About, Jmc

A bit about me.

Make it easy. Make it beautiful. I keep things simple, and get them done.

I have had the privilege to work with numerous talented people across a variety of organizations. These experiences have shaped my design approach and philosophy. Scroll down to learn how I create innovative experiences for clients that eliminate user friction and drive business results.

Who I am.

Maker.

Designer.

Thinker.

Creative.

A little background

I am strategic design leader and proven problem solver, crafting transformative and innovative cross-platform digital experiences.

Guided by collaborative, user-focused and data-informed decisions to design highly impactful products that drive growth, align to business objectives, and eliminate user friction.

I have over 16 years experience in developing and scaling cross-functional design teams, fostering a culture of accountability, creativity, integrity, and radical open-mindedness. I am an innate design thinker, that strives for deep understanding of the user, their behaviors and motivations to design holistic solutions that surpass user needs and deliver business outcomes.

For a detailed view of all of my past experiences, clients, and education, reach out to me.

A few companies I have worked and collaborated with

My six point philosophy

Integrity costs nothing.

Behavior drives design.

User centered, data informed, business ready.

Test early, test often.

Craft meticulously, refine relentlessly.

Grow value, maximize impact.

How I build teams

I build and lead high performing teams that create delightful products and experiences.

Whether building a team of one, or twenty, my approach to building teams is the same. I create cultures of accountability, transparency, and honesty. I encourage risk taking and intellectual curiosity, while driving focus and fostering a space where all designers can share openly and freely. Autonomy is key to providing designers of any level to thrive, while providing a safety net, even if at a distance. Constructive and respectful conflict is crucial when creating truly great experiences, and team members are encouraged to critique and push one another. Open, direct, and respectful communication is the key to keeping the team healthy and productive.

Empathy drives how I construct teams, understanding the motivations and aspirations of each team member and where to go in their careers, and working collaboratively to get them there. Diversity of viewpoint is a critical element to the teams I build, understanding that great experiences are created through ideation from all perspectives. I look for certain traits within each member, cognitive flexibility, hustle, relationship building, and openness to name a few. You can teach skill, but it is much harder to teach the intangibles. I have used this approach to build teams and successfully ship products and experiences over the last ten years.

Design process

A modified Double Diamond.

The process I run is a modified double diamond, with a large emphasis on stakeholder alignment and every step. It is crucial that stakeholders are consistently aligned with the product vision, strategy, and execution. There is a heavy emphasis on collaborative, cross functional sketching and ideation, along with the giant dose of all types of research, dependent on the type of solution that is needed.

At every step of the way, the design team is creating sets of prototypes that are used for aligning teams, internal testing, and eventually qual and quant user testing. These prototypes follow a 0.3 - 0.9 numbering system that indicate where the team Is within the design process. Design is not a linear process, but the modified double diamond helps ensure team alignment, testing and iterating, and ultimately delivering a solution that the entire team is proud of.

Discover.

Define.

Design.

Deliver.

Design process diagram

Think. Align. Design.

A framework for solving problems.

A modified classic.
The double diamond model I run is a modified version of the original double diamond created by British Design Council in 2004. One difference is that at the end of every stage of the process, you align stakeholders, and create a testable prototype of various fidelity levels. This allows for maximum transparency and alignment for stakeholders and sponors and continued iteration and testing by the design teams. At every step of the process, any one in the organization can view the latest prototype, track progress, and give feedback.

Design process

Design.

Test.

Iterate.

Design is not a linear process. Only through the cycle of iteration, testing, and refinement, can we be sure that our outcomes will be achieved and we will consistently meet our users ever evolving needs.

Thanks for spending the time

Let's make great things.

Interested in working togther? Let's chat about how I can help take your ideas from problems to solutions.

Contact Me