Hello, I’m
John Wayne
Hill

Design Leader based in San Francisco

I leave things better than I found them, whether that’s teams (3→13), products (<1M→22M+), or craft. I work out loud and believe a vision is only as good as its execution. Intuit. Twitter. Ancestry. 16 years.

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Portrait of John Wayne Hill

John Wayne Hill with ancestry design team in utah

About John Wayne Hill

Design Leader

16+ years building teams, shipping products, and driving results across industries and platforms.

I build teams and ship 0-to-1 products at the pace executives notice. At Intuit, I grew a 3-person team to 13, took QuickBooks' AI product from concept to GA in 5 months, and designed the agentic Business Feed the CEO called “the most significant launch in our history.” Before that, I grew AncestryDNA from <1M to 22M+ customers.

My expertise spans product thinking, interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and user research. I synthesize complex data into actionable insights, think holistically about long-term product possibilities, and deliver on business objectives through storytelling, collaboration, and deep customer understanding.

I believe in working out loud and fostering environments of collaboration, transparency, and continuous learning. I hire for grit, lead by serving, and empower my team members to deliver exceptional designs 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 leave behind menu 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

updated designs for Twitter's home timeline

updated designs for expanding replies on Twitter Home

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

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

Ancestry Mosaic Home screen shown on an iPhone

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.

Ancestry DNA Traits

Understanding more about your traits, both seen and unseen

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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

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 16 years in product design, I've held roles from Product Designer to Director and Head of Design. My career began in leading design agencies like Idean/Frog, Stimulant, and Punchcut where I sharpened my design expertise, honed product thinking, and cultivated leadership skills.

Transitioning to in-house roles at Intuit, Twitter, and Ancestry, I've been instrumental in developing strategic visions, steering product roadmaps, and expanding customer bases. My colleagues and peers recognize my strategic acumen, my dedication to elevating design craft, and my composed demeanor during periods of substantial change.

“Without you, we would not have been able to deliver a customer experience at this scale, with this quality, and in a very short period of time. Within two quarters, you’ve turned an investor day dream into reality.” — Nhung Ho, VP of AI Science, Intuit

View Experience

dramatic black and white portrait of John Wayne Hill

Impact & Awards

44% Business Feed engagement (2× target)

Launched QuickBooks AI from concept to GA in 5 months

Grew AncestryDNA from <1M to 22M+ customers

2025 Fast Company Innovation by Design

2017 Red Dot Award

See all Impact and Awards

Writing

Featured Articles

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ai generated vector illustration by John Wayne Hill

The Job of Your Portfolio

Design Is Hard

August 29, 2023

As someone who has been on both sides of the design world—creating designs and hiring those who create them—I've seen my fair share of portfolios. Thousands, in fact. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that many designers misunderstand the primary role of their portfolio.

Typecasting Designers

Design Is Hard

June 27, 2023

What happens when we typecast a designer? We find ourselves in a world where a brilliant UX designer is passed over for an e-commerce website design role because their portfolio is filled with healthcare app designs. Or where a graphic designer with a flair for typography is rejected for a logo design role because they don't have logos littered across their CV.

Don't Be Perfect, Be Human

Design Is Hard

May 16, 2023

In a world where perfection is often overvalued, it's crucial for us designers to appreciate the merit of embracing imperfection. This post examines the significance of acknowledging our human authenticity and uniqueness in design, and how this approach can lead to more profound and engaging product designs that strike a deeper chord with users

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.

Get In Touch

Hello, I’m John Wayne Hill

Design Leader based in San Francisco

About John Wayne Hill

Design Leader

Individual Contribution

Strategy and Vision

Tight Collaboration

Individual Contribution

Strategy and Vision

Leadership and Mentorship

Strategy and Vision

Leadership and Mentorship

Individual Contribution

Strategy and Vision

Leadership and Mentorship

Individual Contribution

Strategy and Vision

Leadership and Mentorship

Individual Contribution

Ancestry DNA Traits

Ancestry DNA Story

Ancestry Product Vision

Aerial Photography

M.O.H.A.I. Launchpad

Additional Past Work

Contact for Details

Experience & Background

Impact & Awards

44% Business Feed engagement (2× target)

Launched QuickBooks AI from concept to GA in 5 months

Grew AncestryDNA from <1M to 22M+ customers

2025 Fast Company Innovation by Design

2017 Red Dot Award

See all Impact and Awards

Writing

Featured Articles

Hello, I’m
John Wayne
Hill