Hi There, I’m Alex.
I’m a UX and product design leader with over two decades of experience spanning startups, agencies, and in-house teams - from pioneering early e-commerce to designing complex SaaS platforms. I’ve built design systems, scaled teams, co-founded a boutique design studio, and shaped user experiences for everything from airlines to audio hardware to automated mobile app testing platforms.
These days, I’m focused on what’s next: AI-native tools, spatial interfaces, and systems that live outside the bounds of flat screens. I consult with teams navigating emerging tech and prototype experimental experiences of my own - including Craptions.wtf, an entirely silly captioning game built and launched in under 10 hours using vibe coding toolkits.
My throughline has always been the same: make things that are clear, useful, and occasionally a little weird.
What’s it look like for the future? Let’s find out.
Work History
Sofy.ai
UX Director – 2021-2025
Sofy helps dev teams run real-device tests in real-world conditions. As UX Director, I led product design, front-end experience, and the visual design system. I defined the creative direction of the platform and oversaw implementation across a globally distributed team. My work focused on making complex workflows intuitive, actionable, and visibly aligned with Sofy’s evolving brand.
Unexplored
UX Director // Partner 2016-2021
Unexplored was a boutique design studio I co-founded with Shannon Pasco, focused on digital product and commerce experiences. I led UX direction across all projects while also managing operations, client strategy, and creative collaboration. Our work spanned e-commerce platforms, product interfaces, and branded tools for mid-market and enterprise clients. It was a crash course in autonomy, leadership, and design as business value. Clients included Dr. Martens, Fracture, Fully, and multiple 0-1 stage startups.
Copious
UX Director – 2014-2016
Copious was a digital commerce agency specializing in high-end UX for global brands. I led the user experience vision across projects and designed interfaces for clients including Volaris Airlines, Revant Optics, and Ben Bridge (yes, The Diamond People™). I worked closely with strategy, engineering, and visual design to deliver elegant, scalable commerce experiences that supported both brand and improved conversion.
Mile7
UX Director – 2012-2014
Mile7 is a usability testing and UX research agency based in Portland, OR. As UX Director, I led all client-facing experience design work and was responsible for research synthesis, usability insights, and actionable design recommendations. My role bridged hands-on interface work with strategic testing guidance across a variety of digital products and services.
Aperion Audio
Creative Manager - 2006-2012
Aperion Audio is a direct-to-consumer audio company focused on delivering premium sound without the audiophile price tag. I led all creative and UX initiatives, from brand identity and packaging to site design and marketing campaigns. This was a deeply cross-functional role that touched both the customer experience and the product’s emotional resonance.
eMarket Group
Creative Manager –1997-2006
My first startup, and an unforgettable ride. At eMarket Group, I helped pioneer early digital commerce - from launching the first online video game e-commerce presence to designing and shipping the official HBO store. Somewhere in between, we essentially prototyped Shopify a decade too early. I wore every hat possible: visual design, UX, content, strategy, and the occasional fire extinguisher. It was chaotic, formative, and full of lessons I still use today.
Specialties
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Building products people actually want to use. I connect business goals to real-world behaviors, translate ambiguity into prototypes, and help teams focus on what matters.
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How something feels is as important as how it looks. How it behaves is as important as any feature on the roadmap. I’ve spent 20 years designing clear, intuitive flows that stay out of the user’s way - until they need a little help. Thoughtful interfaces, frictionless interactions, and just enough personality to feel human.
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Early-stage idea machine. I explore weird angles, pressure-test concepts, and turn half-formed sparks into things that might actually work… or at least make us all say huh, that’s interesting.
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I help teams navigate fuzzy problems, inspire confidence, and foster growth. I keep the conversations open, honest and create an environment where people do their best work (and occasionally, their weirdest).
Sofy.ai
Designing Complex QA Workflows
As Director of User Experience at Sofy, I owned the full design system for a dual-application platform supporting mobile QA teams - mixing up authoring flexibility with operational resilience.
Sofy Interactive Testing Lab
Designed flows for real-time device allocation, test creation, assert logic, and validation, helping users build stable, executable tests with confidence.
Execution & Reporting Portal
Streamlined application upload & management, test scheduling, results analysis, and offline editing to help teams adapt to app updates and regression needs.
Cross-Team Collaboration
Managed front-end design teams across time zones, including on-site collaboration in Pakistan to improve alignment, team mentorship, and product delivery.
Voice & Messaging
Led copywriting, interface language, and web content strategy to simplify technical language, build trust, and clarify complex QA processes.
Continuous Improvement
Worked closely with engineering and product teams to prioritize changes that reduced user friction and improved authoring accuracy.
My core focus was enabling engineers to spend less time debugging tests, and more time building product - with better test coverage, fewer brittle test cases, and actionable results.
Role
UX Director, Design Lead
Client
Sofy, in-house
Dr. Martens
Commerce with Kick
Over several years, Unexplored partnered with the Dr. Martens team to evolve their global digital experience, balancing conversion performance with the brand’s distinct voice and edge.
Checkout Redesign
Overhauled the full checkout flow to reduce friction and hesitation, driving a significant (hockey-stick shaped) lift in conversions.
Product Discovery
Reimagined homepage-to-product-detail navigation, streamlining the browsing experience while surfacing more product variety. The structure is still in active use today.
Brand Play
Designed multiple campaign microsites that blended playful scroll mechanics, motion, and bold creative to capture the Dr. Martens attitude.
Continuous collaboration with their global team allowed us to create durable systems that balanced business needs with brand integrity.
Role
UX Director, Strategist
Client
Dr. Martens
Fracture
Photography + Emotion
We partnered with Fracture to help evolve their entire digital experience, mixing up functional UX with lifestyle storytelling to reflect the emotional value of their product - and since that product is their customers’ memories, the emotions are critical.
Full-Site Redesign
Led UX for the core site experience, simplifying browsing, product selection, and checkout for both first-time and returning customers.
Interactive Uploader
Designed a frictionless flow for uploading, previewing, and ordering custom prints, with real-time visual feedback and error handling.
Creative Direction
Collaborated on multiple lifestyle photo shoots, shaping scene styling, props, mood, and narrative to reinforce brand voice and emotional resonance.
Brand Personality
Contributed to early brand development efforts to capture Fracture’s tone: simple, warm, and modern.
The result was a unified experience where product, story, and interaction all reflected the care customers feel when printing their most important moments.
Role
UX Director, Creative Collaboration
Client
Fracture
Revant Optics
Improving the Optics of Optics
Revant’s product catalog spanned hundreds of lens options across multiple brands, tints, and prescriptions — we helped make that complexity invisible for the customer.
Lens Finder:
Designed intuitive product discovery flows that let customers quickly identify the correct lenses for their specific frames across hundreds of SKUs.
Visual Comparisons:
Designed and directed interactive tools to help users preview lens quality, color, and coatings — increasing confidence and driving higher conversion rates.
Rx Management:
Created simple, clear prescription flows to handle custom orders without overwhelming users.
Checkout Optimization:
Applied proven patterns to streamline checkout, reduce friction, and support a high-stakes, high-consideration purchase.
Conversion Focus:
Balanced educational content with fast paths for returning customers who already knew what they needed.
The end-to-end experience combined Revant’s technical excellence with an accessible, confidence-building buying journey
Role
UX Director, Team Lead
Client
Revant Optics at Copious
