Design leader. Founder. Doer.
Design leader. Founder. Doer.
Design leader. Founder. Doer.
Design leader. Founder. Doer.
Helping engineering-led teams ship experiences as strong as their tech.
010
From Concept to Culture: Building HopCulture's Digital Publication
From Concept to Culture: Building HopCulture's Digital Publication
Product UX Leadership
Product UX Leadership
010
Driving Enterprise Brand Clarity in a 60-Day Relaunch
Driving Enterprise Brand Clarity in a 60-Day Relaunch
Enterprise Rebrand
Enterprise Rebrand
About
Engineering can outpace experience. I've spent 20 years closing that gap, partnering with founders, executives, and engineering leaders to take products from ambiguous early concepts to shipped, scaled software.
My work spans the full product lifecycle: strategy, research, UX, brand, design systems, prototyping, and the AI-accelerated workflow that ties them together. I've worked with founders and product leaders at companies like Google, Deloitte, and PJ Dick to set product direction and ship experiences that work for both users and the business.
I co-founded Roket and ran it for 12 years before starting United Experience, where I embed with one engineering-led team at a time. I still ship the work myself: strategy, research, design, prototyping in code—keeping the loop tight. That range lets me bridge business goals and user needs without compromising either.
Career
2026 — Now
United Experience
Founder & Design Director
Twenty years of consulting taught me that the best work happens at depth, not breadth. United Experience is the practice I built around that lesson: hands-on, embedded with one engineering-led team at a time, taking on the work end to end from product strategy and customer journey through brand, prototype, and design system. The practice supports founders, design teams, and engineering leaders who want their experience to catch up to their ambition.
2026 — Now
United Experience
Founder & Design Director
Twenty years of consulting taught me that the best work happens at depth, not breadth. United Experience is the practice I built around that lesson: hands-on, embedded with one engineering-led team at a time, taking on the work end to end from product strategy and customer journey through brand, prototype, and design system. The practice supports founders, design teams, and engineering leaders who want their experience to catch up to their ambition.
Honeycomb Credit
Audited and mapped the end-to-end user journey, conducted user interviews, and synthesized an actionable perspective for product and marketing. Delivered a unified messaging architecture and design system for this community lending fintech serving small businesses and community investors.
Honeycomb Credit
Audited and mapped the end-to-end user journey, conducted user interviews, and synthesized an actionable perspective for product and marketing. Delivered a unified messaging architecture and design system for this community lending fintech serving small businesses and community investors.
2014 — 2026
Roket
Co-Founder + Director of Product Design / Pittsburgh
As Roket's co-founder and lead product designer, I guided end-to-end product strategy, research, UX, branding, and development for engineering-led teams whose product was outpacing their experience layer, taking early concepts to market-ready software across enterprise, consumer, and startup environments. I worked directly with founders, executives, and engineering leads to define roadmaps and product architecture, running workshops, research sessions, and design reviews to build consensus, reduce risk, and accelerate time to market.
Roket grew into a profitable practice serving multi-year clients including Google, PJ Dick, 360fly, Deloitte, Eaton, and Fitbit through hands-on consulting, team augmentation, and embedded product team staffing. We sustained 12 consecutive profitable years at a 45%+ net margin.
I created the Mission Planning Process to improve cross-functional collaboration, leading to faster cycles, higher-quality outputs, and consistently positive client reviews on Clutch. I also integrated AI-driven workflows into design, development, and project management to improve efficiency and output. My work spanned product strategy, UX research and design, brand development, team leadership, and go-to-market execution.
2014 — 2026
Roket
Co-Founder + Director of Product Design / Pittsburgh
As Roket's co-founder and lead product designer, I guided end-to-end product strategy, research, UX, branding, and development for engineering-led teams whose product was outpacing their experience layer, taking early concepts to market-ready software across enterprise, consumer, and startup environments. I worked directly with founders, executives, and engineering leads to define roadmaps and product architecture, running workshops, research sessions, and design reviews to build consensus, reduce risk, and accelerate time to market.
Roket grew into a profitable practice serving multi-year clients including Google, PJ Dick, 360fly, Deloitte, Eaton, and Fitbit through hands-on consulting, team augmentation, and embedded product team staffing. We sustained 12 consecutive profitable years at a 45%+ net margin.
