About
I make complex things
feel human.
I'm John French — a Product Design Director and UX leader based in Athens, GA, with over 15 years of experience delivering user-centered, accessible, and data-driven digital services.
My work lives at the intersection of design and policy, technology and people. I've led multi-disciplinary teams across federal agencies — VA, CMS, SSA, the Library of Congress — as well as private sector clients, shaping everything from healthcare APIs to enterprise web platforms.
My foundation in web development means I speak fluently with engineers, and foster true cross-functional collaboration. My background in research means I keep the people behind every interface at the center of every decision.
Outside of work, I'll talk to you for as long as you want about tennis, running, hiking, and playing music. Especially if we're sitting outside with an iced latè.
Areas of expertise
01
Design Leadership
Building and leading design teams — hiring, mentoring, establishing critiques, design ops, and a culture where great work gets made.
02
Service Design
End-to-end service design for complex ecosystems — blueprints, journey maps, and systemic thinking that connects front-stage experience to back-stage operations.
03
UX Research
Mixed-methods research: generative discovery, usability testing, analytics analysis, and translating insight into design decisions that stick.
04
Design Systems
Building scalable design systems from token architecture through component libraries and documentation — the kind that developers actually use.
05
Accessibility
WCAG compliance as a floor, not a ceiling. Accessible design as a practice baked into process, not bolted on at QA.
06
Technical Fluency
A foundation in web development that enables real partnership with engineering — understanding constraints, advocating for design in technical decisions.
Organizations I've served