Illustration of Frank Barnhardt at his desk

a product design lead Hi, I'm Frank. I design behaviors, not just interfaces.

FedEx Charge Slip Generator — UI design mockups

I design complex products for people working inside complex systems.

From enterprise logistics to financial platforms, I've helped teams turn messy workflows into clear, scalable experiences.

The hardest problems are never about the interface. They are about understanding people, systems, and the decisions happening underneath.

I work across the full product lifecycle, from discovery to deployment, bringing together people, technology, and business goals to create experiences that make complex systems feel simple.

Frank Barnhardt

How I Work

End to end is my preference. I love the kickoff, the ambiguity, the moment before anything is decided.

But I'm equally comfortable jumping into an existing project, reading the room, and picking up where someone else left off. Every stage of the process is familiar ground.

Start

  1. Discover

    Research, stakeholder interviews, problem framing

  2. Define

    Synthesis, strategy, success metrics

  3. Design

    Wireframes, prototypes, design systems

  4. Validate

    User testing, iteration, feedback loops

  5. Build

    Engineering partnership, QA, handoff

  6. Ship

    Deployment, launch, real-world impact

Deliver

Using AI, Deliberately

We're not designing interfaces anymore. We're designing behaviors. And as machines move faster, the gap between what AI delivers and what users actually trust is growing.

The new design problem is validation, building the transparency and stop gaps that keep humans confident inside systems they can't fully predict.

Explore AI Work

AI Experiments

I build things to understand them. Cursor, workflow prototypes, small apps.

Not because I have all the answers, but because hands-on is the only way I know how to learn.

AI + Product Design

I've been weaving AI into real project work, from enterprise UX to personal builds.

These are honest takes from someone actively figuring out where it fits and where it gets in the way.

AI Reality Check

I use AI daily. Planning, research, strategy, and yes, vibe coding.

Enough reps to have a point of view. Enough curiosity to know I'm just getting started.

About Frank

The design work and the hand work come from the same place. A belief that craft matters, details matter, and the final execution is never an afterthought.

Meet Frank

Craft Matters

I respect the details, the process, and the final execution.

Stay Curious

The best designers keep learning, experimenting, and asking better questions.

Humanize Technology

The goal is not more technology. The goal is better experiences for people.

After decades in product design, one thing has always mattered most to me: trust. Trust with my clients. Trust with my users. Trust was once gained through design consistency, I find new design trends build it through clear transparency.

With AI in the picture, the design problem has changed. It's no longer about static interfaces. It's about behavior, knowing when to let the system lead and when to pull the human back in. The spaces between what AI delivers and what a person actually needs, that's where the real design work lives now.

Meet Frank

FedEx
Cisco
JPMorgan Chase
Globe
MUFG
T-Mobile

Recent Works

Cisco

Learning paths that actually get found.

Senior UX Design Lead · UX Strategy and Recommendations

Coming Soon
JPMorgan Chase

Clarity for high-stakes banking moments.

UX Design Lead · Strategy, UX, UI

Coming Soon
T-Mobile

AI assistant design at carrier scale.

Senior UX & Product Designer · UX, UI, Product Design

Coming Soon