I'm a designer-product-cofounder of Smith.ai, a successful SaaS platform (the leader in lead qualification) for SMB. Before that, I... - Was the first interaction design hire for apple.com, then went on to design for Pro Apps (2003-2007) - Was Mint's first "UX" hire, and concepted, pitched, designed & PM'ed Mint's mobile app strategy. - Stupidly was an early Theranos hire. - Smartly quit Theranos 6 months later. - Worked for a bunch of shitty startups and learned not all startups are Mint - Went back to Google and learned How To Be A Career Design Person At A Big Company - Quit to start my own company!
As a designer-founder Iβm often heads down and have lost a lot of the feedback loop vital to our industry. Mentoring and coaching is of bidirectional benefit.
π©βπ©βπ¦βπ¦ Team happiness & productivity
π Launching products and measuring success
π Product vision and strategy
π° Negotiating a promotion/offer
π¨βπ©βπ¦βπ¦ Having a family in tech
π« Managing up, down and around
π£ Becoming a people manager
π¬ Giving and receiving feedback
π Being the only designer
ποΈ Surviving a merger or acquisition
π¨ Changing roles
π§ UX and UI design
π Dealing with imposter syndrome
π° Managing burnout
π Mock interviewing
π Resume and portfolio review
π» Managing remotely
π Preparing for the next level
π Getting the most out of my internship
Hereβs what Merit users have said about Justin
Justin is an amazing guy! It was truly a privilege to have a moment to talk to him and get some real guidance. If you guys are looking for someone honest and down to earth Justin is your guy!
Rehabilitation Assistant
Justin asked thoughtful questions that helped to unblock my thinking. He shared insightful anecdotes to emphasize his advice which really resonated with me. He was an incredible listener as well. I'm grateful for his time and insights.