I TURN
IDEAS
INTO
REALITY
With over 10 years of experience working with startups and enterprise clients, I live at the intersection of idea and execution, design and delivery. I help innovators turn ideas into real-world digital applications.
Career path
DON'T
MAKE
ME
THINK
01/
HOW I THINK
Users don't want to think, they want to experience.
Don't make me think. Wise words by Steve Krug, and ones I apply to every product I design. Simple, intuitive, and intentional experiences that favour problem solving over excess, focus on value over bells and whistles.
The process
SKILLS
/02
HOW I HELP
PRODUCT DESIGN
Website Design
Web Application Design
Mobile Application Design
UI Design
Brand Design
Design Systems & Guidelines
CMS Design
Interaction Design
Prototype Design
CX/UX Design
User Testing & Feedback
Customer Research
Experience Design
Prototype Testing
Qualitative & Quantitative Testing
Market Analysis
Customer Segmentation & Insights
Interaction Design
Prototype Design
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Sprint Planning
Product Feature Roadmapping
MVP Definition
Innovation Sprints
Release Planning & QA
Stakeholder Alignment
LEADERSHIP
Hiring & Interview Strategy
Culture Building
Mentoring
Career Growth
Operational, Strategic & Tactical Planning
KPI & OKR Design
WORK
/03
HOW I CREATE
01
/05
SNEAKER
CON
An omni-channel iOS mobile e-commerce app utilizing NFC tags for buying, selling, and trading collectable sneakers.
View project
02
/05
LIMESPOT
Limespot is a cutting-edge storefront product recommendation engine powered by AI.
View project
03
/05
ROCKETPLACE
Building a company, a crypto trading platform, and introducing a new way to invest in crypto long-term.
View project
04
/05
KIT & ACE
2 apps, were designed, tested, and validated in 5 days.
View project
05
/05
C1 CREDIT UNION
Empowering credit unions to create personalized retail banking experiences.
View project
AWARDS
ORAGNIZATION/
PROJECT
AWARD
VAN UX AWARDS
SNEAKER CON
BEST UX FOR DIGITAL PRODUCT
VAN UX AWARDS
SNEAKER CON
BEST UX OF THE YEAR
CLIENTS
/04
WHO I'VE WORKED WITH
I have been fortunate in my career to have worked alongside many great enterprise companies, team leaders and founders designing everything from R&D projects and user-testing to launching flagship products.
central 1 credit union
central 1 credit union
"Matt is much more than a culture creator and brand reviver. His expertise in digital product design is nothing short of brilliant. He has a comprehensive skill set that covers an impressive range of experience design domains, including but not limited to Product Design, User Experience Testing, and Rapid Prototyping. Matt is the kind of colleague who will not just deliver on expectations but will exceed them, inspiring those around him to do the same."
Adrian Moise
CEO, Founder Aequilibrium Software
"Matt is one of the most talented product designers I have had the pleasure of working with in my career. He's incredibly gifted, works hard and quickly, and throughout the many years we worked together he always had an extremely positive attitude. I could not give Matt a higher personal recommendation and I very much hope him and I have the chance to work together again in the future."
Louis Beryl
CEO, Co-founder Rocketplace Crypto
"Matt has been a fantastic part of our leadership team for 4 years. The quality of his work is first class across every design discipline. He brings a customer-centric approach to every challenge and always produces clean, intuitive end results. On top of this Matt has led our Canadian team through many highs and lows - leading with compassion and authority. We could not have done it without him and he will be the first call next time."
Benjamin Hutchinson
COO, Co-founder Rocketplace Crypto
"I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Matt during our time together at Rocketplace. On top of being an incredibly talented designer, Matt is a strong leader who is demands excellence from those around him while simultaneously showing deep care and support. When you bring Matt into your company, you can be confident that you are raising the bar on both culture and product - a rare combination. Matt is a low ego yet highly opinionated collaborator, whose agency is always with delivering the best user experience. Anyone who hires Matt would be lucky to have him - I sincerely hope we have a chance to work together in the future."
Ben Gruber
Head of Product, Rocketplace Crypto
"He is amazing at fostering team energy, which inspires, carries and motivates everyone around him. Matt treats everyone with integrity and respect and would be a valuable addition to any team. I would without hesitation, be happy to partner with him on many more projects in the future."
Craig Lam
Former Art Director, Cossette
"More than once, Matt has helped us bring our digital products to life. We continue to recommend him for his strong UX capabilities, and for his intimate process.."
SeanHerman
CEO, Founder Kinzoo
"We like that you are very high-touch, again in a great way, and that you are able to walk teams through the process. Matthew would be part of a very small and select list we would recommend! We would absolutely recommend him for strategy as well since we went through a successful engagement with you."
Sumit Vijay
Former Head of Product, Kit & Ace
TIRED
OF THINKING?
LET'S CHAT.
matthew@dontmakemethink.ca
Linkedin
© 2024 don't make me th!nk

