WORK

EXPERIENCE

A career built at the intersection of product strategy, experience design, and team leadership.

EXPERIENCE

YEARS

EXPERIENCE

YEARS

PROJECTS

150+

DELIVERED

PROJECTS

150+

DELIVERED

DESIGNERS

30+

DEVELOPED

DESIGNERS

30+

DEVELOPED

Custom Funko-style figure of Will Norris as a design director

Organizations I've Helped

Across two decades in product strategy, UX, and design leadership, I’ve helped organizations of every size design digital products, websites, and customer experiences that solve real business and user needs.

Core Capabilities

My expertise connects hands-on product design with design leadership—turning research into strategy, strategy into experiences, and team practices into stronger ways of working.

PRODUCT STRATEGY

Connecting user needs, market context, and business goals to shape roadmaps, service designs, and system workflows

PRODUCT ROADMAPS

NEEDS ANALYSIS

USER JOURNEYS

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

SERVICE DESIGN

SYSTEM WORKFLOWS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

Connecting user needs, market context, and business goals to shape roadmaps, service designs, and system workflows

PRODUCT ROADMAPS

NEEDS ANALYSIS

USER JOURNEYS

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

SERVICE DESIGN

SYSTEM WORKFLOWS

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Translating product ideas into polished interfaces, functional prototypes, and implementation-ready design systems

CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS

FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPES

WIREFRAMES

DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

UI COMPS

DESIGN SYSTEMS

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Translating product ideas into polished interfaces, functional prototypes, and implementation-ready design systems

CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS

FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPES

WIREFRAMES

DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

UI COMPS

DESIGN SYSTEMS

USER RESEARCH

Revealing unmet user needs through research, evaluation, and synthesis that guide smarter product decisions

HEURISTIC EVALUATION

CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY

USER INTERVIEWS

DATA CODING

USABILITY TESTING

INSIGHT ANALYSIS

USER RESEARCH

Revealing unmet user needs through research, evaluation, and synthesis that guide smarter product decisions

HEURISTIC EVALUATION

CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY

USER INTERVIEWS

DATA CODING

USABILITY TESTING

INSIGHT ANALYSIS

DESIGN OPERATIONS

Creating the design practices and planning structures that turn product vision into focused, actionable work

AGILE DESIGN

DISCOVERY FRAMEWORKS

OPERATING MODEL

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT

WORKFLOW OPTIMIZATION

OPERATIONAL BUDGETING

DESIGN OPERATIONS

Creating the design practices and planning structures that turn product vision into focused, actionable work

AGILE DESIGN

DISCOVERY FRAMEWORKS

OPERATING MODEL

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT

WORKFLOW OPTIMIZATION

OPERATIONAL BUDGETING

DELIVERY EXCELLENCE

Creating planning, estimation, and resourcing practices that help design teams deliver quality work with predictability.

EFFORT ESTIMATION

DELIVERY PLANNING

RESOURCE ALLOCATION

RISK MANAGEMENT

SCOPE ALIGNMENT

CAPACITY FORECASTING

DELIVERY EXCELLENCE

Creating planning, estimation, and resourcing practices that help design teams deliver quality work with predictability.

EFFORT ESTIMATION

DELIVERY PLANNING

RESOURCE ALLOCATION

RISK MANAGEMENT

SCOPE ALIGNMENT

CAPACITY FORECASTING

TALENT MANAGEMENT

Growing engaged design teams through roles, development, coaching, and systems that support long-term performance

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS

RESOURCE PLANNING

QUALITY ASSURANCE

EFFORT ESTIMATION

OPERATIONAL BUDGETING

TALENT MANAGEMENT

Growing engaged design teams through roles, development, coaching, and systems that support long-term performance

