John Wayne. Design Leader. John Wayne. Design Leader. John Wayne. Design Leader.

Hello, I’m
John Wayne
Hill

Seasoned Product Designer based in San Francisco

Specializing in Product Thinking and design execution, I bring strategic insight, direction, and leadership to the realm of product design. My dedication to driving impactful results is fueled by my knack for dissecting customer challenges and architecting market-leading solutions. As a naturally proactive individual, my product thinking approach allows me to envision and execute designs that truly resonate with users and triumph in the marketplace.

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portrait of John Wayne Hill, a San Francisco based Product Designer
Portrait of John Wayne Hill
About John Wayne Hill

Product Designer

Over 15 years of experience across a wide range of industries, platforms, and experiences.

As a seasoned product designer, I bring to the table a wide array of skills crucial for crafting impactful, user-centric products. My expertise spans strategic thinking, interaction design (UX), visual design, prototyping, and user research. My design approach is data-driven, user-focused, and geared towards quality.

Well-known for my proficiency in Product Thinking, I have a knack for transforming complex data into actionable insights. This skill enables me to create innovative solutions that address user needs while aligning with business objectives. I take a holistic view of product design, understanding the overall experience while also ensuring the successful delivery of individual features.

In terms of team dynamics, I am committed to fostering an environment of collaboration, transparency, and continuous learning. I believe in 'working out loud', frequently sharing my work to inspire and engage my team. As a steadfast ally and mentor, I go the extra mile to improve operational efficiency and leave things better than I found them. I empower my team members to deliver exceptional designs, support each other, and bring their visions to life.

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Core Strength 01

Product Thinking

One of my superpowers is synthesizing tons of data into actionable insights and ideas. I think about the holistic and long-term possibilities and help to deliver on business objectives. I lead through storytelling, collaborating with others, and deeply understanding customers.

  • Problem Setting
  • Understanding the Audience
  • Knowing the Market
  • Defining Jobs To Be Done
  • Understanding Business Objectives
  • Measuring Goals
  • Considering the whole and the individual parts
Core Strength 02

Design Excellence

As a designer who has been in the industry for a long time, I help to bring design excellence to the entire team. I relentlessly focus on the craft of Design, knowing where to bend, to inspire a high quality bar. I help to bring a culture of critique and facilitate and lead executive reviews. I lead by example.

  • Product Design
  • UX & Interaction Design
  • Visual Design
  • Critiques
  • Leadership Reviews
Core Strength 03

Execution & Delivery

A vision and strategy are only as good as their execution. I lead complex, ambiguous projects from concepts to shipping products. I collaborate heavily with cross-functional partners to ensure excellence in delivery.

  • Prototyping
  • Design Sprints
  • Engineering Handoff
  • Design Reviews
  • Design Q.A.
  • Understanding Data
  • Experimentation

Featured Work

Latest Product Design Work and Case Studies

Project Nah for Twitter

Twitter - Project Nah

Allow customers greater personalization

Project Nah provided customers with the ability to Dismiss recommended Tweets and provide Twitter with additional information (if desired). This one-tap interaction helps customers personalize their Home Timeline and lead to a significant increase in personalization signals.

Individual Contribution
Strategy and Vision
Tight Collaboration

View Project Nah

Product screens showing Twitter's iOS app

Make Twitter Easy

Tackling core usability issues with Twitter

Two weeks after joining Twitter I wrapped my arms around the toughest problems the Home team needed to solve (outside of moderation of course). This included finding a solution for the Reply Button confusion, making it easier to know how to get to Tweet Details (to be part of the conversation), and finding ways for customers to engage with Replies right on Home.

Individual Contribution
Strategy and Vision
Leadership and Mentorship

View Make Twitter Easy

Product screens showing True (a private social network) for iOS

True - Onboarding

Onboarding experience for a private social network

True is a private-by-default social network where each of your friend/family groups has separate threads (feeds). We redesigned the Onboarding journey to better highlight the value of True and help customers understand this new phenomenon of various Threads.

