Dawson's Design Portfolio

Workspace Search

CASE STUDY BRIEF

A workspace-wide search feature utilizing dynamic PSQL queries for finding what matters to you across enterprise talent operations

COMPANY

Abode HR

DURATION

1 week

YEAR

2024

MY ROLE

Sr. Product Designer & Product Manager

TEAM

Harry, Full-Stack Software Engineer
Evan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

GOAL #1

Design an intuitive search experience for non-technical users

GOAL #2

Surface deeply nested data across features and schemas

GOAL #3

Improve performance of complex, cross-entity queries

THE CHALLENGE

How do you improve search and discovery across deeply nested HR data as the platform’s information architecture rapidly expands?

UNDERSTANDING A TALENT OS

Complex talent data is both ingested from various sources (HRIS, file uploads, & user inputs) and stored in a dense, hierarchical storage schema (PSQL)

DESIGNING A SOLUTION

Explored component design for various data types & states

RESULTS

Measuring the impact of combined search and database enhancements

7+ hrs

of time saved planning and executing for enterprise talent teams

4-12

less clicks to reach critical communication and data features

1.5x

faster queries for HR data coupled with PSQL db migration

CASE STUDY CONCLUSION

Shipping scalable search and discovery-related features optimizes the UX for non-technical audiences and delivers time-to-value savings

Navigation & IA Enhancements

CASE STUDY BRIEF

Modernizing platform information architecture for the next gen of enterprise talent teams

COMPANY

Abode HR

DURATION

2 weeks

YEAR

2025

MY ROLE

Sr. Product Designer & Product Manager

TEAM

Steven, Engineering Manager
Evan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Leo, Sr. Product Manager
Rebecka, Sr. Product Designer

GOAL #1

Merge 2 legacy navigation systems

GOAL #2

Surface contract-expanding features within core workflows

GOAL #3

Increase trust and clarity for executive and daily users

THE CHALLENGE

How do you unify the information architecture of two revenue-generating HR platforms into a single, scalable Talent OS?

LEGACY PLATFORMS

Two legacy navigation systems house dozens of features that need careful consideration, migration, and merging within the platform information architecture

CONCEPT B: PRIMITIVES & ATOMIC INTERACTIONS

Responsive buttons, drop downs, popovers, hover states, and selection states were explored for each concept

STATEFUL COMPONENT DESIGN

Over 32 component states were prototyped together to test feature-by-feature navigation

RESULTS

Measuring the impact of navigation and information architecture enhancements

14%

reduction in UI footprint on desktop

12+

features consolidated into a single navigation system

$$$

enhanced discoverability of upsell features for contract expansions

CASE STUDY CONCLUSION

Investing energy into information architecture and system navigation is worth it for both the enterprise customer UX and for building a scalable foundation to continue growing your platform offerings

Quick AI Wins

CASE STUDY BRIEF

An AI-driven pollination of existing HR SaaS platform features to modernize and save time for talent teams

COMPANY

Abode HR

DURATION

2-3 months

YEAR

2025

MY ROLE

Sr. Product Designer & Product Manager

TEAM

Steven, Engineering Manager
Harry, Full-Stack Engineer
Evan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Emily, Full-Stack Engineer
Ivan, Full-Stack Engineer
Syed, Full-Stack Engineer

GOAL #1

Reduce interaction cost for content generation workflows

GOAL #2

Enable AI-assisted creation wizardry

GOAL #3

Decrease reliance on support for configuration and setup

THE CHALLENGE

How do you embed AI-powered creation, notifications, and automation across dozens of HR features without increasing cognitive load?

PROMPT ENGINEERING

Leveraging Gems, Genkit, & Gemini (GGG) to build AI features

RE-IMAGINING A LEGACY SYSTEM

Where can AI improve existing features in the product?

RESULTS

Measuring the impact of AI features

reduction in clicks for content generation and feature setup

50%

reduction in client support time for new customers

2-100

dynamic generation of talent cohorts with minimal inputs

CASE STUDY CONCLUSION

Sprinkling generative AI into every area of a platform instead of investing in one AI-heavy feature is an effective strategy for growing self-service and customer satisfaction

L/D

BUSY AT WORK

Hello, I’m

Dawson

Senior Product

Designer

based in

Nashville

Download resumé

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▮ GALLERY OF SELECT WORKS

White square sheet with 12 black nature-themed line icons including mushroom, sun, butterfly, bee, leaf, campfire, mountain, rain cloud, binoculars, carrot, trees, and a tent on a green background.

