Nearly two decades into building consumer software, I am now a product builder and Principal Product Designer (IC7) in Human Interface Design at Meta Reality Labs, trusted with the first experience people have with new hardware and software.
That work spans onboarding, account creation, profile setup, device pairing, first-run setup, and the trust moments that make a new product feel understandable. I frame product problems, shape direction, align leadership and partner teams, then stay close enough to the details to hold the interaction model, craft, and launch decisions.
My current work is confidential and under NDA, so the public work below focuses on shipped systems I can discuss.
Experience
Meta — Principal Product Designer, Human Interface Design
Jan 2019 — Present · 7.4 yrs · Menlo Park, CA (remote from Tennessee)
- Principal IC7 in Reality Labs, trusted with whole-product systems that span strategy, interaction model, cross-functional alignment, and launch quality.
- Currently responsible for first-run and onboarding work across Meta Reality Labs products: account creation, profile setup, device pairing, first-run setup, agreements, trust checks, and the handoff from hardware setup into the product. Most current work remains under NDA.
- Lead product and design direction by framing the problem, aligning PM, engineering, research, policy, legal, privacy, integrity, and design partners, and holding the experience quality from strategy through launch. I stay close to production, including writing and pushing code diffs for fixes and prototypes when that is the fastest path to quality.
- Helped bring Home in the Metaverse to the Meta Connect 2025 keynote, contributing spatial interface craft across layout, motion, typography, input, accessibility, and the feel of immersive UI at hardware scale.
- Designed and launched Quest parental supervision as design DRI: teen-initiated linking, parent consent, Ask to Buy, app and browser blocking, time-in-VR visibility, friend list visibility, push notifications, payments, IARC ratings, accounts, profiles, and integrity systems. The system remains live and is used by millions of households monthly.
- Designed and launched Quest multi-user and app sharing: separate profiles, saves, social graphs, entitlements, purchase rules, lock patterns, mobile setup, and fast in-VR switching so households could share a headset without losing progress or buying the same game twice.
- Unlocked video on Facebook Marketplace, a public marketplace with more than a billion monthly users, by reframing video posting as an earned privilege and taking the model through Integrity, Privacy, and Policy. The solution combined account reputation, audio transcription review, and frame-level video sampling.
Lonely Planet — Head of Design
Jul 2014 — Jan 2019 · 4.6 yrs · Nashville, TN
- Led the reimagining of Lonely Planet's flagship digital product, including continents, countries, cities, home, and core trip-planning surfaces. User research and Usabilla feedback showed people struggling to find essential information; the redesign balanced editorial inspiration with faster paths to useful answers.
- Shipped the new Destinations system, introduced a refreshed visual language, tested multiple layout directions, and helped lift engagement immediately after launch. The work earned a People’s Voice Webby Award.
- Shipped Trips by Lonely Planet, a consumer app built around effortless travel publishing: people added photos and videos, and location data helped compose the trip for the community.
- Shipped Guides by Lonely Planet, an offline-first companion for on-the-ground travel decisions with maps, currency conversion, and city guidance. Guides earned App Store Editor’s Choice and repeated featuring on the App Store and Google Play.
- Partnered across editorial, product, engineering, and marketing to keep a trusted global travel brand coherent while web and apps moved forward together. Promoted to Head of Design in 2017; led the UX and product design organization, set design vision, and held the quality bar across surfaces.
Fluencr — Co-Founder & Head of Design
Oct 2013 — Jul 2014 · 0.8 yrs · Las Vegas, NV
Co-founded a social influence platform funded by Tony Hsieh (Downtown Project / Zappos); shipped from zero to market, then pivoted to #FLSHTAG, a hashtag-driven photo flash-mob voting experience.
Communication Service for the Deaf — Senior Product Designer
Jun 2012 — Oct 2013 · 1.4 yrs · Austin, TX
First hire on a new tech initiative; designed and built the national interpreter marketplace that became Vineya as the organization moved into product.
FanFound — Senior Web Designer
Feb 2011 — Jul 2012 · 1.5 yrs · Chicago, IL
Owned the presentation layer and creative resourcing end to end.
Golden Tech — Senior Web Designer
Apr 2011 — Jul 2012 · 1.3 yrs · Valparaiso, IN
Five-person engineering team shipping e-commerce and campaign sites; owned UX, wireframes, prototypes, and hand-coded production HTML/CSS.
Sears Holdings — Web Designer and Front-End Developer
May 2010 — Jun 2011 · 1.2 yrs · Chicago, IL
Led UX and front-end development on GAME ON, a gamified associate rewards initiative; built game-like front-end components in a complex .NET system.
Livemercial — Web Designer and Front-End Developer
Sep 2008 — May 2010 · 1.8 yrs · Miami, FL
Designed and built direct-response landing pages and marketing materials; brand and visual design.
Excite Productions (Endis Ltd) — Web Designer and Front-End Developer
Aug 2006 — Sep 2008 · 2.2 yrs · Caldecote, Cambridge, GB
Graphic design, Flash development, and website programming for clients while based in the UK.
Selected public work
Earlier and overlapping: freelance graphic design (2005–2006); photographer (Michaela Photo, 2007–2009); VFX and 3D (Evermore Pictures, 2007–2008)—concurrent with Excite and Livemercial where dates overlap.