Over a decade of experience designing products people love.
I specialize in helping small to medium-sized companies craft user-centered products that align with business objectives. I believe in the power of inclusive collaboration, solving real problems, continuous iteration, and prioritizing both user and business impact.
Experience
Product Design Consultant, Jessica Gillis Design, Feb 2024 - Present
Focused on AI projects, I help startups and mid-sized companies bring their visions to life through product design. I divide my time between client work, where I focus on crafting user-centered products, and my role as a founder, where I explore and develop new product and business ideas through the lens of AI.
Staff Product Designer, Buoy Software, Jan 2023 - Feb 2024
At Buoy, I led the product design strategy for a consumer-facing mobile app that empowers plasma donors to connect with donation centers, schedule appointments, engage with meaningful incentives, and track payments.
Key Achievements:
Innovative Appointment Scheduling: Designed and implemented a new scheduling system that introduced the ability for donors to select mobile donation locations, expanding options beyond traditional brick-and-mortar centers.
Holistic App Strategy: Developed a comprehensive strategy to ensure seamless integration across all app sections, enhancing user motivation and ensuring follow-through on donation appointments.
Customer Research Initiative: Launched and led a ground-up customer research initiative to better understand donor needs and inform design decisions.
Leadership in Collaboration: Facilitated cross-functional brainstorms and roadmapping sessions, aligning teams on product vision and execution.
Design Team Development: Established rituals within the design team to promote cross-team collaboration, foster knowledge sharing, and elevate the quality of work across the board.
Staff Product Designer, Buoy Software, Jan 2023 - Feb 2024
At Buoy, I led the product design strategy for a consumer-facing mobile app that empowers plasma donors to connect with donation centers, schedule appointments, engage with meaningful incentives, and track payments.
Key Achievements:
Innovative Appointment Scheduling: Designed and implemented a new scheduling system that introduced the ability for donors to select mobile donation locations, expanding options beyond traditional brick-and-mortar centers.
Holistic App Strategy: Developed a comprehensive strategy to ensure seamless integration across all app sections, enhancing user motivation and ensuring follow-through on donation appointments.
Customer Research Initiative: Launched and led a ground-up customer research initiative to better understand donor needs and inform design decisions.
Leadership in Collaboration: Facilitated cross-functional brainstorms and roadmapping sessions, aligning teams on product vision and execution.
Design Team Development: Established rituals within the design team to promote cross-team collaboration, foster knowledge sharing, and elevate the quality of work across the board.
Senior Product Designer II, Strava, April 2020 - Dec 2022
At Strava, the social network for athletes, I was an integral member of the team focused on fostering community and competition within athletic communities. My work centered on designing engaging experiences that connect athletes and amplify their competitive spirit.
Segment Leaderboards Redesign: Led the redesign of Segment Leaderboards, enhancing user engagement by emphasizing curiosity and comparison, resulting in a more interactive and motivating experience for athletes.
Group Challenge Innovation: Drove the end-to-end design of the new "Group Goal" challenge type, taking it from concept to launch. The feature quickly became the second most popular challenge type.
Tour de France Hub: Led product design for Strava's first-ever Tour de France Hub, offering a tailored experience for athletes to engage with the event. The hub attracted 1.3 million athletes, driving a 154% increase in engagement with professional athletes compared to previous tours.
Senior Product Designer II, Strava, April 2020 - Dec 2022
At Strava, the social network for athletes, I was an integral member of the team focused on fostering community and competition within athletic communities. My work centered on designing engaging experiences that connect athletes and amplify their competitive spirit.
Segment Leaderboards Redesign: Led the redesign of Segment Leaderboards, enhancing user engagement by emphasizing curiosity and comparison, resulting in a more interactive and motivating experience for athletes.
Group Challenge Innovation: Drove the end-to-end design of the new "Group Goal" challenge type, taking it from concept to launch. The feature quickly became the second most popular challenge type.
Tour de France Hub: Led product design for Strava's first-ever Tour de France Hub, offering a tailored experience for athletes to engage with the event. The hub attracted 1.3 million athletes, driving a 154% increase in engagement with professional athletes compared to previous tours.
Founder, Hammock, June 2019 - Mar 2020
After several years of freelancing, I recognized the need for a tool to help freelancers navigate the challenges of self-employment. Hammock was born to assist freelancers in managing their monthly runway, tracking expenses, and estimating quarterly taxes. As the founder, I wore many hats and led several key initiatives to bring this vision to life.
Customer Research & Validation: Conducted extensive interviews with prospective customers to uncover pain points and identify opportunities, ensuring the product directly addressed the unique needs of freelancers.
End-to-End Product Design: Designed a comprehensive product experience, including seamless bank integrations and intuitive educational elements to help freelancers manage their finances like small businesses.
MVP Development & Launch: Collaborated closely with my engineer co-founder to ship a MVP, rapidly iterating based on user feedback.
Brand Messaging & Storytelling: Crafted compelling messaging and a narrative from the ground up, effectively communicating our value proposition to attract and engage our target audience.
Community Engagement & Advocacy: Spoke at industry meetups and conferences, sharing insights on freelancing and validating the product direction through direct feedback from peers.
Content & SEO Strategy: Authored blog posts and developed tools like runway and salary calculators to drive organic traffic and boost SEO performance.
Pricing Strategy Development: Formulated a strategic pricing model for our subscription-based service, balancing customer value with business sustainability.
