No 6. What does a Principal Product Designer do in a day?

“Wait, so what does a Principal Product Designer actually do?”
This is a question I get asked a lot. And it’s not surprising — our job title sounds both fancy and vague, leaving people wondering what happens between sipping coffee and attending endless meetings.

Well, let me break it down for you:

• I do strategy scoping: This is where I define the vision — what do we want to achieve, and where do we need to go? It’s the foundation that guides the rest of the design process.
• I do roadmap planning: Turning that high-level vision into actionable steps — what needs to happen first, second, and so on, all aligned with business goals and timelines.
• I do wireframes and prototyping: Taking ideas from the drawing board and creating interactive mockups that help the team visualize the product. This is where we start to test concepts and validate assumptions.
• I do storytelling: Crafting narratives that communicate the product’s purpose, highlighting its value to stakeholders, and making sure it resonates with different audiences.
• I do pixel-perfect detailing: Paying close attention to the smallest design elements, making sure every button, icon, and animation is polished to perfection — because even the smallest detail matters.
• I do design systems: Creating reusable components and guidelines that help scale design across teams and ensure consistency throughout the product.
• I do growth metrics: Analyzing data to see how our designs are performing — whether we’re meeting user needs, improving engagement, and driving desired outcomes.
• I do stakeholder presentations: Explaining complex ideas in simple, digestible ways that make people say, “Ah, now I get it!”
• I do cross-team collaboration: Working with engineers, product managers, marketers, and other designers to ensure everyone is aligned, that the vision comes to life, and that no details fall through the cracks.
• I do mentoring and team building: Helping junior designers grow by sharing feedback, guiding them through challenges, and fostering a supportive, collaborative design environment.