Hi, my name is Frank and I am a Product Design Lead based in San Rafael, CA.
I’ve spent 15+ years designing clarity into complex products and systems.
Recently at Amdocs Studio (fka Stellar Elements), I led UX for FedEx's parcel management overhaul and explored T-Mobile's AI-powered digital assistant. I've also partnered with Cisco, Vestis, and MUFG on complex enterprise platforms.
Earlier in my career, I worked across brand, product, and digital experiences for companies including Chase, Disney, and EA.
My 2D animation background gives me another way to visualize ideas—useful in innovation, presentations, and early-stage concepting.
I do my best work with talented teams, big challenges, and a shared goal.
I’m designing with and for AI—reimagining workflows and experiences.
Service & Skills
What I Do Best
I love figuring things out. New teams. New industries. New technology.
I bring a broad set of skills to every stage of a product—from discovery to deployment.
User Flows
Site & Product Architecture
Service Blueprints
Design Systems
Interactive Prototypes
Research & Strategy
AI-Powered Concepts
Built for Complexity
Enterprise UX
Fortune 500 organizations trust me to design solutions that drive measurable impact.
I've uncovered $5M+ revenue recovery opportunities at FedEx and improved JPMorgan Chase customer support and payment experiences at millions-of-user scale.
End to End Journey
Product Design
I thrive on ambiguous, complex product challenges, especially the ones with no obvious starting point.
I took FedEx’s Charge Slip Generator from concept to launch and led key parts of Chase’s customer service redesign—work that shipped, scaled, and delivered real-world impact.
Building with AI Workflows
Designing with AI
AI has accelerated how I explore, prototype, and iterate, turning ideas into tested concepts faster than ever.
I built fbdesign.org and frankpaints.com end-to-end with AI as a research and build partner, taking vision to prototype in record time.
At Scale
Systems Design
I bring structure to complex products, shaping systems that feel like natural extensions of what people actually need.
I built the end-to-end service design system behind FedEx's charge slip workflow, and audited enterprise platforms for Cisco and Vestis to find where structure was missing.
Beyond the System
Design at Scale
Design at scale means creating consistency without slowing the work down—evolving the experience as products, teams, and requirements change.
I helped rebuild Chase.com’s secure login experience over 3.5 years, shaping the design language in real time across phased releases that reached 50M+ customers.
Story in the Room
Client Chemistry
Good client relationships are built on trust, candor, and knowing when to listen—and when to push.
I build trust quickly with clients and teams, creating the space for honest conversations, better ideas, and stronger work.
As a hybrid designer, I move fluidly between structure and instinct.
One side of my brain is mapping systems, information architecture, logic, flow.
The other is sketching, illustrating, chasing a feeling until it's right.
The best work today needs both. I’ve spent my career learning to move fluidly between them.
Additional Powers
A Few More Tricks
Product design is my foundation, but I've picked up a few other tools along the way—skills and instincts that can bring a different perspective to the work.
Innovation Sketches
Concept Illustrations
Storyboards
Executive Presentations
Workshop Visuals
Visual Narratives
Rapid Concepts
01
Innovation & Concepting
I enjoy working in the messy space before the answer is obvious—exploring possibilities, challenging assumptions, and helping teams turn early thinking into something tangible.
I’ve worked with innovation teams to explore new ideas through rapid concepts, prototypes, and visual thinking—helping turn “what if?” into something a team can actually react to.
02
Low Ego, High Commitment
I love a good brief, a smart team, and a shared goal. I’m not interested in protecting my design—I’m interested in making the work better.
The best teams I’ve worked with know how to challenge ideas, share the credit, and stay focused on the thing we’re trying to accomplish together.
03
Learn Fast. Keep It Moving.
I don't spend much time complaining about the learning curve. Give me the problem, the software, or the system — I'll figure it out.
I've picked up tools like ProtoPie under pressure, taught myself to bend Cursor to my will, and dropped into fast-moving projects with enough speed to start contributing almost immediately. I like learning fast, getting useful, and keeping things moving.
04
Push Ideas
I’m rarely satisfied with the first good idea. I like exploring the edges, asking what else might be possible, and finding the idea that makes everyone sit up a little straighter.
I respect budgets and deadlines. But when there’s an opportunity to make something sharper, clearer, smarter, or simply more interesting, I’m usually the person asking, “What if we pushed this a little further?”
05
Visual Storytelling
I’m rarely satisfied with the first good idea. I like exploring the edges, asking what else might be possible, and finding the idea that makes everyone sit up a little straighter.
I respect budgets and deadlines. But when there’s an opportunity to make something sharper, clearer, smarter, or simply more interesting, I’m usually the person asking, “What if we pushed this a little further?”
Experience
A mix of long-term partnerships and short, focused engagements. The indented rows are client projects delivered through the company listed above them.
2026–2021Amdocs Studio (fka Stellar Elements)
2 monthsT-MobileUX Consultant / Strategist
18 monthsFedExPrincipal UX Designer
3 monthsVestisLead Product Designer
6 monthsAWS / HealthOmicsLead Product Designer
4 monthsRosindaleUX Design Lead
3 weeksGlobeHi Fi Prototype Artist
3 monthsMUFGUX Consultant / Strategist
4 monthsSi-FiveUX Consultant / Strategist
3 monthsCiscoUX Consultant / Strategist
2021–2011JPMorgan Chase / Digital Product
14 monthsChase AutoUX Design Lead
10 monthsChase Support OverhaulProduct Design Lead
2 monthsInnovation LabStory Artist & Visionary
8 monthsYou InvestUI&UX Design Lead
24 monthsChase PaymentsUX Design Lead
6 monthsJPMC Corporate Website OverhaulUI/UX Design Lead
2011–2010Electronic Arts (EA) / Commercial Division
I'm currently open to full-time roles and selective consulting engagements.
1
Who I am
I'm Frank Barnhardt, a Product Design Lead based in San Rafael, CA. 15+ years of turning complex problems into experiences that actually work — from first concept to final deployment.
2
What I do
I work across the full design stack — brand, product, and enterprise systems. With AI in the workflow, one designer can now do what used to require a team. I use that deliberately.
Design Systems + Enterprise UX
AI-assisted Product Design
Digital Products
Brand Identity
3
Who hires me
End-to-end design lead for teams that need strategy and execution in the same person.
Project managers who need high-skill, low-ego delivery
Engineers who need a partner that speaks their language
Creative directors who need ideas that sell before they're built
Stakeholders who need to trust the person in the room
5
How I work with AI
I built a four-level framework for how AI participates in product design — not as a trend, as a practice. Most designers are still figuring out what AI is. I'm already designing systems around what it does and where it breaks.
"AI is a material, like paint or code. Use it when it makes the work better. Put it down when it doesn't. That judgment is the job."
AI as productivity tool
Human in the loop
Agents in systems
Right tool, right job
6
Getting started
If you're building something in healthcare, AI, or anywhere the design stakes are real — I'd like to hear about it. Send me an email and tell me what you're working on.
I'm currently open to full-time roles and select consulting engagements — particularly in healthcare AI, AI-native products, and enterprise UX.
