# Thomas Carroll

> Global Design Leader | Transforming eCommerce & FinTech Platforms | Former PayPal, Intuit, Realtor

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

I lead design at scale, building inclusive, high-performing teams that transform how companies deliver for their customers and drive growth. My leadership philosophy is straightforward: culture drives strategy. Healthy, empowered teams deliver better products more quickly. I focus on developing leaders, fostering clarity, and anchoring design strategy in business results. Whether leading a global transformation or bringing a new platform to market, I align vision and execution to create lasting business value through customer-centric design.

Over the past 15 years, I have led global design organizations at PayPal, Intuit, and Realtor.com through high-impact transformations in e-commerce, FinTech, and mobile, leveraging data, AI, and personalization to deliver solutions across Small Business and enterprise platforms.

At PayPal, I scaled the merchant design team from 8 to 60+, unified fragmented onboarding and commerce experiences into a single platform, and partnered across product, engineering, and risk to reduce friction while improving compliance. These efforts drove a 74% lift in account creation, a 33% boost in activations, and $53M+ in incremental revenue.

At Intuit, I led design for Payroll, Payments, and Capital, reimagining workflows around trust and usability. This work generated $1B in monthly charge volume, a 35% increase in active merchants, and 88K new SMB customers in its first quarter post-launch.

At Realtor.com, I drove a company-wide product transformation from a "find a home" search tool to a "love where you live" lifestyle experience, connecting users with inventory in more relevant and emotionally resonant ways. This shift in strategy increased engagement across key metrics and played a central role in positioning the company for a $1B acquisition by News Corp.

Portfolio and mentoring: https://willhavebeen.com

## Work Experience
### Founder @ willhavebeen
Jan 2015 – Present | San Jose, CA
I founded willhavebeen.com as a platform to empower the next generation of designers, product managers, and engineers through coaching and mentorship. For over 15 years, I have provided guidance to individuals and teams, helping them navigate challenges, build their skills, and unlock their full potential. 

Key Highlights:

• Mentoring Across Disciplines: Supported hundreds of designers, PMs, and engineers in advancing their careers, improving their craft, and creating impactful solutions.
•  Empowering Diverse Talent: Focused on fostering inclusivity and growth for individuals at all career stages, from early professionals to senior leaders.
• Focus on Leadership Growth: Guided mentees in transitioning to leadership roles, developing strategies for team management, and amplifying their influence across organizations.
•  Transformative Results: Helped mentees achieve meaningful career milestones, from securing leadership roles to launching innovative products that impact users and businesses alike.
• Giving Back to the Community: Actively contributing to the design community by sharing knowledge, hosting workshops, and creating a ripple effect of mentorship that pays dividends across industries.

The mission is simple: help people realize their potential, empower them with the tools they need to grow, and celebrate their success as they elevate their craft and careers.

### Senior Director of Global Design - Merchant Platform, Lifecycle, and Commerce Enablement @ PayPal
Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | San Jose, California, United States
• Expanded the design team from 8 to 60+, embedding design strategy across Merchant Platforms, Native App, Checkout, Growth & Activation, Developer Portal, and in-store experiences.
• Led creating a unified commerce enablement strategy, increasing product discovery, improving conversion rates, and driving $1M+ in incremental Total Payment Volume (TPV) for merchants.
• Introduced new information architecture and navigation models, streamlining access to merchant tools and increasing engagement with Business Insights by 70%.
• Revitalized step-up guides, setting high standards for design excellence and advancing design culture with clear expectations and growth strategies for designers.

### Director of Global Design - Merchant Platform, Onboarding, and Engagement @ PayPal
Jan 2019 – Jan 2023 | San Jose, California, United States
• Redesigned PayPal’s merchant onboarding experience, achieving a 74% increase in account creation and a 33% lift in activations through frictionless workflows and progressive data capture.
• Developed a scalable Merchant Platform framework, unifying fragmented experiences and improving user adoption across SMB, Partner, and Enterprise segments.
• Influenced executive alignment on onboarding transformation, securing investment in rapid experimentation and design-led initiatives that generated $53M+ in incremental revenue.

### Director of Design, Small Business Platform @ PayPal
Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | San Jose, CA
• Led the strategy and migration of the SMB experience to the PayPal Commerce Platform, focusing on integrated services and omni-channel design.
• Launched PayPal’s app store and machine learning-based recommendation engine, driving innovation and enhancing user experiences.
• Fostered a culture of experimentation, encouraging designers to push boundaries and learn from both successes and failures.
• Increased product usage from 1 to 5+ integrated solutions, improved homepage engagement by 93%, boosted activation by 36%, reduced development costs by 80%, and drove $35M in incremental revenue.

### Director of Design, E2E Global Money @ Intuit
Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | Mountain View, CA
• Managed design for Payroll, Payments, and Capital, growing the team from 3 to 46, and enhancing omni-channel and human-centric design practices.
• Refined payments with a focus on “right-for-me” relationships, emphasizing trust and user experience over traditional invoice processes.
• Contributed to a monthly charge volume of $1B and a 35% increase in active merchants through innovative and user-centric design solutions.

