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.
Discover
Research, stakeholder interviews, problem framing
Define
Synthesis, strategy, success metrics
Design
Wireframes, prototypes, design systems
Validate
User testing, iteration, feedback loops
Build
Engineering partnership, QA, handoff
Ship
Deployment, launch, real-world impact
Designing for the Age of AI
AI is changing how products are built, but great products are still built around people.
I'm interested in using AI where it creates speed, insight, and better decision-making, while ensuring every experience remains understandable, trustworthy, and human.
Rapid Prototyping
What used to take me days, now takes me hours.
AI-Augmented Research
AI doesn't replace research. It makes room for more of it.
Creative Exploration
Without a vision, AI's still pretty lame. With one, the sky's the limit.
Strategic Product Thinking
Use AI to accelerate execution so more time is spent solving the right problems.
I'm a Product Design Lead based in San Rafael, CA — twenty years turning complex problems into experiences that actually work, from first concept to final deployment.
Recently at Amdocs Studio, I led UX for FedEx on a parcel management overhaul and for T-Mobile on an AI-powered digital assistant. I've also led design for Cisco, Globe, and MUFG on enterprise platforms where clarity and scale matter.
For the past two decades I've designed for mission-driven brands including Chase, Disney, EA, and more — working across brand, product, and enterprise systems at every scale. Few designers hold both ends of that spectrum. I do.
AI changed what one person can do. What it didn't change is judgment. Knowing when to design for it and when to design with it, that's still a human call.
1
Who I am
I'm Frank Barnhardt, a Product Design Lead based in San Rafael, CA. Twenty 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.
