Philosophy

Leadership

I strive to build environments where people feel motivated, supported, and empowered to do their best work—because that’s when teams achieve the most.

When I begin working with a new team, I often use the metaphor of a crew aboard an old sailing vessel. If the ship springs a leak, no one stops to question whether they are a good sailor; the crew focuses on fixing the problem so everyone can keep moving toward the destination. I approach feedback in the same way. A critique of the work is not a judgment of someone’s talent, value, or potential—it is a shared effort to make the product stronger. We are all on the same ship, with different responsibilities and perspectives, and the goal is to discuss the work openly without making the conversation personal. I want to create a positive environment where people feel comfortable asking questions, challenging ideas, and expressing their perspectives honestly. I believe that allows us all to do our best work.

From T-Shaped to X-Shaped

For years, I thought of strong product designers as T-shaped: deep expertise in design, supported by enough knowledge of research, technology, product, and business to collaborate effectively. AI is changing how I think about that model. I increasingly believe the most effective people will become more X-shaped—developing meaningful capability in multiple disciplines while getting better at connecting them.

I don't think this means everyone needs to become an expert at everything. It means AI gives us the opportunity to reach further outside our traditional roles. A designer can prototype in code, explore data, pressure-test product strategy, or communicate an idea at a much higher level of fidelity than before. Experience and judgment are still what make that work valuable. As a leader, I want to help people deepen the skills that make them exceptional while using AI to expand what they're capable of contributing.

AI as a Design Partner

I see AI as a force multiplier for product design, not a replacement for the design process. It can accelerate research and synthesis, generate and challenge ideas, explore more directions, improve copy, build working prototypes, help evaluate edge cases, and dramatically shorten the distance between design and implementation. That creates more room for the parts of the work I believe matter most: understanding the problem, making good decisions, applying taste and judgment, talking to users, collaborating with a team, and deciding what is actually worth building.

The bigger opportunity isn't simply using AI to do the same work faster. It's rethinking how the work gets done. I want teams to use AI to remove friction between disciplines, experiment earlier, learn faster, and spend more of their time solving meaningful problems. The goal isn't AI for its own sake—it's better products, stronger teams, and more space for thoughtful design.

What collaborators say

He added clarity and empathy to our projects, carefully thinking out complex technical requirements and created intuitive, scalable experiences. Whether we were improving onboarding, designing system health views, or streamlining analysis, his work consistently delivered real user and business value.

One of Mike's standout qualities is his ability to think outside the box and come up with fresh and creative ideas. His innovative solutions bring a unique perspective to every project and help push the boundaries of UX design.

Mike is one of the most engaging designers I've worked with. He's always open to brainstorm about a design challenge or discuss ways to push the team in new directions, and he brings a positive attitude to even the most stressful situations.