Founder, Hammock, June 2019 - Mar 2020
After several years of freelancing, I recognized the need for a tool to help freelancers navigate the challenges of self-employment. Hammock was born to assist freelancers in managing their monthly runway, tracking expenses, and estimating quarterly taxes. As the founder, I wore many hats and led several key initiatives to bring this vision to life.
Customer Research & Validation: Conducted extensive interviews with prospective customers to uncover pain points and identify opportunities, ensuring the product directly addressed the unique needs of freelancers.
End-to-End Product Design: Designed a comprehensive product experience, including seamless bank integrations and intuitive educational elements to help freelancers manage their finances like small businesses.
MVP Development & Launch: Collaborated closely with my engineer co-founder to ship a MVP, rapidly iterating based on user feedback.
Brand Messaging & Storytelling: Crafted compelling messaging and a narrative from the ground up, effectively communicating our value proposition to attract and engage our target audience.
Community Engagement & Advocacy: Spoke at industry meetups and conferences, sharing insights on freelancing and validating the product direction through direct feedback from peers.
Content & SEO Strategy: Authored blog posts and developed tools like runway and salary calculators to drive organic traffic and boost SEO performance.
Pricing Strategy Development: Formulated a strategic pricing model for our subscription-based service, balancing customer value with business sustainability.
Freelance Product Designer, Jessica Gillis Design, July 2016 - Mar 2020
As a freelance product designer, I successfully partnered with a range of clients, from startup founders to mid-sized companies, providing tailored design solutions to meet their unique needs. My work encompassed the full spectrum of product design, from discovery to execution, helping businesses bring their ideas to life and evolve their products.
Key Services Provided:
End-to-End Product Design: Collaborated with startup founders and small teams to own the entire product design process, including discovery, UX, visual design, and working closely with engineers to ship.
Scaling MVPs: Enhanced MVPs by establishing robust design systems and developing new features based on customer feedback and evolving business goals.
Feature Development for Established Teams: Partnered with mid-sized companies, often as part of an existing design team, to deliver new features grounded in research and customer insights.
Freelance Product Designer, Jessica Gillis Design, July 2016 - Mar 2020
As a freelance product designer, I successfully partnered with a range of clients, from startup founders to mid-sized companies, providing tailored design solutions to meet their unique needs. My work encompassed the full spectrum of product design, from discovery to execution, helping businesses bring their ideas to life and evolve their products.
Key Services Provided:
End-to-End Product Design: Collaborated with startup founders and small teams to own the entire product design process, including discovery, UX, visual design, and working closely with engineers to ship.
Scaling MVPs: Enhanced MVPs by establishing robust design systems and developing new features based on customer feedback and evolving business goals.
Feature Development for Established Teams: Partnered with mid-sized companies, often as part of an existing design team, to deliver new features grounded in research and customer insights.
Product Designer, Yard Club, Nov 2013 - July 2016
As the first product design hire at Yard Club, a marketplace for heavy equipment rentals, I played a pivotal role in shaping the product from inception to its successful acquisition by Caterpillar in 2016. My responsibilities spanned across all aspects of product design, ensuring a seamless and efficient rental experience for users.
Key Achievements:
Marketplace Design: Designed the core marketplace platform, enabling customers to effortlessly list, search for, and rent heavy equipment.
End-to-End Rental Lifecycle Product: Conceptualized and designed a 0-1 product that managed the entire rental lifecycle, from equipment pickup to return, including features for inspections, tracking, and messaging.
User Feedback Integration: Actively synthesized user feedback to refine and improve designs, ensuring the product met user needs and expectations.
Multi-Platform Product Design: Led the product design direction across web, iOS, and Android platforms, delivering a consistent and user-friendly experience.
Collaborative Product Strategy: Worked closely with the CEO to shape the overall product direction, aligning design decisions with business goals and market needs.
Product Designer, Yard Club, Nov 2013 - July 2016
As the first product design hire at Yard Club, a marketplace for heavy equipment rentals, I played a pivotal role in shaping the product from inception to its successful acquisition by Caterpillar in 2016. My responsibilities spanned across all aspects of product design, ensuring a seamless and efficient rental experience for users.
Key Achievements:
Marketplace Design: Designed the core marketplace platform, enabling customers to effortlessly list, search for, and rent heavy equipment.
End-to-End Rental Lifecycle Product: Conceptualized and designed a 0-1 product that managed the entire rental lifecycle, from equipment pickup to return, including features for inspections, tracking, and messaging.
User Feedback Integration: Actively synthesized user feedback to refine and improve designs, ensuring the product met user needs and expectations.
Multi-Platform Product Design: Led the product design direction across web, iOS, and Android platforms, delivering a consistent and user-friendly experience.
Collaborative Product Strategy: Worked closely with the CEO to shape the overall product direction, aligning design decisions with business goals and market needs.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Graphic Design from The Art Institute of California, San Francisco
Graduated in March 2012
Looking for design help with your project?
I'm currently available to take on new clients for short or long term projects. Send an email to me@jessicagillis.com to get in touch.
Looking for design help with your project?
I'm currently available to take on new clients for short or long term projects. Send an email to me@jessicagillis.com to get in touch.
Looking for design help with your project?
I'm currently available to take on new clients for short or long term projects. Send an email to me@jessicagillis.com to get in touch.