Four Zero-to-One Products. The Same Discipline Every Time.
I've spent 20+ years building products in some of the most demanding B2B environments in AEC — where the users are experts, the workflows are complex, and there's no hiding behind a polished consumer UX. Four zero-to-one products have taught me that the discipline is the same every time: align the customer's reality, the business's goals, and the design's direction — and keep everyone pointed the same way as the product takes shape.
I've worked on mature products at Fortune 500 companies and built six startups from the ground up. What those experiences share is the question that never goes away at any stage: what actually matters here, and why? My zero-to-one work taught me to answer that without a safety net. I bring that same discipline to mature products — where the answer is harder to see because there's already a roadmap, a backlog, and momentum in a direction.
The whole product, not just the feature
When teams can ship features faster than they can think through consequences, the product loses coherence in days, not sprints. I map how the whole product works together and stay close enough to the build to keep it honest — so every decision is made in context, even when the pace is relentless.
A vision teams can actually debate and refine
In a world moving this fast, a five-year vision is fiction. But without a clear direction, every sprint becomes a negotiation. I craft product visions grounded in the next quarter's reality — concrete enough to debate, flexible enough to evolve, and often expressed as working prototypes rather than polished decks.
Every experiment teaches you something
Teams that can build anything in a day need to learn just as fast. I work with your product and engineering teams to define what you're testing and why — so every release earns trust by showing real improvement, not a launch followed by a shrug. The discipline isn't shipping less. It's knowing what each ship is supposed to teach you.
Design that works because the whole org is in the room
The decisions that sink products aren't usually technical — they're interpersonal. They happen in the gaps between teams, in conversations that never took place. I build the structures that let people from different teams make decisions together, fast — and give them the principles to keep making good calls when I'm not in the room.
Build what customers value, not what competitors have
Roadmaps built from competitive benchmarking converge on the same mediocre middle. I map your organization's actual competencies against what customers need most — so you build from strength rather than chasing what competitors already shipped.
Ready to align your product around what actually matters?
I work best with founders, CPOs, and design leaders who are building something real and need a senior perspective — not a vendor. Let's figure out if we're a fit.
What colleagues and collaborators say
From people who know the work firsthand.
"Eric is a designer's designer and a leader through and through. In my time working with Eric at Autodesk, I was always amazed at how much A) he got done; and B) time he devoted to really listening and working directly with customers. Eric always brings a fresh perspective and the customer voice to the table. He is a great manager to the people he leads and always pushes for excellence. Most of all, Eric is a terrific communicator and teammate who always works to build something better than what's been built before - whether that's process, product, or relationships."
Justin Lokitz
Author, Professor & Chair of the MBA in Design Strategy Program
"I have worked very closely with Eric on several large-scale projects. His wisdom, objectivity and dedication make him one of the best designers I've ever worked with. His generosity, patience and dedication make him the best leader I've ever had. His guidance and enthusiasm inspire excellence in those around him. Within his teams, he nourishes a sense of experimentation and earnest communication."
Ben Kerslake
Creative Director
"Eric is an extraordinary Design Leader and Manager, that encourages business strategy, design excellence, learning culture, and human-centered design, as well as reusable and scalable processes."
Renato Ferro
Design Director
"Eric is an exceptional design leader. He applies his vast experience, creativity, and passion for designing experiences that delight customers to transform businesses large and small. Eric has a thoughtful and collaborative leadership style which gives him a broad influence, helping teams and organizations embrace the change necessary to be truly customer-focused."
Amy Hedrick
VP, Product Design