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS

RESOURCE PLANNING

QUALITY ASSURANCE

EFFORT ESTIMATION

OPERATIONAL BUDGETING

PRODUCT DESIGN TOOLKIT

DESIGN

Pixelmator Pro

Graphic Design

DESIGN

Pixelmator Pro

Vectors

DESIGN

Figma

UX Design

DEVELOPMENT

Framer

Interactivity

DEVELOPMENT

Framer

Interaction

DEVELOPMENT

HTML

Layout

DEVELOPMENT

Mural

Styling

RESEARCH

Dscout

Recruiting

RESEARCH

UserTesting

Moderation

RESEARCH

Excel

Data Coding

RESEARCH

MURAL

Synthesis

AI

ChatGPT

Engineering

AI

Gemini

Analytics

MANAGEMENT

JIRA

Workflow

My Career Path

This timeline traces my evolution from UX researcher and product designer to Head of Design—highlighting the roles, teams, and leadership practices that shaped how I build stronger design organizations.

JUNE 2025 - PRESENT

DESIGN LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

INDEPENDENT SABBATICAL

Focused on evolving modern design leadership practices through advanced prototyping, UI engineering, and AI-assisted workflows. Developed scalable frameworks for design operations, delivery quality, and interaction-driven product storytelling.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Designed and developed production-ready web experiences using Framer

Expanded expertise in design systems, tokenization, and component architecture

Integrated AI-assisted workflows for ideation, research synthesis, and asset generation

FOCUS AREAS

AI-ASSISTED WORKFLOWS

UI ENGINEERING

DESIGN OPERATIONS

AUGUST 2024 - MAY 2025

LEAD UX RESEARCHER

AHOLD DELHAIZE USA

Served as Lead UX Researcher on a nine-month contract supporting an in-house eCommerce research team. Led usability testing, diary studies, and user acceptance testing focused on checkout, payments, and customer communication experiences.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Conducted usability studies on checkout and payment workflows

Developed diary studies focused on order and delivery communication

Led user acceptance testing supporting a major eCommerce platform launch

FOCUS AREAS

USER RESEARCH

PRODUCT STRATEGY

AUGUST 2020 - JANUARY 2024

DIRECTOR OF DESIGN

CODAL

Led a multidisciplinary team of designers and strategists across enterprise, eCommerce, and marketing initiatives while overseeing staffing, delivery operations, sprint planning, and design practice development.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Built Codal’s scalable product discovery and strategy playbook

Introduced Agile design sprints for predictable biweekly delivery

Formalized career paths, evaluations, and design team operations

FOCUS AREAS

TALENT MANAGEMENT

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

FEBRUARY 2017 - JULY 2020

DESIGN MANAGER

SPR

Led multidisciplinary design and research teams on projects across healthcare, insurance, energy, and consumer goods sectors. Oversaw staffing forecasts, delivery planning, and collaborative strategy workshops with senior business stakeholders.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Created a team book club focused on interpersonal communication skills

Developed iterative design and discovery sprint methodologies for Agile design teams

Designed tailored user research frameworks aligned to client goals and constraints

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

JULY 2015 - JANUARY 2017

DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND STRATEGY

TABLE XI

Established and led a user research practice focused on integrating customer insights into the product design process. Directed discovery and UX strategy initiatives for clients across public and private sector organizations.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Developed a top-rated product strategy workshop for Chicago Ideas Week

Created lean research methods aligned to Agile product development

Trained clients and teams on user interviews and usability testing

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

JUNE 2013 - JUNE 2015

SENIOR DESIGNER

MANIFEST DIGITAL

Led UX strategy, user research, and experience design projects for retail and insurance clients. Managed multiple projects while collaborating closely with stakeholders to align business goals and user needs.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Improved stakeholder alignment through empathy-focused research workshops

Received company award for mobile context-awareness research initiative

Developed a UX value framework adopted for training and university coursework

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

AUGUST 2011 - MAY 2013

GRADUATE STUDENT

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Transitioned from IT consulting into the field of Experience Design while completing a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction at DePaul University. Focused on user research, interaction design, and digital product strategy.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative 4.0 GPA

Hired by a DePaul professor to begin UX design career

Built foundational skills in research, interaction design, and strategy

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

JUNE 2025 - PRESENT

DESIGN LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

INDEPENDENT SABBATICAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Designed and developed production-ready web experiences using Framer

