Designing personal and professional growth at Soda studio
We believe that your development isn’t a straight line. It’s personal, sometimes messy, and always evolving. That’s why we have redesigned our Growth Paths and created a framework that provides direction to your development without putting our people into boxes.
Our Growth Paths are built around 2 core elements: competencies and roles. Together, they help every designer see where they are now, what they can develop next, and which path fits them best.
Read on to see how we have applied this framework at our agency.
Why we created new Growth Paths
Every year, we reflect with our team members during performance reviews, not just on what they have achieved, but on how they have grown. We noticed that those conversations often focused more on degrees of seniority than on skills, ambition, or impact. So we decided to change that.
With our new Growth Paths, we wanted to make growth more visible, personal, and flexible. It helps us have conversations, not about where someone should be, but where they want to go.
To make growth more concrete, we translated our vision into 2 simple building blocks: competencies & roles.
We make a clear distinction between competencies and roles
01
Competencies
… show which skills matter most for a great UX designer or UX researcher, covering everything from collaboration and research to strategic thinking and leadership. It helps designers reflect on what they are great at and where they want to grow.
In short, competencies:
give you better insight into your personal skill profile;
help guide your conversations about growth and direction;
offer flexibility in how you shape your career as a designer.
02
Roles
give a broader view of someone’s stage in their career and the direction they want to take. Some choose the Expert Path, deepening their UX craft. Others take the Leadership Path, guiding teams and driving strategy.
In short, roles:
give a general sense of your career stage;
help identify which path - expert or leadership - is best for you.
Both paths are equally valuable. They reflect that growth isn’t one-size-fits-all, but shaped by what drives each person.
What competencies do we require from a creative specialist in product design?
Our competencies are grouped into 5 main categories with 3 sub-categories each. Each sub-category has its own description and examples that we provide to team members.
01
Personal
Communication & Collaboration,
Planning & Structuredness,
Professional Attitude & Flexibility
02
UX Design
Analysis Skills & Handling Complexity,
Design Exploration & Creativity,
Detail Design & Prototyping
03
UX Strategy
UX Vision & Design Rationale,
Strategic Thinking,
Methodology
04
UX Research
Qualitative Research,
Quantitative Research,
Evaluation
05
Leadership
Project & Stakeholder Management,
Management of Interdisciplinary Teams,
Mentoring
How do we talk about roles?
At Soda studio, we have let go of more traditional seniority levels. Because growth isn’t defined by titles or years of experience, it’s defined by what you bring to the team and how you want to keep developing.
So rather than solely talking about levels, we focus on people’s strengths. By valuing skills, mindset, and impact, we build balanced teams where everyone can contribute in their own way and learn from each other. It keeps the playing field equal and the energy focused on what really matters: designing great products and services together.
We provide clear descriptions and an overview of expectations per role to our team members, to help them understand what’s next in their journey.
01
Expert Path
Active Learner (Junior)
Develops skills under guidance while striving for greater independence.Independent Executor (Medior)
Able to operate with a high degree of independence.Self-Assured Professional (Senior)
Leads by example and brings clarity to complex challenges.Visionary Thought Leader (Expert)
Recognised as an expert in one or multiple areas with a strong, future-oriented vision.
02
Leadership Path
Project Lead - Steering Captain
Leads project teams with clarity and confidence to deliver impactful outcomes.Head of Design - Strategic Design Leader
Shapes the team, steers the vision, and drives design excellence.Managing Director - Final Responsible
Guiding the agency with vision, responsibility, and strategic direction.
03
Special Role
Mentor - Empathetic Educator
Guides others, with a strong focus on individual growth, coaching, and shaping the learning culture within the team.
Building better teams by design
We see talent development as the foundation of design excellence. Our Growth Paths framework ensures that every specialist on any project knows exactly where they stand, how to grow, and how to elevate the work around them. It gives structure to our craft and clarity to our teams - so collaboration runs smoother, decisions get sharper, and the outcome is stronger.
By continuously developing our designers and researchers, we build teams that stay curious, confident, and fully aligned on creating digital products people genuinely love to use.