**In a Nutshell**
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Budget: $20K - $25K
Plato is a low-code platform for building flexible internal tools. Developers
connect their databases and APIs to Plato, then anyone in the company can
build their own tools without coding. We're a well-funded seed stage company
with a revenue generating product in the market. We're looking for a founding
product designer, but our priority is to find a contractor who can help us
fill the gap over the next 4-6 weeks as we fill this role. Contract-to-hire is
an option.
The following is the job description for the full-time role:
<https://www.plato.io/founding-designer>. If you join on contract, you will be
helping us design two or three features over the next 4-6 weeks.
When you reach out, please indicate that you understand this is a 4-6 week-
long contract.
**Deliverables**
You will help us build and refine product features over the next 4-6 weeks,
such as...
* A Postman-like HTTP Client
* A Programming by Example interface for automations (See Below)
* You may also be asked to help us make small refinements to our website or sales deck. This is not our main priority, but it may come up.
**Responsibilities**
* Work closely with the founder, Michael, to iterate on feature variants.
* Produce Figma screens and simple prototypes.
* Install our local dev environment and with the engineers to ensure your designs are implemented properly.
* (Maybe) Sit in on customer conversations, though the founder, Michael, will be the primary contact for the customers.
**Requirements**
* At least three years of experience as a senior product designer, preferably five.
* Experience in B2B SaaS.
* A passing understanding of basic programming concepts like variables, scope, functions, and objects.
* While aesthetics and ergonomics are important, you should have a greater interest in solving high-level UX problems.
**Plato’s Product**
Plato is a platform for self-serve internal tools. We compete with Retool, but
our product is more similar to Airtable. Engineers connect and secure their
internal databases and APIs, then Plato provides a safe sandbox for operators
to build their own tools for managing product catalogs or tracking inventory
or delegating tasks or automating the scheduling of doctor appointments, all
without coding.
It’s designed for all, yet retains full programming power by introducing novel
techniques for codeless programming.
Plato’s unique approach is based on a visual computing principle known as
Programming by Example. Users automate a process not by writing down its
steps, as they would with code, but by recording themselves taking those steps
in the app. Programming by Example is by far the most accessible visual
computing technique and the key to unlocking computing for the other 99% of
information workers.
**Plato’s Team**
Inquire within for more [AI-assisted Russian sung ukelele
performances](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jx0UXIGn5NZOj7jKqCI7e-7Iru-
QZWym/view?usp=share_link).
Plato is founded by Michael Gummelt, a former cofounder of Heap Analytics, and
a Stanford CS alumnus. While at Stanford, Michael conducted research in the UI
of programming languages, laying the groundwork for Plato.
Michael is joined by fellow engineers Stanislav, Alexey, Felipe, and Kevin.
We’re a fully remote yet tight knit and friendly team.
To stay connected, we love to share virtual meals to geek out on the Future of
Coding while taking breaks to play video games and philosophize (inspired by
our namesake).
**Contact**
Please reach out to the CEO directly at
[mgummelt@plato.io](mailto:mgummelt@plato.io).
Plato focuses on SaaS, Business Productivity, Productivity Software, Developer
Tools, and Operations . Their company has offices in Remote. They have a small
team that's between 1-10 employees. To date, Plato has raised $2.1M of
funding; their latest round was closed on July 2021.
You can view their website at <https://plato.io> or find them on
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/platoio) and
[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/plato-io).