### Head of Design, Global Payroll @ Intuit
Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Mountain View, California
• Redesigned payroll experiences from web-based tables to card-based native interfaces, significantly improving user engagement.
• Resulted in 88K new SMBs and generated $1.27M in quarterly revenue by enhancing user experience and driving business growth.

### Head of Product Design @ Move.com
Jan 2008 – Jan 2015 | San Jose, CA
• Directed multi-platform strategies and execution, leading to a $1B acquisition by News Corp, showcasing leadership in integrated services and enterprise design.
• Elevated UX maturity from “Invested” to “Committed,” expanding the design team from 6 to 20 and driving innovation across multiple channels.
• Enhanced user metrics: 42.28% increase in unique users, 62.19% rise in page views, 7.57% growth in time-on-site, 114% increase in leads per visit, and 13.40% decrease in bounce rate through effective omni-channel design strategies.
• Standardized design processes, methods, and system libraries, improving consistency and reducing development time.

### Senior Manager UED @ Move.com
Jan 2006 – Jan 2008 | Westlake Village, California, United States
• Led user interaction and data visualization strategy, ensuring designs met usability objectives, user requirements, and monetization goals while promoting human-centric and purpose-driven design.

### Manager, Experience Design and Design Systems @ AMC Mortgage
Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 | Los Angeles, California, United States
• Ensured the many ReSolve projects adhered to one unified standard.
• Led interaction design and prototyping for web-based business applications.
• Designed intuitive customer-first applications and websites to minimize support calls and training.
• Established company-wide design standards for web-based applications.
• Led the design team and coordinated release strategies for timely product delivery.

### Founder & Chief Designer @ threePop
Jan 1995 – Jan 2005 | Los Angeles, California, United States
Founded and led threePop, a design and engineering consultancy specializing in cutting-edge front-end experiences for a diverse client base, from small businesses to enterprises. Focused on delivering impactful, customer-first designs that adhere to the latest standards. Key contributions included:
• Product Impact: Designed and delivered high-impact interfaces that enhanced user experience and client satisfaction.
• Customer-First Design: Implemented user-centric design principles to ensure solutions met client needs and expectations.
Standards Adherence: Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry standards and best practices.
• Heuristic Evaluation: Conducted thorough evaluations to optimize usability and user interaction.
• Strategic Planning: Developed long-term design strategies that aligned with client goals and industry trends.
• Innovation: Introduced innovative solutions and techniques, pushing the boundaries of interface design.

### Design Lead and Front End Developer @ inSite Consulting
Jan 2003 – Jan 2004 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
• Led Interaction Design and Web Programming for the SAGE platform, centralizing meeting management, supplier tracking, and corporate spending analysis.
• Prototyped the application focusing on usability, workflow, and user habits.
• Directed front-end development of ASP/ASP.NET pages, ensuring modular, adaptable code across platforms.
• Developed SQL stored procedures for the application’s middle tier.
• Designed and implemented branding for inSite Corporation and the SAGE application.

### Design Lead / Developer @ Minnix
Jan 2002 – Jan 2003 | Los Angeles, California, United States
• Designed and developed a zero-training web interface for class registrations, room reservations, and facility management using Visual Basic and ASP linked to an SQL database.
• Researched, prototyped, and coded Visual Basic and ASP applications, including web pages, CSS, and database calls.
• Enhanced product appeal by incorporating flexible branding, layout, and style options.

### Lead Experience Designer @ iManage (now Interwoven)
Jan 2000 – Jan 2002 | Chicago, Illinois, United States
iManage (now Interwoven) delivers a unified collaborative content management solution integrating document management, collaboration, knowledge management, and workflow tools.

• Designed a zero-training web interface that seamlessly integrated with existing products, featuring customizable layouts and branding.
• Developed user interfaces for the Worksite suite, including web-based apps, Outlook customizations, and desktop clients, enhancing client satisfaction and initial product impressions.
• Enhanced marketability through strategic product branding, icon design, and application styling.

### Lead Interaction Designer and Front End Developer @ American Express
Jan 1998 – Jan 2000 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
• Designed and implemented an intranet web platform with Active Server Pages, enabling Financial Advisors to manage client accounts online and reducing phone support needs.
• Led the development team in creating specifications, designing interfaces, and coordinating with RPC developers for mainframe integration.
• Programmed and deployed ASP web pages, overseeing testing, production, and ongoing support.
• Enhanced site reliability by developing a Visual Basic server application to monitor website performance, including load times and network congestion.


## Education
### BS in Mechanical Engineering
Indiana State University
Jan 1986 – Jan 1991


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomascarroll
- Website: https://willhavebeen.com/

---
Source: https://flows.cv/thomascarroll
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/thomascarroll/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-07