# Dave Anderson > Staff Product Designer | Platform & Design Systems Leader | AI, SaaS, Mobile (iOS & Android), Product Strategy Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/daveanderson I’m a Staff Product Designer with 14+ years leading platform and core product design for SaaS, B2B, and consumer products. I focus on building foundations that make products scalable, consistent, and easy to use. At Houzz, I led design systems work that standardized UI patterns across multiple products, reduced design time, and increased development velocity. This work improved cross-functional collaboration, and modernized organizational processes to ship products faster and with greater consistency. I’ve also led redesigns of native iOS and Android apps to better align with platform guidelines, improving usability, increasing engagement, and removing friction from key user flows. I thrive working with complex systems where clarity, consistency, and scale matter. I partner closely with product and engineering to define direction, drive alignment, and turn ambiguity into practical, well-crafted solutions. If you’re working on platform, design systems, or foundational product challenges, I’d love to connect. Portfolio: www.daveanderson.design ## Work Experience ### Product Design Manager @ Houzz Jan 2024 – Jan 2026 | San Francisco Bay Area Led design strategy for Houzz Pro’s core product experience and platform, shaping and evolving foundational features while driving overall design direction. Led design of core platform experiences across web and mobile, improving how professionals run their business and shaping high-intent user journeys, including Takeoffs, permissions and sharing, multi-factor authentication, notifications, and client, team, and vendor management. Guided AI implementation across core product experiences, advising teams on effective integration approaches and establishing design patterns for AI feature development. Led design of the AI symbol recognition feature in Houzz Pro Takeoffs, with strong engagement at launch: 56% of users completed multiple detection sessions, 22.7% returned for repeat usage, and an average of 12 symbols counted per session. Aligned 10+ product and engineering teams around shared interaction models, scalable design patterns, and accessibility guidelines, strengthening system-level thinking and reducing fragmentation. Partnered with Product and Engineering leadership to define roadmap priorities and product strategy for Houzz Pro, shaping 5+ quarters of product direction and aligning cross-functional teams around shared goals. Managed a team of 2 and mentored ~10 designers through bi-weekly critiques, workshops, and reviews, elevating design quality and strategic impact across the organization. ### Senior Product Designer @ Houzz Jan 2018 – Jan 2024 | Palo Alto, CA Led design for core consumer and SaaS platform experiences, defining strategy, end-to-end product experiences for 12+ major initiatives, and design system architecture for a platform serving millions of homeowners and a worldwide network of professionals. Owned end-to-end design of business-critical initiatives, from exploration through launch and iteration, including lead management, homeowner project planning, idea discovery, and emerging mobile experiences (LiDAR scanning, 3D product visualization, and tools for designing directly within real-world spaces). Defined the strategy, architecture, and governance model for Houzz's design system (including a semantic color system spanning web and iOS/Android), launching ~40 scalable UI components and driving adoption across 10+ teams and 2 products over multiple years. Partnered closely with Product, Engineering, Data, and Research to define metrics and run 10+ annual experiments across consumer and Houzz Pro experiences, contributing to measurable improvements in pro-homeowner lead quality and connection rates. Leveraged design research and prototyping to clarify complex product experiences, align teams, and lead user research from planning through testing and insights to inform product decisions. ### UX Designer, Mobile Apps @ Houzz Jan 2013 – Jan 2018 | Palo Alto, CA Owned design for the award-winning Houzz Android app and 4.8 star-rated iOS app, leading core product redesigns and feature development for experiences used by millions of users (Google Play Best App, 2016). Initiated major mobile platform redesigns in alignment with iOS and Material Design launches, modernizing the experience and creating consistent interaction patterns across platforms. Partnered with engineering to drive ideation and experimentation for Houzz’s mobile apps, developing new services and features that led the way in emerging mobile technologies for home remodeling and design. Translated complex web workflows into intuitive mobile-first experiences, extending Houzz’s e-commerce marketplace capabilities to mobile. ### UI/UX Designer @ Webtab, Inc. Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco Bay Area Designed end-to-end experiences for a mobile food and beverage platform supporting real-time ordering and payments. Designed iOS, Android, and web interfaces for in-venue ordering, loyalty programs, and POS workflows. Collaborated closely with engineers and founders to prototype and ship tools supporting both consumer experiences and operational workflows for venues. ### Usability Lab Coordinator @ Academy of Art University Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 Usability Lab Coordinator: Performed user testing studies on graduate New Media thesis projects. Utilized all key aspects of interactive design and UX to analyze and make recommendations. Conducted analyses and performed user testing studies for new Academy of Art University website. ### Inbound Marketing @ Optimizely Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 Inbound Marketing Intern: Conceptualized, created and executed social media strategy for Y Combinator startup. Maintained social media with audience specific information regarding A/B testing and UI/UX design. ### Reporter/ Writer @ Lamorinda Weekly Jan 2007 – Jan 2008 Bi-weekly newspaper with 30,000 circulation; Developed 3 articles per issue for publication Report on local sports, city council meetings, community events and human interest stories in Lafayette, Orinda, and Moraga. Conducted interviews, attended local meetings/events, and recommended topics. ## Education ### MFA in Computer Arts New Media Academy of Art University ### Bachelor's degree in Anthropology University of California, Berkeley ### Bachelor's degree in Anthropology University of California, Berkeley ### Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology University of California, Berkeley ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidandersondesign - Portfolio: https://www.daveanderson.design --- Source: https://flows.cv/daveanderson JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/daveanderson/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13