Enterprise product design from my time atPearson VUE

I’m a product designer

I make complex systems feel clear, usable, and human.

What colleagues say
He's the kind of designer you want on complex platforms where the user experience directly impacts trust and operational outcomes. He's exceptional at turning messy constraints into intuitive flows, aligning stakeholders quickly, and delivering high-quality iterations at speed.
What colleagues say
Michael has a strong ability to turn detailed technical requirements into intuitive, user-friendly experiences. He demonstrated excellent systems thinking — balancing user needs, workflows, and platform constraints to deliver a streamlined and scalable solution.
STATUS · AVAILABLE
Minneapolis / Remote 15+ YRS · ENTERPRISE
// MICHAEL HAWKINS · LEAD PRODUCT DESIGNER

I turn complex AI and enterprise workflows into clear products people trust — and teams can ship.

Lead product designer with 15+ years of experience. During my time at Pearson VUE, I took human-AI workflows, enterprise platforms, and high-scale customer journeys from ambiguity to launch. I combine systems thinking, research, rapid prototyping, and hands-on craft to align Product and Engineering — delivering 10× faster reviews, 65% less friction, and 300% growth.

See My Work Resume (PDF) Get in Touch
Product design process artifacts surrounding a ship-ready AI-assisted review interface
21M+ // annual exams on systems I designed

Cross-device remote proctoring serving 2M+ monthly users across 180+ countries.

10× // faster AI-assisted review cycles

Pilot validated at 98% reviewer–investigator agreement, 4.5 / 5 user satisfaction.

50+ // applications under one design system

Multi-tenant SaaS, operational tooling, role-tiered enterprise platforms.

Product design prototypes spanning AI review, mobile environment validation, and biometric admissions
// INTERACTIVE PROOF

See the products move.

Open a short prototype walkthrough to see how the interaction model works—not only the final screen.

// FIG · 00 · Portfolio architecture

Six case studies. One design framework: where humans and machines decide together.

Every case study below sits inside the same trust-critical workflow: a capable model, a consequential decision, and a human who has to own the outcome. The diagram below shows where each one lives.

FIGURE 00 // Trust-critical workflow map

From model signal to accountable decision, across six shipped systems

Portfolio architecture map: six case studies arrayed across capture, model, human-in-the-loop, and outcome stages of a trust-critical workflow. A horizontal architecture diagram with four stages: Capture, Model & Triage, Human-in-the-Loop, and Decision & Audit. Six case studies are positioned across these stages. 01 · CAPTURE 02 · MODEL & TRIAGE 03 · HUMAN-IN-THE-LOOP 04 · DECISION & AUDIT Lead case study AI-Assisted Review Workstation Risk-ranked queue · evidence-first reviewer UX · structured verdicts · audit trail Workspace validation AI-Guided Environment Validation Computer-vision triage · candidate-led mobile capture Remote check-in Remote Proctoring Check-In Modernization Desktop ↔ Mobile Web ↔ Native handoff · presence sync · 10-stage journey Certification portal Global Certification Portal B2C / educator IA · sprint discovery · accessibility B2B asset platform Enterprise B2B Asset Platform Role-tiered admin · action-led dashboards · recovery flows Biometric admissions Biometric Admissions Workflow Tablet-native · offline-capable · certificate-pinned · LAN service discovery Mobile · Desktop · Tablet AI / ML · Computer Vision · Risk Reviewer · Greeter · Admin · TA Audit · Reconciliation · Outcome → Read this case first
Shipped to production Lead case study Model → human handoff
// READ AS

Each case study covers a different slice of the same workflow. AI-Assisted Review Workstation spans model output through human decision and audit — the deepest demonstration of human-AI collaboration. AI-Guided Environment Validation, Remote Proctoring Check-In Modernization, and Biometric Admissions Workflow live closer to capture and platform. Global Certification Portal and Enterprise B2B Asset Platform are the platform-scale enterprise studies.

Pearson VUE case studies · Selected case studies

Six systems designed and shipped during my time at Pearson VUE. Read in order, or skim by category.

All work
AI-Assisted Review WorkstationLead case study
Before: manual review investigation
After: AI-assisted review workstation
BeforeAfter

AI-Assisted Review Workstation

A human-in-the-loop review system for high-stakes content moderation. Traffic-light triage, evidence-first design, calibrated transparency — the architecture that proves the AI without forcing operators to trust it.

