“Derek was an absolute pleasure to work with and added value to our Product team immediately. He not only got up to speed quickly on a very complex product, but was able to make recommendations for improvements to our process as well. One of Derek's biggest strengths is in his partnership in product and market discovery. His ability to understand the problem space and user need is just as impactful as his attention to detail in visual designs. In short, he is truly a full-stack designer. I hope to get the chance to work w/ him again in the future!”

— Jessica Odeyemi, Head of Product @ Expedia

“Derek is a hard-working collaborative designer. He not only has the ability to deliver quality solutions in complex spaces, but is well-versed in effective process. Derek landed in a hairy situation on the Escapia product: a team without designers and a group with minimal experience working with design. Week-by-week he was able to advocate for and deliver the best user experience and make continued progress on improving the process between design, product and engineering. In adverse conditions as a team of one, he was able to make a big measurable impact.”

— Steve Marsh, UX Sr. Manager @ Expedia

“I had the pleasure of working with Derek on a SaaS iOS project for a Fortune 1000 company, where he served as our Senior UX Design Lead and my mentor. Derek is amazing. He has a deep understanding of user-centered design principles, he creates seamless user experiences from complex requirements, and effectively presents UX concepts to clients.

Derek’s mentorship has been invaluable to me. He is patient, approachable, and always ready to help. I appreciate how he uses tools like Figma and conducts regular meetups to guide us smoothly through the design process. Working collaboratively with him has been a pleasure!

I highly recommend Derek to any organization in need of a Senior UX Designer and mentor. He’s a rockstar, and I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”

— Luna Wang, Associate Experience Designer @ AKQA

“Derek was my former colleague and lead Experience Architect at Bottle Rocket. During our time working together, I had the pleasure of witnessing Derek's exceptional talent in UI/UX architecture and low-fidelity wireframe creation, as well as his unwavering professionalism.

Derek was the lead Experience Architect on a project I worked on at Bottle Rocket where we were redesigning Albertsons' pharmacy vaccine scheduler. Derek's skill in UX architecture was truly remarkable. He was able to create intuitive and visually appealing interfaces that enhanced the user experience. His designs were always well-thought-out, and effectively communicated the client's message.

In addition to his impressive design skills, Derek was also a consummate professional. He was always punctual, reliable, and easy to work with. He had a great rapport with our clients, and was able to handle any challenges that arose with grace and tact.

Derek's work ethic was truly inspiring. He consistently went above and beyond to ensure that every project was completed to the highest standards, and was always willing to lend a helping hand to his colleagues.

Overall, I highly recommend Derek for any UI/UX architecture position. He is a talented and dedicated professional who consistently produces high-quality work. Any organization would be lucky to have him on their team.”

— Andrew Ashton, Visual Designer @ Bottle Rocket

“Derek is one of those UX professionals who comes onto a product team and just immediately starts adding value. He takes almost no time getting up to speed on current design systems and user pain points, immediately pointing out areas where we could test and validate new experiences, and on net-new initiatives he is a Product department's dream--looking to understand the user value first, the business value second, then creating experiences to quickly test and learn from. I know there's a bunch of Human Centered Design, Psychology, and other UX reasoning that I don't know behind his methods, all I know is if you want to start learning about how your customers use or could use your products and looking for results fast, give Derek a call!”

— Dustin Hassett, Head of Product @ Steak ‘n Shake

“Derek is passionate about creating experiences that empathize with users and make lives better. He takes his work personally and delivers on his promises. He knows his craft, is a great teammate and brings kindness and respect to everything he does.

He is one of those people who is happy to step up and take on projects that help the business as a whole — whether it’s leading the global community of designers across the company or joining our culture committee to make sure our team has fun after-hours.

Derek’s the kind of person you can rely on to move your team forward and help make the world a better place.”

— Jennifer Okamoto, VP of XD @ Bottle Rocket

“I worked with Derek to build a new native app experience for ShopRunner by FedEx. Derek is the utmost professional, organized, and takes great care when it comes to research. Derek is a strong listener and always addressed every XD uncertainty with clarity, as a client this helped me feel confident in every design choice we made.”

— Melissa Day, Head of Product @ ShopRunner/FedEx

“I’ve had the opportunity to both work with Derek on several web-based projects, as well as see some of his work within the mobile space. What has always struck me about Derek is his hunger to learn, his commitment to grow as a practitioner and his passion to collaborate with the teams he’s a part of. Outside of his work, I’ve always appreciated the energy he also puts into promoting a strong and connected work culture. He willingly and successfully jumped into managing and facilitating valuable learning discussions among designers across our global network and in today’s remote culture, having caretakers of connection, like Derek, is more valuable than ever.”

— Matt Smith, SVP @ Bottle Rocket