# Richard Howard

> Senior Design Leadership for AI/ML, GenAI, Amazon Bedrock at Amazon Web Services (AWS) | former Autodesk

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/richardhoward

A User Experience leader with both a design and technical background, I have had the privilege of working on difficult and rewarding solutions to some of the biggest challenges of technology and automation.

## Work Experience
### Senior User Experience Design Manager, AI/ML, GenAI, Amazon Bedrock @ Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area
My talented team and I are in the eye of the GenAI storm, using all of our skills to make Amazon Bedrock the best choice for developers and enterprises to tap into Generative Artificial Intelligence.

### Senior User Experience Design Manager, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning @ Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area

### User Experience Design Manager, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning @ Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area
I managed user experience design for a range of AI/ML products and services, including: AWS Panorama (edge appliances and applications enabling computer vision for off-the-shelf IP cameras), Amazon Lookout for Metrics (machine learning anomaly detection for business and operational data), Amazon Forecast (machine learning forecasting for time-series business data), Amazon Personalize (the same machine learning personalization and recommendation system used by amazon.com), AWS DeepLabs (home of DeepLens, DeepComposer, DeepRacer), Amazon Comprehend Medical (automated machine learning text extraction from unstructured medical information), Amazon HealthLake (secure storage, analysis, and query of health data using natural language processing), AWS RoboMaker (run, scale, and automate robotics simulations), AWS IoT RoboRunner (vendor independent robotics application development and fleet management), and more in the works.

### Lead User Experience Designer, AI Devices @ Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area
At the intersection of IoT Sensor networks, ML based image recognition, and Edge computing, I lead a small team of designers working to bring an innovative new AI powered device that enables the creation of custom on-premises computer vision applications by customers using their existing off-the-shelf IP network cameras.

### Senior User Experience Designer, Database and Analytics @ Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area
As part of the AWS Database and Analytics team I was the sole designer responsible for AWS Glue and AWS Lake Formation. 

Working closely with product management and engineering to understand the customers, business goals, timeline and priorities, and technology capabilities, I delivered user research, requirements analysis, design ideation, concept wireframes, interactive prototypes, detailed design assets, and customer validation on an aggressive schedule. 

During this period we introduced over 30 new features in Glue, added 15 additional regions of availability, and built an entirely new service in parallel with Lake Formation. 

Significant Glue features introduced included: support for DynamoDB tables as a data source, Amazon SageMaker notebooks for development endpoints, resource tagging, Workflows for ETL orchestration, job bookmarks for Parquet and ORC files, FindMatches ML transforms, custom SSL certificates for JDBC connections, rewind job bookmarks, and custom JDBC drivers. 

As a new service, AWS Lake Formation builds upon the Glue data catalog, workflow orchestration, and ETL job infrastructure, creating Blueprints that simplify and automate data lake ingestion. It extends the data catalog with user defined metadata, allowing for rich data discovery by end-users.  And it adds a powerful access control system where permissions are granted and revoked for users, groups, and roles to data at the table, column, or row level. All data lake activity is logged for compliance and auditing purposes.

### User Experience Architect @ Autodesk
Jan 2013 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area
As part of the Digital Platform and Experience organization (formerly Business Strategy and Marketing) I architect all aspects of customer experience for the Subscriber Platform Group (formerly Business Models and Systems). 

My areas of focus include licensing, entitlements, software configuration, deployment and delivery, user and device management, contract and subscription management, business models, usage reporting, and the Autodesk Account (for profile and account management).  

I am intimately involved in the transformation of Autodesk from a desktop perpetual software manufacturer with an indirect sales model (via distributors and resellers) to a direct sale term-based provider of cloud services for design and engineering customers. As the designers and researchers of the end-to-end customer experience shaping both what technology Autodesk offers, how customers obtain and deploy Autodesk solutions, and where customers engage and manage their relationship with Autodesk, my team has an important hand in transforming the very meaning of Autodesk within the marketplace.

As one of only a dozen User Experience Architects within Autodesk, I also fulfill the role of design strategist within the company, ensuring that the many different teams across the organization have both common vision to work toward at the high level, as well as frameworks for ensuring consistency of experience at the detailed feature interaction level.

### Senior User Experience Design Manager @ Autodesk
Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco Bay Area
As part of the Suites and Web Services User Experience organization I managed a design team of 4 direct, and 3 indirect, responsible for software distribution, licensing, and analytics for all Autodesk commercial and educational software. 

