Head of Design & UX

Blue Loupe – Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Hybrid)

About the Opportunity

Blue Loupe is an early-stage startup reimagining academic research and writing. Our AI-powered assistant helps scholars and students create, refine, and evaluate scientific texts — combining editor-based article creation, seamless citation integration, in-depth manuscript evaluation, and privacy protections.

Blue Loupe presents itself to the user as a writing environment — a clean, modern text editor enhanced with intelligent reference tools and AI-driven writing assistance. Visual clarity, space, and a sense of intellectual calm are core to our design philosophy.

We are currently in the pre-funding, MVP phase. Funding will be secured once the right leadership team is in place. As part of that team, we are now looking for a Head of Design & UX to define and own the product’s visual identity and user experience.

This is a chance to design something truly original — not a template-based UI or an incremental feature set, but a new standard for how humans think, write, and interact with knowledge in the age of AI.

The Role

• Craft the vision: Define the visual identity and interaction paradigm of Blue Loupe’s editor-based writing environment.
• Design for clarity: Create an interface that feels fresh, spacious, and distraction-free while supporting deep scholarly work.
• Shape user experience: Translate complex academic workflows into intuitive, elegant interactions that delight users and enhance focus.
• Collaborate closely: Work alongside the Head of Technology and product leadership to ensure alignment between UX, functionality, and technical feasibility.
• Prototype & iterate: Build and test design solutions rapidly, incorporating feedback from early users and pilot partners.
• Build the future: Establish the foundation from which future design systems, brand identity, and product ecosystem will grow.

Core Responsibilities

• Product Design & UX Strategy: Lead the end-to-end user experience of the platform, from conceptual design to interaction flows and UI execution.
• Visual Identity: Develop a cohesive and modern visual language characterized by clarity, airiness, and visual calm.
• Editor Interface: Shape the core writing environment, integrating citation tools, source search, and AI-driven features in an elegant and non-intrusive way.
• User Insight & Validation: Conduct design testing and refine interfaces based on feedback from academic users and early adopters.
• Design Systems: Establish guidelines and systems that enable scalability while maintaining a high bar for usability and aesthetics.

Ideal Candidate

• Proven experience in product design, UX/UI, and interaction design — ideally in complex or knowledge-based products.
• Demonstrated ability to create clean, minimalist, high-impact interfaces.
• Strong understanding of designing for focus, cognition, and workflow efficiency.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable in early-stage environments and motivated by meaningful impact.
• Experience with text editors, creative tools, productivity software, or research platforms is a strong advantage.
• Located in Finland.
• Ready to commit part-time now, with potential to transition into a full-time leadership position as the company grows.

Why This Role?

• Equity opportunity: Based on expertise and long-term alignment, equity participation is available.
• Ownership of product identity: You will define how the world experiences Blue Loupe — visually, emotionally, and intellectually.
• Impact at scale: Shape a platform designed to transform how millions of researchers and students write, think, and engage with knowledge.
• Culture: Mission-driven, ambitious, and collaborative — where design is seen not as surface, but as strategy.

If you are driven to create beautifully clear digital spaces where ideas can flourish — and want your work to define the future of writing — we invite you to join us.

This is your opportunity to design something that endures.