Helping people see what'spossible, then buildingthe path to get there.

I'm Chris: design leader, AI product builder, dad, and founder sharing field notes, enterprise case studies, and reusable artifacts while building in public.

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See selected case studies

Leander (Austin Metro Area), Texas · Building in public since 2024

Trusted by teams at

How I help

Make the next right product move.

I partner with teams when the work is important, the path is unclear, and someone needs to make progress concrete.

AI product strategy

Turn an ambiguous AI opportunity into a product strategy, proof of value, and an execution plan your team can act on.

→Opportunity framing
→Product direction
→Roadmap and measures

Product & design leadership

Bring clarity to a stuck product, align the people building it, and raise the bar for the customer experience.

→Decision frameworks
→Cross-functional alignment
→Sharper customer journeys

Design systems that ship

Create the patterns, principles, and operating model that help product teams move faster without losing coherence.

→Reusable components
→Accessible standards
→Healthier delivery rituals

Selected Work

Selected case studies

A few of the product problems I've helped teams frame, ship, and improve. Details reflect my individual contribution and publicly shareable outcomes.

Four Connected Care app screens: Mary's Health dashboard with Health Score of 68 and metrics, Insight view with blood sugar activity recommendations, Things to Ask doctor appointment prep with reports, and Health Polls community feature with Care Bot

DesignAIDevelopmentBranding

Microsoft Health Futures

Connected Care

During my time at Microsoft Research, I had my hands in several AI initiatives, one of which involved early GPT-3 prototypes from OpenAI. That work evolved into Windcrest under Microsoft Health Futures, which I ultimately shaped into Connected Care: a platform for caregivers that I shepherded from a blank canvas through three product waves over 18 months.

My contribution

Validated demand early on with Kano model surveys and fast-turnaround prototypes.

DesignDevelopmentBranding

Audi AG / Silvercar by Audi

Audi Select

I owned the design of Audi Select from start to finish: the marketing website, the subscriber-facing portal, and the internal ops admin tool. At $1,395/month, subscribers could swap between Audi models whenever they wanted. We launched in Dallas-Fort Worth and picked up press from CNET, The Verge, Forbes, and Engadget.

My contribution

Drove a 10% lift in subscriber satisfaction during the pilot by obsessing over seamless, intuitive interactions.

+10%

Satisfaction Increase

DevelopmentAIDesignBranding

Camino

Camino is something I created entirely on my own: a SaaS product and marketing site designed to help small businesses track their client relationships from the very first conversation through to a paid invoice. I built it on Next.js 15 with Claude AI powering smart communication and Stripe handling billing.

My contribution

Solo-built the entire stack, SaaS app and marketing site alike, taking it from initial database schema all the way through production deployment.

DesignDevelopmentBranding

Mercari, Inc.

Mercari

I was the design lead for the Mercari marketplace across web and mobile (iOS and Android). It's a peer-to-peer platform with over 100M installs where people list items in seconds and find deals up to 70% off retail, spanning clothing, electronics, collectibles, and just about everything else.

My contribution

Spearheaded the design system effort that brought visual consistency across web, iOS, and Android, locking in shared color contrast ratios, component libraries, and interaction patterns that sped up design-to-engineering handoffs.

Impact

The Numbers

$75B

Product Revenue

Home Depot

Designed products supporting $75B in revenue across 2,200+ stores.

10M+

Users Designed For

All Companies

Enterprise-scale UX across automotive, retail, AI, financial services.

500+

Designers Mentored

Across Industries

From junior designers to design directors.

Years in Enterprise

Fortune 500

Audi, Home Depot, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase.

INTJ

The Architect

Myers-Briggs

Top 2.6% of population. Strategic, independent, determined.

8w7

The Challenger

Enneagram

Direct, protective, intense. Combines strategy with action.

152/175

Camouflaging Score

CAT-Q, Diagnosed at 35

The same neurology that made masking exhausting gave me pattern recognition most don’t have.

Strategic

#1 CliftonStrength

StrengthsFinder

See multiple paths, choose the best. Create alternative solutions.

What to expect

A useful first conversation, not a sales ritual.

Start with a 30-minute fit call. If we can make a meaningful difference together, we will define the smallest useful engagement and get to work.

Book a 30-minute fit call

Fit call

A focused 30-minute conversation about the problem, constraints, and what success needs to look like.

Shape the work

If there is a fit, I turn the conversation into a small, clear scope with the right people and outcomes.

Make progress visible

We work in the open with practical artifacts, decision points, and a pace your team can sustain.

Who do you work with?

Leaders and product teams tackling meaningful AI, product, or experience challenges.

Where are you based?

Leander, Texas in the Austin metro area. I work remotely and selectively in person.

What should I bring to the first call?

A plain-language version of the problem. We can work out the rest together.

The Story

My Story

I'm Christopher Carter. Most people call me Chris. "Howdy, Carter" is just what happens when a designer from small-town Pennsylvania ends up in Texas. It stuck.

I taught myself to design in a vo-tech program in Butler, PA, and landed my first professional role in 2011. By 2016, I was the sole designer on a product acquired for $128 million. From there I launched Audi Select nationally, built for 2.4 million Pro users at The Home Depot, shipped AI products at Microsoft, and now own AI product roadmaps at JPMorgan Chase as VP Product Manager — shipping 100+ AI components serving 80M+ customers.

In November 2025, at 35, I was diagnosed autistic. My camouflaging score was 152 out of 175, meaning I'd spent 17 years in corporate America performing a version of myself that wasn't real. The pattern recognition, the obsessive depth, the relentless drive. It wasn't a flaw. It was the whole point.

Now I'm 36, building in public, and done pretending. Writing honestly on Substack and proving that the things that made me different are exactly what make the work better.

2011

Yellow Bridge

First professional role, Pittsburgh

2013

GiftCards.com

Solo designer, $128M acquisition

2017

Salesfusion

North Star Vision, acquired by SugarCRM

2018

Audi

Audi Select national launch (CNET, Forbes)

2018

The Home Depot

$75B revenue, 2.4M Pro Xtra users

2022

Microsoft

Lead Product Designer, AI

2023

JPMorgan Chase

VP Product Manager, AI

2025

Diagnosed

Autistic at 35 (CAT-Q 152/175)

2026

Unmasked

Building in public

Field notes

Practical notes for people building what's next.

Honest essays on AI + Design, enterprise UX war stories, career frameworks, and the journey of building in public as someone who masked autism for 17 years in corporate America.

• The AI-Native Designer
• Unmasked
• Enterprise UX

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Work With Me

Let's make the next move clearer.

Bring the challenge, the constraints, and the question you cannot shake. We'll use 30 minutes to see whether working together would be useful.

Book a 30-minute fit call Email Chris