My focus was to dramatically improve the software acquisition and license experience, with specific projects for multi-product installation with an emphasis on product suites, electronic software delivery, software deployment and configuration management, trial to purchase conversion, software update management, product usage analytics and reporting, and a customer facing self-service web portal for the management of profile/identity and all Autodesk related entitlements.

As part of bringing a number of desktop products together into multi-product suites, we initiated an overhaul of the branding strategy, data interoperability, applications look & feel, and product onboarding with the AIRMax, AIRData, and AIRLook initiatives which drove a new level of consistency across the entire Autodesk portfolio of over 200 desktop products.

### User Experience Manager @ Autodesk
Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | San Francisco Bay Area
As part of the AEC Infrastructure Modeling organization, I managed an extended team of 12 staff located in 5 time zones over 3 continents.

Responsible for all Autodesk Infrastructure products including AutoCAD Map3D, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Topobase.

Achievements include obtaining funding and productization of Project Metropolis as Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (now Infraworks) and acquisition of 3DGeo technology, and creation of Autodesk Utility Design for water, wastewater, and electric utilities.

### Product Design Manager @ Autodesk
Jan 2006 – Jan 2009 | San Francisco Bay Area
Built a team of 6 user experience professionals including dedicated user research and usability engineering. Created one of the first offshore UX teams in the company. Hired staff and built an effective global UX practice in China, North America and Switzerland.

I continued to practice design myself and functioned as the design lead over an extended set of products including AutoCAD Map3D, Autodesk Mapguide Studio, Autodesk Mapguide Server and Enterprise, Autodesk Raster Design, and a number of strategic projects.

I'm particularly proud of the design concepts I created for Project Metropolis, a category busting product that envisioned blending our expertise in 3D Geospatial systems with our engineering-grade precision CAD and BIM models for the purpose of city-scale planning and analysis.  By utilizing the emerging promise of cloud computing and storage, I conceived of a product and ecosystem capable of simulating and visualizing complex systems and phenomena facing urban designers and planners. 

My Metropolis concepts received  significant press under the banner of Autodesk Digital Cities, and were used on mainstage at both Autodesk and industry conferences like the USGBC Greenbuild Expo to demonstrate thought leadership in technology and sustainability design. The work also reoriented the company development efforts and drove the acquisition of LandXplorer and 3DGeo.  Elements of that vision are now commercialized in Autodesk Infraworks and other software. See the attached videos.

### Senior Product Designer @ Autodesk
Jan 2003 – Jan 2006 | San Francisco Bay Area
I was the senior product designer within the Infrastructure Solutions Division at Autodesk, focusing on our desktop and Web Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software.   

In this role I was the design lead and was the primary user requirements researcher, user interface and interaction designer, and usability and user experience practitioner for a number of independent features in each release of our flagship AutoCAD Map 3D software, as well as contributing toward our web mapping software Mapguide Server and Mapguide Studio, and Autodesk Raster Design.

### Product Designer @ Autodesk
Jan 2000 – Jan 2003 | San Francisco Bay Area
I was the product designer within the Infrastructure Solutions Division at Autodesk, focusing on our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. 

In this role I was the primary user requirements researcher, user interface and interaction designer, and usability and user experience practitioner for a number of independent features in each release of AutoCAD Map 3D. 

During this period I also contributed to feature design on Autodesk's flagship product AutoCAD.

### Software Engineer @ Autodesk
Jan 1997 – Jan 2000 | San Francisco Bay Area
In this position I was a technical lead for Autodesk GIS products including AutoCAD Map, and Autodesk World.  During this time we increased performance, scalability, and functionality and began to democratize desktop GIS by making it available to the broad CAD user base.

I was a major contributor to the Map3D API/SDK, and helped introduce the Map3D VBA and ActiveX Automation APIs.  I also co-wrote the AutoCAD 2000 VBA Programmer's Reference which became a bestseller for AutoCAD developers. Originally on WROX Press it is now in it's 3rd printing on APRESS.

### Software Engineer @ Autodesk
Jan 1996 – Jan 1997 | San Francisco Bay Area
I joined Autodesk as a Software Engineer in the AEC Market Group working on Architectural functionality for AutoCAD.  

One of the primary projects during this period was replacing the crude AutoCAD "ARender" engine, with the improved AutoVision scanline renderer for enhanced 3D rendering and visualization. This was an important project, bringing a whole new level of rendering functionality to the entire AutoCAD product line. The project added full texture mapping, bump mapping, reflection mapping, light sources and shadow casting, real-world material libraries, and auto-orienting 2D photographic model content as core rendering features to AutoCAD.

