About
About
About
I am a design leader, facilitator, and strategist who elevates the business and human impact of design. A connector of people and ideas, I work to design a better future for everyone. As a design director with 10+ years of agency and enterprise experience, I guide multidisciplinary teams from research and design to validation and launch. Past clients include Affirm, Capital One, Dell, and Google. As a design manager, I nurture the growth of designers and help them make sense of their experience and chart their careers. And as a leader, I strive to build a creative culture that is open and collaborative, resilient and pragmatic. I am a human-centered advocate for users, stakeholders, clients, and their customers. Previously Design Director at Funsize, Inc., Design Lead for the Helix Design System at Rackspace, Inc. and co-founder of the RackLabs Innovation Program.
Outside of my design career, I am passionate about building community. Previously, I served as Director of Events & Programming for the Austin UXPA, where I helped bring monthly education and community building events to the Austin design community and helped transition our events from in-person to virtual experiences. I am also a Steering Committee member of the Corporate Engagement Council, a partnership between corporate social responsibility boards, Central Texas non-profits, and the City of Austin Mayor’s Office. Interests include narrative theory, embodied cognition, music, education, and dinosaurs. I live in Austin, TX with my incredible wife and daughter, three cats, two bikes, and a dog.
Philosophy
Philosophy
Design Philosophy
My design philosophy is rooted in the principles of narrative theory and embodied cognition. On the one hand, a great story is an invitation to participate in it. It’s a chance to become the story, and to tell stories of our own. On the other hand we are most fully human when we can skillfully act in the world. Our delight largely comes from successfully doing something.
As a design leader, I strive to foster a culture of design that brings these hands together. If we focus on real need, explore what drives human behavior, and then design with empathy for real people, we can help them tell meaningful stories and accomplish amazing things. For me, it’s about more than problem solving. Great design can help people grow and should evolve with them as they do.
Thankfully, this is good for business too. As it turns out, the chance to make meaning fosters sustainable growth for both consumers and the brands they love. Design is really a commitment to nurturing both a flourishing user and a flourishing business.
It all boils down to a fundamental belief that a call to action can be more than a call to click. It can be a call to build a better community together. As a designer, I have the chance to develop technology that makes people happier and more effective, businesses smarter and more successful, and, at my best, all of us just a bit more human.
Recommendations
Recommendations
Recommendations
"As a design leader, Bart is a great connector of people and knowledge. I’d highly recommend him to anyone looking to align and inspire their team."
- Rebecca Loar, Design Researcher & Strategist
“Bart leads by example and in the process, inspires those around him. Bart is keenly aware of the power of group decision-making and consensus building as a means to create a high-performing team.”
- Chris Moyer, Information Developer & Content Strategist
"Bart has a deep understanding of design and user-centered thinking, and was able to articulate that and relate it to concrete things in an incredibly valuable way."
- Madelaine Krehm, UX Researcher
"His stalwart dedication to good UX helped me push my creative boundaries, and occasionally reel me in from conceptual outer space. Once an idea had been developed he gave insightful and constructive feedback, and could articulate the underpinning theories of the design decisions to clients with skill. I would follow his fiery red beard into an unknown project any day."
- Kyle Numann, Designer/Developer