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Product / UX Leadership

Crafting Strategies that Bring Product Visions to Life

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18 years experience building digital products

Getting Buy In for ThreatQ's Design System

THREATQ

Cryptocurrency Exchange / Auction

COUNTERPARTX

The value of user personas (that aren't cheesy)

THREATQ / AWEBER

Building A Better Editor - A case study for presenting UX Work

AWEBER

Establishing Branding

HIVELEDGER

Writing

Roles and Expectations in UX

Nov 5, 2019

The anatomy of a great ticket

Feb 20, 2019

Two tips for better team retrospectives

Jan 6, 2019

Stop being clever — a UX case study

Jan 1, 2019

North Star: Revisiting guiding principles in product design

Dec 11, 2018

3 Amigos: A foolproof exercise for more thought out designs — a UX case study

Dec 3, 2018

Being "agile" doesn't replace the need for planning

Nov 29, 2018

Create something remarkable

Nov 11, 2013

Heartfelt Testimonials

I've had the privilege to work with some talented folks, and I'm honored to share their feedback with you.

"Whenever I feel confused or unsure, I can always find direction and feel enlightened after talking with Bob. He would always go above and beyond to visualize and dive into details when giving advice. He is genuine, down-to-earth, seasoned, and most importantly, he has so much passion for the UX design community and he is dedicated to helping junior designers grow."

Kelly Zhao UX Designer @ Barracuda

"Bob and I connected through the Designlab UX & UI mentorship program, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to guide me through the courses. Bob not only did an amazing job helping me through the coursework, but also went above in beyond using his expertise in Design Thinking and Process to help me refine my approach to projects and increase my efficiency. He had what seemed to be an endless number of design tools and readings to help me with my needs throughout the coursework, and also displayed a great understanding of the design industry, helping me focus my interest and providing new viewpoints that always left me with something to think about.

Working with Bob was instrumental in helping me take the steps I needed to make a transition into design and I'm very fortunate to have worked with him twice."

Keelan Miskell Product Designer @ Pinterest

"Bob is a fantastic mentor. He is very patient and provides great design insight and ideas. He talks about his own experiences a designer, shares nuggets of useful information and doesn't hesitate to get hands-on and show some alternate approaches. He helps me think and question my own designs to come up with even better solutions. I am much less intimidated about showing my designs as Bob provides feedback with no judgement and reinforces that design is an iterative process for everyone! Overall, he is always ready to help even if that means going overtime or through emails. Anyone would be lucky to have him as their mentor."

Anita Grandhi UX Designer @ Microsoft

"Bob was the mentor I wish I had earlier in my career. He went above and beyond providing so many resources and truly met me where I was. Bob provided the perfect feedback: it was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking or questioning before I said it. I got the sense, in being Bob's mentee, that he truly wanted me to succeed."

Roxi Nicolussi Staff Service Designer @ Spotify

"Bob left an invaluable impact on my journey with his guidance and expertise. He is a thoughtful, genuine, and a trustworthy mentor who supports his mentees in any possible way."

Dila Inan-D'Costa Product Designer @ Omnicell

"Bob is a wealth of information, and is happy to get into as many details of the UX landscape as you'd like."

Emily Callaghan UX Strategist @ Vanguard

"I worked alongside Bob at AWeber. He showed me the ropes of email design and coding and took time to answer my questions when I was lost. Years later, we reconnected to talk about our shifts into UX and he has continued to mentor and encourage me in my new role. I always have a long list of questions and it's super enlightening to hear from his position of experience in working with Designlab students and growing UX Designers on his team. He has a genuine interest in going beyond typical management and building up leaders within his team, and he actively invests in other designs within and beyond ThreatQuotient."

Bethany Schram UX Designer @ Ascensus

"I can honestly say Bob has been an integral of my growth as an UX designer. He's a great mentor that really cares about your success in an industry that is always changing. With his mentoring I've landed my first job with Amtrak."

Isaiah Robinson Product Designer @ JPMorgan Chase & Co.