I created the Mission Planning Process to improve cross-functional collaboration, leading to faster cycles, higher-quality outputs, and consistently positive client reviews on Clutch. I also integrated AI-driven workflows into design, development, and project management to improve efficiency and output. My work spanned product strategy, UX research and design, brand development, team leadership, and go-to-market execution.
Recruited, vetted, and managed UX design, UX research, and front-end engineering headcount for a data center software platform over six years, overseeing performance, time tracking, and budgets. Read More
Recruited, vetted, and managed UX design, UX research, and front-end engineering headcount for a data center software platform over six years, overseeing performance, time tracking, and budgets. Read More
Deloitte
Directed a cross-disciplinary team to deliver a production-ready mobile app for child services, leading research, design, branding, product management, and QA. Read More
Deloitte
Directed a cross-disciplinary team to deliver a production-ready mobile app for child services, leading research, design, branding, product management, and QA. Read More
PJ Dick
Delivered design systems and mobile and web applications, including ERP, time tracking, and scheduling. Co-led product management, managing design, releases, research, and cross-functional alignment for this Pittsburgh construction firm. Read More
PJ Dick
Delivered design systems and mobile and web applications, including ERP, time tracking, and scheduling. Co-led product management, managing design, releases, research, and cross-functional alignment for this Pittsburgh construction firm. Read More
360Fly
Led UX for mobile apps, desktop software, and e-commerce launch, delivering a consistent user experience at scale. Read More
360Fly
Led UX for mobile apps, desktop software, and e-commerce launch, delivering a consistent user experience at scale. Read More
Nagra
Designed and developed a mobile app integrated with IoT hardware to provide farm owners with real-time irrigation and field insights. Delivered production-ready UI libraries, branding, and workflows that connected digital and physical product interactions into a cohesive experience. Read More
Nagra
Designed and developed a mobile app integrated with IoT hardware to provide farm owners with real-time irrigation and field insights. Delivered production-ready UI libraries, branding, and workflows that connected digital and physical product interactions into a cohesive experience. Read More
Tabs
Directed product and customer experience for a smart home IoT solution, aligning teams to launch companion apps, e-commerce, naming, branding, and packaging, delivering a unified physical–digital experience. Read More
Tabs
Directed product and customer experience for a smart home IoT solution, aligning teams to launch companion apps, e-commerce, naming, branding, and packaging, delivering a unified physical–digital experience. Read More
UpPrize
Designed and built the open innovation software that managed UpPrize, a purpose-driven entrepreneurial competition in partnership with The Forbes Funds and BNY Mellon. Work included naming, branding, and software development. Read More
UpPrize
Designed and built the open innovation software that managed UpPrize, a purpose-driven entrepreneurial competition in partnership with The Forbes Funds and BNY Mellon. Work included naming, branding, and software development. Read More
AskMe.HearMe
Built a secure, responsive mental health screening app designed to educate, engage, and connect young people to critical resources. Built with a focus on accessibility, reliability, and data privacy, the platform delivers a human-centered experience that resonates with its audience and meets the sensitivity of its mission.
AskMe.HearMe
Built a secure, responsive mental health screening app designed to educate, engage, and connect young people to critical resources. Built with a focus on accessibility, reliability, and data privacy, the platform delivers a human-centered experience that resonates with its audience and meets the sensitivity of its mission.
2010 — 13
Thinktiv
Sr Visual Designer / Pittsburgh
Partnered directly with early-stage, venture-backed companies to achieve product-market fit and drive adoption through product strategy, UX, marketing, and digital experiences. Managed client relationships while delivering web and mobile apps, branding systems, and proof-of-concept software across SaaS, consumer technology, healthcare, social networking, and fintech.
2010 — 13
Thinktiv
Sr Visual Designer / Pittsburgh
Partnered directly with early-stage, venture-backed companies to achieve product-market fit and drive adoption through product strategy, UX, marketing, and digital experiences. Managed client relationships while delivering web and mobile apps, branding systems, and proof-of-concept software across SaaS, consumer technology, healthcare, social networking, and fintech.
Full career and education details available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpcrawford/
Full career and education details available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpcrawford/
Contact
Currently seeking new projects, collaborations, and career opportunities.
Contact