Avriel O'Connor
Director Of Product Design
San Francisco,CA
Summary
I'm a passionate design leader who thrives on building teams that deliver exceptional results. Whether mentoring designers to achieve their next big promotion, creating scalable design systems, or embedding a culture of research, I believe great design starts with collaboration and clear vision. My goal is to help teams think critically, solve creatively, and align around a shared purpose—creating experiences that truly make a difference.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Product Design
Swing Education
05.2022 - 11.2024
- Mentored and developed a high-performing team, resulting in multiple promotions
- Established a Design System that reduced design time by 50% and accelerated development workflows
- Partnered with the UX Writer and Engineering to enable real-time copy edits, cutting production time from over 6 weeks to minutes
- Increased substitute feedback rates by 50% through redesigned email communications
- Introduced and scaled a Voice of Customer program, fostering a culture of research and organizing company insights
- Collaborated with executives on roadmap planning and led team organization, overseeing squads across multiple product areas
Manager of User Experience & Design
Turnitin
02.2019 - 09.2020
- Led and mentored an international team of Product Designers, supporting their career growth and performance
- Created strategic vision to overhaul and implement a scalable Design System, streamlining workflows and improving consistency
- Organized and facilitated bi-weekly design reviews and quarterly workshops, ensuring project success through all stages of development
- Coordinated cross-functional collaboration between Product, Engineering, and Design, improving communication and accelerating releases
Manager of User Experience & Design
Webgility
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Designed and implemented a Voice of Customer program to inform data-driven design decisions
- Oversaw redesigns that increased trial conversions by 10% and onboarded new users 20% faster
Senior User Experience Designer
Webgility
04.2017 - 01.2018
- Created Webgility's first beta-testing environment, improving user feedback collection and retention rates
- Increased on-boarding activation by 20% through user-testing, A/B testing, and collaborating with Product Managers for data collection
- Redesigned Webgility’s online product interface making it more user-friendly and increasing user retention by 40%
UX Teacher and Mentor
General Assembly
06.2016 - 04.2017
- Managed and mentored a cohort of 30 students in an immersive UX course, with over 75% securing job offers within six months of graduation
- Planned lessons, created UX-related activities and UX Design Projects that
taught students the fundamentals of User Experience Design
User Experience Designer
Sears Holding Company
12.2013 - 03.2015
- Integrated the online shopping experience into the in-store shopping experience by designing websites, mobile apps, and kiosks for customers
- Redesigned in-store kiosks & a mobile application for a curb-side merchandise pickup feature
- Conducted extensive user research experiments to help redesign the Registry website and experience
Interaction Designer
TiVo
03.2015 - 06.2016
- Successfully redesigned the Video On Demand application for Virgin Media which became the template for all Video On Demand partners
- Maintained and continuously updated a 42 page flowchart that documented TiVo's Guided Setup
Education
Master of Arts - Psychology
Adler University
Chicago, ILBachelor of Arts - Psychology
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MISkills
Design System Creation
Team Development & Mentorship
Strategic Planning
User Research & Testing
Voice of Customer Programs
Cross-Functional Collaboration
A/B Testing
Agile Methodology
Wireframing
Design thinking
Timeline
Director of Product Design
Swing Education
05.2022 - 11.2024
Manager of User Experience & Design
Turnitin
02.2019 - 09.2020
Manager of User Experience & Design
Webgility
01.2018 - 01.2019
Senior User Experience Designer
Webgility
04.2017 - 01.2018
UX Teacher and Mentor
General Assembly
06.2016 - 04.2017
Interaction Designer
TiVo
03.2015 - 06.2016
User Experience Designer
Sears Holding Company
12.2013 - 03.2015
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Michigan State University
Master of Arts - Psychology
Adler University