At a Glance
- Tasks: Design engaging experiences for families using Yoto's innovative audio players.
- Company: Join Yoto, a fast-growing tech company transforming childhood through audio.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, generous holiday, and health perks like private medical insurance.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to creativity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on children's play and learning with your design skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in designing connected products and strong app design skills required.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 85000 ÂŁ per year.
We’re looking for Senior Product Designers to join our Product Design team, helping shape how families discover, set up, and enjoy Yoto every day, across software and hardware experiences.
About Yoto
Yoto is a screen‑free interactive audio platform for kids. We make carefully connected audio players that kids control, with no microphones, cameras or ads. We have a catalogue of audio that inspires creative play and learning with 1,000+ titles in our card store from top creators, publishers and labels - think Disney, Marvel, Roald Dahl and Universal Music. We also create Yoto Originals like BrainBots.
We’re on a mission to be the soundtrack of childhood, and help families on their own unique adventures. By creating products that inspire independent play, we help families discover and grow with an inspiring world of audio – and we would like you to help us achieve it!
Yoto’s Product Design Team
The Product Design team at Yoto shapes how families experience our audio players and the digital ecosystem around them. As a Senior Product Designer for Connected Products, you'll take ownership of how Yoto players come to life in families’ homes – designing the player setup and management experience that spans hardware, firmware and app. You’ll partner closely with Product, Engineering, Hardware, Firmware, Research, and Brand teams to turn ambiguous problems into clear, well‑crafted solutions. This role is hands‑on, with a strong focus on delivering high‑quality design work while collaborating effectively across disciplines. Our work spans some of the most important moments in a family’s journey – from first‑time setup and early engagement, to everyday listening, creation, and content discovery. Your work will help ensure these experiences feel simple, magical, and deeply considered.
What you’ll be doing
- Own and champion the player setup experience – the first‑time journey from unboxing to a child happily listening – designing the digital interfaces in the Yoto app that bring the hardware to life for families.
- Work at the intersection of hardware, firmware, app and packaging – making sure the setup journey works and feels like one coherent product.
- Bring proven connected‑product instinct to the design conversation, so the digital and physical interactions tessellate, complement, and elevate one another.
- Drive cross‑cutting work – pairing, error recovery, firmware updates, multi‑player households, device‑app handoffs – that elevates the experience across every touchpoint where the player meets the app.
- Own design for complex, high‑impact areas of the connected experience from early discovery through to shipped outcomes, with clear links to customer behaviour and business impact.
- Work closely with Product, Engineering and Hardware to design within real‑world constraints, making pragmatic trade‑offs without compromising quality.
- Use research and real‑world observation (e.g. at home, during routines) to understand how families interact with Yoto and turn insights into meaningful improvements.
- Align stakeholders across product, hardware, marketing, and brand, bringing clarity where priorities or opinions differ.
- Make confident decisions in ambiguity, balancing user needs, technical constraints, and business goals to move work forward.
- Communicate your work clearly and persuasively, using storytelling and artefacts to build alignment.
- Contribute to critique and team discussions, helping raise the bar for quality and execution.
What you’ll bring
Essential- Experience designing for connected products, IoT, or hardware‑adjacent ecosystems.
- A portfolio demonstrating end‑to‑end ownership of complex connected‑product work, and a deep understanding of how to make hardware and software feel like one product.
- Strong native app design skills (iOS and Android), since this is where you’ll spend most of your day‑to‑day, even as the work spans device and firmware.
- Demonstrable experience designing onboarding, setup, pairing or first‑time‑use journeys, where clarity and ease of use are critical.
- A high bar for craft, including interaction design, attention to detail, and strong physical‑digital coherence.
- Experience working in ambiguous or evolving problem spaces, with the ability to frame problems and drive to clear outcomes.
- Strong collaboration with cross‑functional partners (Product, Engineering and especially Hardware and Firmware), influencing decisions beyond design.
- Clear communication skills, able to articulate rationale, trade‑offs, and decisions in a way that builds trust and alignment.
- Experience designing for connected products, hardware‑adjacent experiences, or ecosystems spanning physical and digital interactions.
- Experience working on consumer products used daily by families or children.
