# Matt W. > I fight for the users! (Name that movie...) Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/mattw4 As a leader in User Experience, my approach is rooted in passion and creativity, guided by Human-Centered Design principles. Over the past years, I’ve explored design through a unique lens, most recently at AWS on the Emergent Tech CX team. I thrive when strategy intersects with creative passion, enabling me to develop solutions that align business needs with exceptional user experiences. Every company has a story to tell, and I take pride in helping them articulate that story through a device-agnostic UX toolkit. No story is complete without a strong team. I believe that effective leadership is about fostering a collaborative environment where everyone can excel. Success comes from teamwork, and as a leader, I prioritize providing support and mentorship to my team members. I’ve been fortunate to have senior colleagues, mentors, and newcomers work with me to foster a culture of knowledge-sharing. We grow stronger through respectful dialogue and constructive feedback. Throughout my career, I’ve both shared my expertise and learned from my team. Sometimes I’m the teacher, guiding junior designers, and other times I’m the student, benefiting from their fresh perspectives. I’ve had the privilege of telling the stories of remarkable brands, including Southwest Airlines, DreamWorks Animation, The Walt Disney Company, Amazon Web Services and the San Francisco SPCA. This is my story. Design. Team. Life. ## Work Experience ### Principal UX Designer - Core Design (Intelligent Experiences-AI) @ SAP Jan 2026 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area ### Mentor (Volunteer) @ AWS She Builds Mentorship Program Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 Mentor for AWS SheBuilds, supporting women and non-binary builders through 1:1 coaching, portfolio/interview prep, and hands-on guidance in cloud, AI, and enterprise UX. Tailoring plans, sharing practical resources and make connections that help mentees grow skills, confidence and impact. ### Sr. Lead UX Designer - Applied AI Solutions & Enterprise UX @ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States I’m a UXer operating at a principal IC level at Amazon. Previously Product Design Manager in AWS Industrial IoT & Smart Home leading teams and experience strategy for security-sensitive products. My scope spans IIoT, smart-home ecosystems, and identity-based access, simplifying complexity with enterprise-scale design systems and modular workflows. Some selected work • AWS Wickr, led secure-communication UX across iOS/Android/Desktop; added AI assistance, encryption UX, and zero-trust; defined mobile AI strategy. • Amazon One, contributed to identity + physical-access UX enabling biometric authentication in workplaces/retail. • IoT solutions, designed frameworks for ingest/transform/orchestrate cross-cloud data with low-code workflows, improving interoperability and time-to-value. • AWS IoT SiteWise, shaped experiences for collecting, organizing, and visualizing equipment data at scale. • Smart-home partner enablement , built reusable patterns and developer workflows for cross-cloud integrations. People leadership (previous Design Manager role) • Led and managed various AWS design teams: hiring, growth, mentorship, and performance management. • Set UX strategy/roadmaps; partnered with PM/Eng to prioritize, sequence, and de-risk with storyboards and prototypes. • Drove reusable frameworks that cut IIoT onboarding/development from 18 months to six, aligning teams on shared patterns and guardrails. • Established design rituals and cross-org alignment with VP+ stakeholders; ensured WCAG 2.1 AA quality. • Contributed to Cloudscape (AWS’s design system) and championed adoption for consistency and velocity. • Operated as a player/coach on the teams to ensure products and teams go the support they needed. (Strategic work, hands-on building, vacation coverage, etc.) Across ETL workflows, secure collaboration, and industrial data tools, I deliver trustworthy experiences at the intersection of data, AI, and human impact. ### CES Innovation Awards Judge — Enterprise Technology (2026) @ Consumer Technology Association Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 •Selected by CTA to judge multiple Enterprise Technology categories, including entries with and without AI. •Reviewed solutions across cloud/data platforms, AI-enabled/agentic workflows, cybersecurity & identity, industrial IoT/edge, and developer tooling. • Applied criteria for engineering/design quality, scalability/reliability (SLOs), interoperability, privacy/security, and accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA); provided structured written feedback and upheld COI/confidentiality. ### Principal UX Designer @ Unreleased AI Project Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States I was brought on as a Principal UX Consultant for a stealth mode AI startup to enhance and refine the platform’s user experience and customer journeys. The company focuses on revolutionizing the entertainment industry with AI-powered tools to improve content creation and collaboration workflows. Leveraging my expertise in UX and CX, I am assessing the effectiveness of the platform’s AI models for users, collaborating with engineering and service teams to identify and implement improvements that better align with user needs and expectations. In this role, I will also be evaluating existing UX and CX elements, conduct in-depth user research, and implement strategic enhancements to optimize the platform’s usability and scalability. By designing and refining wireframes, prototypes, and user flows, I will ensure a seamless, cohesive interface that supports complex workflows for content evaluation and creation as well as collaboration. Working closely with product managers, engineers, and service teams, I will be creating and aligning UX strategies with broader business goals while helping deliver intuitive, impactful solutions that elevate user satisfaction and drive innovation in the entertainment industry. ### Product Design Manager @ VMware Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area I was responsible for managing and leading a team of 6 product designers, ranging from mid to