# Karin Little > UX and Product Leader | User-Centered Strategy, Research and Design Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/karinlittle With over 18 years of experience in UX design and innovation, I am a seasoned leader who has created impactful digital product experiences for global users and businesses. I have led and grown cross-disciplinary UX teams at Google, frog, Accenture, and Jawbone, delivering user-centered solutions for travel, media, health, and e-commerce domains. My core competencies include user research, creative direction, design systems, and data-driven experimentation. I have a passion for leveraging user insights and analysis to craft and communicate product vision and strategy, and to execute on meaningful features that solve user problems and drive business outcomes. As a mentor and coach, I have fostered a design-driven culture that encourages risk-taking, collaboration, and inclusion. I have also contributed to several women's leadership forums and initiatives. I am always eager to learn new skills and explore new challenges in the UX field. ## Work Experience ### UX Lead, Google Maps @ Google Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States As a senior design leader for Google Maps, I lead multifaceted UX initiatives at the intersection of driving, real-time traffic, multi-modal directions, and Gemini. I provide strategic and tactical direction for cross-functional projects across in-car UX, Android, iOS, and partner and enterprise platforms. I direct UX for the data platforms that enable Google Maps to operate as a reliable source of truth for users, drivers, developers, and partners. I build and lead teams to establish optimal creative environments in which people can thrive and do their best work. I enjoy collaborating closely with engineering, product, data and research partners to bring unique user value and product excellence to Maps, beloved by hundreds of millions of DAUs in 200+ countries who use it daily for directions, local searches, and real-time traffic. ### Senior Director, Travel and Lifestyle @ Capital One Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States Directed the user experience team focused on premium Venture X cardholder experience design. My focus included increasing user satisfaction and business value on travel, dining, entertainment, and airport lounge experiences. In close collaboration with marketing, research, product, engineering and data teams, I led innovative experiences and service offerings for high tier customers, aligned with company goals. ### Director of User Experience @ Walmart Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area Spearheaded an initiative to codify and extend the Walmart design system across multiple enterprise applications. My role required close collaboration with senior product, engineering, and design leaders to drive business-critical projects for store associates and third-party merchants. I directed initiatives leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance workflows and improve efficiency for the Me@ mobile platform, which serves 1.6M store associates. ### UX Lead, Travel Search @ Google Jan 2019 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area Led a team of senior managers and UX designers working on Google Search, Google Maps and Google's enterprise tools that power experiences focused on travel queries for hotels and vacation rentals. Partnered with executive PM and Eng leadership to guide the day to day deliverables of a broader 300 person team, including approving launches and collaborating on direction-setting for a business unit that contributes significantly to Google’s ad revenue. Led 0-1 projects to improve travel-related user journeys on YouTube and to develop a UX response to address European Commission regulatory requirements on Search. ### UX Lead, Google Play Apps @ Google Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | Mountain View, California, United States Oversaw a team of 20 UX managers and practitioners (designers, content strategists, researchers) in the development of Google’s first party media apps on Google Play. Collaborated on strategic direction setting, roadmaps and KR setting with executive Engineering and Product partners. Reviewed and approved monthly app launches on iOS and Android mobile apps, and living room (TV) app. Sponsored and participated in global user research studies in the UK and Japan.k ### Design Director, Product Experience @ Jawbone Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco Directed UX at a hardware company focused on improving health outcomes through fitness tracking and diabetes condition management. Managed 5-designer team focused on multiple product touchpoints including marketing and customer support websites, and product app for iOS and Android. Built and analyzed journey maps to better understand customer experience from first encounter with product through usageX ### Executive Service Design Director @ Fjord, Part of Accenture Song Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | San Francisco Head of UX for the accounts and design and research staff of the San Francisco studio, including creative direction for marquee clients Kohl's and AAA. Managed design team allocation, collaborated with account management on developing new business pipeline, fostered studio design culture, recruited and hired staff. Clients: AAA, Kohl's, Shopify ### Creative Director @ frog Jan 2007 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco Leveraged user-centered design methodology to lead digital transformation projects for fortune 50 clients. Combined user insights, technical validation, business opportunity mapping and UX design and prototyping to drive vision and product ideation. Managed and resourced interaction and visual designers. Interviewed and hired design staff, drove creative for business development. Clients: Intel, HP, Cisco, Invisalign, Verizon, Disney ## Education ### BA in BFA, Art History, Fine Art University of Michigan ### Junior year abroad program in art history in fine art University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/karin-little-ux --- Source: https://flows.cv/karinlittle JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/karinlittle/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13