About

Building systems that scale for global organizations

15+ years designing enterprise platforms and human-AI systems that make complex work feel clearer, more useful, and easier to scale.

Michael Hawkins - Lead/Senior Product Designer
Background

Experience

I've spent 15+ years designing enterprise platforms and AI-assisted systems across B2B and B2C environments - spanning certification tools, remote proctoring, and complex admin workflows where clarity, trust, and scale all matter.


At Pearson VUE, I've led strategic design for high-stakes testing systems, translating dense technical and business requirements into experiences that feel intuitive without compromising security.

Approach

I lead with a player-coach mentality - staying close to the craft while mentoring designers to think critically about business logic and technical constraints. I implement operational frameworks, from design systems to structured critique cycles, that help teams move fast without breaking the user experience.


I measure success not just by the quality of the work, but by how well the team can own it independently.

Focus

I specialize in human-AI collaboration, enterprise SaaS, and legacy modernization. I speak the language of Product and Engineering - bridging what's beautiful with what's viable, and ensuring design has a seat at the table when the roadmap is being written, not just when the tickets are being styled.

Skills & Expertise

Emerging Experiences & Future-State Design

Future-facing concepting, UX sprints, early prototyping, and storytelling that helps teams see what’s possible and believe in where the product can go.

Human–AI Interaction (HAII) & ML UX

AI-assisted workflows, computer vision UX, biometric interfaces, explainability patterns, and human-in-the-loop systems designed for real-world use.

Rapid Prototyping & Visual Storytelling

From sketch to code-quality prototype, I use tools like Figma and Claude to make ideas tangible, reduce ambiguity, and help teams align around what should ship.

Physical-Digital & Omnichannel Design

Physical-digital experiences, biometric capture, mobile-first check-in, and connected service moments designed to feel seamless across real environments.

Product Leadership & Inclusive Design

End-to-end design leadership, facilitation, mentorship, accessibility, and creating experiences that are useful, inclusive, and built with care.

Systems & Enterprise Architecture

Multi-tenant SaaS, design systems across 50+ applications, DesignOps governance, and ecosystem thinking for products that need consistency at scale.