Zach Swerdzewski
Career Insights

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Intro

Zach Swerdzewski

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Insights

Click into floating clients to understand each brand and the complexity of the work.

23+ years building 0→1 products
150+ clients shipped to market
15+ industries mastered
GE Vernova Disney Interactive Studios Method Studios The Third Floor Applied Minds Google Office Depot DeepIntent Deloitte Kabam FIS Guidehouse Fox Sports Fiat YouTube Kids Guitar Center BCG CP Legacy Zoic Labs Royal Caribbean Hilton Grand Vacations Lufthansa Warner Bros. Kung Fu Factory Northrop Grumman Microsoft Crispin Porter Bogusky Cognizant Carnival Disney Infinity Dreamium Labs GloriFi

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Selected Work

A focused selection of work—exploring role, decisions, and the systems behind each product.

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Past Work

A curated selection of earlier projects that shaped my approach — spanning immersive VR, data visualization, mobile apps, and large-scale enterprise platforms. These projects form the foundation of my design craft across two decades.

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Experience

Current roles, archive depth, and client roster—use the tabs to refocus what the panel shows below.

Current

Google

Feb 2026 – Present

Role

UX Designer III

Key projects

  • YouTube Kids TV: Designed improvements across discovery, navigation, parental controls, and age-appropriate content experiences
  • Living Room Interactions: Reduced steps and improved remote-control ergonomics for TV-first navigation patterns
  • Findability & Engagement: Improved discovery flows, contributing to an early 18% engagement lift
  • Parental Safety Flows: Designed Face, fingerprint, and passcode verification, and refined shows metadata, localization, and blocking flows across devices in 23 languages

Scope

UX Design User Testing Interaction Design TV UX Cross-functional Collaboration
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Guidehouse

Dec 2025 – 2026

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • SBA Loan Platforms (7a / 504): Redesigned federal loan application systems
  • Design System: Built modular Figma system aligned to PrimeVue
  • Compliance UX: Improved workflows for government financial systems

Scope

Product Strategy Design Systems UX/UI Design Enterprise / Gov Systems

Hilton Grand Vacations

Apr 2023 – Aug 2025

Role

Principal Product Designer

Key projects

  • Unified Booking Platform: Consolidated multiple systems into one experience
  • 0→1 Product Build: End-to-end product from concept to delivery
  • Design System: Created cross-platform system across 8+ surfaces
  • Figma Ecosystem: Built 1,000+ frame scalable system

Scope

Product Strategy Design Systems UX Architecture Team Leadership Enterprise Platforms
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Dfend

2024 – 2025

Role

Sr. Advisor / Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • AI Cybersecurity Assistant: Designed passwordless identity and account protection flows
  • Conversational UX: Built AI-driven interaction patterns for threat detection and response
  • Identity Systems: Simplified complex security workflows into user-friendly experiences

Scope

AI Product Design UX Strategy Security / Identity Mobile 0→1 Prototyping
Explore

Syro / Paysail

Mar 2022 – Oct 2022

Role

Senior Product Designer

Key projects

  • Web3 Payments: Cross-border invoicing using USDC (ETH / Polygon)
  • Fiat ↔ Crypto Flows: Improved on/off ramp experiences
  • Modular Transactions: Built scalable financial UI components

Scope

Fintech UX Web3 / Blockchain Transaction Design Compliance UX
Explore

Deloitte Digital

2023

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • Mobile Banking App: Designed white-label fintech platform (iOS)
  • Financial Tools: Savings goals, investments, and transaction management
  • Scalable UI: Built reusable components for multi-client deployment

Scope

Fintech UX Mobile Product Design White Label Design Design Systems B2B / B2C Platforms
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Dreamium Labs

2021 – 2022

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • Metaverse Identity: Designed avatar-based blockchain configurator
  • NFT UX: Created flows for digital ownership and customization
  • Web3 Interaction Models: Simplified onboarding and asset management

Scope

Web3 / Blockchain Product Design AR / Avatar Systems Emerging Tech
Explore

The Third Floor

2021 – 2022

Role

Lead Product Designer (AR / Immersive)

Key projects

  • Cyclops AR Tool: Redesigned tablet-based filmmaking platform
  • Real-Time Visualization: Scene blocking, camera planning, asset placement
  • Production UX: Bridged on-set workflows with Unreal / virtual production

Scope

AR / Spatial Design Interaction Design Film / Production Tools Real-Time Systems
Explore

Past

DeepIntent

Nov 2022 – Apr 2023

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • Healthcare Ad Platform: Improved campaign planning & forecasting
  • Compliance UX: Simplified complex regulatory workflows
  • Media Buyer Tools: Redesigned multi-step workflows

Scope

UX Design Product Strategy Demand Side Platforms Data-heavy Systems Agile Delivery
Explore

