About
Hi, I’m TJ.
I’m a product designer in Utah. I believe clear thinking is what creates beautiful product experiences. What people see on the surface is shaped by what’s underneath it.
When what’s underneath is missing, the UI can look great and the product still fails. It happens one reasonable decision at a time, until you’ve built something nobody uses.
I’ve been in product design for 11 years, on everything from enterprise platforms to consumer apps. Along the way I’ve grown a design team from 5 to 13 and helped lead a pivot to virtual events in twelve weeks when COVID hit.
AI makes it faster to build almost anything, which makes judgment matter more, not less. I’ve used these tools enough to know where they help and where they hand you confident, generic work. Knowing the difference is most of the job now.
Outside of work, I’m with my wife and our two girls. You’ll also find me chasing a decent round of golf or losing at chess more than I’d like.
Principles
What I believe
Understand the problem deeply
The request is rarely the problem. I start by finding what’s true underneath it.
Building is a team sport
Great work comes from great people working closely, not from one designer in a corner.
Rally around shared principles
Agreeing on what matters early keeps a team on course when tradeoffs show up.
Think big, start small
Picture where it could go, then ship the smallest real step toward it.
Go and see
Watch real people use the thing. It settles more debates than any doc.
Recommendations
Kind words
“TJ is a very talented UX designer with an incredible work ethic. He is an avid learner, he works hard.”
Senior Director of Product Design at GameSquare Holdings Inc.
“He has a way of taking something very complex and distilling it down into a simple, yet beautiful design.”
Co-founder & CEO at Proactive Health
“TJ has a talent for identifying areas of strength and growth opportunities in individuals.”
Product Manager at Hometown