I am a Principal Product Designer and Strategist with a background in UX, product leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. I work with teams to create products that feel intuitive, thoughtful, and human. I turn ambiguity into clarity through research, storytelling, and systems thinking.
Experience
Experience
Remote / Houston, TX
Ascend
May 2024 – May 2025
Founding Product Designer
Ascend is currently developing Clarity is a voice-first collaboration tool designed to extract rich, qualitative data from natural, AI-facilitated conversations with knowledge workers — helping organizations uncover unspoken challenges, evolving team sentiment, and opportunities for connection and alignment.
Led end-to-end product design from inception to implementation, shaping an experience that encourages open reflection and continuous feedback to teams.
Designed structured conversational frameworks that allow workers to share not just what they’re doing, but how they’re feeling, what’s working, and where they’re encountering friction.
Built a design language optimized for trust, transparency, and usability — ensuring that every interaction reinforced Clarity’s value as a supportive and empathetic listening tool.
Facilitated ideation sessions with founders, engineers, and partner management teams to ensure insights supported coaching, organizational development, and change-readiness — not just reporting.
Remote / Houston, TX
Ascend
May 2024 – May 2025
Founding Product Designer
Ascend is currently developing Clarity is a voice-first collaboration tool designed to extract rich, qualitative data from natural, AI-facilitated conversations with knowledge workers — helping organizations uncover unspoken challenges, evolving team sentiment, and opportunities for connection and alignment.
Led end-to-end product design from inception to implementation, shaping an experience that encourages open reflection and continuous feedback to teams.
Designed structured conversational frameworks that allow workers to share not just what they’re doing, but how they’re feeling, what’s working, and where they’re encountering friction.
Built a design language optimized for trust, transparency, and usability — ensuring that every interaction reinforced Clarity’s value as a supportive and empathetic listening tool.
Facilitated ideation sessions with founders, engineers, and partner management teams to ensure insights supported coaching, organizational development, and change-readiness — not just reporting.
Houston, TX
UnifiedCommunications
October, 2022 – February, 2022
VP, Product
UnifiedCommunications offers premium ecommerce solutions for Cloud Service Providers and manufacturers in the unified communications space. Their product portfolio covers all your needs from headsets, phones, webcams, to AV equipment and advanced meeting room solutions.
Defined the design vision and led the creation of a custom B2B sales enablement platform used by an 800-person enterprise sales team; tailored the experience to support consultative workflows, quote configuration, and complex purchasing cycles.
Directed the full product lifecycle of a multi-market commerce platform in partnership with a global productivity software provider; optimized the UX for account-based purchasing, resulting in 30% fewer failed transactions and a 20% boost in international sales.
Acted as a strategic liaison between product, development, sales, and consulting teams — translating executive vision into cross-functional execution while championing user experience.
Houston, TX
UnifiedCommunications
October, 2022 – February, 2022
VP, Product
UnifiedCommunications offers premium ecommerce solutions for Cloud Service Providers and manufacturers in the unified communications space. Their product portfolio covers all your needs from headsets, phones, webcams, to AV equipment and advanced meeting room solutions.
Defined the design vision and led the creation of a custom B2B sales enablement platform used by an 800-person enterprise sales team; tailored the experience to support consultative workflows, quote configuration, and complex purchasing cycles.
Directed the full product lifecycle of a multi-market commerce platform in partnership with a global productivity software provider; optimized the UX for account-based purchasing, resulting in 30% fewer failed transactions and a 20% boost in international sales.
Acted as a strategic liaison between product, development, sales, and consulting teams — translating executive vision into cross-functional execution while championing user experience.
Remote / Houston, TX
4th Down Solutions
January 2020 – October, 2022
Principle Product Designer, Product Strategist
4th Down Solutions was a leading provider of innovative technology and data-driven learning solutions, transforming the corporate learning experience. Some of the most recognizable global companies – including leaders in healthcare, manufacturing and financial services – counted on 4DS to deliver timely, individualized learning content that engages, educates and inspires associates and cohorts, empowering them to drive sales and bottom-line results.
Spearheaded the redesign of 4th Down into a modular, multi-tenant SaaS platform—shifting from client-specific implementations to a scalable, web-first architecture.
Defined platform-wide experience strategy, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to align user needs with backend capabilities and business requirements.
Co-led product roadmap creation and prioritization, translating leadership and client needs into feature definitions, milestone planning, and sprint-level execution.
Drove implementation of design and UX standards within a formal SDLC process—improving platform reliability and reducing client-reported issues by 23%.
Created a modular, component-based design system from the ground up, increasing visual consistency and reducing UI design time by 25% across product lines.
