Stephen Sherwood
Home About Smash MoodiBoard
Selective · AI-forward teams

I design technology that fits into life rather than interrupting it.

Stephen Sherwood, Product Designer based in Seattle. Four years across SaaS, design systems, and user research.

Résumé

Currently building

MoodiBoard: a living art platform where real-time signals drive generative visuals on screen. Built solo: product, design, and full-stack engineering.

Selected work

Salvaging the Smash MVP 2024 · LMS MoodiBoard 2025 – Present · Generative AI
Experience 4 yrs Product + systems
Eng teams 3 Cross-functional

Core stack

  • Figma · Adobe Creative Suite · v0
  • Figma MCP · Claude Code
  • Design systems & token architecture
  • User research & usability testing
  • Prototyping & spec writing for engineers
  • AI-assisted workflows

Founding designer at an edtech startup. Shipped the core learning product with three engineering teams to 2,000+ learners.

Built the design system first, then the product. Specs developers actually read. Figma to merged PR.

Product designer
I make the intangible tangible

BasedSeattle · Remote
StatusSelectively open
Résumé

Four years across SaaS, design systems, and user research. I design technology that fits into life rather than interrupting it. I'll show you what I considered and cut, not just what shipped

Salvaging the Smash MVP

A stalled LMS, an offshore team on a waterfall contract, and five months to make it ship

Smash2023Product StrategyDesign Systems
Outcome

$220K+ in dev costs saved. NPS from negative to +43. First paid corporate partnerships

Read case study

MoodiBoard

A living art platform where the visuals on your screen are driven by real-time signals, built solo, from product strategy to full-stack engineering

Somware2025 – PresentGenerative AIFull-Stack
Approach

Self-hosted Stable Diffusion + ControlNet. Agentic signal selection. Solo build with Claude Code, Figma MCP, and v0

Read case study
01

Systems thinking

Architecture before ornament. Component libraries and token systems built to survive the six-month mark

02

Research-led product

Interviews, usability testing, synthesis. Evidence over assertion. Opinions with their trade-offs attached

03

Shipping with engineers

Three engineering teams, founding design at an edtech startup. Figma to merged PR. Specs developers read

Product designer
who loves making the intangible tangible

DisciplineProduct · Systems · Research
LocationSeattle, remote friendly
StatusSelective. Right team, right problem.
Résumé
№ 01
Smash2024Product StrategyDesign Systems

Salvaging the Smash MVP

A stalled LMS, an offshore team on a waterfall contract, and five months to make it ship

Read full case study
№ 02
Somware2025 – PresentGenerative AIFull-Stack

MoodiBoard

A living art platform where the visuals on screen are driven by real-time signals, built solo, from product strategy to full-stack engineering

Read full case study
On tools

Agents and MCP servers are our friends, but they require adapting a new approach

On systems

Design systems can be made with an agentic workflow that isn't painful! (Ask me how)

On research

The methodology matters less than how honest you are about what you found

On AI

It's a force multiplier, not a threat. I run monthly design events in Seattle to help designers how to use it well

Currently

Building MoodiBoard: a generative art platform that responds to your life in a friendly, delightful way. I'm having a heckin' good time building it