is a product design leader with a track record of turning concepts into market-ready products by leveraging design thinking, user research, and UX/UI design.

He has launched three startups, founded a strategic innovation practice at Capital One, led design thinking curriculum for executives, and designed highly rated apps at Fjord and Accenture. As Global Director of UX at McDonald’s, he transitioned the practice from agency to in-house.

Erik is currently Head of Design at Tandym, a google-backed fintech.

Product Design Strategy

My management style blends democratic and visionary approaches. I trust my team’s expertise and empower them to excel in their roles while ensuring our work aligns with a clear, overarching vision. This vision is developed collaboratively with cross-functional leaders, always guided by business goals. My aim is to equip Product and Design Leaders with the customer-centric tools and insights needed to shape strategic decisions that not only meet business objectives but also influence the broader company mission.

I follow a structured design process that begins by defining success through clear business objectives and key results (OKRs). From there, I orient the team within the product design and development lifecycle, ensuring we're clear on the problem definition and solutions we need to explore and refine. For tactical needs with well-defined solutions, I focus on delivery using Lean UX methods and high-fidelity testing, relying on a well-oiled design system that enables lightning-fast design work by reducing reinventing components. For more early and conceptual challenges, I leverage cross-functional design sprints to rapidly define the right experience and then prototypes to design the experience right.

My interpretation of the double-diamond Design Thinking methodology layers in orientation markers because starting at the beginning isn't always necesary.