Expanded expertise in design systems, tokenization, and component architecture

Integrated AI-assisted workflows for ideation, research synthesis, and asset generation

FOCUS AREAS

AI-ASSISTED WORKFLOWS

UI ENGINEERING

DESIGN OPERATIONS

AUGUST 2024 - MAY 2025

LEAD UX RESEARCHER

AHOLD DELHAIZE USA

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Conducted usability studies on checkout and payment workflows

Developed diary studies focused on order and delivery communication

Led user acceptance testing supporting a major eCommerce platform launch

FOCUS AREAS

USER RESEARCH

PRODUCT STRATEGY

AUGUST 2020 - JANUARY 2024

DIRECTOR OF DESIGN

CODAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Built Codal’s scalable product discovery and strategy playbook

Introduced Agile design sprints for predictable biweekly delivery

Formalized career paths, evaluations, and design team operations

FOCUS AREAS

TALENT MANAGEMENT

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

FEBRUARY 2017 - JULY 2020

DESIGN MANAGER

SPR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Created a team book club focused on interpersonal communication skills

Developed iterative design and discovery sprint methodologies for Agile design teams

Designed tailored user research frameworks aligned to client goals and constraints

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

JULY 2015 - JANUARY 2017

DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND STRATEGY

TABLE XI

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Developed a top-rated product strategy workshop for Chicago Ideas Week

Created lean research methods aligned to Agile product development

Trained clients and teams on user interviews and usability testing

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

JUNE 2013 - JUNE 2015

SENIOR DESIGNER

MANIFEST DIGITAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Improved stakeholder alignment through empathy-focused research workshops

Received company award for mobile context-awareness research initiative

Developed a UX value framework adopted for training and university coursework

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

AUGUST 2011 - MAY 2013

GRADUATE STUDENT

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative 4.0 GPA

Hired by a DePaul professor to begin UX design career

Built foundational skills in research, interaction design, and strategy

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

JUNE 2025 - PRESENT

DESIGN LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

INDEPENDENT SABBATICAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Designed and developed production-ready web experiences using Framer

Expanded expertise in design systems, tokenization, and component architecture

Integrated AI-assisted workflows for ideation, research synthesis, and asset generation

FOCUS AREAS

AI-ASSISTED WORKFLOWS

UI ENGINEERING

DESIGN OPERATIONS

AUGUST 2024 - MAY 2025

LEAD UX RESEARCHER

AHOLD DELHAIZE USA

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Conducted usability studies on checkout and payment workflows

Developed diary studies focused on order and delivery communication

Led user acceptance testing supporting a major eCommerce platform launch

FOCUS AREAS

USER RESEARCH

PRODUCT STRATEGY

AUGUST 2020 - JANUARY 2024

DIRECTOR OF DESIGN

CODAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Built Codal’s scalable product discovery and strategy playbook

Introduced Agile design sprints for predictable biweekly delivery

Formalized career paths, evaluations, and design team operations

FOCUS AREAS

TALENT MANAGEMENT

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

FEBRUARY 2017 - JULY 2020

DESIGN MANAGER

SPR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Created a team book club focused on interpersonal communication skills

Developed iterative design and discovery sprint methodologies for Agile design teams

Designed tailored user research frameworks aligned to client goals and constraints

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

DESIGN OPERATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE

JULY 2015 - JANUARY 2017

DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND STRATEGY

TABLE XI

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Developed a top-rated product strategy workshop for Chicago Ideas Week

Created lean research methods aligned to Agile product development

Trained clients and teams on user interviews and usability testing

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

JUNE 2013 - JUNE 2015

SENIOR DESIGNER

MANIFEST DIGITAL

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Improved stakeholder alignment through empathy-focused research workshops

Received company award for mobile context-awareness research initiative

Developed a UX value framework adopted for training and university coursework

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

AUGUST 2011 - MAY 2013

GRADUATE STUDENT

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative 4.0 GPA

Hired by a DePaul professor to begin UX design career

Built foundational skills in research, interaction design, and strategy

FOCUS AREAS

PRODUCT STRATEGY

USER RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE DESIGN

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011