  • 10×faster reviews
  • 98%operator agreement
  • 4.5 / 5operator rating (n=6)
// AI · trust-critical · operator toolingRead case study
AI-Guided Environment ValidationWorkspace validation
Before: four-photo workspace scan
After: AI-guided workspace scan
BeforeAfter

AI-Guided Environment Validation

A pre-exam workspace scan that uses AI to detect prohibited objects and unclear environments — with explainability targets built in. Designed around the candidate's confidence, not just the model's confidence.

  • 70% · 20%AI target rates
  • 4.1 / 5explainability rating
  • Pilotvalidation stage
// AI · computer vision · explainabilityRead case study
Remote Proctoring Check-In ModernizationRemote proctoring
Before: fixed-pixel remote check-in
After: responsive cross-device check-in
BeforeAfter

Remote Proctoring Check-In Modernization

Three-rail check-in (web · desktop · mobile bridge) for a remote proctoring platform that handles 21M+ exams annually. QR mid-session device handoff as a first-class state.

  • 300%growth supported
  • 25%failure reduction
  • 2M+monthly users
// Multi-surface · scale · identityRead case study
Global Certification PortalInformation architecture
Before: legacy certification portal
After: modernized certification portal
BeforeAfter

Global Certification Portal

IA, navigation, and personalization redesign for a portal serving three audiences (B2C, educators, professionals). Five-day GV-style design sprint cadence.

  • 65%friction reduction
  • 200K+monthly users
  • 4.5 / 5satisfaction rating
// IA · B2C · educationRead case study
Enterprise B2B Asset PlatformEnterprise SaaS · platform
Before: fragmented asset administration
After: role-tiered asset platform
BeforeAfter

Enterprise B2B Asset Platform

Role-tiered voucher and asset management for three of the world's largest exam programs (Microsoft, Amazon, Apple). 16 prioritized opportunities, one three-year roadmap.

  • 50%time-on-task ↓
  • 16prioritized opps
  • 3-yearroadmap shipped
// B2B · platform · roadmapRead case study
Biometric Admissions WorkflowTrust-critical · biometrics
Before: legacy desktop biometric admissions
After: tablet-first biometric admissions
BeforeAfter

Biometric Admissions Workflow

Offline-capable, certificate-pinned tablet design for high-security admissions. Palm biometric + ID validation on LAN, Azure fallback, recovery paths for every failure mode.

  • 5failure modes · paths
  • 4 TAs · 2 sitespilot scope
  • 0permanent-block states
// Biometrics · native mobile · trustRead case study
// FRAME · 01 · Working principles

Three principles that govern every case study above.

01

Evidence-first design

I translate ambiguity — AI uncertainty, compliance constraint, operational reality — into workflows people can audit. A model probability is not a verdict. The product needs to show what the AI saw, why it flagged it, what the alternatives are, and where the human chose otherwise.

02

Recovery as a first-class action

Override, escalate, revoke, retry, fall back to human — these are not edge cases. They are the design. I draw the state machine before I draw the happy path, because the happy path doesn't survive contact with real operations.

03

Systems, not screens

A finished design isn't a Figma file. It's the cross-system context table, the role-tiered dashboard, the offline-mode fallback, the cert-pinning rule, the audit trail schema, and the response-to-research log. I ship the spec, not the surface.

// REC · 04 · Peer references

What people I shipped with say.

He's the kind of designer you want on complex platforms where the user experience directly impacts trust and operational outcomes. Exceptional at turning messy constraints into intuitive flows, aligning stakeholders quickly, and delivering high-quality iterations at speed.

Greg AndersonSenior Product Manager

Strong ability to turn detailed technical requirements into intuitive, user-friendly experiences. Excellent systems thinking — balancing user needs, workflows, and platform constraints to deliver a streamlined and scalable solution.

Mani AnnaProduct Architect

Always impressed by the clarity and comprehensiveness of the designs and prototypes he created. He knows how to make designs that are clean, functional, and straightforward to implement and develop.

Eric BootheSenior Software Developer · Certiport

Whether building from scratch or tackling a difficult revamp, Michael consistently delivered thoughtful, scalable designs. A rare talent for articulating the 'why' behind every interaction, ensuring the final implementation matches the original vision perfectly.

Michele HuspekSenior Business Systems Analyst · Pearson
// HAVE A TRUST-CRITICAL PRODUCT PROBLEM?

Let's draw it together.