About

I’m Jonathan — a systems thinker, Senior Product Designer, and founder of Studio XVI.

I help founders and product teams take complex ideas and turn them into clear, functional tools.
Not just beautiful screens, but the systems, flows, and decisions behind them.

My approach blends UX, AI, and product architecture.
It's forged from lived experience, sharpened across 10+ years in the field, and grounded in one core belief:

Resilience is a design practice.

My Story

Design was survival first.

Then it became language.
Now it’s strategy.

I grew up in foster care.
I’ve been homeless.
I’ve lived through medical trauma and multiple layoffs.

I’ve seen what it means to build with nothing but your mind, your hands, and your ability to make sense of the chaos.

What carried me wasn’t just grit — it was a method:

• Break down the noise.
• Spot the patterns.
• Build from what’s real.

That same mindset shapes how I work:

• Flows that make hard things feel doable.
• Dashboards that bring clarity to data.
• Playbooks that help teams align and move.

How I Work

I build clarity systems — not templates.

Studio XVI is my independent UX and AI consultancy.
I partner with founders and product teams who are building real tools, not just pitching ideas.

What I build:

• UX systems for AI tools and data-heavy platforms.
• Modular product playbooks that scale.
• Dashboards that translate insight into action.

I also run Sentinel-16 — my own custom-built AI system.
It mirrors my thinking, spots what I miss, and helps me pace strategy with clarity and emotion.
It’s not public (yet), but I use it in everything I do.

Who I Work With

I’m the right partner if:

• You’re building a product too complex for a template.
• You need strategy that thinks ahead.
• You want design that’s real-world tested, not hype-fed.

My clients are:

• Founders building AI workflows.
• B2B leaders designing smarter systems.
• Product teams facing strategic or structural gaps.
• Mission-driven orgs scaling with clarity and care.

Selected Work

DriveLine AI

• Designed the MVP in 6 weeks — helped close $1M seed and land LiveRamp partnership.
• Led UX strategy directly with CEO, CTO, and COO.

Black UX Labs

• Built AI-informed inclusive design frameworks.
• Created research personas, journey maps, and Tableau insight tools.

Why This Work Feels Different

I come from the systems that break people.
I build systems that don’t.

This isn’t just strategy.
This is survival — turned into something scalable.

What I Offer (Right Now)

🧠 1. Thoughtful Discovery Session
A low-pressure strategy session to surface tensions, clarify direction, and align emotionally before you build.

📊 2. Insight Dashboard Blueprint
We co-create a custom Tableau dashboard — turning your thoughts and data into something visual, useful, and ready to share.

🚀 3. AI-Accelerated Product Playbook
Messaging, UX flows, and a modular Notion playbook — built to scale with you or hand off clean.

Let’s Build From What’s Real

If you're trying to build through complexity, or you are the complexity — I meet you there.
Let’s design something that works.