"Bob has a wonderful ability to share the day-to-day specifics of UX work, while layering in big picture, strategy, and topics the field is grappling with - all in a conversational, approachable delivery. He is a great storyteller and weaves illustrations of real world application into answering questions and solving problems."

Kristina (Mahoney) Wall UX Researcher @ Convercent

"I took an Interaction Design class at DesignLab and was mentored by Bob. He was absolutely everything I could've asked for in a mentor. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in the design thinking process and really guided me in translating what I'd learned into practice. His advice and suggestions have helped me not only in my continuing education but also in my work as a product designer. He was very patient, affable and humorous in our conversations and went out of his way to compile resources for me to further my skills as a designer. I enjoyed my time with Bob so much I enrolled in another course at DesignLab and requested him as my mentor again."

Justin Uyemura Product Designer @ Weebly

"Bob was a huge part of how I landed my dream job and within my dream industry. DesignLab really couldn’t have chosen a better person for me, as I really wanted a designer who was straight to the point, fearless in giving helpful and relevant feedback, and sharing both a positive and realistic outlook on the design industry itself. Over the past few months Bob has checked off all of those marks and more, having been been my greatest support in both understanding the field of UX Design as well as preparing me for interviews, projects, and overall onboarding onto a new team.

Working with Bob, I was able to land a UX Designer role with Epic Games. Just as well, with his guidance I had more interviews and contact with potential employers than I had previously. Having been there to support and coach me through each step of the journey, I can honestly say that without his knowledge, confidence, and straightforward advice, this opportunity would not have existed for me.

Having pushed me to do and be my best, I am and will continue to be grateful for all that Bob has offered me. Any designer, team, or company would be incredibly lucky to work with Bob!."

Devon Browning UX Designer @ Respawn Entertainment

"Bob is an outstanding mentor. I’m blessed to have received guidance from him during my days at Designlab. Moreover, his willingness to continually reach out and offer support even after the course has ended is what makes him truly stand out. Thanks to his mentorship, I gained a wealth of knowledge which helped me to improve in every aspect of my career. Any organization would be lucky to have Bob as their manager or mentor."

Esther Pak UX Designer @ Google

"Bob is a great mentor. I especially appreciated that he doesn't teach you the "cliches," or those things you can just find on the Internet. Rather, he shares genuinely his advice for design and design career that directly based on his professional experiences. They are precious and extremely helpful!"

Yihou Guo UX Designer @ Lacework

"Bob is a very well rounded designer with a strong eye for creativity and high level of skills in front and backend development. I was lucky enough to have him as my mentor during my Interaction Design course at DesignLab. His design thinking approach and his deep understanding of the process, tools, and different practices, is directly coming from his years and years of experience as, a designer, a developer, and a leader. He was extremely generous and transparent in sharing his valuable experience and never stopped supporting me even if the course was over. He was always there when I had any questions and concerns and provided me with tons of resources, tools, and most importantly his expert advice when I needed guidance. And I’m forever thankful!"

Afarin Sajjadian Senior Product Designer @ Marqeta, Inc

"What always stood out to me as exceptional is the way Bob can frame complicated problems in simple terms that any person from any background can understand. His focus on simplicity above all else – especially when things are complicated – is a trait I admire most in him as a thought leader. The way he speaks comes off as no-nonsense, which is refreshing since product development conversations can often veer too far into being overly academic or abstract. After Design Lab, we still regularly meet up to talk shop and exchange stories and I always look forward to our conversations."

Dan Zaharia Growth Product Manager @ Rocket Companies

"Bob is equal parts realistic and practical. His advice is motivating, encouraging, and enthusiastic. I definitely struggled with imposter syndrome and Bob was always there to lift me up and encourage me."

Meerah Kim Design Manager @ Sostento, Inc

"Bob was very helpful and engaging. He really wants to help the students learn material outside of what the course provides. He doesn't want his students to just pass the course, but he wants to ensure students are armed with the skills and processes to use in the workplace."

Yasmin Brizan Project Manager @ Fingerpaint

"Bob found ways to share his experience both as manager and as a designer and asked the questions that helped me reflect on the problem and get more clarity."