I TURN

IDEAS

INTO

REALITY

With over 10 years of experience working with startups and enterprise clients, I live at the intersection of idea and execution, design and delivery. I help innovators turn ideas into real-world digital applications.
Career path
Secret: Know what your users want, test your product, make it beautiful.
DON'T
MAKE
ME
TH!NK
HOW I TH!NK
/01
Users don't want to think, they want to experience.
Don't make me think. Wise words by Steve Krug, and ones I apply to every product I design. Simple, intuitive, and intentional experiences that favour problem solving over excess, focus on value over bells and whistles.
The process
CAPABILITIES
HOW I HELP
/01
/02
PRODUCT DESIGN
Website Design
Web Application Design
Mobile Application Design
UI Design
Brand Design
Design Systems & Guidelines
CMS Design
Interaction Design
Prototype Design
CX/UX Design
User Testing & Feedback
Customer Research
Experience Design
Prototype Testing
Qualitative & Quantitative Testing
Market Analysis
Customer Segmentation & Insights
Interaction Design
Prototype Design
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Sprint Planning
Product Feature Roadmapping
MVP Definition
Innovation Sprints
Release Planning & QA
Stakeholder Alignment
LEADERSHIP
Hiring & Interview Strategy
Culture Building
Mentoring
Career Growth
Operational, Strategic & Tactical Planning
KPI & OKR Design

How I can help.

