UX Designer III, Consumer Search & Discovery

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Role overview

CarGurus is seeking a full-spectrum UX/Product Designer III with exceptional visual design craft, strong UX problem-solving skills, and fluency in AI-enhanced design workflows to join our Discover team. This team is pioneering the next generation of AI-powered research and search experiences, blending structured search, conversational guidance, summarization, and machine intelligence.

In this role, you will work across the entire design process-problem framing, research collaboration, interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and validation. You'll be a key contributor in shaping how users explore a complex marketplace and make confident car-buying decisions.

You will collaborate with product managers, engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and content strategists. You'll also leverage AI and no-code prototyping tools to rapidly explore concepts, test ideas, and uncover user needs.

A strong portfolio demonstrating thoughtful UX, polished visual design, and iterative exploration is required.

What you'll do

End-to-End UX & Problem Solving

• Map user journeys, define flows, create wireframes, and design production-ready UI

• Translate complex problems and data-rich surfaces into intuitive, approachable UX

• Partner with researchers to shape research plans, refine insights, and translate findings into actionable design

• Use AI tools to explore user needs, generate hypotheses, and synthesize early insights

Visual Design & Interaction Quality

• Produce high-fidelity designs with excellent craft, clarity, and hierarchy

• Bring interactions to life with well-considered motion, transitions, and microinteractions

• Elevate the visual and experiential quality across Discover experiences

AI-Powered Discovery Design

• Design hybrid experiences that blend traditional search, filters, ranking, and browse with conversational flows, AI summaries, explanations, recommendations, and model-driven insights

• Translate AI model outputs into predictable, trustworthy UX

• Apply emerging best practices in AI search interfaces, conversational UI, and mixed-initiative interaction models

Rapid Prototyping & No-Code AI Tools

• Use no-code AI tools (e.g., conversational prototyping platforms, AI-generated UI tools) to:

• Build rapid prototypes

• Simulate conversational or AI-driven flows

• Test hypotheses early

• Validate usability before engineering investment

• Use AI-assisted prototyping to accelerate exploration without sacrificing quality

Experimentation, Research & Validation

• Collaborate on concept tests, usability studies, and remote testing

• Pair with analysts to interpret behavioral data, A/B tests, and search analytics

• Incorporate evidence from multiple sources-qualitative and quantitative-into design decisions

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with PMs, engineers, researchers, data scientists, and content strategists throughout the lifecycle

• Structure and communicate design decisions clearly, framing tradeoffs and rationale

• Participate in critiques and rituals that strengthen shared understanding and alignment

Design Systems & Consistency

• Work within and contribute to CarGurus' design system

• Propose improvements to patterns, especially for emerging AI-powered interaction surfaces

• Ensure consistency, accessibility, and high-quality execution across Discover-facing UI

AI Fluency & Emerging Capabilities

• Use AI for ideation, exploration, content generation, research synthesis, and prototyping tasks

• Stay current on evolving AI search patterns, conversational UI models, and generative interaction principles

• Understand how LLMs, retrieval systems, and ranking models shape UX possibilities and constraints

What you'll bring

• 4-6+ years of UX/Product Design experience, ideally in a consumer-facing product

• A portfolio demonstrating:

  • Strong visual design and UI polish
  • Clear interaction design and UX reasoning
  • Experience with complex or data-rich interfaces
  • Iteration grounded in insights

• Proficiency in Figma, prototyping, and design system usage

• Experience with no-code prototyping tools and/or AI-assisted prototyping

• Hands-on experience designing responsive web interfaces

• Curiosity and comfort engaging with AI tools, workflows, and generative exploration

• Strong ability to structure ambiguous problems and bring clarity through design

• Effective communication with cross-functional partners

• Familiarity with user research methods and how to incorporate insights into design

• Understanding of accessibility and inclusive design standards

• Ability to move quickly while maintaining a high bar for quality

The displayed range represents the expected annual base salary / On-Target Earnings (OTE) for this position. On-Target Earnings (OTE) is inclusive of base salary and on-target commission earnings, which applies exclusively to sales roles.

Individual pay within this range is determined by work location and other factors such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This annual base salary forms part of a comprehensive Total Rewards Package. In addition to benefits, this role may qualify for discretionary bonuses/incentives and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Position Pay Range

$118,000 - $148,000 USD

Working at CarGurus

We reward our Gurus' curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us. Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways. A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being. Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.

We welcome all

CarGurus strives to be a place to which people can bring the ultimate expression of themselves and their potential-starting with our hiring process. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We foster an inclusive environment that values people for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. That's why we hope you'll apply even if you don't check every box listed in the job description. We also encourage you to tell your recruiter if you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process due to a disability so we can provide the appropriate support. We want to know what only you can bring to CarGurus. #LI-Hybrid