# Kai Daniels

> Product Designer

Location: San Francisco, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/kaidaniels

## Work Experience
### Product Designer @ PBLWorks
Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | Novato, California, United States
Collaborated in designing and launching TEACH, an application enabling teachers to deliver Project-Based Learning with high-quality, standards-aligned projects nationwide. Winner of the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) Best in Show Award (2025).

Built internal Publisher tool for Project creation and established a comprehensive design system.

### Lead Product Designer, Mobile & Design Systems @ Academia.edu
Jan 2019 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco, California, United States
Led the design of Academia’s iOS and Android applications, achieving high user ratings of 4.8 stars (both platforms), and securing over 2 million installs. Maintained continuous improvement and engagement for both platforms, achieving 160K MAU on iOS and 240K MAU on Android.

Led the design for Reader Tools, a new paid subscription service focused on enhancing text readability from extracted PDFs.

Led and managed the design for a multi-surface design system, enhancing integration and consistency across mobile and web platforms. This effort bolstered team collaboration and unified the user experience. Collaborated closely with the "Front-End Guild" to align design with product needs and engineering development constraints.

### Product Designer @ Academia.edu
Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco
Led the design of Academia's premium design visual language and branding, effectively differentiating paid products and enhancing brand consistency. Instrumental in architecting marketing pages and campaigns, funneling subscription conversion rates to peaks of 20,000 upgrades per month.

Collaborated in the design of 'Websites' within Academia Premium, enabling academics to create personalized websites to showcase their work, thereby increasing platform engagement.

### User Experience Design Intern @ Google
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Mountain View, California
Developed original designs and prototypes in bringing the Inbox by Gmail experience to Android Wear and iOS.

### Design Intern @ Gengo
Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | San Mateo, California
Collaborated in designing infographics for marketing campaigns & various visual designs.

### Designer @ Student Union, Inc.
Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | San Jose, California
Collaborated in designing banners, flyers, & marketing materials for the Student Union of San José State University.


## Education
### Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
San José State University


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/daniels-kai
- Portfolio: http://kaidaniels.io
- Portfolio: http://instagram.com/kaigenji

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Source: https://flows.cv/kaidaniels
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/kaidaniels/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-13