Michael Nguyen
Transform Your Design Career | Ex-Google & Disney Design Leader
Successful clients at
Available Monday
Starting at 2:00 PM UTC
I am generally flexible, so if you can't find time through booking, let me know. I can usually accommodate.
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Work with Michael
Land a Design Offer — Complete Package
$3,400
Advance Your Design Career
Starting at
$1,800
Nail Your Design Interviews
Starting at
$950
About
I am a passionate design leader with over 20 years of experience in design and more than 10 years of experience leading and building teams. My expertise is in driving O-to-1 innovation, creating intuitive design systems, and delivering impactful experiences that push boundaries while achieving business goals. As Senior Director of Product Design at Travelers, I oversee product design and research for product & platform modernization while leading strategic design initiatives for product innovation within their key Business Insurance segment. Previously, I led design for ads across YouTube's core feed, watch, search, and discover surfaces, creating horizontal experiences that support YouTube's free model through design systems, tooling, and 0-to-1 efforts that boosted viewer engagement and revenue. Before that, I directed Twitter's Design Systems team, growing a cross-disciplinary team of designers and design engineers that enhanced both revenue and consumer products. I also spearheaded product design for the ESPN app within Disney's Digital Technology Group, delivering engaging digital experiences for live sports and news. Throughout my career, I've driven digital transformations and created products for globally recognized brands including Amazon, Yahoo!, and CNN. My passion for design fuels my commitment to crafting beautiful, user-friendly experiences that exceed business goals and leverage smart technology. As a design thinker and storyteller, I measure success through impactful outcomes and seamless usability. I thrive on building diverse teams, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and championing a positive culture that drives innovation. My goal is to continuously form cross-collaborative relationships with product managers, user researchers, engineers, creative teams, and executive stakeholders to be the connective tissue and enabler for great work. More About Me I live in Connecticut with my wife, son, and two daughters. I grew up in the outdoors of beautiful Colorado and spent 15 years on the West Coast in California. You can see signs everywhere in my life, of my growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. My diverse set of professional and life experiences helps make me a strong leader. Beyond my professional work, I served as a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Connecticut Science Center, advising on digital design, product UX, brand, and visual & motion design. This role allowed me to give back to the community while staying connected to emerging design trends and educational initiatives. I am always curious about new challenges and opportunities. I look forward to connecting and collaborating on meaningful solutions that make a difference.
Michael also coaches for Build with AI and AI Productivity & Tooling. View all.
Michael’s Design Qualifications
Experience level: Director
10+ Design clients
Welcome to my profile! With over two decades of experience in product design, I've led transformative design initiatives at top companies like Google, CNN, Twitter, and The Walt Disney Company. As the Sr. Director of Product Design at Travelers, I drive strategy and innovation, contributing to significant business growth. My expertise spans creating cohesive design systems, enhancing user experiences, and balancing user needs with business objectives. I am passionate about mentoring aspiring designers and helping them navigate their careers in the competitive design industry. Let's connect to elevate your design skills and career to the next level!
Michael can help with:
Branding
Cover Letters
Design Thinking
Freelancing
Interview Prep
LinkedIn Review
Networking Strategy
Promotion Strategy
Prototyping
Resume Review
Salary Negotiation
Skill Building
User Experience Design
User Interface Design
Visual Design
Wireframing
Why do I coach?
Coaching matters to me because being coached myself changed how I see myself, how I lead, and how I make decisions, and I want my clients to experience that same shift. Over time, it helped me build real self-awareness, not just a stronger resume, and that has been the engine of every meaningful step in my career growth. How coaching shaped my growth: Across various roles in large, complex organizations and during moments of uncertainty, having leadership coaching myself provided me with the space to examine my patterns, blind spots, and default reactions. It helped me move from reacting to circumstances to intentionally designing my career, aligning my choices with my values, and showing up as a more grounded, empathetic leader for my teams. I'd like to pay it forward. Why that matters for clients Because coaching helped me strengthen my own self-awareness and navigate pivotal transitions, I do not approach this work as theory; I know what it feels like to be in those inflection points and to grow through them. When I coach, my goal is to help clients build that same inner clarity and momentum, so they can make braver decisions, advocate for themselves, and create careers that are resilient, sustainable, and truly their own.
