Head of Design
Tony Hahn
I build design organizations that drive business outcomes. Design systems, team culture, and strategic UX—with experience leading AI and Gen AI initiatives from the ground up.
Scroll to learn moreCase Studies
Selected initiatives where I led design strategy, team building, or systems work. Each shows the problem, my approach, and outcomes.
Problem
Design was bottlenecked. Inconsistent patterns, no shared language, and each team solving the same problems differently.
Approach
Led the creation of a design system and governance model. Hired and structured a design ops function. Established research practices that informed both product and design decisions.
Outcome
Reduced design-to-dev handoff time by 40%. Shipped a unified experience across 4 product lines. Design became a strategic partner in roadmap planning.
Problem
A growth-stage company had no design function. Product and engineering were making UX decisions without user insight or design rigor.
Approach
Built the design org from scratch: hiring plan, leveling, career framework. Defined design principles and process. Created the first design system and research practice.
Outcome
Grew the team to 12 designers in 18 months. Design now embedded in product squads. NPS improved 23 points after design-led initiatives.
Problem
An analytics product had low adoption. Executives found it overwhelming; power users wanted more depth. Two audiences, one product.
Approach
Led research to understand both user segments. Redefined information architecture with progressive disclosure. Designed a flexible component system for different data densities.
Outcome
Executive adoption increased 3x. Power user satisfaction scores rose. The product became a key differentiator in enterprise sales.
Problem
A startup wanted to build a Gen AI–powered product but had no design function. The team needed to move fast while defining what good looks like for AI UX.
Approach
Joined as founding design lead. Established design principles for AI interactions—transparency, control, and human-in-the-loop. Built the design practice in parallel with product development, integrating AI into our research and prototyping workflows.
Outcome
Shipped an AI product that balanced automation with user agency. Design became the bridge between ML capabilities and usable experiences. Set patterns the team still uses today.
Design Systems & Ops
I've built and evolved design systems at multiple companies. It's not just components—it's the infrastructure that lets design scale without losing quality or consistency. That includes AI-augmented workflows and patterns for designing with AI in the loop.
- Design system governance and contribution models
- Component libraries (Figma + code) that scale
- Design tokens and theming for product consistency
- Documentation and adoption strategies
- Measuring design system impact (velocity, consistency)
- AI-augmented design workflows and component generation
Team & Culture
Design leadership is people leadership. I focus on building teams that trust each other, ship consistently, and grow together. I've led the AI transformation of design in my teams—evolving our process, tools, and output to work with Gen AI while keeping craft and intent at the center.
Hiring & structure
Built design teams from 0 to 12+, defined leveling and career frameworks, and created hiring processes that surface both craft and collaboration skills.
Design culture
Established design principles, critique practices, and rituals that keep teams aligned. Design reviews that actually improve work, not just approve it.
Cross-functional partnership
Design embedded in product squads with clear ownership. Strong relationships with product, engineering, and leadership so design has a seat at the table.
AI transformation of design
Led teams through the shift to AI-augmented workflows. Evolved process, tooling, and output—designing for and with Gen AI while maintaining quality and human-centered intent.
Work History
Design leadership roles across growth-stage and enterprise companies.
Eightfold AI
Head of UX Special Projects
Sept 2024 – PresentFounding designer for Viven's Digital Twin product, incubated within Eightfold AI. Defining UX for AI-native digital twin experiences from the ground up. Establishing design principles, patterns, and workflows for emerging Gen AI product category.
Head of Product Design
April 2018 – Aug 2024Led design organization for AI-powered talent intelligence platform used by Fortune 500 companies. Built and scaled design team; shaped visual and interactive landscape across recruiting, talent management, and workforce planning. Translated complex AI and ML concepts into intuitive interfaces. Established design system and maintained cohesive design language. Drove AI transformation of design workflows and positioned design as strategic partner to product and engineering.
VP, User Experience
App Annie
Led user experience for leading mobile intelligence and analytics platform. Directed UX strategy across data-heavy products; improved clarity and usability for enterprise customers. Partnered with product and engineering on roadmap and prioritization.
Head of Design
Upwork
Head of UX Design at Elance through merger with oDesk to form Upwork. Led design for marketplace serving millions of freelancers and clients. Built design team and established UX practices at scale. Co-inventor of onboarding dashboard patent (US 14/628,095) for transitioning freelancers into engaged workers. Shipped core flows for hiring, project management, and payments across web and mobile.
Head of Design
Sling Media
Led design for early streaming TV product. Defined UX for live and on-demand viewing across platforms. Built design team and established visual and interaction standards for emerging category.
Director, User Experience
Rearden Commerce
Directed UX for enterprise commerce and procurement platform. Led design team; improved usability and adoption for complex B2B workflows. Aligned design with product and business strategy.
Director, User Experience and Design
Yahoo! Inc.
Led UX and design for Yahoo products at global scale. Managed design team; drove consistency and quality across properties. Partnered with product and engineering on major initiatives.
VP, Interaction Design – North America
Fitch Inc. (Landor)
Led interaction design practice across North America for global brand consultancy. Built and managed design team; delivered digital experiences for Fortune 500 clients. Brought interaction design discipline to brand-led projects.
VP, Director of Experience
Wunderman
Led experience design for global digital agency. Directed team on client engagements; delivered strategy, IA, and UX for enterprise and consumer products. Scaled design quality and process across accounts.
Associate Partner, Director of Information Architecture
CKS / USWeb / marchFIRST
Led information architecture practice during dot-com era at major digital consultancy. Built IA discipline and team; delivered large-scale web and application projects for enterprise clients. Defined structure and navigation for complex digital products.
Senior Interface Designer
Siegel & Gale
Interface design for brand and digital experiences at pioneering simplification consultancy. Designed for Fortune 500 clients; contributed to early web and software projects. Foundation in user-centered design and brand systems.
About
I lead design organizations that connect user needs to business outcomes. My background spans hands-on product design to building and scaling design teams at growth-stage and enterprise companies. I've founded and led design for AI and Gen AI–focused products, and I've driven the AI transformation of design—evolving how teams work, what we produce, and how we integrate Gen AI into our discipline.
I'm drawn to environments where design can be a strategic function—where we influence roadmap, shape culture, and measure impact. I care about mentorship, clear communication, and creating conditions for designers to do their best work.
How I lead
Design as strategy
Design decisions drive business outcomes. I align design roadmaps with product and company goals, making the case for investment with data and user insight.
Scale through systems
Design systems and ops aren't overhead—they're force multipliers. I build foundations that let teams move faster while raising quality.
Teams that ship
Great design comes from great teams. I focus on hiring, structure, and culture so designers can do their best work.