Remote / Houston, TX
4th Down Solutions
January 2020 – October, 2022
Principle Product Designer, Product Strategist
4th Down Solutions was a leading provider of innovative technology and data-driven learning solutions, transforming the corporate learning experience. Some of the most recognizable global companies – including leaders in healthcare, manufacturing and financial services – counted on 4DS to deliver timely, individualized learning content that engages, educates and inspires associates and cohorts, empowering them to drive sales and bottom-line results.
Spearheaded the redesign of 4th Down into a modular, multi-tenant SaaS platform—shifting from client-specific implementations to a scalable, web-first architecture.
Defined platform-wide experience strategy, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to align user needs with backend capabilities and business requirements.
Co-led product roadmap creation and prioritization, translating leadership and client needs into feature definitions, milestone planning, and sprint-level execution.
Drove implementation of design and UX standards within a formal SDLC process—improving platform reliability and reducing client-reported issues by 23%.
Created a modular, component-based design system from the ground up, increasing visual consistency and reducing UI design time by 25% across product lines.
San Diego, CA
Blockwave
June, 2017 - January, 2020
VP, Founding Product Designer
BlockWave was a startup focused on giving users the ability to build and deploy software with code, low-code, or no-code at all. While never released commercially, it was successfully piloted with enterprise companies and research institutes. Worked with founders to create the product vision and go-to-market strategies.
Led the creation and delivery of partner and investor presentations to support company growth and development.
Conducted extensive customer research to identify target developer and end users. Developed a robust persona framework with more than 45 distinct profiles, mapped user journeys to inform product decisions.
Developed and refined interactive prototypes for BlockWave Studio, ensured seamless touch-based usability and intuitive workflows.
Developed UX/UI prototypes for 30+ proof-of-concept applications, and demonstrated platform versatility across multiple use cases.
Launched an early access beta program, that engaged more than 100 developers and users to validate platform usability and gather feedback.
San Diego, CA
Blockwave
June, 2017 - January, 2020
VP, Founding Product Designer
BlockWave was a startup focused on giving users the ability to build and deploy software with code, low-code, or no-code at all. While never released commercially, it was successfully piloted with enterprise companies and research institutes. Worked with founders to create the product vision and go-to-market strategies.
Led the creation and delivery of partner and investor presentations to support company growth and development.
Conducted extensive customer research to identify target developer and end users. Developed a robust persona framework with more than 45 distinct profiles, mapped user journeys to inform product decisions.
Developed and refined interactive prototypes for BlockWave Studio, ensured seamless touch-based usability and intuitive workflows.
Developed UX/UI prototypes for 30+ proof-of-concept applications, and demonstrated platform versatility across multiple use cases.
Launched an early access beta program, that engaged more than 100 developers and users to validate platform usability and gather feedback.
Remote
4th Down Solutions
July, 2015 - June, 2017
Senior UX Designer
4th Down provided training software and solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services organizations. Worked with the senior leadership teams of Fortune 100 companies to create custom applications, leveraging mobile devices and on-premises infrastructure to provide performant and highly customized analytics in the most challenging environments.
Developed and facilitated hundreds of custom interaction experiences and user feedback surveys, providing insights to management and coaching teams, reinforcing training and ensuring compliance goals.
Worked with production contractors to deliver on-stage and broadcast real time interactive visualizations.
Led UX strategy and API design for core platform evolution and roadmap.
Contributed to the development, rollout, and support of 80+ client-specific application deployments.
Led UX enhancements, including a robust communication and social feed, driving significant increases in active user interactions, extending session duration, and boosting NPS by 22%.
Remote
4th Down Solutions
July, 2015 - June, 2017
Senior UX Designer
4th Down provided training software and solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services organizations. Worked with the senior leadership teams of Fortune 100 companies to create custom applications, leveraging mobile devices and on-premises infrastructure to provide performant and highly customized analytics in the most challenging environments.
Developed and facilitated hundreds of custom interaction experiences and user feedback surveys, providing insights to management and coaching teams, reinforcing training and ensuring compliance goals.
Worked with production contractors to deliver on-stage and broadcast real time interactive visualizations.
Led UX strategy and API design for core platform evolution and roadmap.
Contributed to the development, rollout, and support of 80+ client-specific application deployments.
Led UX enhancements, including a robust communication and social feed, driving significant increases in active user interactions, extending session duration, and boosting NPS by 22%.
Education
Education
Statesboro, GA
Bachelor of Arts, Theatre
Georgia Southern University
Studying theatre taught me to understand human motivation, craft compelling narratives, and collaborate closely with diverse teams—skills that later became foundational to my work as a Principal Product Designer. Through performance and directing, I learned how to empathize with different perspectives, adapt quickly in high-pressure situations, and communicate complex ideas with clarity and emotion. These experiences shaped my approach to design as a deeply human, collaborative process grounded in storytelling, context, and connection.
