# Zaki S > Principal Product Designer Architect | Cloud & AI Systems Strategy @ Lucid Motors | Google Alum | U.S. Patent Holder: Cloud-Native SDN Architecture Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/zakis Look, in high-stakes tech, "innovation" is usually just a fancy word for fixing systems that should have worked the first time. While most are debating the emotional resonance of a button’s drop shadow, I’m partnering with PMs to define the PRDs and system logic that keep the platform from collapsing under its own weight. I live in the sweet spot between business strategy and production-ready reality. I bring an "Architect-Maker" mentality to complex ecosystems—from earning a U.S. patent for Cloud-Native SDN Architecture at Juniper to re-architecting Google’s legacy CI/CD portals with Gemini AI. At Lucid Motors, I’m not just designing an interface; I’m architecting the operational backbone. This includes Importer Command Centers, Logistics Dashboards, and Service Capacity frameworks designed to turn fragmented fleet data into a 98% efficient operation. My workflow is unapologetically AI-augmented. I treat Claude AI and Gemini as strategic partners for stress-testing requirements and scenario mapping, then move into VS Code and Copilot to turn a whiteboard sketch into a functional technical prototype before the first "alignment meeting" is even on the calendar. I don’t just design the interface; I architect the machine. If you want a pixel-pusher, I can find you a dozen on LinkedIn. If you want the architect who built a $500M revenue engine at Cisco, we should talk. ## Work Experience ### Principal Product Designer/Architect (AI & Systems) @ Lucid Motors Jan 2025 – Present - Complex SaaS Leadership: Leading the end-to-end design strategy for the Service Scheduling & Capacity Management ecosystem, translating 10-week service delays into a streamlined, automated product roadmap. - System Logic & Architecture: Designing the logic for the global Importer Command Center and logistics dashboards, mapping state-machine flows to bridge customer experience with backend operations. - Measurable Business Impact: Integrating AI-powered dispatch logic to target a 7% increase in technician efficiency (from 91% to 98%) - Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborating with PMs and Engineering to author technical specifications and PRDs, utilizing an AI-first stack (VS Code/Copilot) to drive a 10x faster development lifecycle. ### Principal Architect & UX Lead @ Google Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 | New York City Metropolitan Area Intelligent CI/CD Infrastructure: Re-architected Google’s legacy internal portal by integrating Gemini LLM to provide real-time, intelligent deployment assistance for thousands of engineers. Strategic Scenario Mapping: Partnered with PMs and Engineering to define the technical requirements and scenario logic for complex, multi-tenant cloud environments. Outcome: Drastically reduced onboarding and mitigation times while increasing system trust through "Explainable AI" principles. ### Principal Product Architect (AI & Analytics) @ Automation Anywhere Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | San Jose, California, United States Predictive AI Architecture: Architected an enterprise-grade AI-powered analytics dashboard, integrating Predictive Analytics and Explainable AI (XAI) to translate complex data-driven automation into transparent, trustworthy insights. Persona-First System Logic: Defined and mapped high-fidelity architectural flows tailored to multi-persona roles, including Operational, Executive, and Developer-specific layouts to ensure structural relevance across the enterprise. AI-Augmented Requirements: Partnered with PMs to define the functional logic and PRDs for intelligent automation systems, utilizing AI-first workflows to bridge the gap between backend data models and frontend usability. ### Staff Product Designer @ Juniper Networks Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area Patent-Winning Architecture: Invented and patented a visual interface for Cloud-Native SDN Architectures, enabling dynamic management of virtual network routers. Workflow Automation: Replaced 60-page manual Excel/PowerPoint workflows with a 3-step automated tool, reducing configuration cycles from 3 months to under 15 minutes. Technical Leadership: Aligned cross-functional teams on the structural logic of data-center configurations before moving into visual execution. ### Head Product Designer @ Cisco Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco Bay Area DCNM - Data Center Network Management Networking and Security; Intelligent Wide Area Network. ### Manager, Product UX/Visual Innovation @ Cisco Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco, California Collaboration; WebEX, Jabber, Spark and Future Products. ### Sr. Manager Product Experience @ NortonLifeLock Jan 2007 – Jan 2014 | San Francisco Bay Area • Motivated team of 12 UX/UI designers • Charged with the full life-cycle design for Norton Data Services, the provider of one of the world’s largest backup and storage businesses: Norton Online Backup and Norton 360 Backup. • This $40M+ business unit delivered 70% gross margins and 35% YoY bookings growth under my leadership while winning awards for user experience, reliability and performance. • Launched first organic, cross-BU SaaS product - Norton Zone - to securely sync & share content at work and home. Supervisor UX Designer • Supervised 6-8 designers and managed 42 Norton Products to reduce friction, reconfigure the design process and build innovatively as company progressed. • 2009 created the ultimate anti-virus program for gamers followed by the launch of the first organic Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition Featured in Impulse Gamer: “Brilliant and almost Perfect." • In Late 2008 we launched the first new interface. Featured in PC World: “…Features are easy to find in a smooth and polished user interface that includes plenty of quickly available descriptions. Settings are easy to reach…” Featured in gHacks: “The interface is easily accessible and gives the user an immediate overview over the protection state of the computer system…” I have to say the most humbling experience. • Aggressively recruited from Daily News to help transform the Norton AntiVirus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 into the best User Interface design in cyber security. ### UX Collaboration @ UX Mobile Conference Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 ### Consultant @ Focused staffing Jan 2008 – Jan 2009 User experience, User interface, Mobile Design. ### Interactive Designer @ Los Angeles Daily News Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 Initiated concepts and design, graphic styling and art direction on major client projects, from one-sheet poster design to brochures, advertising campaigns, website design and online Advertisements Design. Responsible for coordinating teams of designers, retoucher, illustrators, and photographers from the brief to the final design. ## Education ### Design and Visual Communications in Marketing American InterContinental University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakistudio - Website: www.zakistudio.myportfolio.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/zakis JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/zakis/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-07