# Jason Cozy > AI First | Product Design Lead | AI Builder | User Experience | Creator Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/jasoncozy AI-Powered Product Designer — Building the Future of Human-AI Collaboration Product Designer and AI Implementation Leader with 20+ years of UX expertise pioneering the recent AI-powered design workflows and process improvements. A passion to align corporate strategies with current technology advancements—enabling a unique advantage to storytelling that pushes for team collaboration and user-centered design solutions and LLM-powered user experiences. I am a curious self learner who enjoys digging into complex problems to extract solutions that are intuitive and easy to use. Over the past couple of years I have been experimenting with a large variety of AI tools and generative AI to improve my process. I have led the product design of two recent conversational AI apps exploring the best possible ways to communicate with and achieve my goals while using AI solutions collaboratively. My product experience spans diverse domains—from consumer animation software to enterprise grant management, HVAC energy rebate systems, data platforms, and digital publishing. Each business presented unique constraints and user needs—training me to identify universal UX patterns while respecting domain-specific complexity. This breadth, combined with 3+ years systematically applying AI to accelerate research synthesis and design iteration, enables me to navigate complexity and deliver user-centered solutions faster than traditional approaches allow. ## Work Experience ### Head of Design @ productOps, Inc. Jan 2019 – Jan 2025 | Santa Cruz, California, United States Product Design Leadership & AI Transformation • Grant Management Platform: Led design of multi-fund enterprise platform serving 115 California Community Colleges, 10,000+ users, managing $3B annually. Collaborated with Executive Vice Chancellor and Academic Deans on strategic initiatives. Designed allocation management, multi-stage approvals, fiscal reporting, and compliance architecture. • AI-Powered Discovery: Pioneered AI-enhanced methodology using NotebookLM to synthesize 20+ years of training materials and transcripts, accelerating knowledge acquisition from months to weeks. Reduced research synthesis time by 60%. • Energy Rebate Platform: Directed discovery and design for HVAC distributor application. Used AI-generated SQL queries to inform data architecture. Delivered platform with efficiency improvement. • Conversational AI Interface: Led design of enterprise prompt-building tool, iterating from complex 4-step workflow to streamlined conversational interface. Developed working POC using AI-powered competitive analysis. • AI Transformation Leadership: Scaled company AI adoption through training programs (brown bags, workshops, happy hours). Built custom GPTs for client workflows. Reduced design-to-prototype time by 30%. • Code-Based Design Innovation: Transformed design/developer collaboration using AI tools. Replaced pixel-only workflows with hybrid methodology enabling faster iteration and accurate handoffs. • Consulting Delivery: Executed technology consulting for legacy system evaluation, process optimization, and digital transformation. Created landscape diagrams, journey maps, roadmaps supporting $M+ investment decisions. • Strategic Stakeholder Management: Maintained client relationships across education, energy, and technology. Translated technical requirements into user-centered solutions through persona-driven storytelling. ### Senior UX Designer / Project Manager @ productOps, Inc. Jan 2015 – Jan 2019 | Santa Cruz • Project Leadership: Spearheaded the development of Choice Review Online, leading a skilled team of developers and overseeing all aspects of project execution from inception to completion. Consistently engaged with stakeholders to align project objectives with organizational goals. • Design Expertise: Personally designed the UI and UX, creating intuitive workflows tailored to user needs. Conducted comprehensive user research to ensure the platform’s design was both user-friendly and effective. • Stakeholder Engagement / Management: Excelled in managing stakeholder expectations and requirements, fostering strong relationships through effective communication and regular progress updates. • Risk Management: Proactively identified and mitigated project risks, ensuring smooth project progression and adherence to planned timelines and deliverables. • Problem-Solving Skills: Successfully navigated complex challenges, including tight deadlines and budget constraints, demonstrating exceptional problem-solving and resource management abilities. • Quality Standards: Upheld and enforced high-quality standards throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring all deliverables met or exceeded predefined criteria. • Client Management and Satisfaction: Built and maintained strong client relationships, efficiently addressing client needs and concerns. Delivered a solution that not only met but exceeded client goals, contributing significantly to enhanced user experience and client satisfaction. • Project Management Duties: Efficiently handled a wide range of project management duties, including seamless coordination, effective communication, and timely delivery of project milestones. ### Sr. Manager @ Smith Micro Software, Inc. Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Santa Cruz, California I've contributed successfully to multiple projects in both the consumer and enterprise groups. I have been fortunate enough to manage the consumer SQA team and beta programs for the past several years which keeps me in direct contact with key users, while driving the quality of products and directing feature design. UI/ UX Related : • Drove the Motion Artist product design from concept and strategy to shipping. • Designed countless workflows, features and UI elements for Anime Studio. • I continually contribute to design specifications, usability and functional improvements of software by working with engineers to solve problems and build efficient and useful experiences. • Contribute and specify web and database improvements for internal and customer facing websites. Other Key Contributions : • Work with product management to define short term goals and long term strategy, analyzing our production studio customer pipelines and workflow while helping to solve their problems. • Work closely with developers and product management to define feature specifications and usability improvements. • Manage dispersed team of 7 quality and support personnel. • Built and maintain several successful large external beta programs • Specified and configured Drupal beta site for beta team distribution of multiple software titles. • Oversee the development of quality standards and protocols for quality assurance testing models. • Assist in the design and implementation of policies, procedures for testing as well as evaluating the precision and accuracy of software products. • Manage inspection of digital, materials in process, physical and finished products. • Produce 2d & 3d content for use in software such as Poser, Anime Studio, and Manga Studio. ### QA Engineer @ Smith Micro Software, Inc. Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 Test lead on our 2d software products for the Productivity and Graphics Group. Creating and executing test plans, test cases, reporting issues, tracking issues, running bug reviews and regressing reports. Built and manage multiple beta programs. Specified and configured beta site for beta team distribution of multiple software programs. Work closely with developers and product management to define feature specifications and usability improvements. ### Project Manager Digital Content @ Smith Micro Software, Inc. Jan 2007 – Jan 2010 • Led a dynamic team comprising two internal employees and a network of international contract content creators, effectively managing cross-cultural communication and diverse time zones. • Spearheaded the procurement and management for hundreds of in-app and add-on content for major releases including Poser 8 and 9, as well as Moho 6 and 7, aligning product capabilities with market demands. • Demonstrated exceptional problem-solving skills, consistently meeting tight deadlines and delivering projects within budget constraints. • Played a pivotal role in the technical evaluation process, rigorously testing UV mapping and textures on 3D content, ensuring the highest standard in rigging and final rendering. • Successfully enhanced the user experience and product value through the introduction of high-quality, innovative content, catering to both beginner and advanced artists. • Cultivated and maintained productive relationships with dozens of international content creators, facilitating seamless collaboration, contract negotiations and efficient content development cycles. ### Multimedia Designer @ Bright Ideas Multimedia Jan 1990 – Jan 2010 Worked on a variety of projects from web design, Flash animations, DVD design and production, Icon and logo design, search engine optimization, video editing and production, along with QTVR and product photography with a focus on finding solution for our customers. ### Multimedia Designer @ e frontier Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 • Created user interface graphics and layout for Poser Figure Artist. • Designed layout and created 2D & 3D graphics for weekly newsletter. • Created graphics for Content Paradise website. • QA, package, create sales graphics and renders for 3D content products and figures. • Manage relationships with content creation vendors. ### Operations Support @ DigiEffects Jan 2005 – Jan 2005 • Wrote a specification for the Bleach Bypass After Effects Plug-in and managed the creation of it. • Developed online and print advertising spots. • Created graphics for packaging as well as the GM CD for Mac & Win versions of Cinelook 2. • Designed a quick reference card for Cinelook 2. • Demonstrated and evangelized the products at NAB. • Made web page updates, researched and implemented keywords along with statistics monitoring. ### Graphic UI Designer @ Borland Software Corporation Jan 2002 – Jan 2003 | Scotts Valley, California • Creation of hundreds of icons, installer & splash screens, among other user interface graphics. • Created a web repository of images used across the company’s spectrum of products utilizing HTML, CSS, and SSI. Repository contained design standards, status reports of projects, and guidelines for submitting an order. • Created web graphics and diagrams used for corporate communications and sell sheets. ### Web Master/Web Designer @ Open Avenue Inc. Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 • Created print and web graphics for the marketing department. • Designed layout, workflow and graphics for several web sites, linuxave.com , openave.net , cvshome.org. • Tested each web design, CSS, news pro script & HTML & page load on the current & past browsers. • Designed icons and graphics for multiple versions of OAsis ASP product. • Redesigned the CVS logo, Linux Ave and CodeCatalog logos for web and print display. • Developed interactive Flash walkthrough of the Oasis product features. • Created web advertising graphics placed on industry sites. • Created web repository of new and current graphics, documents & print graphics for internal use. ### Multimedia Producer @ Live Picture Jan 1997 – Jan 1999 • Utilized cutting edge Flashpix technology and incorporated it into demonstrations for company sales team and John Scully's Keynote presentations. • Worked on projects For Lexus, Martha Stewart Living, NASA, Minolta, Saab, IXL, USI, Spiegel, etc. • Worked with multiple digital and film cameras, including the Phase One for product shots, object movies, 2d Still life, and panoramic Images. ### QA Test Engineer @ Apple Computer, Inc. Jan 1995 – Jan 1997 Multimedia Integration Quality ## Education ### Interaction Design Specialty Nielsen Norman Group ### UX Management Nielson Norman Group ### Computer Illustration Western Wisconsin Technical College ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jcozy --- Source: https://flows.cv/jasoncozy JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/jasoncozy/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13