Head of Design
Currently navigating TubeBuddy through acquisition while transforming a 65+ feature legacy product into an integrated creator workflow platform.
Design leadership through strategic transformation, platform competition, and organizational change.
4.5 years leading design through acquisition, investor divestment, layoffs, and YouTube competition. Created 360+ mocks across three product visions. Bill Gates (BEN's sole shareholder) saw VisionType I and invested more.
The transformation required organizational alignment that didn't happen. Leadership chose a different strategic direction (systems-based vs. workflow-focused), and before that could fully play out, external market forces (the strikes) forced a pivot back to the core product. The vision I advocated for is now largely being pursued — the timing and path were just different than planned.
I make my case with research and evidence, document my concerns, then commit to the chosen direction while continuing to advocate through my work. When leadership chose the Notion-like approach, I created a strong visiontype for it — I didn't sabotage or disengage. I also made sure my warnings about needing focus were on record. When events validated those concerns, I was positioned to help course-correct.
I would push harder earlier for smaller, shippable wins that demonstrated the workflow vision rather than waiting for a comprehensive solution. The React Native port showed me that proving concepts quickly changes organizational momentum. I should have applied that lesson to the product vision sooner.
Direct: Script Workspace, Hook Designer, mobile app improvements, fixed engagement rate calculations, various AI features. Indirect but significant: The React Native port proved AI-assisted development could work, which changed how the engineering organization approached development. The acquisition presentation contributed to positioning the company for its next chapter.
A track record of leading design through complexity, building teams, and shipping products.
Director of UX → Led design for $4B+ company's strategic product
Turned around a product that had been reset twice (new codebases, designers, engineers). Led harmonization effort between GoToConnect and GoToMeetings. Critical in LogMeIn's acquisition of Jive Communications.
Creator & Lead Instructor
Created Utah's first UX bootcamp. Mentored 230+ UX professionals. Course was critical to DevMountain's $20M acquisition by Capella University. Still occasionally teach accessibility.
Service Designer at Jive Communications
Led cross-functional team to fix broken onboarding. Created company's first service blueprint. Transformed Jive from "too hard to do business with" to a partner favorite.
Co-founder (Side Project)
Built app to sync contact info across devices. Applied to Y-Combinator. Years later, Apple implemented similar features in iOS 13. Learned startup validation the hard way.