### Principal @ For i Design Consulting
Jan 1995 – Jan 1997
For i is my independent software design and development consultancy.  

During this period I worked on projects for Pacific Bell (field application using mobile job scheduling and back-end integration to legacy accounting and job costing databases), Oral B (multimedia sales tool incorporating audio/video presentations and marketing collateral, embedded spreadsheet, and projected sales forcasting and target goal setting), and AT&T (prototype of a pre-internet online community and digital marketplace using a custom dialup client and innovative real-world metaphor for goods and services within the UI).

### Senior Application Developer @ Softdesk, Inc.
Jan 1993 – Jan 1995 | San Rafael, California
Responsible for Data Link 7.0, McDonald's Symbol Manager, Facilities Manager, HVAC 8.0. Collaboration with IntelliCADD staff on Project ‘Anaheim’ (became AutoCAD Data Extension, the foundation of AutoCAD Map), Project ‘Phoenix’ (became AutoCAD clone IntelliCAD), decoded ACIS BRep bodies for DWG read/write library (became part of OpenDWG and now DWGdirect).

### Application Developer @ Archsoft Group (ASG)
Jan 1991 – Jan 1993 | Sausalito, California
Responsible for Microsoft Windows port and user interface design of ASG Core, Data Link, and ASG Architectural; sole developer on ASG Data Link; ASG Vertex Detailer and Symbol Libraries; Naval Facilities Procurement Integration Team (for Autodesk); custom Restaurant Design System and Facility Manager applications for McDonald's Corporation.

### Manager Application Engineering and Training @ US CAD
Jan 1989 – Jan 1991 | Irvine, CA
Managed a staff of 4 applications engineers doing all pre-sales technical demos, post-sales integration, customization, and training. Built new business unit focusing on Facility Management and Geographic Information Systems for Utility Companies and the Entertainment Industry, propelling company to become a Top 25 Autodesk reseller. Ran customer support, application engineering, and training. Clients included: Autodesk; Archsoft Group (ASG); Walt Disney Studios; Walt Disney Imagineering; Sony MGM Studios; Paramount Studios; Burbank Studios; Fleetwood Motor Homes; Southern California Edison; Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

### Associate Architect & CADD Manager @ Langdon Wilson Architecture Planning
Jan 1987 – Jan 1990 | Newport Beach, California
Managed a staff of 6 and brought computer automation to the complete architectural practice. Quickly promoted youngest Associate Architect in 47-year history of the firm. Projects included: Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace; Creative Artists Agency Headquarters – with I.M. Pei; Sandra Day O’Conner Federal Courthouse – with Richard Meier; Eli & Edyth Broad Residence – with Frank Gehry; 777 Tower – with Cesar Pelli; Aventine La Jolla – with Michael Graves; 2 Venture, Irvine Spectrum – with Robert A. M. Stern; Gateway Center, Los Angeles – with Kisho Kurokawa; Pershing Square Park – with Ricardo Legorreta; Koll Center Irvine North, including the headquarters of Taco Bell Corp., National Education Corp., and Burlington Air Freight; Wells Fargo Tower, regional headquarters; Irvine Spectrum master plan; Cabo del Sol Resort, Country Club, and Residences; Palmilla Los Cabos Resort, Country Club, and Residences; The Sports Club, Irvine & Los Angeles; Newport Harbor Art Museum; State Compensation Insurance Fund headquarters.

### Associate Architect & CADD Manager @ Leidenfrost Horowitz & Associates
Jan 1985 – Jan 1988 | Glendale, California
Managed a staff of 3 leveraging computer aided design tools to do the work of 10. Created CAD Standards and all software customizations, maintained the computer lab and performed all scheduling to ensure efficient use of multi-shift timeshare computer system. Responsible for all digital translations and in-house reprographics. Projects included: Chiat/Day Headquarters – with Frank Gehry; UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management – with I.M. Pei; Los Angeles Unified School District Modular Classroom prototype; Albertsons Markets Los Angeles; and Circuit City Stores prototype.

### Associate Architect @ A. K. Ngai & Associates
Jan 1984 – Jan 1985 | Hollywood, California
Projects included: United States Air Force Commissary prototype; Vandenberg Air Force Base Bachelors Officers Quarters; Twenty-nine Palms Air Force Base Commissary; and several custom residences.


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/richardhoward

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