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What design means to me

13 years of building products. AI finally got me to write about it.

DesignLeadershipProduct

What a year to start sharing my thoughts and writing about design.

AI is completely upending how we view technology, changing the way we work with computers forever. I've never been more excited to build. I've also felt compelled to write more, to share insights from almost 13 years of making products and shipping software.

And so, I wanted to give a short introduction to how I think about product design while I iterate, and help you get to know me a bit before you start looking at some of my work.

So this is what design means to me.

Design is building: with people, for people.

I've always loved technology. From the first Xbox and being scared shitless when the Flood popped in on Halo to making movies with friends after school. The joy I've found combining creativity and technology is second to only a few things in my life. In particular, I've always been enthralled with the magic of Disney. I still think back to childhood trips to Disney, poring over stories of Walt and his Imagineers, how they brought so much magic to life through hard work, engineering, and creativity. That sense of wonder stuck with me. I still hold onto it when I come to work: the magic that technology can bring when you build with care.

I started at Microsoft in 2012. The world was a very different place. I was 22 years old, excited about the opportunity to build things with really smart people, and eager to use whatever skills I had as a designer to make products people loved. Over the course of my career, I've gotten to work on a whole range of projects:

A small network packet tracking tool called Message Analyzer where I was deathly nervous of sharing my initial designs with customers, thinking they were too complex, only to find out the admins I was building for felt like they were in the matrix when they used the new designs and loved them

Developing Microsoft Admin Center to help Server admins better manage Windows Server. My first big design failure. We thought bringing local server management to "the cloud" to align with Azure was the smartest thing we'd ever done. We quickly learned, through excellent user research led by our research team, that our "ahead of the times" to manage local servers from the cloud was, in their words, the dumbest thing they'd ever heard

Being asked to step up and lead a small team exploring this little thing called Microsoft Security. I got to chat with dozens of Fortune 500 companies, understand how they approached security and compliance, and use their lived experience to shape the vision for Microsoft Security Center and Compliance Center. I also helped grow the design org from 2 to 50+ people.

For the last five years (damn time flies), I had the opportunity to lead design for another zero-to-one product bringing Windows to the cloud with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. All through COVID, 2 kids, and plenty of long nights

Through all of it, the tools have changed dramatically. I remember hours spent in Adobe Illustrator, moving things pixel by pixel. I remember the hidden jealousy of Mac users getting Sketch, and being too loyal to Windows to buy a MacBook to test it out. I was thrilled when Figma came to Microsoft. Our design leadership got on board fast and worked directly with the Figma team to get it in our hands.

But through all of this, it's always been the people and the making that kept me excited.

Every project taught me something new about how humans work, what they struggle with, and what gets them excited. And that constant loop of creating, learning, and refining? That's what keeps me in this field.

Design philosophy

I work in service of others.

I think design has this rare ability to visualize and bring life to problems people can't quite articulate. And so I treat every project as people-first: Who is this for? What problems do they have? I keep coming back to the four W's and one H (who, why, when, where, and how) to stay grounded in the person I'm building for. Once we have that, then we can get to the what.

I start with systems.

I really thrive in thinking through large, complex problems (usually in the enterprise space) where you have to understand how people, processes, and technology all connect before you can simplify anything. My instinct is to map the system first, understand how people work together, and then find the story that helps everyone see what we're actually trying to build.

I bring craft to the chaos.

Understanding systems isn't enough. The work also needs to feel considered, detailed, and human. Craft is what turns a functional solution into something people actually want to use. And honestly, it's what gets people excited about the products you're building.

Product design

Product design brings unique strengths to the table, but the magic happens when all Product Design, Product Management, and Engineering show up together. You build things people actually want. Within that triad, I think product design contributes three things:

Visualize to create clarity.

Most designers are visual by nature. Use it. Sketch the problem. Map the flow. Make abstract conversations concrete so the team can move forward and make sense of what they're building.

Lead with craft and quality.

Product design is the discipline that sweats the details. We bring that human quality to the work and help the business understand that craft really does sell product.

Deliver the customer experience.

Customer experience is everything the customer touches. And I think product design has the unique vantage point, and honestly the responsibility, to think across all of those touchpoints. Not just the screens, but the entire journey.

Leadership

I have four principles that drive how I lead design teams:

01

Lead by doing.

I love staying hands-on. Building alongside my team keeps me sharp and shows I won't ask anyone to do work I wouldn't do myself. And sometimes your more senior people don't need direction. They just need a thought partner.
02

Obsess over clarity.

Complex spaces demand simple stories. I spend a lot of time making sure my team knows exactly what we're building and why it matters. I take a lot of pride in simplifying the story so everyone points in the same direction.
03

Listen first, act second.

Listening really is a superpower. Before I jump in with solutions, I make sure I've understood the problem and that the person sharing feels genuinely heard. This builds trust and empowers teams to do their best work, because they know their leader has their back.
04

Model, coach, care.

This is something Microsoft really instilled in me: model the behavior you want to see, coach people toward their potential (including calling them out when they need to do better), and do it all from a place of genuine care for them as humans. That's how you build teams that ship world-class products.

Why I'm excited right now

This is the most excited I've been about technology since I started at Microsoft in 2012.

AI is reshaping how we do design, product management, and engineering. And that's not hype. It's really happening. But here's what I believe: the fundamentals I've outlined above matter more now, not less. AI can bring your dreams to life in ways that weren't possible before. And that means your eye for detail, your craft, your ability to see the whole customer experience. These become the differentiators.

Designers have always had a superpower: we pay attention to the details others miss, we think visually, and we obsess over craft. AI amplifies all of that. And for the first time, I can build products I've always wanted to build, bringing everything I believe about design directly into what I ship.

I'm excited to build more and share here. I hope some of it helps you in your journey.