Product design
Native apps, web apps, websites, design systems, UI design
Have a digital product that needs to be taken from concept to actual MVP? I can help define your idea into a mobile app, web app or website. Need to audit and enhance an existing product to meet new business objectives? Can do.
UX design & research
User interviews, qualitative and quantitative testing, surveys and feedback forms, user testing tools & training
Need to validate a product idea, looking to optimize onboarding funnels and transactions? Let's talk to users, remove ambiguity and make data-informed decisions.
Team growth & management
Mentoring, team management and growth initiatives
Looking for your first design hire? Want to implement design mentoring and cross-functional training between engineering and design? I'm a people-person, let's chat.
Expertise
FinTech, Banking, Crypto, Retail, eCommerce, Social, VR, IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, Native apps
Throughout my career, I have worked on an array of products from omnichannel retail shopping experiences to NFC native apps. I have deep roots in FinTech and social app product design.
Sharing my passion for design is something that brings me great joy. Outside of my core services, I also enjoy giving private mentoring lessons and team speaking engagements. Need to stoke your team's fire? Let's chat.
WORK
Here are a few examples of previous projects that for me, thrive at the intersection of experience and technology, and drive impact and growth by embracing shared cultural values, prioritizing customer-centric design, and are pushing the boundaries of conventional norms to produce empathetic, personalized user experiences.
01
/05
SNEAKER
CON
An omni-channel iOS mobile e-commerce app utilizing NFC tags for buying, selling, and trading collectable sneakers.
View project
02
/05
LIMESPOT
Limespot is a cutting-edge storefront product recommendation engine powered by AI.
View project
03
/05
ROCKETPLACE
Building a company, a crypto trading platform, and introducing a new way to invest in crypto long-term.
View project
04
/05
KIT & ACE
2 apps, were designed, tested, and validated in 5 days.
View project
05
/05
C1 CREDIT
UNION
Empowering credit unions to create personalized retail banking experiences.
View project
CREATIONS
HOW I WORK
01
/05
SNEAKERCON
An omni-channel iOS mobile e-commerce app utilizing NFC tags for buying, selling, and trading collectable sneakers.
View project
02
/05
LIMESPOT
Limespot is a cutting-edge storefront product recommendation engine powered by AI.
View project
03
/05
ROCKETPLACE
Building a company, a crypto trading platform, and introducing a new way to invest in crypto long-term.
View project
04
/05
KIT & ACE
2 apps, were designed, tested, and validated in 5 days.
View project
05
/05
C1 CREDIT UNION
Empowering credit unions to create personalized retail banking experiences.
View project
AWARDS
ORAGNIZATION
AWARD
PROJECT
VAN UX AWARDS
BEST UX FOR DIGITAL PRODUCT
SNEAKER CON
VAN UX AWARDS
BEST UX OF THE YEAR
Clients
I have been fortunate in my career to have worked alongside many great enterprise companies, team leaders and founders executing everything from R&D projects and user-testing to launching MVPs.
central 1 credit union
Sean Herman
Founder, CEO Kinzoo
More than once, Matt has helped us bring our digital products to life. We continue to recommend him for his strong UX capabilities, and for his intimate process...
Sumit Vijay
Former Sr Product Manager Kit )( Ace, CTO Autotrader.ca
We like that you are very high-touch, again in a great way, and that you are able to walk teams through the process. Matthew would be part of a very small and select list we would recommend! We would absolutely recommend him for strategy as well since we went through a successful engagement with you.
Craig Lam
Former Art Director Cossette
He is amazing at fostering team energy, which inspires, carries and motivates everyone around him. Matt treats everyone with integrity and respect and would be a valuable addition to any team. I would without hesitation, be happy to partner with him on many more projects in the future.
Benjamin Hutchinson
Founder & COO at Rocketplace; previously Founder & COO at Earnest
Matt has been a fantastic part of our leadership team for 4 years. The quality of his work is first class across every design discipline. He brings a customer-centric approach to every challenge and always produces clean, intuitive end results. On top of this Matt has led our Canadian team through many highs and lows - leading with compassion and authority. We could not have done it without him and he will be the first call next time.
Louis Beryl
3X Founder of Rocketplace, Earnest, and SolidEnergy ($SES). Formerly a16z and YC. Angel investor
Matt is one of the most talented product designers I have had the pleasure of working with in my career. He's incredibly gifted, works hard and quickly, and throughout the many years we worked together he always had an extremely positive attitude. I could not give Matt a higher personal recommendation and I very much hope he and I have the chance to work together again in the future.
Ben Gruber
Head of Product @ Rocketplace | ex. Head of Product Growth for FB Marketplace, Stories, Reels | Advising + Investing
I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Matt during our time together at Rocketplace. On top of being an incredibly talented designer, Matt is a strong leader who is demands excellence from those around him while simultaneously showing deep care and support. When you bring Matt into your company, you can be confident that you are raising the bar on both culture and product - a rare combination. Matt is a low ego yet highly opinionated collaborator, whose agency is always with delivering the best user experience. Anyone who hires Matt would be lucky to have him - I sincerely hope we have a chance to work together in the future.
Adrian Moise
Founder and CEO at Aequilibrium, PhD in Computer Science. Harvard and Wharton exec education.
Matt is much more than a culture creator and brand reviver. His expertise in digital product design is nothing short of brilliant. He has a comprehensive skill set that covers an impressive range of experience design domains, including but not limited to Product Design, User Experience Testing, and Rapid Prototyping. His contributions to User Interface Prototyping, User Scenarios, and User Journeys have been invaluable in enhancing our product's user experience. I wholeheartedly recommend Mat to any organization lucky enough to have him on board. His blend of creativity, leadership, and technical knowledge will be an asset to any design and product team. Mat is the kind of colleague who will not just deliver on expectations but will exceed them, inspiring those around him to do the same.
CLIENTS
WHO I'VE WORKED WITH
I have been fortunate in my career to have worked alongside many great enterprise companies, team leaders and founders designing everything from R&D projects and user-testing to launching flagship products.
central 1 credit union
central 1 credit union
"Matt is much more than a culture creator and brand reviver. His expertise in digital product design is nothing short of brilliant. He has a comprehensive skill set that covers an impressive range of experience design domains, including but not limited to Product Design, User Experience Testing, and Rapid Prototyping. Matt is the kind of colleague who will not just deliver on expectations but will exceed them, inspiring those around him to do the same."
Adrian Moise
CEO, Founder Aequilibrium Software
"Matt is one of the most talented product designers I have had the pleasure of working with in my career. He's incredibly gifted, works hard and quickly, and throughout the many years we worked together he always had an extremely positive attitude. I could not give Matt a higher personal recommendation and I very much hope him and I have the chance to work together again in the future."
Louis Beryl
CEO, Co-founder Rocketplace Crypto
"Matt has been a fantastic part of our leadership team for 4 years. The quality of his work is first class across every design discipline. He brings a customer-centric approach to every challenge and always produces clean, intuitive end results. On top of this Matt has led our Canadian team through many highs and lows - leading with compassion and authority. We could not have done it without him and he will be the first call next time."
Benjamin Hutchinson
COO, Co-founder Rocketplace Crypto
"I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Matt during our time together at Rocketplace. On top of being an incredibly talented designer, Matt is a strong leader who is demands excellence from those around him while simultaneously showing deep care and support. When you bring Matt into your company, you can be confident that you are raising the bar on both culture and product - a rare combination. Matt is a low ego yet highly opinionated collaborator, whose agency is always with delivering the best user experience. Anyone who hires Matt would be lucky to have him - I sincerely hope we have a chance to work together in the future."
Ben Gruber
Head of Product, Rocketplace Crypto
"He is amazing at fostering team energy, which inspires, carries and motivates everyone around him. Matt treats everyone with integrity and respect and would be a valuable addition to any team. I would without hesitation, be happy to partner with him on many more projects in the future."
Craig Lam
Former Art Director, Cossette
"More than once, Matt has helped us bring our digital products to life. We continue to recommend him for his strong UX capabilities, and for his intimate process.."
SeanHerman
CEO, Founder Kinzoo
"We like that you are very high-touch, again in a great way, and that you are able to walk teams through the process. Matthew would be part of a very small and select list we would recommend! We would absolutely recommend him for strategy as well since we went through a successful engagement with you."
Sumit Vijay
Former Head of Product, Kit & Ace
Sneakercon
An omni-channel iOS mobile e-commerce app utilizing NFC tags for buying, selling, and bidding on shoes.