Strategy and Vision
Leadership and Mentorship
Individual Contribution

View True Onboarding

Product screens showing True (a private social network) for iOS

True - App

Additional Products and Features

As a new social network, we needed to design and build out a core set of products and features to enable conversations and sharing in a private-by-default fashion. We tackled making it easy and delightful to add friends, explore new threads, view your activity, and grow your network with a simple code.

Strategy and Vision
Leadership and Mentorship
Individual Contribution

View True App

Product screens showing Ancestry Mosaic for iOS

Ancestry Mosaic

Discovering the culture and traditions behind your DNA

A new way to discover more of what makes you, you. Mosaic featured a patentable, custom interaction to quickly save relevant content answering the question "What does it mean to be Irish/Norwegian/Cuban?". Through content discovery and pinning/saving customers began to understand the cultures and traditions behind their DNA.

Strategy and Vision
Leadership and Mentorship
Individual Contribution

View Mosaic

Additional Case Studies

Work that I've directed, lead, and contributed individually.

Two iphones showing the Ancestry DNA Traits product

Ancestry DNA Traits

Understanding more about your traits, both seen and unseen

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Two iphones showing the Ancestry DNA Story product

Ancestry DNA Story

Helping people uncover their origins across the world.

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Two phones showcasing the 2020 vision for Ancestry, lead by John Wayne Hill

Ancestry Product Vision

Moving from fragmentation to a cohesive product experience

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Aerial Photography case study with drone controller on landscape background

Aerial Photography

A cohesive, easy to use flight & camera control system

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Person using the Launcpad exhibit at the Museum of History and I

M.O.H.A.I. Launchpad

A cohesive, easy to use flight & camera control system

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Collection of additional screens that John Wayne Hill designed

Additional Past Work

Various projects I've lead and directly designed over the years

Contact for Details

Experience & Background

Across a span of 15 years in product design, I've held various roles such as Product Designer, Director, and Head of Design. My career journey includes 9 fruitful years in leading Design Agencies like Idea/Frog, Stimulant, and Punchcut where I sharpened my design expertise, honed product thinking, and cultivated leadership skills.

Transitioning to in-house roles for the next 7 years, I've been instrumental in developing strategic visions, steering product roadmaps, and expanding customer bases, all while ensuring the achievement of company objectives. My colleagues and peers recognize and appreciate my strategic acumen, my dedication to elevating design craft, and my composed demeanor during periods of substantial change.

"John Wayne is celebrated for his confident guidance and compassionate leadership, inspiring those around him with his articulacy, candor, and unwavering commitment to excellence."

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portrait of John Wayne Hill, a San Francisco based Product Designer

Impact & Awards

Positive impact on Tweets Composed, Personalization Feedback, Replies Sent

Grew AncestryDNA from 1M to 20M+ customers

Brought AncestryDNA Traits to market, selling 5M+ upgrades and kits.

Overhauled AncestryDNA apps to 4.8 rating

2017 Red Dot Award

See all Impact and Awards

John Wayne Hill with Ancestry UX team designing and painting a mural in Lehi, Utah.

John Wayne Hill Leads with Design

In my career, I've excelled not only as a hands-on Product Designer but also as a leader guiding and mentoring fellow designers. My roles often involve leading product design initiatives, fostering a collaborative environment, and inspiring excellence in execution.

As a seasoned designer, I've shaped impactful products across various industries. My depth of experience enables me to share invaluable insights, mentor other designers, and elevate the design outcomes of the teams I work with. I work hard to promote a culture of critique and innovation, elevating craft, and driving the delivery of high-quality, user-centric designs.

I passionately believe in working out loud, and sharing my ideas and work process to encourage collaboration and mutual learning. If you're interested in learning more about my leadership style, design philosophy, or how I approach work, I'd be delighted to connect.

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