews, and everyday conversations. Hundreds of thousands of people use it, and we're one of the fastest-growing startups in our space.
We're based in Richmond, VA, and we move fast.
Why this role
Wellspoken is a consumer mobile app, and how it feels to use is the difference between good and great. Hundreds of thousands of people use it, and design sets that feeling. Your work will ship to real users within days.
You'll work directly with two technical founders, from Cornell and Berkeley, who care deeply about craft. You'll own real features and shape how the whole app feels to use.
What you'll do
You'll own the design of real consumer features on mobile, from the problem and the user flow to the final pixels and the motion between them. You'll think through how something should work, then make it feel effortless and a little delightful.
- Own the whole experience, from the words on the screen to the motion to the metric it moves.
- Design real mobile features end to end: flows, wireframes, high-fidelity screens, and the transitions that connect them.
- Sweat the details that make a consumer app feel alive: timing, motion, empty states, and the small moments most teams skip.
- Talk to users and turn what you learn into clear design decisions.
- Own a part of the design system and keep the app consistent as it grows.
The bar for this one
Consumer mobile is unforgiving, and our bar is high. People feel an awkward layout or a janky transition instantly, even when they can't name it. We're hiring one person with real taste who designs work that feels obvious in hindsight and hard to improve.
We read every portfolio closely, especially mobile and consumer work. Show us something you designed that feels delightful to use, and walk us through the details you obsessed over.
We care about how good your work is, more than your major or what your title was. Bring proof.
Requirements
These are hard requirements. We review the portfolio first.
- Currently enrolled as an undergraduate at a college or university in Virginia.
- Authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.
- Available for at least 30 hours per week on average, with a strong preference for a full-time commitment. We understand this is a meaningful commitment alongside school, and we plan flexibly around classes and exams. We believe sustained, hands-on work is one of the best ways to learn, so this role is designed for someone ready to make it a significant part of their week.
- A portfolio showing consumer or mobile product design work. Applications without one won't be considered.
Compensation & perks
- Competitive hourly pay, with flexible start dates year-round.
- At least 30 hours per week on average, with a strong preference for a full-time commitment.
- Flexible scheduling around classes, exams, and other commitments. Some weeks may be more or less.
- In person at our Richmond office if you're local, remote while you're away at school. We lean in person whenever that's realistic for you.
- Strong performers continue part-time for as long as it's a good fit.
- Full Wellspoken Premium access and a letter of recommendation on successful completion.
Who we're looking for
We care about taste and drive over credentials. You'll do well here if you:
- Have real visual taste and can defend the decisions behind your work.
- Design for mobile and care how a screen feels in the hand, beyond how it looks in Figma.
- Sweat the details and know which ones make something feel delightful.
- Move fast, ship real things, and want to own the outcome.
- Come from information science, design, engineering, or another program entirely. Product designers arrive from all over, and your portfolio matters more than your major.
Nice to have
Bonus points if you bring any of these. You do not need to check every box.
- A real feel for consumer apps and what makes them addictive to use.
- Comfort prototyping with motion, in Principle, Rive, or a similar tool.
- Fluency with AI tools to explore and prototype faster.