From creative studios to distributed teams... 15+ years building design.
Process enables creativity, it doesn't constrain it.
When teams know how decisions get made and what success looks like, they do their best work. Ambiguity isn't inspiring—it's exhausting.
Design will lead the future.
Design turns vision into action, bringing user needs, business goals, and real-world impact into alignment. As technology evolves, design helps us evolve with intention.
Distributed teams can be just as effective as co-located ones.
Time zone diversity means someone's always thinking about the problem. Cultural diversity means broader perspectives. Remote work means hiring the best people, not just the ones who live nearby.
AI and automation are tools, not threats.
I'm proactively integrating them because, used correctly, they let designers focus on the hard problems—like strategy, research, and complex interactions.
Great design should always serve an intelligent purpose.
If we can't explain why a design decision makes the product better for users or the business, we shouldn't make it.
Disagree with any of these? Agree with any of these?
"Eric brought a rare mix of big-picture thinking and meticulous detail. The design leadership work helped streamline complexity, and the collaborative style made them a trusted partner across the board."
Greg Bebenek, Chief Technology Officer, Euvic
Eric’s an extraordinary design leader and collaborator. He’s thoughtful, methodical, and thorough in his approach. He drove strategy, customer research, and interaction design to explore the virtual card viability for PayPal. Together, we created a new product for our company portfolio that proved to be an incredible revenue driver, opening up a new tier of customer loyalty.
Nick Gamino, Lead Content Designer, PayPal
"The expertise and leadership from A Stronger Idea Design have been instrumental in transforming how we approach UX at Flowbird. Their impact has gone beyond design—it has positively influenced our entire product development lifecycle."
Marek Juda, Digital Chief Operating Officer, Flowbird
What I'm Great At
Building teams people want to stay on
I've maintained 95% retention through mergers, pivots, and market chaos. Not because I'm everyone's best friend, but because I'm clear about expectations, advocate for my teams, and create an environment where people can do their best work.
Bringing clarity to chaos
Startups can be messy. Enterprises can be opaque. I'm good at cutting through noise, aligning stakeholders, and giving teams the clear direction they need to move fast without constantly second-guessing themselves.
Making distributed teams actually work
I've been doing this since way before it was cool. I have systems for hiring remotely, onboarding across time zones, maintaining culture, and keeping communication flowing. This isn't theoretical—I've done this numerous times throughout different stages of my career.
Balancing user needs with business reality
I care deeply about users, but I also understand P&Ls, burn rates, and shipping deadlines. The best design solution that never ships helps no one. I'm good at finding the intersection of "right for users" and "possible right now."
Experience snapshot
2022-2025: Head of UX Design - Fractional, Flowbird → Arrive
Built 10-member distributed team • Detroit & NYC launches • 3.5M sessions/month • 95% retention through merger
2022-2025: Chief Product Designer - Fractional, Estate Guru
Legacy fintech transformation • 50% error reduction • 35% task completion improvement
2020-2022: Head of Design, KIRU
Employee #5 • 0→9K users, 400 clients in 24 months • International team (USA/Colombia/Poland) • 300% company growth
2016-2020: Product Design Lead, PayPal
Virtual/physical card products • Global navigation optimization • Legacy migration • GDPR compliance redesign
2013-2015: Co-Founder & Lead Designer, Visualize Wealth
Fintech startup • Startupbootcamp 2016 Fintech Accelerator • Data visualization for wealth managers
2011-2014: Design Director, Moxie → Publicis CRMOne
Fortune 500 clients: Verizon, L'Oréal, Google/YouTube, BBC America • Digital campaign strategy
Mentoring
Are you a designer seeking guidance or career advice? I’m happy to connect and share what I’ve learned over the years—no sales pitch, no agenda, just a genuine desire to pay forward the support and mentorship that helped me early in my career. Whether you’re navigating your next career move, exploring new design challenges, or looking for feedback on your work, I’d be glad to chat.
