Design leadership for complex product ecosystems
I'm Blake Howard — a systems thinker and design leader with over a decade of experience across web, mobile, and SaaS. I turn complex challenges into scalable, intuitive solutions: evolving interaction models, architecting extensible design systems, and mentoring teams toward higher standards of craft.
Eight products, one system, 200,000+ hoteliers
Eight products in one hospitality CDP had grown independently. Hoteliers moved between them daily and re-learned the interface each time; teams rebuilt the same components in parallel.
I led design strategy across the ecosystem and owned a Figma-based design system — shared foundations, documented patterns, and a governance model that let eight teams contribute without drifting.
Unified product experiences and faster delivery across teams, reaching 200,000+ hoteliers and 800M+ guests — plus department-wide knowledge sessions that raised the baseline of craft.
About
I've partnered cross-functionally with product owners, engineers, and designers to shape consistent, human-centered product ecosystems. I lead with loyalty, transparency, and open communication — strong relationships are foundational to building great products.
As a designer who codes, I stay close to emerging technology to bridge design and engineering, so my contributions drive both vision and execution.
More about me →Experience
- 2021 — nowSenior Product DesignerRevinate — hospitality CDP
- 2020 — 2021Mobile App Platform ManagerA. O. Smith — IoT
- 2019 — 2020Product Manager & DesignerTakl — gig marketplace
- 2016 — 2019Head of Product DesignVaranIdea — AI SaaS incubator
- 2012 — 2016Web DeveloperFreelance & studio work