Adam Robertson | Prodcut Designer and Developer

Versatile product designer with technical roots and grit.

Design and technology make a great pairing—luckily, I have a background in both. Currently, I'm a VP of Product Design at a Brooklyn-based startup.

My mantra is Charles Eames' quote, “the details make the design.” As a developer and UX designer, I focus on the minute details, creating smooth, intuitive interfaces and interaction flows that are pleasing to users. Once I have created those designs, I use clean coding techniques to implement the back-end functionality and ensure it delivers the same high-quality experience as the front-end.

As a developer, performance and data are two of my greatest strengths. I can take a poorly performing site and improve its Lighthouse score and SEO while also using Google Analytics (GA4), PostHog, and Amplitude to gather user insights that inform better product decisions.

I offer comprehensive site reviews and heuristic evaluations that transform user experience and uncover hidden revenue opportunities. My goal? Help teams create products that not only look great but perform brilliantly.

Born in Northwest Ohio, I moved to Colorado after I completed my studies in foreign affairs. I started building websites My first commercial website from 2002and developing them for commercial clients when I was 16 years oldI have worked with many different types of businesses and startups throughout multiple industries. In my free time, I enjoy hiking through Colorado’s trails, trying new recipes in the kitchen, taking on DIY projects, and spending time with my family.

I consider myself an expert in the following:

Webflow
Figma
Tailwind
Vue
Nuxt
Posthog
Bootstrap
Ionic
WordPress
Google Analytics
Tag Manager
Sass

Designer, developer, & creative.

A little about myself.

Some of the things I've done.

Experience is growth.

March 2021 - Present

VP of Product Design at Tribute
- Helped founders and engineering teams develop an overall strategy for design and engineering that supported Tribute's 20X growth in my first year.
- Redesigned, rebuilt, and launched the new version of the Tribute platform; created modular Vue and TypeScript applications and unified them using a scalable design system.
- Established a data-driven culture around product at Tribute, utilizing PostHog, GA4, Maze, and Amplitude to test assumptions, enhance conversion funnel flow, and execute large-scale A/B testing, which increased conversion on key flows up to 50%.
- Developed from concept to launch two native iOS applications using bi-weekly sprints. By aligning engineers, designers, and stakeholders around a shared sprint vision, I applied lean UX principles, utilized SnapKit and Vimeo APIs, and collaborated in Figma.
- Coordinated product and technical integration of the Boombox acquisition; improved performance, resolved over 50 critical issues, and reduced operational costs by 30%.
December 2019 - March 2020

Product Consultant at Droplr
- I created an enterprise-wide brand guide, including a full design system to standardize asset use across every touchpoint of the company.
- Helped drive Digital Transformation with a customized WordPress Multi-Site Solution, which increased organic traffic by 115% and improved Lighthouse scores to nearly perfect (98/100).
July 2017 - December 2019

Design & Development Consultant at ETHDenver
- Led enhancements to the ETHDenver website using WordPress and merged it with Devfolio, allowing promotional sites, ACF forms, Vue mini-app schedules, and social media to work together. Achieved an Event Application CSAT of 96%.
March 2014 - March 2021

Senior Manager, UX/UI & Frontend Development at Peterson's
- Managed a team of UI/UX designers and developers, directing design across multiple products, including websites, mobile apps, and strategic partnerships.
- Developed and launched a mobile app that achieved a 4.6-star rating, 10,000+ downloads, and was featured on the App Store within its first week.
- Led cross-functional Agile teams from concept to delivery, fostering a culture of creativity and efficiency that increased velocity and delivered more story points per sprint than ever before.
January 2014 - August 2017

Freelance Design & Development at Inspirato
- Built Inspirato's blog from start-up to launch, growing user engagement and helping establish a strong online brand presence for the luxury travel community.
- Developed the Inspirato with American Express joint venture platform to create a cohesive membership process, adding over 4,000 members. More than a quarter joined in the first six months after launch.
December 2011 - March 2014

Senior WordPress Designer/Developer at Webolutions
- Won two Communicator Awards: the Award of Excellence in Food & Beverage for PotatoesUSA and the Award of Visual Appeal for Fossil Trace Golf Club, both highlighting my ability to develop creative and effective web designs.
- Used user-centered design techniques and current best practices to design and build each client's website, providing high-quality, impact-driven web solutions.
- Delivered new websites every week while meeting aggressive timelines and maintaining high quality.
July 2006 - December 2011

Lead Interactive Designer at Miles Media
- Directed cutting-edge web and interactive design projects for over a decade for at least 10 major tourism clients, resulting in highly effective websites and mobile applications.
- Successful launch of flagship products; specifically, Colorado.com's high-profile redesign and the award-winning 5-Minute Meeting Planner.
- Increased client engagement by developing strategic design processes to deliver comprehensive digital solutions that exceeded client expectations and improved project delivery efficiency.

I take a flexible, adaptable approach to design, focused on design thinking but also influenced by the Lean UX methodology. I believe there isn’t a single best way to design, because each project requires a unique combination of resources, team size, etc. I use an “Agile Think, Make, Check” approach to design for small companies/teams. Small teams require speed, focus, and collaboration when solving problems. Larger companies with more resources allow for more defined processes that include more extensive user research, market/product fit analysis, and shared design experiences.

Research: Establishing Why

The Research Phase is where we identify the purpose for all the decisions we will eventually make. At this point, I determine goals/outcomes and challenge assumptions by using user research, mental models, and storyboards to help define how users think. I use user research and Mood Boards to build a rich foundation for all our design decisions. To build on the previous step, the primary goal is to first figure out what users want and why they want it — this forms the basis for all our future design decisions. I utilize tools such as PlaybookUX, Userbrain, Dovetail, and Maze during this stage.

Ideate: Explore and Expand Options

In Ideation, we brainstorm ideas and collaborate to explore possibilities through various exercises using Mural (or Miro, if you prefer). Although Ideation may need to be streamlined to meet the needs of a startup project, it is critical for more complex, larger initiatives. Design Sprints, either with fellow designers or stakeholders, are central to this stage. We use techniques such as "How Might We" exercises, Crazy 8s, and Spicy Debates to generate multiple possible solutions. Although these exercises may take up a significant amount of time, they provide us with numerous ways to innovate and force us to rethink how we traditionally design.

Make: Realizing Our Vision

In the Make Stage, we transform our ideas into tangible products — my favorite part of the design process. Based on our research findings from the Research Phase, we begin forming hypotheses and developing our products. Whether we are working in Figma or rapidly prototyping using modern tools such as Bolt and V0, this is where the product takes shape and comes alive. As a designer, I can express my creativity at this stage while also making meaningful contributions to the end product 🔥.

Check: Ongoing Improvement

The Check Phase is the core of my design process — it’s where we validate our assumptions and continuously improve and refine our work through user testing and data analysis. This is an ongoing process that continues long after the design is complete. Occasionally, we discover that our data-backed assumptions were wrong, or users reacted negatively to specific aspects of the product 🤔. This is why the Check Phase is so important — it provides us with real-world opportunities for growth. Whether we are improving a 25% conversion rate to 50% or fine-tuning user flows based on user feedback, this is where we measure the success of our designs and ensure they serve our users' needs.

My design process.

And it's not one-size-fits-all.

Recent work.

What I've been up to.