# Steven V.

> ✨ Design Leader & Systems Thinker ✨ | Product Strategy | Startup Advisor | Mentor | Building User-Centric Digital Ecosystems at Scale

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

Systems leader with 12+ years building design systems and shipping products at Roku, Zillow, Expedia, and Chegg. I specialize in design system architecture, product strategy, and AI-integrated design workflows that drive adoption and business results.

Impact:
• Built enterprise design systems in Figma achieving 90%+ component adoption across 50+ engineers and 10+ product teams
• Drove commerce strategies: 12% increase in digital wallet adoption, 59% surge in units sold, 2.3% improvement in conversion rates
• Pioneered AI integration within design workflows—saving teams 10-20% time while elevating design quality
• Architected design token systems and component libraries deployed across IoT, mobile, web, and TV OS platforms
• Led brand refresh including custom font creation, saving $1M in licensing fees

My work spans the full spectrum: designing products end-to-end, building component libraries, establishing design operations, and leading cross-functional teams. I architect systems that scale across platforms, define governance models that enable self-service adoption, and lead teams that ship high-quality products.

Beyond traditional design systems work, I've spent the past three years building AI infrastructure and operational frameworks. At Roku, I built a Research Operations framework that transformed fragmented AI experimentation into systematic capability across 40+ designers—achieving 90% reduction in research synthesis time and 85% adoption. I've developed custom research automation agents using Python and Claude API, built AI-powered design review systems integrated with Figma, and created security-first governance models that enabled safe AI adoption at scale. Outside of work, I've built multi-agent AI systems for investment analysis, developed iOS apps with AI integration, and shipped production infrastructure on AWS. This isn't about using AI tools—it's about building AI systems that scale.

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Core Expertise: Design Systems · Product Design · Design Leadership · AI Integration · DesignOps · Design Tokens · Component Architecture · Figma · Cross-Platform Design · E-commerce · Streaming · Accessibility · UX Research · Conversion Optimization · A/B Testing · Team Leadership

Open to Head of Design Systems, Principal Designer, Staff Designer roles.

## Work Experience
### Design Systems, UI Infrastructure @ Headway
Jan 2026 – Present

### Startup Design Strategist @ Unknown
Jan 2020 – Present
Help early-stage startups move from idea to shipped product with design strategy, process setup, and hands-on direction.

• Partner with founders to establish design foundations—from product vision to scalable processes
• Set up design operations, hire first designers, and define initial design systems
• Provide fractional design leadership for teams without full-time design executives
• Advise on product strategy, user research approaches, and go-to-market design needs

Also invest in early-stage companies through angel syndicates.

### Design Coach @ Mento
Jan 2023 – Jan 2025
Coach senior designers and design leaders through career transitions, helping them level up their craft, navigate complex decisions, and break through blockers.

• Guide senior ICs through career pivots, promotion paths, and job searches
• Advise on portfolio strategy, positioning, and interview preparation
• Unblock designers stuck on complex problems—from stakeholder alignment to design system adoption
• Help professionals see what's possible by unlocking "aha moments" that drive meaningful progress

### Design systems @ Roku Inc.
Jan 2021 – Jan 2025
Built and scaled Roku's consumer & enterprise design system in Figma from the ground up, achieving 90%+ component adoption across 50+ engineers and 10+ product teams.

• Architected design token system and component library deployed across IoT, mobile, web, and TV OS platforms
• Pioneered AI/GenAI integration in design workflows—saving teams 10-20% time on transcription, insights, and presentations
• Collaborated on brand refresh including custom font creation, saving $1M in licensing fees
• Established structured design critique programs that elevated design quality across the organization
• Created governance models and documentation standards enabling self-service adoption

### Product Design/Design Systems @ Roku Inc.
Jan 2018 – Jan 2021 | San Jose, California, United States
Led UX strategy and e-commerce optimization for Roku's commerce initiatives, translating business goals into seamless user experiences across web and TV OS platforms.

• Drove multi-year commerce strategy: 12% increase in digital wallet adoption, 59% surge in units sold, 2.3% improvement in conversion rates
• Directed 3-person design team launching 4 major commerce initiatives
• Shipped Apple Pay payment integration on checkout, improving conversion for millions of customers
• Redesigned accessories experience to drive direct-to-consumer sales and improve SEO for high-margin products
• Established design processes and rituals that scaled with team growth

### Design Educator & Advisor @ Unknown
Jan 2016 – Jan 2021
5+ years shaping the next generation of UX/Product Designers through curriculum development, course instruction, and 1:1 mentorship across leading design education platforms.

Designlab/Chegg
• Developed UX curriculum and mentored 50+ students transitioning into design careers 

General Assembly
• Taught foundational UX Design and Product Design courses to aspiring designers
• Provided expert portfolio reviews and career coaching to designers seeking industry roles

Dribbble
• Helped mentees land roles at companies including Google, Amazon, Meta, and high-growth startups

### Lead Product Designer @ Zillow
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area
Led end-to-end redesign of Zillow Rental Manager, improving the property listing experience for landlords and property managers.

• Increased rental listings by 4% through simplified listing creation workflow
• Designed mobile-first iOS app enabling landlords to manage listings and upload photos on-the-go
• Created pricing tools helping landlords confidently price properties based on market data
• Conducted user research with property managers to identify friction points and validate solutions

### Lead Product Designer @ Expedia, Inc.
Jan 2012 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco Bay Area
Spearheaded mobile web and responsive design strategy as sole Product Designer for core revenue-driving lines of business, growing to lead a team of designers.

• Design lead across Hotels, Packages, and Itinerary experiences
• Led mobile web A/B testing and conversion rate optimization initiatives for pay now/pay later features
• Directed itinerary redesign to improve post-booking experience and reduce support calls
• Designed mobile form optimizations reducing abandonment rates on booking flows
• Collaborated with engineering to establish responsive design patterns across product lines

### Product Designer @ Fan TV
Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 | San Mateo, CA
Led end-to-end product design for mobile app

• Designed core discovery and watchlist features for iOS app
• Collaborated directly with founders and engineering on rapid iteration cycles


## Education
### Bachelors of Fine Arts in Web Design New Media
Academy of Art University

### Stanford Continuing Studies


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/stevenvillarino
- Website: http://stevenvillarino.design
- Website: https://www.stevenvillarino.com/

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Source: https://flows.cv/stevenv
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/stevenv/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-05