- Experience working on onboarding, setup, or early lifecycle journeys where clarity and ease of use are critical.
Salary £75,000 – £85,000 based on experience.
What you can expect from Yoto
- Flexibility – Hybrid working. Expectation of one day a week in our London office, but you are welcome to come in more. You can work from a different location for up to six weeks each year. Summer Hours policy between June and August.
- Financial – Receive Income Protection, covering long‑term sickness for up to two years and company sick pay that increases with length of service. Life Assurance cover from day one. Workplace Pension offering up to 3% employer contributions after probation. Generous employee referral bonus scheme.
- Health & Wellness – Private Medical Insurance via Aviva, or a Wellbeing Allowance for memberships, subscriptions, treatment or therapy. 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) through WeCare and unlimited access to dental advice via Toothfairy. Bike‑to‑work scheme.
- Time Off – 25 days of holiday per year, plus bank holidays. Birthday off and one extra holiday day for each year worked after the two‑year anniversary, up to five days. After four years of service, eligible for sabbatical policy offering up to three months unpaid.
- Helping Families – Variety of family‑friendly leave, including enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, fertility, pregnancy loss and carers leave. Workplace nursery scheme for parents of preschool‑aged children.
- People & Planet – Up to two volunteer days a year. Book Allowance up to £50 per year for professional development.
- Fun Perks – You receive your own Yoto player and starter pack of cards! Regular company socials and celebrations, including our annual YotoFest.
Equity and Diversity
At Yoto, we love creating a world where childhood is rich with discovery and joy. We’re also passionate about building a workplace where everyone can thrive – both professionally and personally. We value flexibility and give our team the freedom to balance life and work in ways that suit them. We’re committed to fostering a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of background, feel valued and supported. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group holds bi‑monthly forums to elevate diverse voices and perspectives, ensuring everyone at Yoto feels heard, respected, and appreciated. We don’t just embrace differences – we celebrate them. We share audio content from a vibrant and diverse community of creators. We are building a team that reflects that same diversity. We invite candidates from all walks of life to explore opportunities with us and join a company that champions flexibility, equity, and inclusion.
Senior Product Designer (Connected Devices) employer: Yoto Limited
Contact Detail:
Yoto Limited Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Product Designer (Connected Devices)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend design meetups, and connect with Yoto employees on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your portfolio! Make sure it’s up-to-date and highlights your best work, especially projects related to connected products. When you get the chance to chat with hiring managers, use your portfolio to tell a story about your design journey.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practicing common design questions and scenarios. Think about how you’d tackle real-world problems at Yoto, especially around user experience and product interaction. The more you rehearse, the more confident you’ll feel!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the Yoto family. Let’s make some magic happen together!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Product Designer (Connected Devices)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Portfolio: Make sure to include a link to your portfolio that showcases your best work. We want to see how you've tackled complex connected-product designs and made hardware and software feel like one seamless experience.
Tailor Your Application: Don’t just send a generic application! Take the time to tailor your CV and cover letter to highlight your relevant experience in designing for connected products, especially focusing on onboarding and setup journeys.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate straightforward communication that articulates your design rationale and decision-making process without unnecessary fluff.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it reaches the right people!
How to prepare for a job interview at Yoto Limited
✨Know Your Product Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you understand Yoto's products and their unique selling points. Familiarise yourself with how families interact with the audio players and the app. This will help you speak confidently about how your design experience can enhance these user journeys.
✨Showcase Your Portfolio Effectively
Prepare to present your portfolio in a way that highlights your end-to-end design process for connected products. Focus on projects where you've designed onboarding or setup experiences, as this aligns closely with what Yoto is looking for. Be ready to discuss the impact of your designs on user behaviour and business outcomes.
✨Collaborate and Communicate
Yoto values collaboration across teams, so be prepared to discuss how you've worked with cross-functional partners in the past. Share examples of how you’ve influenced decisions beyond design and how you communicate your ideas clearly to build alignment among stakeholders.
✨Embrace Ambiguity and Problem-Solving
Demonstrate your ability to thrive in ambiguous situations by sharing specific examples from your experience. Talk about how you frame problems and drive towards clear outcomes, especially in complex design scenarios. This will show that you can navigate the challenges of designing for connected devices effectively.