# Design Research Engineer

**Company:** [Taste Labs](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/taste-labs)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Product Design
**Skills:** AI Tools, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, design research, design evaluation, Typography, color theory, layout, Visual Design, data collection, user feedback
**Posted:** 2026-04-24

> This role investigates and operationalizes what makes design excellent, translating design judgment into measurable evaluations, interfaces, and AI products. It suits a highly opinionated designer with strong research instincts, hands-on AI and coding experience, and broad cross-functional collaboration skills.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Decode what “great” means in design and translate that understanding into interfaces, evaluation design, and products.
- Collaborate with engineering and research teams to make design quality measurable.
- Investigate creativity, visual design quality, design styles, typography, color, layout, and alignment.
- Develop frameworks and evaluations for design quality and identify AI-generated design “slop.”
- Design creative methods for collecting data and designer feedback, including feedback on reasoning behind design preferences.
- Spend substantial time working in code and with researchers, alongside design work.

## Requirements
- Demonstrated, highly developed design taste and broad visual references.
- Ability to distinguish personal preference from objective design principles.
- Deep curiosity and a research-oriented mindset.
- Forward-looking approach to AI, including hands-on experimentation with AI tools.
- Experience shipping designs in code using tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.
- Strong collaboration skills across design, product, research, engineering, and customer teams.

## Nice-to-haves
- Experience at creative technology companies or research labs.
- Personal projects related to creative technology, design research, or AI and design.

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