GloriFi

2022

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • Brokerage Platform: Designed trading dashboard for ETFs, stocks, and fractional investing
  • Financial Ecosystem: Integrated mortgage, banking, and trading into unified UX
  • Transaction Systems: Built flows for market, limit, and stop-loss orders

Scope

Fintech UX Trading Platforms Data-heavy Systems Product Design
Explore

Kung Fu Factory (Gala Games)

2022

Role

Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • Legends Reborn (Web3 CCG): Designed gameplay UI and core systems
  • Tokenomics UX: Integrated in-game currency, rewards, and economy loops
  • Game Systems: Health, stats, abilities, and player progression

Scope

Game Design Web3 / Blockchain Systems Design Interaction Design
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GE Digital

Feb 2019 – Dec 2019

Role

Sr. Staff UX Manager

Key projects

  • Global SKU Platform: Inventory + asset tracking system
  • Data Visualization UX: Simplified complex enterprise data
  • Team Scaling: Managed 10+ cross-functional roles

Scope

Team Leadership Data-heavy Systems Enterprise SaaS UX Strategy
Explore

Method Studios

May 2017 – Sep 2017

Role

Sr. UX / UI VR Game Designer

Key projects

  • Justice League VR: Multi-platform immersive experience
  • Gameplay Systems: Spatial UI + interaction models
  • Game Economy: Feedback loops + progression

Scope

VR / AR Design Game UX Interaction Design Story Systems
Explore

Office Depot

Feb 2020 – Jun 2021

Role

Sr. UX Manager

Key projects

  • eCommerce Redesign: Marketplace + product browsing flows
  • Team Leadership: Managed 4 designers
  • SaaS UI Framework: Configurators + purchasing funnels

Scope

Team Leadership eCommerce UX Design Systems UX Strategy
Explore

Zoic Labs

2017-2019

Role

Sr. Lead Product Designer

Key projects

  • USAF screen sharing: Classification-safe multi-asset composition for ops floors
  • BTC simulation: Sentiment-driven exchange prototype for banking white-label concepts
  • Multi-timeline ops UI: Concurrent disaster scenarios, branching plans, and recovery paths

Scope

Data Visualization Aerospace UX Mixed Reality UX Emerging Tech Product Design
Explore

Disney Interactive

Jan 2011 – Jan 2012

Role

Sr. Experience Designer

Key projects

  • Club Penguin: Gamified systems + parent/child UX
  • Microtransactions: Marketplace + rewards systems
  • Live Services UX: Engagement + retention loops

Scope

Gaming UX Behavioral Design Monetization Systems Interaction Design
Explore

72andSunny / Fiat USA

2011

Role

Lead UX Designer

Key projects

  • Vehicle Configurator: Redesigned Fiat’s European experience for U.S. market
  • Product Customization: Improved selection, comparison, and pricing flows
  • Conversion UX: Simplified complex configuration into intuitive steps

Scope

eCommerce UX Automotive Conversion Optimization Product Design
Explore

Applied Minds

Feb 2004 – Nov 2008

Role

Industrial Designer / Experience Design Pioneer

Key projects

  • GM In-Vehicle UX: Persona-driven navigation systems
  • Defense Visualization: Command centers + terrain tools
  • Touch Navigation Prototype: Early in-car UX systems

Scope

Human Factors Defense / Aerospace Interaction Design Hardware + Software UX
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Client Roster

Client companies and organizations Zach has worked with

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Career timeline

Horizontally scroll the page to step through my career timeline. Each waypoint is marked by year.

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Skills, Tools & Sectors

Scroll the panel below to browse all three blocks.

Skills

    Tools

    Sectors

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      Education, Certifications & Awards

      Proof points along the path—formal study, focused certifications, and moments when the work earned industry recognition.

      Certifications

      Driving Innovation — Generative AI

      MIT Professional Education · 2025

      Generative AI Mastermind

      2-day Immersive

      Outskill · 2025

      Scrum Master Certified

      SAFe Certified

      Scrum Alliance · 2012

      Apple iOS Human Interface Design Guidelines

      Udemy · 2023

      Awards

      Lumiere Award · SXSW Innovation Award nominee

      The Third Floor · Cyclops · 2021-2022

      2022 SXSW Innovation Award nominee. 2021 Lumiere Award for work at The Third Floor on Cyclops—a filmmaker tablet app designed to streamline placing film assets in scenes and shots.

      General Motors Concept Award

      Applied Minds Inc. · 2007

      Contributed to Cadillac vehicle concepts by designing interaction models, prototypes, and navigation systems.

      Education

      Florida State University

      B.S. Design & Business Marketing · 1998–2001 · Tallahassee, FL

      Creighton University

      1995–1998 · Omaha, NE

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      Occum's Airlock

      A fun, on-brand strip: the UX Yeti's adventures in outer space. More panels to come.