Josh Magno
Designer,
Systems thinker,
& Research-informed.
I design products that make complex systems feel simple. I started as a designer, spent five years researching how people actually navigate difficult tools, and now I'm back to designing. I’m harder to fool, faster to iterate, and focused on shipping.
Guest Services Tool Consolidation
Hyatt Hotels
product design / Systems designGuest service agents were juggling 17 disconnected tools to help one person. I designed a single, unified platform that consolidates the workflow and removes the cognitive overhead—speeding up service time and giving agents room to focus on the guest.
Streamlined Automatic Calculation
Edward Jones
product design / interaction design A financial process that used to take nearly five days. I designed a real-time calculation experience that reduces it to seconds. The interface had to make a complex tax rule feel obvious, with zero ambiguity at the moment of decision.
Vitality Mobile App Navigation
John Hancock
product design / information architectureInsurance members were locked out of most program activities because the rewards and tools lived only on the website. I redesigned the mobile navigation to bring the entire Vitality suite into the app—research-informed, user-validated, and built for a program people actually use every day.
How I Design
I look at the whole system before I design a single screen. I want to know where the path should lead before I decide how to get there.
Focus on the Vision
1
I learn the domain until the logic becomes second nature. Then I design from the inside out, not from the surface in.
Dive Deep
2
I design to ship, working closely with researchers and stakeholders. My files are organized, my specs are tight, and I know what engineers need to move without blockers.
Collaborate to Build
3
Energize
4
I bring momentum to teams. I make design reviews, co-working jams, and ambiguous problems easier to solve together.
Why Research Makes Me a Better Designer
I don't guess. Five years of UX research taught me when to trust my eye and when to verify gut instincts. The result is design that moves fast, holds up, and looks right because they were built on an understanding of real behavior.
Let’s Work Together
I’m open to full-time and contract design roles in Chicago or remote from Chicago, especially at science and creative tool companies.