I’m a senior product designer with 12+ years in product design. I work with small teams building software for complex B2B workflows. Today I work fractionally, through Toptal and my own practice.
Learning the work
I start by talking with the people who do the work today. I map how it actually happens, then synthesize what I heard into the problems the product has to solve first. At American Express, I supported discovery that produced 11 personas and 67 pain points, then designed from what it found.
Working with product and engineering
I present design work so product and engineering can see what changes and why. I learn the technical requirements early, then write specs clear enough to build from. When a real choice comes up, I bring one or two options and my recommendation. At Showit, I was the only designer on a product team of engineers and QA. I ran prioritization for the front-end squad during the UI2 build.
Documenting as the work develops
I write down decisions and open questions while the work is still in progress. The team can read the reasoning next to the design instead of reconstructing it later. I use AI agents to help draft and update that documentation as the design changes.
Components and patterns
I set up a component library early in a project, so new screens start from parts the team already has. At Showit, I built the company’s first design system and took it to launch-ready. It included a Figma component library and a token schema exported to code.
Other reusable pieces only show up through the project work itself. At Provide, I observed how loan agents and reviewing teams worked with supporting documents. I prototyped a drawer that opens a document beside the requirement list, for verification work. Over time, it became clear that other teams needed documents open next to their own analysis. The drawer grew into a pattern used across the platform.
Working together
I’ve been a member of Toptal’s expert network since July 14, 2020. To start, email hello@nathn.design with a short note on the workflow your team is building for.