Complex Systems, Made Human

Principal Product Designer with 15+ years designing human-machine interfaces for complex, high-stakes systems — from regulated medical platforms to AI-powered collaboration tools.

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15+ Years of Raising the Bar

From regulated systems to AI collaboration.

From regulated systems to AI collaboration.

My career spans safety-critical medical diagnostics, human genome mapping software, AI-powered optimization systems, and enterprise platforms serving complex operational workflows.

My career spans safety-critical medical diagnostics, human genome mapping software, AI-powered optimization systems, and enterprise platforms serving complex operational workflows.

Human-Machine Collaboration

Autonomous Systems Design

Designing how people and AI systems work together

Complex Operational Systems

Platform & Workflow Design

Scalable design for high-stakes, multi-user workflows

Consumer - Industrial - R&D

Featured Work

From consumer facing experiences to proprietary R&D software. Agencies and consultancies to product companies and startups.

Two Co-Authored Patents

AI-Powered Information Retrieval - Machine Learning Systems

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Human-Machine Interaction

Designing the Interface Between Humans and Autonomous Systems

Built the collaboration layer where engineers and AI systems communicate, iterate, and solve problems too complex for either alone — in a fast-moving startup where I defined what needed to be designed and drove it forward.

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Meaningful Probabilities

10x Faster Results with 45% Performance Gains

Systems Design + AI Integration

Platform Transformation: Integrating AI Into Complex Operational Workflows

Leading the redesign of a multi-surface platform serving complex professional workflows — integrating agentic AI interfaces, driving adoption with resistant user segments, and co-authoring a patent in intelligent information retrieval.

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Patent Co-Author

Intelligent retrieval system merging NLP with contextual UI

Systems Design + AI Integration

Platform Transformation: Integrating AI Into Complex Operational Workflows

Leading the redesign of a multi-surface platform serving complex professional workflows — integrating agentic AI interfaces, driving adoption with resistant user segments, and co-authoring a patent in intelligent information retrieval.

View Case Study

Patent Co-Author

Intelligent retrieval system merging NLP with contextual UI

Scalable Systems Design

Designing a Multi-Version Control System at Scale

Identified that a complex back-office management system — not surface-level UX — was the root cause of churn. Self-directed the redesign through four major versions, reducing churn by 95% and support tickets by 60%.

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Root Cause Design

95% churn reduction, 60% fewer support tickets

Scalable Systems Design

Designing a Multi-Version Control System at Scale

Identified that a complex back-office management system — not surface-level UX — was the root cause of churn. Self-directed the redesign through four major versions, reducing churn by 95% and support tickets by 60%.

View Case Study

Root Cause Design

95% churn reduction, 60% fewer support tickets

Entertainment + Giving

Transforming PBS Donor Strategy

Reimagining revenue models for PBS affiliates facing donor demographic shifts through behavioral economics and modern digital experiences.

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View Case Study

Watch & Give

Increased Donations While Attracting Younger Audiences

Designing with AI

Patterns, Principles, and Hard-Won Lessons Practical frameworks for AI interface design — from interaction patterns to adoption strategy.

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Designing with AI

Patterns, Principles, and Hard-Won Lessons Practical frameworks for AI interface design — from interaction patterns to adoption strategy.

View Article

Designing with AI

Patterns, Principles, and Hard-Won Lessons Practical frameworks for AI interface design — from interaction patterns to adoption strategy.

View Article

Craft & Coworkers

What others have to say

People are at the heart of the work.

People are at the heart of the work.

“Joel is a superstar at handling big & complex projects that have broad ambitions.”

"His ability to take abstract concepts, goals, and intentions and analyze, organize and simplify them for concrete design work is unparalleled."

Michael Garvey

Design Manager @ CREXI

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Chaos Into Clarity

Design Leadership Philosophy

Transforming complex problems into elegant, scalable design solutions

Transforming complex problems into elegant, scalable design solutions

The art and science of our craft

Orchestrating research, systems thinking, and interaction design into cohesive solutions for complex, high-stakes workflows.

Balancing risk in a project

Reducing uncertainty through prototyping, validation, and iterative delivery in fast-paced, mission-critical environments.

Cross-functional Catalyst

Driving collaboration across teams toward unified product goals.

Strategic Depth

Translating business objectives into actionable design opportunities.

Measurable Impact

Creating design solutions that influence key business metrics.

Work Hard & Smart

Establishing scalable systems that enhance quality and efficiency.

Design Mentorship

Guiding teams toward customer-centered design outcomes and excellence.

Execution Leadership

Ensuring high-quality implementation from concept through delivery.

The art and science of our craft

Orchestrating all design discplines into a cohesive solution that delivers is the best part of the job.

Balancing risk in a project

Building things is expensive, design helps lower the risk from Discovery to production.

More about Joel

More about Joel