Statesboro, GA
Bachelor of Arts, Theatre
Georgia Southern University
Studying theatre taught me to understand human motivation, craft compelling narratives, and collaborate closely with diverse teams—skills that later became foundational to my work as a Principal Product Designer. Through performance and directing, I learned how to empathize with different perspectives, adapt quickly in high-pressure situations, and communicate complex ideas with clarity and emotion. These experiences shaped my approach to design as a deeply human, collaborative process grounded in storytelling, context, and connection.
Clients & Collaborations
Clients & Collaborations
Testimonials
Testimonials
James Bodajlo
COO @ 4th Down Solutions
"James excels at translating complex stakeholder requirements into intuitive user flows and meticulously-designed prototypes that "hit the mark" and provide a clear blueprint to work from."
James Bodajlo
COO @ 4th Down Solutions
"James excels at translating complex stakeholder requirements into intuitive user flows and meticulously-designed prototypes that "hit the mark" and provide a clear blueprint to work from."
Callan Brimhall
Lead Software Engineer @ 4th Down Solutions
"Working with James Seaborn has been a huge asset to the frontend process. He doesn’t just design in Figma—he _thinks_ in terms of user experience, constantly considering how things will feel in motion, not just how they’ll look on a static screen. What stands out most is his ability to communicate functionality clearly and collaborate fluidly as things evolve during implementation. He understands the back-and-forth that happens in frontend work and adapts quickly, offering ideas or adjustments that keep both UX and dev needs in balance. It’s rare to find a designer who’s this fluent in the in-between space where design meets code."
Callan Brimhall
Lead Software Engineer @ 4th Down Solutions
"Working with James Seaborn has been a huge asset to the frontend process. He doesn’t just design in Figma—he _thinks_ in terms of user experience, constantly considering how things will feel in motion, not just how they’ll look on a static screen. What stands out most is his ability to communicate functionality clearly and collaborate fluidly as things evolve during implementation. He understands the back-and-forth that happens in frontend work and adapts quickly, offering ideas or adjustments that keep both UX and dev needs in balance. It’s rare to find a designer who’s this fluent in the in-between space where design meets code."
Juan Jaramillo
Vice President of Software Engineering @ 4th Down Solutions
"I’ve worked with James Seaborn for over 8 years, and he’s one of the best UX/UI designers I’ve ever collaborated with. He has a rare ability to take high-level ideas and translate them into intuitive, well-thought-out user experiences. James bridges the gap between non-technical stakeholders and developers with ease — making complex features understandable and executable. He’s thoughtful, organized, and brings calm clarity to product direction. A huge asset to any development team."
Juan Jaramillo
Vice President of Software Engineering @ 4th Down Solutions
"I’ve worked with James Seaborn for over 8 years, and he’s one of the best UX/UI designers I’ve ever collaborated with. He has a rare ability to take high-level ideas and translate them into intuitive, well-thought-out user experiences. James bridges the gap between non-technical stakeholders and developers with ease — making complex features understandable and executable. He’s thoughtful, organized, and brings calm clarity to product direction. A huge asset to any development team."
Kristine O'Neil
Senior Product Manager @ 4th Down Solutions
"Working with James on the NexGen API was such a standout experience for me. He brought a level of thoughtfulness and precision that’s rare nowadays: not only was he super detail-oriented but he was always thinking several steps ahead. What really impressed me was how he pulled together people from different teams who hadn’t collaborated before, creating a more holistic, informed approach to the product decisions we were making. He’s incredibly resourceful and quick to ramp up on complex topics - he even taught himself GraphQL and became our in-house SME for API strategy. Beyond the technical skills, though, he’s just someone who genuinely cares. Every decision he made came back to improving the experience for the end user. That kind of empathy and big-picture thinking made a huge difference in how the project came together."
Kristine O'Neil
Senior Product Manager @ 4th Down Solutions
"Working with James on the NexGen API was such a standout experience for me. He brought a level of thoughtfulness and precision that’s rare nowadays: not only was he super detail-oriented but he was always thinking several steps ahead. What really impressed me was how he pulled together people from different teams who hadn’t collaborated before, creating a more holistic, informed approach to the product decisions we were making. He’s incredibly resourceful and quick to ramp up on complex topics - he even taught himself GraphQL and became our in-house SME for API strategy. Beyond the technical skills, though, he’s just someone who genuinely cares. Every decision he made came back to improving the experience for the end user. That kind of empathy and big-picture thinking made a huge difference in how the project came together."