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I’m a product designer seasoned by the startup space —
experienced in delivering pixel-perfect + accessible products.
experienced in delivering pixel-perfect + accessible products.
I believe in creating digital experiences that are both beautifully designed and genuinely user-focused. Lately, I've been curious how technology has shifted post-pandemic and what that means for human interaction. In 2021, I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and attained my certificate in UX from Designlab in 2022. I have a niche interest in working at startups that want to change & push the envelope. I've freelanced in a variety of industries before landing at my current role at REALLY.
I'm a digital product designer seasoned by the startup space —
experienced in delivering pixel-perfect + accessible products.
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Senior UX Designer @ Oracle
“...I saw first-hand his thorough research process...”
Danielle Urban
2023'
Senior Product Designer @ PorchPass
“One of the most promising designer I’ve come across...”
Stefan Balan
2025'
Head of Design @ REALLY
“Michael is an absolute powerhouse. Working on a two-person...”
Matthew Stephens
2024'
Project Coordinator @ Rainforest Partnerships
“I was lucky to work with Michael on creating a new...”
Nia Gorbunova
Product Designer @ Hero Digital
“...is meticulous in crafting experiences that bring joy ...”
Lisa Yang
Freelance Designer
“...[he] embraces new approaches to
problem-solving...”
Riley Garinger
Senior UX Designer @ Oracle
“...I saw first-hand his thorough research process...”
Danielle Urban
Senior Product Designer @ PorchPass
“One of the most promising designer I’ve come across...”
Stefan Balan
2025'
Head of Design @ REALLY
“Michael is an absolute powerhouse. Working on a two-person...”
Matthew Stephens
2024'
Project Coordinator @ Rainforest Partnerships
“I was lucky to work with Michael on creating a new...”
Nia Gorbunova
Product Designer @ Hero Digital
“...is meticulous in crafting experiences that bring joy ...”
Lisa Yang
Head of Design @ REALLY
“Michael is an absolute powerhouse. Working on a two-person...”
Matthew Stephens
2024'
Product Designer @ Hero Digital
“...is meticulous in crafting experiences that bring joy ...”
Lisa Yang
Selected Work
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2025
Loud and Clear is a voice training app for folks with Parkinson’s, using daily guided exercises and real-time feedback to improve speech.
Partnering directly with the founder—a clinical speech-language pathologist— we bootstrapped and turned clinical expertise into a user-friendly, accessible product experience. We refined key user flows, establishing scalable UI patterns, and prepared a full redesign of the marketing website.
Case study available
→ upon request.avif)
2023 - 2025
REALLY Wireless is a privacy-first mobile service that combines AI-powered call protection, encrypted communication, and nationwide 5G coverage into a simple, secure phone plan.
At REALLY Wireless, I wore a lot of hats—as one of two designers, I helped build the design system from scratch, redesigned + developed the website, launched a new onboarding platform, and led the overhaul of our in-app dashboard. The onboarding work alone led to a 17% boost in ARR within two months. Working in a fast-paced startup taught me how to prioritize ruthlessly, ship fast, and build scalable design solutions thats actually adaptable.
Case study available
→ read more
2025
PorchPass is a digital lending platform that helps manufactured
home buyers get pre-qualified in minutes and approved in days —
cutting loan friction for dealerships across the country.
I joined as the third designer and helped shape the product from the ground up. I led the v1 design of our borrower portal—focusing on making a complex, regulated loan process feel simple and human. I also helped build out a lightweight but flexible design system to keep our small team moving fast without sacrificing consistency. The redesign helped cut application time by 23% and made the whole experience feel way less intimidating for first-time buyers.
Case study available
→ read more
About
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Howdy, I'm Michael
at the moment — building in Austin, Texas
I've designed at a variety of early-stage startups,
driving work across the full design stack—from ideation through implementation and iteration. Crafting features, design systems, brands, and even pushing code.
driving work across the full design stack—from ideation through implementation and iteration. Crafting features, design systems, brands, and even pushing code.
Freelance Designer
Remote
2023 — Current
Product Designer
PorchPass
2025
Associate Designer
REALLY Wireless
2023 — 2025
Product Design Bootcamp
Designlab
2022
Univ. of Texas at Austin
2016 — 2021
Lé need-to-knows
... Simply put. I like to build.
My Style —
Being proactive. Moving thoughtfully. Asking questions. Leading by example. Seeing the forest and the trees. Fostering collaboration and cultivating a supportive cross functional design culture.
What I love to do —
Solving complex problems. Bringing structure to nebulous environments. Evolving a concept into a tangible outcome. Driving strategic design initiatives. Translating design mocks into playful prototypes.
How I stay creative —
Connecting with nature. Consuming a wide range of information. Having a dialogue. Experiencing diverse cultures and viewpoints. Taking care of my body and mind. Putting pen to paper.
For hiring managers and recruiters —
Throughout my recent professional journey, I've had the privilege of leading impactful product and marketing design initiatives across high-visibility projects and diverse industries. Most recently, my experience as a Design Lead has been primarily focused on striking a balance between hands-on design work and leading design projects to ensure projects meet both creative and strategic objectives.
For fellow collaborators —
Depending on the week and the nature of the project, my contributions ensure a solid combination of focused design work and active engagement in team activities. I usually allocate approx 70% of my work week to hands-on design work, including ideating, problem solving, creating visual artifacts, and prototyping. The remaining 30% is dedicated to project planning, establishing processes, and collaborative efforts, such as meetings, cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring activities.
In 2022, I shifted my focus from being a digital strategist working in advertising to creating digital product experiences.
Previously as a digital strategist at a marketing agency, I worked at the intersection of data, creativity, and user behavior to optimize engagement and business outcomes. But naturally I grew curious to move beyond measuring impact to actually shaping it—building intuitive, accessible products that solve real user problems. From transitioning into product design, i’m excited to collaborate with cross-functional teams in tech to create experiences that are both strategic and human-centered.
REALLY.com
Currently working at really.com ~ Design Systems / UX / Webflow / Mobile App Development
I am part of a two-person design team overseeing all aspects of design at the company. As a telecommunications startup, we take a mobile-first approach to every project, ensuring our designs align with both user needs and business objectives. I collaborate closely with our engineering team on mobile app development—designing and refining our onboarding flow, privacy-focused sign-up, and dashboard experience to drive engagement and retention. I also help evolve and maintain our rapidly growing design system, ensuring consistency and scalability, while also serving as our company’s webmaster.
Darwin Homes
∙ Building a recommendation tool for home repair vendors
Building a recommendation tool for home repair vendors
2024
Desktop/Mobile Feature ∙ UX Research / UX Design
The Darwin Homes Ops team had trouble selecting the right people for the right job. I designed a tool to select the best vendor - speeding up service requests by 30%.
Films for The Forest
∙ Redesign & Dynamic Library Archive Feature
2023
Desktop/Mobile Redesign ∙ UX / UI / Information Architecture
Films for the Forest is an annual juried short film collection that uses the power of creative storytelling to convene, empower, and activate global audiences to take action on behalf of the world's forests.
Youtube Mobile
∙ Personal Recommendations Feature
2022
Desktop/Mobile Application • UX Research / UX Design
A new feature that helps users discover new and relevant content easily, by creating a network of human-based recommendations from both friends and creators they relate to.