Sneaker Con won the 2018 VanUX Awards for ‘Best UX for Product’ and overall ‘Best UX’ for the year.
Role
Director of Product Design, Client discovery
Requirements
Product design, UX design
Timeframe
3 months
Tech
iOS native app, NFC
Integrations
8
Result
100K downloads in first 2 months, x2 Van UX awards
AWARDS
Sneakercon
Sneaker Con won the 2018 VanUX Awards for ‘Best UX for Product’ and overall ‘Best UX’ for the year.
An omni-channel iOS mobile e-commerce app utilizing NFC tags for buying, selling, and trading collectable sneakers.
Role
Director of Product Design, Client discovery
Requirements
Product design, UX design
Timeframe
3 months
Tech
iOS native app, NFC
Integrations
8
Result
100K downloads in first 2 months, x2 Van UX awards
CASE STUDY
Rocketplace
I was fortunate to have worked as the Head of Product Design at Rocketplace, a disruptor, the "Fidelity" of crypto-investing, looking to bring long-term investing products and services such as the R50 crypto index to an underserved market.
View case study
WORK
Limespot
Limespot is a cutting-edge storefront product recommendation engine powered by AI. The team asked me to help update their marketing website design, brand, claims and core product UX/UI to create a consistent customer experience, from top of funnel to product onboarding.
Role
Product Design
Requirements
Product design, UX design, User testing, Marketing, Brand design
Platform
Web application, Mobile / Desktop
Result
A year later Limespot was acquired by Pantastic.
WORK
Limespot
Limespot is a cutting-edge storefront product recommendation engine powered by AI. The team asked me to help update their marketing website design, brand, claims and core product UX/UI to create a consistent customer experience, from top of funnel to product onboarding.
Role
Product Design
Requirements
Product design, UX design, User testing, Marketing, Brand design
Platform
Web application, Mobile / Desktop
Result
A year later Limespot was acquired by Pantastic.
View project
TIRED
OF THINKING?
LET'S CHAT.
matthew@dontmakemethink.ca
Linkedin
© 2024 don't make me th!nk
CASE STUDY
Rocketplace
I was fortunate to have worked as the Head of Product Design at Rocketplace, a disruptor, the "Fidelity" of crypto-investing, looking to bring long-term investing products and services such as the R50 crypto index to an underserved market.
Role
Head of Product Design
Requirements
Product design, UX design, User testing, Marketing
Platform
Web application, Mobile / Desktop
Integrations
8
Result
2600+ users, $600K in assets, $9M second round seed funding
View case study
TIRED OF THINKING?
LET'S CHAT.
© 2024 DON'T MAKE ME THINK