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.

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 · Framer · Principle
  • 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.

There's a real person at the end of every flow. I try not to forget that.

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.

Selected work

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. Occasional artist.

DisciplineProduct · Systems · Research
LocationSeattle, remote friendly
StatusSelective. Right team, right problem.

Work

Takes

On tools

Figma for flows. Framer when something needs to feel alive. Principle when a flat click-through won't cut it.

On systems

Atomic design is a great idea most teams implement in a way that makes everyone miserable. The trick is knowing when to stop abstracting.

On research

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

On AI

It's not a threat to good design thinking. It's a threat to designers who've been coasting on deliverables.

Currently

Building MoodiBoard: ambient art driven by real-time signals. Selectively open. Right team, right problem, ideally both involving AI.