staff levels, within the VMware Cloud product. I helped them develop their careers and identified growth plans for them. Additionally, I worked with cross-functional partners to develop a new experience strategy for VMware Cloud. This strategy focused on migrating the current licensing experience to a full subscription experience that would work across all services and products, unifying them into a single flow experience for customers. This approach aimed to lower the barrier to entry and allow VMware to adopt a wider range of customers. ### Lead UX Designer (Manager & IC) - AWS Industrial IoT, SiteWise Cloud & Edge Experiences @ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area I led a small but mighty UX team supporting multiple AWS services, Pinpoint, SES and SiteWise, each with its own unique set of customers and challenges. On any given day, I was balancing hands-on design work with mentoring two senior designers, helping them navigate priorities while ensuring our overall vision stayed clear and aligned. I worked closely with PMs, engineers, and researchers to define requirements, review APIs, and translate complex technical workflows into thoughtful, scalable experiences. I also helped shape product strategy, from quarterly roadmap planning to year-long UX goals, and collaborated across AWS teams to ensure our work fit into the broader ecosystem. I introduced reusable design patterns, extended design systems for specialized use cases, and consistently advocated for accessibility. As a member of the AWS UX Review Committee, I reviewed coded experiences to make sure what shipped met our standards, for usability, visual quality, and WCAG compliance. ### Manager of UX & Design — Enterprise Tech @ The Walt Disney Company Jan 2015 – Jan 2020 | Burbank, CA I led, managed, and mentored a growing team of UX professionals, expanding from 2 designers to a fully scaled team of 6, while overseeing 5-12 concurrent projects spanning concept, design, development, and implementation. In my role, I developed and executed a Human-Centered Design (HCD) and UX strategy within corporate Enterprise Technology, ensuring that research-driven insights, usability best practices, and accessibility standards (Section 508, WCAG 2.1) were integrated into all digital products and enterprise solutions. I was responsible for establishing and refining team processes, incorporating qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, project estimation frameworks, wireframing, prototyping, information architecture, UX quality assurance (UXQA), and documentation to improve efficiency and alignment across teams. Additionally, I played a critical role in educating and guiding business partners on the implementation of UX and HCD methodologies, helping drive adoption beyond traditional UX domains to enhance business technology processes and cross-functional collaboration. To further elevate UX maturity within the organization, I strategically planned and implemented initiatives to enhance research and design processes across Enterprise Technology, partnering with multiple teams and organizations throughout The Walt Disney Company. I also spearheaded the development of a cross-company UX community to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation, ensuring that UX principles were embedded in enterprise-wide digital transformation efforts. ### Sr. UX Architect — Enterprise Tech: Digital Media Agency @ The Walt Disney Company Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Burbank, CA I was brought in to create compelling designs that would meet user and business unit needs digitally from across Disney’s business units including, ABC, Disney Legal, Imagineering, Global Security, Parks and Resorts. Designing of the User Experience process for the Digital Media Agency within Enterprise Technology, which included working with the project management and development teams to create an efficient process. ### Design Leadership Forum Member @ InVision Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | Burbank Advancing our craft: Our mission is to advance the practice of design leadership by fostering a community where the world’s best can learn from one another. We strive to make the Forum inclusive and relevant to those confronting the challenges of leading design teams. ### Art Director @ Curran & Connors, Inc. Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco Bay Area I was involved in designing and developing various projects, including promotional materials, annual reports, and user-focused website designs. I worked in different mediums, from print and interactive, to create successful offline and online experiences. I aim to continually improve web and interactive design and development processes, focusing on content strategy, information architecture, and user experience design to benefit my clients. I have experience in various industries, including fashion, retail, REITs, banking, biotech, biopharma, non-profits, entertainment, technology, and education. Some of the clients I have worked with are Southwest Airlines, DreamWorks Animation, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Charlotte Russe, San Francisco SPCA, Lionsgate Films, UCLA, and Cathay Bancorp. Working to continually evolve web and interactive design/development process in the areas of content strategy and development, information architecture and user experience design process for the betterment of my clients. Industries included: Fashion, Retail, REITS, Banking, Biotech, Biopharma, Non-profts, Entertainment, Technology and Education Client included Southwest Airlines, DreamWorks Animation, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Charlotte Russe, San Francisco SPCA, Lionsgate Films, UCLA, Cathay Bancorp ### Senior Designer @ Curran & Connors, Inc. Jan 2007 – Jan 2011 ### Designer @ Curran & Connors, Inc. Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 ## Education ### Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design: Graphic Design Concentration California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ohmyyikes - Portfolio: https://ohmyyikes.com/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/mattw4 JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/mattw4/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13