# Sharon Pothan > Senior Product Designer | AI & Consumer Products | Design Systems | Startup to Enterprise | Accessibility Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/sharonpothan I'm a Senior Product Designer with 7+ years of building products that people genuinely depend on. I'm drawn to problems that are hard to solve — where the stakes are real, the technology is complex, and getting the design right actually matters to someone's life or work. I've shipped across AI, consumer mobile, and enterprise — and I'm currently co-founding a startup as Head of Design, which means I'm doing all of it at once. I've worked as the sole designer, as part of a small team, and within large cross-functional orgs — and while I can thrive in any of those contexts, I do my best work when I'm collaborating closely with product, engineering, and research. What drives my work: ✦ Curiosity over assumptions: I start with people — their mental models, their frustrations, their context — before I ever touch a frame. The best design decisions I've made came from listening first. ✦ Clarity in complexity: Whether it's an AI-powered clinical tool, a consumer onboarding flow, or a zero-to-one product with no playbook, I find the thread that makes something complex feel simple and trustworthy. ✦ Design that earns its metrics: I care about craft, but I care equally about impact. A 30% reduction in physician workload or a 21% lift in app installs doesn't happen by accident — it happens when design is connected to real user needs and business outcomes from the start. ✦ Accessibility as empathy in practice: Inclusive design isn't a compliance exercise for me — it's the clearest expression of actually caring about your users. I love connecting with people in the design and tech community — whether that's mentoring emerging designers, exploring new opportunities, or just talking through a hard problem over virtual coffee. If any of that resonates, I'd love to hear from you ☺️ ## Work Experience ### Co-Founder & Head of Design @ Stealth Startup Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco, CA ✦ Co-founding zero-to-one mobile app as sole designer, structuring ambiguous problem space into systems, onboarding, and core flows while partnering directly with engineering and leveraging AI-assisted tools (Figma Make, V0) to ship high-fidelity product fast without sacrificing quality ✦ Shaped product direction as co-founder alongside engineering and domain experts, contributing to vision, prioritization, and go-to-market strategy while serving as the sole voice of the user from day one ### Senior Product Designer @ iRhythm Technologies, Inc. Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area Led product design for AI-powered cardiac monitoring platform serving 1M+ patients across consumer and clinical surfaces. ✦ Redesigned MyZio 2.0 mobile app, achieving 21% lift in installs and 4.2x symptom completion rate, improving patient compliance and care quality ✦ Designed AI-generated clinical reports for primary care physicians, partnering with clinicians, researchers, and C-suite to balance FDA regulatory requirements with usability under tight deadlines ✦ Established accessibility practice across UX team, implementing WCAG 2.1 AA compliance through audits and mentorship — gained company-wide recognition and presented to DEI Council with senior leadership ✦ Led design for Japanese market expansion, collaborating with Human Factors and Regulatory Affairs to ensure cultural and compliance requirements were met ### UX Design Mentor @ Springboard Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area Mentored aspiring UX designers through intensive bootcamp curriculum, guiding portfolio development, design critique, and confidence in navigating complex design decisions. ### Lead UX Designer @ University of California, Berkeley Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Berkeley, CA Led UX design as sole designer for MyShake earthquake early warning app featured in The New York Times, CNN, BBC, and Wired. ✦ Drove 320% iOS and 660% Android download growth through redesigned onboarding and core alert flows, simplifying complex ML-driven earthquake detection for millions of users ✦ Spearheaded accessibility initiative elevating WCAG compliance from Level A to AA across iOS and Android ✦ Partnered with PM, Engineering, Research, and CalOES (California Governor's Office of Emergency Services) to balance public safety requirements with user needs ✦ Recognized with BSL Spot Leadership Award for contributions to iOS launch (October 2019) ### Product & UX Consultant @ Unknown Jan 2018 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area Delivered UX strategy and design consulting for startups and nonprofits — including BerkeleyMoves!/RideAmigos (2021), Bitss.org (2020), Vytality Health (2018), and Current Clothing (2018) — spanning healthcare, transportation, e-commerce, and academic sectors. Work covered end-to-end research, information architecture, usability testing, and interaction design. ### UX Design Mentor @ General Assembly Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Global Marketing Solutions Learning Coordinator, SMB @ Meta Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | Menlo Park, CA ✦ Optimized learning experiences and documentation for 500+ global sales employees across NA, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, improving onboarding efficiency and workflow adoption. ✦ Partnered with engineering and instructional design teams to enhance internal learning platform usability, reducing cognitive load and streamlining cross-regional processes ✦ Analyzed 800+ training records to identify usability gaps and implement evidence-based improvements in onboarding experiences ✦ Facilitated global onboarding sessions and presented insights to leadership, accelerating ramp-up speed and tool adoption (contract via Milestone Technologies) ### Learning and Development (Talent Development) Intern @ Silicon Valley Bank Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | Santa Clara, CA Supported talent development initiatives through UX research, leadership assessment analysis, and event coordination. ✦ Designed mockups for on-demand learning platform based on user research and testing with internal stakeholders ✦ Analyzed 360 feedback assessments for senior leaders to identify development needs and inform L&D programming ✦ Researched succession planning practices and 9-block talent models to support organizational talent strategy ## Education ### Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology San José State University ### Certificate in User Experience Design General Assembly ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sharonpothan --- Source: https://flows.cv/sharonpothan JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/sharonpothan/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13