About
Hi, I'm David — a principal product designer in Toronto with nearly two decades shipping products people depend on, from Canada's flagship airline app to renter experience at Apartment List.
I build with AI every day — Cursor, Claude Code, and production frameworks — to prototype the real thing, not slide decks. I'm not hand-writing production code, but I work fluently with engineering and product partners on front-end, back-end, schemas, and what actually ships.
Figma and traditional design tools still matter — they're how I explore, align, and polish — but the default mode is AI-native, code-adjacent, and built to move teams forward.
Collaboration is where the magic happens. I thrive with talented, unique people and care deeply about teams that compound — mentoring, aligning stakeholders, and raising the bar together.
AI-native delivery, evidence-led UX, and disciplined experimentation — from first prototype to full release.
01
Build the real thing with Cursor, Claude, and code.
I prototype in production frameworks with AI every day, not handing off static mocks. Engineering moves faster because they're responding to something real — and I know enough of the stack to collaborate credibly without pretending to be a full-time developer.
02
Front-end, back-end, schemas — shaped together.
I partner with engineering and product to shape API contracts, data models, component APIs, and system architecture — not just UI. GitHub, Storybook, and Chromatic keep design and code aligned as teams ship at scale.
03
Qual and quant data — not opinions.
Design decisions are rooted in what we know: user research, analytics, session replay, and support signals. I combine qualitative insight with quantitative patterns so UX choices hold up under scrutiny — with product and engineering, not in a vacuum.
04
V0 and V1 first — then a planned path to full release.
I'm focused on experimentation design: scoped bets, clear success criteria, and the right level of fidelity for the question. From there, I help teams scale winners into full product releases — with proper testing, rollout planning, and the guardrails to ship with confidence.
05
Infrastructure, not just screens.
Design systems, component libraries, and patterns that help teams move quickly without losing consistency — across products, platforms, and years of iteration.
Nearly two decades shaping digital products, teams, and brands — from founding designer on the Air Canada app to leading renter experience at Apartment List.
Principal Product Designer
IBM @ Air Canada Digital
Founding digital product designer for the Air Canada mobile app — led product design from zero to a 4.7★ iOS and Android app with 100+ features shipped.
Toronto, Canada
May 2018 – Jan 2025
Product Design Lead
Pixelcarve Inc.
Toronto, Canada
Jun 2016 – May 2018
Design Manager
Match Marketing Group
Toronto, Canada
May 2013 – Jun 2016
Designer
Xerox Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jun 2011 – May 2013
Designer
B STREET Communications
2009 – 2011
A-List Award
2026 • Apartment List
Nominated for 2× delivery on a major surface redesign that cut engineering time in half.
WEBBY Honoree
2022 • Air Canada Mobile app
IDEA Award North America
2020 • IBM, GBS North America
Best project delivery for IBM North America
x2 Service Excellence Awards
2019, 2020 • IBM, GBS North America
Award for outstanding work and contributions
Design Excellence & Game Changer Awards
2014, 2015 • MATCH MG
Award for continued excellence
Beyond work, life is enriched by family, friends, travel, making music, DIY projects, and spicy food — all of which feed back into how I think about craft and storytelling.