Lai Ngo Design Team Lead @ Hapimag

"Bob has been a wealth of knowledge in terms of experience and growth. He's seen a bit of everything and is full of ideas. I don't want someone to tell me exactly how to do something, I want ideas on how to proceed."

Erick Zelaya Creative Director @ Ardan Studios

"Bob gave me courage to peruse this field and meaningful advice that helped me in my journey. Bob is also a fun conversationalist and I enjoyed my meetings with him!"

Sandy Choi Junior Product Designer @ Alarm.com

"Bob has been good at giving constructive comments in a timely fashion. The feedback he gives encourages me to take my design work to another level."

Antonio Passariello UI/UX Designer @ J.J. Keller & Associates

"Bob challenged me to consider multiple perspectives while working on a project—emphasizing the importance of collaboration and communication with designers, engineers, and project managers. He was motivating, reassuring, and patient—and continues his support even after the project was finished."

Olivia Alchek UX Designer @ Hearst

"Bob is very articulate, very sharp, and very helpful. He gave me plenty of time to get me answers to all my questions. Very rarely do you come across people who care for you so much and give their full attention and time beyond the allocated time. This gesture meant a lot to me. Bob was able to easily break down the problem and give me good advice on various career, design, and industry matters."

Himanshu Bharadwaj VP Experience Design @ Centime

"I had a great time talking to Bob. With so many years of experience, he knew exactly what I was feeling and addressed many of my concerns and self doubts."

Raeesha Altaf Senior UX Designer @ Cognizant

"What really impressed me about Bob is his ability to manage multiple projects and give dedicated attention to each, making it look easy. Bob really pushed me to become a better designer and overall professional – he would be an asset in leading others at any company."

Lauren Rosenfeld UX Designer @ Crexi

"We've had some great mentoring sessions. I felt encouraged to ask him things about process, specific project ideas, and career growth. He also sent me tons of resources while we chatted, which have been awesome."

Jaclyn Hernandez-Scales Senior Digital Designer @ Seismic

"I've worked with several different mentors, and Bob was by far the most insightful, honest, and generous mentor I have ever had. What makes Bob stand out from the others is how much he genuinely cares about his mentees and goes above and beyond. I also appreciated how realistic Bob was with my design projects - always connecting things to real-world applications and problems rather than just hypothetical student projects that may not translate to practical knowledge."

Jordan Smith Product Designer

"Bob was a very kind and fun mentor to work with, he provided me with valuable insights and resources that I'll keep using as I progress through the UI/UX world."

JG Debray Designer @ Addison

"Bob patiently listened to all my questions about transitioning into UX design and never made me feel silly for asking them. As someone from a technical professional background, I was not confident in my creative growth. He enthusiastically helped me with everything from portfolio review to even the tiny steps involved in common UX design tools."

Adrian Ye UX Writer / Designer

"Working with Bob through DesignLab was great, but the true value I got from working with Bob was discussing real-world situations that were happening in my career. I would present current challenges that we were working on at my company and Bob was an amazing sounding board and idea generator for how to approach those problems. He has also been great about remaining in touch with me after our official sessions were completed. He's even offered to jump on calls to catch up and see what the current status is of some of the projects we had discussed in our sessions. I highly recommend working with Bob for his experience as a UX and Product Leader and for his ability to apply that experience to a variety of industries and use cases."

Chris Hunt Technical Project Manager @ ActBlue

"I messaged Bob with a detailed overview of where I currently am, expressing where I want to go and asking how do I get there, being mindful of his time. He not only came back with a detailed answer using his experience in the field to review all possible aspects of my journey but spoke to me like a human being. That's a big deal in a world where we are just images and text on a screen for most. Thank you for being an amazing human Bob."

Mark White Freelance UX Designer

"Bob addressed many of my concerns - with extremely relatability - in terms of doubts within companies who are not design driven. Bob also pointed me to practical resources that are off the "designer mainstream", references that look into the lower-level, deep in the trenches challenges."

Lulu Crossing Product Designer @ Shakepay