Work Experience
Sr. Director, Product Design
Travelers
January 2025 - Present
In my role as senior director of Product Design at Travelers, I lead strategy and design for product innovation within Travelers’ key Business Insurance segment. I deliver unified customer and employee experiences, contributing to +8% or $1.6B YOY growth. I collaborate across departments, manage design teams, and champion human-centered design practices company-wide. I oversee experience design, research, design standards, and team development while advancing our strategic design objectives.
Member Board of Trustees
Connecticut Science Center
June 2024 - June 2025
Sr. UX Manager
July 2023 - January 2025
Innovative Product Design Manager with deep expertise in consumer-facing video and advertising experiences. Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams to develop scalable design systems and modernize digital platforms. Demonstrated success in balancing user experience with revenue optimization, having launched design initiatives that drive both user engagement and advertiser value. Extensive experience managing teams of Product Designers and Design Engineers while partnering with Product and Engineering leads to define strategic priorities. Known for crafting cohesive design languages across mobile, desktop, and TV platforms, with particular strength in motion design and content strategy. Passionate about creating inclusive, trust-building ad experiences that serve diverse global audiences while meeting business objectives.
Director, Product Design
CNN
February 2023 - July 2023
In my role as Director of Product Design at CNN, I spearheaded a redesign effort for design systems, fostering sustained adoption and efficiency. We developed an ecosystem and governance model for sustained adoption and efficiency. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, I advocated for the best user experience tools and frameworks, leveraging data-driven insights, impacting CNN's digital experience positively.
Director, Product Design
January 2021 - February 2023
As Director, I led the cross-disciplinary team of product designers and design engineers focused on building our design systems and partnering with cross-functional teams on key P0 initiatives.
Lead Product Designer
The Walt Disney Company
June 2015 - January 2019
Product Design Lead with proven success in transforming ESPN's digital presence across mobile, OTT, and wearable platforms. Led the complete redesign of the ESPN app, launching a D2C premium product (ESPN+) that drove significant revenue growth. Established comprehensive design systems and standards while directing a multidisciplinary team in UX, interaction, and UI design. Leveraged human-centered design principles and analytics to enhance user engagement through innovative features, including a reimagined video experience and personalized home screen. Demonstrated expertise in balancing user needs with business objectives across digital media platforms.
Sr. Product Designer
Amazon
August 2014 - June 2015
Product Design lead for Amazon's search and recommendation systems, balancing cutting-edge technology with intuitive user experiences. Drove product strategy and design decisions through data-driven testing and customer insights. Collaborated with engineering and product teams to optimize search experiences across mobile, tablet, TV, and desktop platforms. Pioneered innovative solutions in personalized search, social shopping integration, and machine learning-based recommendations utilizing Amazon's extensive product catalog
Lead Product Designer (Enterprise)
ESPN
May 2011 - June 2014
As Product Design Lead for ESPN's Enterprise Ad Sales Software, I spearheaded a comprehensive redesign and consolidation of the company's legacy systems, establishing a unified visual design language that transformed daily operations. By leading cross-functional teams and directing end-to-end design solutions, I drove significant revenue growth through improved tool efficiency and streamlined workflows. I established and exceeded key OKRs and metrics, demonstrating clear ROI of design initiatives while managing relationships across design, development, product management, and business analyst teams. My responsibilities included conducting thorough user research, competitive analysis and needs assessments to inform product strategy and feature prioritization. Through strategic design improvements and intuitive design solutions, I helped uncover previously lost revenue opportunities and significantly enhanced the effectiveness of ESPN's ad sales platform.
Michael was also given offers to work at
Apollo.io
Education
San Jose State University
Bachelors Degree, Graphic Design
1999 - 2002
I studied graphic design in the SJSU NEO design program, an intensive program requiring a portfolio review for admission.
5.0 average review
7 reviews
Overall rating
Michael has helped Leland clients get into Twitter
Land a Design Offer — Complete Package
$3,400
Advance Your Design Career
Starting at
$1,800
Nail Your Design Interviews
Starting at
$950
Land a Design Offer — Getting Started
Starting at
$950
Craft a Winning Design Resume
Starting at
$400
Michael also coaches for Build with AI and AI Productivity & Tooling. View all.
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