Recommendations.
James is a rare beast. A Product Designer with excellent product instincts who both understands the true value of UX while also possessing an innate desire to ship product. Someone who is both dedicated to the details and process of his craft while also being an extremely dedicated people manager and mentor. In addition to all this, James is just a great guy to be around. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have worked with him for 4 years and think any Product team would be incredibly lucky to have him.
Tyler Rooney
Co-Founder | Format
James is a process oriented design lead. James has successfully managed and operated a design product team at Format for four years. His superpower is transforming an idea into a finalized product without any need for a traditional product management process. Any shop that is looking to transform into a design focused organization would be lucky to have James on their team.
Lukas Dryja
CEO | Format
I've had the pleasure to work with James both as an IC and in my managerial role at Format. James is the consummate design lead. He is committed to fostering safety and inspiring purpose in his team, while building strong, enduring relationships across departments. He's the kind of leader that people from across the company want to band together with to get stuff done.
Chris Mendis
Lead Developer | Format
James truly cares about his work and his colleagues. Under his leadership for the last 4 years, I've grown immensely as a product designer. He is a nurturing and supportive manager, who advocates for his team and encourages them to take their work to the next level. His sharp eye, principled approach to design and product vision have led me to produce the best work of my career so far. Beyond that, he is a friendly, down-to-earth person who genuinely wants the best for people in their careers and in their lives. I would be lucky to have the chance to work with him again in the future!
Lauren Barless
SR Designer | Format
Having worked with James from day 1 on multiple projects, I can say without a doubt that he is a leader in his craft and absolutely passionate about the work he does.
Honest and hardworking, James will work with you to make your dreams come true. James has been an excellent design director to work with and really worked together with me on release after release. Throughout the process, he was very collaborative, making sure to balance the multiple needs of the user and the business.
Anyone would be seriously lucky to work with this guy!
Steven Chen
Product Manager | Format