Mobile screen showing Quilt app with text 'Weave messy ideas into structured patterns' and buttons to try Quilt free or watch video.

Close-up of a white Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller next to a screen displaying colorful icons of Figma, Webflow, and Sketch on a dark background with a rainbow glow underneath.

Screenshot of a webpage titled #HalfTheStory with a photo of students focused in a classroom and text introducing Social Media U program.

Silhouette of a traditional Japanese pagoda, trees, torii gate, and a mountain with the sun setting behind it under an orange sky with stars and a contrail.

Side view of a Rivian SUV with body color divided into four sections: light gray front labeled Limestone, green second section labeled Launch Green, blue third section labeled Rivian Blue, and yellow rear labeled Compass Yellow.

Dashboard interface for Summer ACMe Program showing timeline of internship tasks and cohort cards with candidate counts and status.

Map showing Nashville, Tennessee, with major highways, neighborhoods, and landmarks including The Parthenon and Ascension St Thomas Hospital West.

Three smartphone screens showing a mindfulness app with a cartoon fox mascot, mood tracking, chat support, and meditation options on a purple gradient background.

Number of industries I’ve explored working in product and design

$29.5M+

Returns generated by strategic product design & development

Number of successful product launches I’ve collaborated on

▮ ENDORSEMENTS

"You did a boat load of documentation on this feature, some of the best I've seen honestly."
"You’re single-handedly transforming this platform. You’ve done ten years worth of design in just five months."

Harry Fox

Software Engineer at Abode

"Dawson is truly a self-starting team player who has a variety of skillsets, making him perfect for any UX/UI, design, or project management role, especially for those looking to work with a visionary beyond his years."

Dr. Rachel Hanebutt

Professor at Georgetown University & #HalfTheStory Insights

Abstract digital circuit board pattern with squares, dots, and connecting lines on a pink and purple gradient background.

CASE #1

Navigation & IA

Orange gradient background with a grid of sparkling white squares at the top and a zigzag pattern at the bottom.

CASE #2

Quick AI Wins

Abstract blue background with a central glowing square and white geometric lines forming a digital interface design.

CASE #3

Workspace Search

▮ WORK HISTORY

Senior Product Designer

Abode · 2024 - Present

HCI Researcher

Vanderbilt University · 2023

Mobility & App Development

St. Jude · 2019

Cofounder & UI/UX Designer

Novaly Studios on Roblox · 2017 - 2020

▮ DESIGN CLIENTS

Web Designer

Digital Product Consultant

ThirdBridge Group Limited · 2020 - 2023

UI/UX Designer

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. · 2018

▮ PRODUCT & DESIGN STACK

Product design is more than a toolkit, it's a discipline focused on building impactful systems and experiences for humanity. The tools below support my contributions across design initiatives and product projects.

RAG

▮ KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS

Digital Product Design

Craft user interfaces for apps, websites, and digital experiences across platforms

Human-AI Products

Build novel AI experiences with intelligent generative and analytical features

Growth Design Advisory

Increase profit and performance through data-informed design strategies

Design Systems

Establish a design system that captures your brand or creative vision

Human-Centered Research

Drive design with insights from thorough, human-centered research

Visual & Motion Design

Create striking mockups, gifs, animations, and graphic assets

▮ STICKERS

Redbubble Store

A cute sticker of the word "rizz" with a flame next to it

A cute sticker of two cherries, one frowning, and one smiling

A mushroom wizard with a red cap, cool robe, sandals, and a fire mage staff

A beveled sticker with a cat wearing an eyepatch. The Japanese characters for "eyepatch cat" are found to the right of the car itself.

A cute sticker of a lemon making a sour face

▮ FINAL NOTE

Dear Guest,
If you’ve made it this far, you’re likely as inquisitive as I am. I love exploring ideas and learning from others. If you’d like to chat, send me a LinkedIn message, and let’s connect!

Warm regards,

New Message · 9:41 AM

About Dawson