Spirit

Spirit builds emotionally intelligent AI therapists that feel supportive, trustworthy, and human. We combine advanced conversational LLMs, a privacy-first memory engine, expressive 3D/AR experiences, and ethical product design to help users reflect, heal, and grow. Our mission is to make mental and emotional wellness more accessible through technology that is both technically excellent and emotionally responsible.

As our AR / 3D UI & UX Designer you will be the creative and technical lead for how Spirit's companions look, move, and feel in 2D, 3D, and spatial environments. You will design interaction flows, craft expressive avatar systems, prototype AR experiences, and work with engineers to ship optimized assets into mobile and web clients. This role sits at the intersection of product design, motion/character design, and real-time engineering — you'll translate human needs into tangible, performant experiences that emotionally resonate.

• ▹Design end-to-end 3D and AR interaction flows — map user journeys from onboarding to deep conversational experiences, including transitions, gestures, error states, and consent flows for memory features
• ▹Create expressive avatar systems — design character personas, facial rigs, blendshapes, body language rules, and micro-expression libraries that convey emotion reliably across devices
• ▹Prototype & iterate quickly — build interactive prototypes (Unity, WebGL, or Three.js) to validate motion, scale, and perceived presence with real users and product teams
• ▹Produce production-ready 3D assets — model, texture, rig, and export avatar meshes and props optimized for mobile (glTF/USDC/FBX), applying PBR workflows and LODs
• ▹Collaborate with engineers on performance — define budgets (polycount, texture sizes, draw calls), implement LOD/instancing, and help debug rendering or animation issues on iOS/Android
• ▹Lead usability and emotional-design research — run sessions, collect qualitative feedback (emotion, comfort, uncanny-valley signals), and convert insights into design improvements
• ▹Define and maintain visual language & accessibility — create reusable 3D UI components, motion systems, and guidelines (timing, easing, contrast, voice) that ensure consistent, accessible experiences

• ▹Strong portfolio demonstrating 3D characters, avatar systems, AR experiences, or motion-driven UI with real shipped examples or prototypes
• ▹Practical experience with Unity or Unreal and exporting optimized assets for mobile platforms
• ▹Fluency in 3D asset pipelines — modeling, UV layout, PBR texturing, rigging, and exporting (glTF/FBX/USDC)
• ▹Solid understanding of animation fundamentals — timing, easing, weight, and how micro-expressions affect perceived emotion
• ▹Ability to iterate quickly with engineers — you can profile performance, create LODs, trim textures, and rework art to meet mobile budgets
• ▹User research skills — run playtests, synthesize emotional feedback, and translate findings into measurable design changes
• ▹Good communication and cross-discipline collaboration — you'll work daily with AI/ML engineers (to surface behavior-driven animation), backend teams (for personalization & memory hooks), and product designers

• ▹Experience with facial performance capture pipelines or tools like Apple's Face Capture / ARKit blendshape mapping
• ▹Familiarity with neural rendering tools, Audio2Face-style systems, or real-time facial retargeting
• ▹Built or integrated with avatar SDKs (Ready Player Me, Didimo, or custom avatar providers)
• ▹Background in shader programming (GLSL / HLSL) for stylized or expressive rendering
• ▹Prior UX design experience in conversational or companion apps (e.g., projects similar in scope to Replika or character-driven experiences)

• ▹You'll craft the visual and emotional identity of a new category — companions that feel alive and safe
• ▹This is a rare role where design and engineering blend tightly: your artwork will need to perform under real-world constraints and your motion choices will shape how users feel
• ▹At Spirit you'll work with small, multidisciplinary teams shipping fast, get direct feedback from real users, and influence product decisions from day one
• ▹High performers will be eligible for early equity and leadership opportunities

We're an angel-backed startup looking to raise seed funding and hence we're mostly bootstrapping initially. Initially unpaid on onset for all members of the founding team but will be highly rewarded and compensated for their time and effort which includes:

• ▹Reimbursement compensation post-launch
• ▹Full-time employment options post-launch
• ▹Competitive salary
• ▹Equity benefits and stock options will be considered based on performance
• ▹Will be qualified for additional leadership roles within the company