Founding Product Design Intern
SnapMatePhoto is a leading photography marketplace connecting customers with local affordable photographers. In 6 months we've onboarded 120+ photographers, signed up 600+ customers, and processed 1,000+ booking requests, all on a small team. We're hiring a Product Design Intern who wants their design work live in front of real, paying users, not sitting in a portfolio mockup.
This isn't a curriculum-based internship. There's no design manager handing you tickets. You'll own a real feature or page on our live website, design it, ship it with our developer, and keep improving it based on how real users actually behave.
What this role is really about
Our marketplace is live and growing, but the product experience has rough edges. Booking flows that could convert better. Pages that could be clearer. A photographer dashboard that could feel more polished. We need someone who can look at a real page, figure out what's not working, and redesign it into something people understand and trust.
You'd work directly with the founder and our developer. You design it, we build it, users use it. That's the loop.
What you'll actually do
- Own a feature or page on our live website end to end: research, design, ship, improve
- Redesign existing flows (booking, search, photographer profiles, dashboards) to be clearer and convert better
- Turn rough ideas and founder sketches into clean, usable interfaces
- Use AI tools to move fast: generate mockups, explore options, produce visual assets, and prototype quickly
- Work hand in hand with our developer so your designs actually ship, not just live in Figma
- Look at how real users behave and iterate based on what you see
Our setup
- Design: Figma
- AI tools: we want you fluent in using AI to speed up your workflow (mockups, image generation, rapid prototyping, asset creation)
- The product: a live PHP-based web platform, so you'll design for what can realistically ship
- The team: you, the founder, and our amazing design and developer teams
What we're looking for
- Currently studying design, HCI, or a related field, or a recent grad, or self-taught with a strong portfolio
- Strong eye for clean, usable design. You care about clarity, not just decoration.
- Comfortable in Figma and able to take a page from idea to polished design
- Fluent with AI design tools, or a fast learner hungry to master them
- Self-directed. You can look at a live page, spot what's broken, and propose a fix without being told.
- Comfortable designing for a real, constrained codebase, not a blank canvas
Bonus points if you have
- Experience designing for marketplaces, e-commerce, or two-sided platforms
- Some understanding of how front-end code works (HTML/CSS), so your designs ship cleanly
- Experience with conversion-focused design or A/B testing
- A portfolio with real shipped work, not just concept projects
You'll thrive here if you
- Want your design live in production, used by paying customers, not stuck in a case study
- Take ownership and don't wait for detailed specs
- Care about whether a design actually works for users, not just whether it looks good
- Move fast and use every tool available, including AI, to do more in less time
You won't thrive here if you
- Need a senior designer to review and approve every decision
- Are looking for a structured Big Tech-style internship with curriculum and mentorship tracks
The deal
This is a fully remote role. This is a six-month engagement that can be extended by written notice if we're both a great fit.
What this role actually is:
- Real ownership of a live feature used by paying customers from week one
- Direct mentorship from the founder on product, design, and how a marketplace grows
- A portfolio of real shipped product work that most students will never have
- Hands-on practice making AI part of a real design workflow, a skill every design team now wants
- A founder reference who will vouch for you in detail, with specifics, to your next employer
- A clear path to a full-time role if you and the company are ready for it
If shipping real work and getting fast at AI-assisted design sounds like the right trade, we should talk.
About SnapMatePhoto
We launched in October 2025 out of the UW Buerk Accelerator. Our angle: make professional photography genuinely affordable (sessions from $35), and build a community that supports local student photographers. We've grown to 120+ photographers, 600+ customers, and 1,000+ booking requests in our first 6 months. We're heads-down building something people actually want.
How to apply
To be qualified, applicants MUST send the following to snapmate@snapmatephoto.com:
- Resume
- Portfolio link (we want to see real work)
- A short paragraph (3 to 4 sentences) on a design you're proud of and what problem it solved. Be specific.
- One AI tool you use in your design process and how
- Your earliest start date
Bonus points if you audit snapmatephoto.com first and tell us one page or flow you'd redesign and why.
We read every application personally. If you're a fit, you'll hear back within 10 business days.