About
I’m Leo, a Product Designer with 8+ years of professional UI and UX experience. My time working in Customer Support, QA, and Front End Development gives me a more informed perspective as a designer. A former career as a magician, and psychology courses in university, gives me a deep understanding of how humans think and perceive. I'm passionate about using design to make technology work for people. People should not be working for technology.
Throughout my life, I’ve lived in several countries including the USA, Australia, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Croatia. Traveling helps me grow as a person and as a global citizen. If I’m not pushing my boundaries I’m not growing.
Humanity continues to face many challenges in 2024. Technology should empower us to solve the BIG problems—not get in our way with a thousand small problems. Let's work together to build more delightful and intuitive digital products so we can all live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives!
Design before you code. Research before you design.
Product designer. Global adventurer. Recovering magician.
🧗♂️ 🏟️ 🥾 ✈️ 🖼️ 🏄♂️
Strengths
Areas of Focus
🚀 Remote Startups
8 years working remotely on cross-functional Agile teams and collaborating directly with startup co-founder CTO’s to increase UX maturity across the organization.
💻 Web SaaS Platforms
Led all UI and UX design work as a UX-team-of-one for 2 web SaaS platforms used by over 100,000 users in 700+ organizations across USA, Canada, and New Zealand.
💠 Design Systems
Built, maintained, evolved, and helped implement design systems from the ground up into 700+ color, text, and shadow styles and over 4,000 components to ensure consistency across products.
References
Career Comments
Leo’s robust and well-developed UX skills have made a remarkable difference in the usability and enjoyment of our software—reducing the support and training load on our staff by making the system more intuitive.
Manager, CTO
Pro-level UI/UX skills, never hesitant to learn a new skill, and dives head-first into whatever he takes on.
Co-Worker, Product Manager
Leo immediately stood out—I’ve seen his focus on quality and attention to detail within the context of streamlining processes and designs.
Mentor, Industry Leader
Leo's UI and UX design are top-notch. He has always delivered above and beyond my expectations.
Co-Worker, Software Developer
A great eye for detail, forward-thinking, a team player, passionate about his work, always there to help, and dedicated in everything that he is asked to do.
Co-Worker, Client Services
Leo’s goal was always to design a product that was so intuitive it didn't need support.
Co-Worker, Client Services
Leo has design running through his veins.
Collaborator
Pathway
My UX Career Journey
#OpenToWork + Freelancer at Upwork August 2023 – Present
UI/UX Designer, Daupler November 2020 – August 2023
UX Nanodegree, Udacity June 2020 - November 2020
UI/UX Designer, UniversityTickets 2017 – 2020
Jr UI/UX Designer, UniversityTickets 2014 – 2017
CS and QA, UniversityTickets June 2013 – November 2014
University (B.S. in Marketing) 2009 – 2013
Local Magician 2005 – 2009
Leadership
Volunteering & Recognitions
ItemsItemBest Product Designer in USA
In April 2024 I achieved the top ranking in the USA for Product Designers on Uxcel.com’s designer rankings leaderboard.
View Rankings LinkItemADPList Mentor
I’ve mentored junior designers since 2023. Providing portfolio reviews, resume feedback, job search guidance, and career advice.
Book a Session LinkItemArticle Featured in Sidebar
My Medium case study discussing 3 major pain points in Amazon’s Kindle eBook app was featured in the popular design blog/newsletter Sidebar.
Read Article LinkItemStudent Guest Lecturer
During university I was invited by a professor to teach a first-year business class as a guest lecturer on presentation design and delivery.
State University of New York at New Paltz
