JM
Contact Me


I build high-performing design teams that build better products.

I’ve spent 25+ years designing complex software and 14+ years building and leading design teams. I help organizations strengthen their design capabilities, align product strategy around user needs, and create better experiences across complex products and workflows. I’m a hands-on leader who believes great design comes from giving teams the clarity, tools, and support they need to do their best work.



Leadership

My approach to leadership centers on building strong design teams and creating the conditions for them to do their best work. I partner closely with Product and Engineering to understand user needs, align teams around meaningful outcomes, and establish a shared direction for complex products and workflows.

I believe great design organizations are built on strong foundations, clear direction, and trust. I focus on developing designers into confident product leaders, establishing practices that improve quality and consistency, and creating an environment where teams can challenge assumptions and learn quickly. I also stay hands-on, exploring how AI can accelerate discovery, design, and development while keeping human judgment focused on solving the right problems.

Core Principles

Case Studies

Deep dives into leadership initiatives that shaped team development, organizational design maturity, cross-team alignment, and strategic clarity.

JTBD and ODI strategic discovery initiative

PRIVATE

JTBD/ODI Strategic Discovery

Led a cross-team strategic discovery initiative that unified product teams around shared user workflows and measurable outcomes, creating a foundation for aligned product strategy and future vision work.

Aligning UX Strategy across complex workflows case study

PRIVATE

Aligning UX Strategy Across Complex Workflows

Coached a team of six designers through a cross-team UX strategy initiative that translated JTBD/ODI research into current-state stories, vision stories, and workflow-driven roadmap direction across complex security domains.

Building a UX Organization case study

PRIVATE

Building a UX Organization

Built and scaled a distributed UX team, developed designers, established research and design practices, and integrated user-centered design into an engineering-led product organization.

Selected Work

A selection of professional product design work and independently developed products, reflecting my experience designing complex software and my continued interest in exploring ideas, solving problems, and building things.

Professional Product Design Work

Examples of my work simplifying complex technical products and workflows, helping users accomplish their goals through clearer, more intuitive experiences.

Fiber Optic Testing Redesign preview coming soon

PRIVATE

Fiber Optic Testing Redesign

Redesigning the touchscreen experience for handheld fiber optic testing instruments, helping field technicians complete complex testing workflows with greater clarity and confidence.

An exploration of simplifying technical workflows, balancing novice and expert needs, and designing intuitive interactions for demanding field environments.

Project details coming soon

Network Testing Dashboard interface

Network Testing Dashboard

A dashboard that gives engineers and managers real-time visibility into network testing activities, helping them monitor progress, identify issues, and make better-informed decisions across projects.
Network Throughput Test interface

Network Throughput Test

A network testing interface that helps engineers configure realistic traffic scenarios, monitor performance, and validate how network devices behave under different workloads.

Independent Products & AI Experimentation

Outside of my professional work, I design and build apps that solve problems in my own life or explore things I’m interested in. They’re also opportunities to experiment with AI-assisted product development, from exploring ideas and designing interactions to building, testing, and refining working software.

Jam Along iPad app

Jam Along

A music practice app that helps musicians learn and play along with their favorite songs through tempo adjustment, pitch shifting, and intuitive playback controls. AI-powered stem separation lets users isolate instruments and vocals, adjust individual track volumes, or mute tracks entirely.

An exploration of simplifying complex audio interactions and creating an uninterrupted practice experience.
5MinuteFretboard iPad interface

5MinuteFretboard

A guitar learning app that helps players develop fretboard knowledge through short, focused exercises and progressive challenges.

An exploration of interactive learning, immediate feedback, and making repetitive practice more engaging.
Pool Side preview coming soon

Pool Side

A pool maintenance app that helps owners understand their water chemistry, track test results, and determine what adjustments are needed to keep their pool healthy and ready for swimming.

An exploration of turning complex measurements and chemical relationships into clear, actionable guidance.

Project details coming soon

Dough & Craft preview coming soon

Dough & Craft

A baking companion that transforms recipes into structured, step-by-step workflows, helping home bakers manage preparation, timing, and execution.

An exploration of interpreting unstructured information and reducing cognitive load during complex, time-sensitive baking activities.

Project details coming soon

What others say about me

A few words from people I've had the pleasure of working with over the years.

About

My career spans both consumer and enterprise software. I started in e-commerce and consumer technology before spending the last 15+ years leading design teams in complex SaaS, platform, security, and AI-driven products.

I’m a product design leader who pairs strategic clarity with a maker’s curiosity. For more than a decade, I’ve built and coached teams that deliver thoughtful, user-centered products, grounded in consistency, simplicity, and strong design craft.

Outside of work, I stay hands-on, building small iOS apps to solve my own Jobs-to-Be-Done, learning pottery from my wife, quilting her pieced tops on our computerized, long-arm machine, or relearning old-school heavy metal songs on guitar that I used to play as a kid.

These projects keep me experimenting, learning, and connected to the creative process. They’re a reminder that good work doesn’t require burning people out. I’ve seen again and again that when teams have space for life outside the product, the work gets sharper, more thoughtful, and more sustainable.


Contact

👋 Contact Me!

Whether you’re exploring ideas, looking for a collaborator, or just want to say hello 👋, I’d love to connect and talk about creating great software together.

Recruiters & hiring managers: if you’d like my full resume, you can request it privately using the button below.