Let's start at the beginning. What drew you to product design in the first place?

Honestly, it was almost accidental. I studied cognitive science in college, fascinated by how people think and make decisions. After graduating, I joined a small startup that needed someone to figure out why users weren't engaging with their app. I started talking to users, really listening, and realized the product was solving the wrong problem entirely. When we rebuilt it based on what people actually needed, everything changed. That feeling—of creating something that genuinely helps people—I've been chasing it ever since.

You often talk about 'user empathy' as the foundation of good product design. What does that mean in practice?

User empathy isn't just about understanding what users want—it's about understanding why they want it. What are their fears? Their aspirations? What's frustrating them at 2 AM when they can't figure something out? At Nexus, every product decision starts with a question: 'How does this make our users' lives better?' Not easier, necessarily—better. Sometimes the best features are the ones that challenge users to grow, not just the ones that remove friction.

That's interesting—the idea that good products can challenge users. Can you give an example?

Sure. We built a feature in our fitness app that actually makes you wait before checking your stats after a workout. Traditional wisdom says reduce friction everywhere. But we found that the immediate dopamine hit of checking numbers was actually undermining long-term motivation. By adding a brief pause and a reflection prompt, we saw engagement increase over three months, not decrease. Sometimes the best design says 'slow down' instead of 'speed up.'

How do you balance user needs with business objectives? They don't always align.

This is the tension every product leader lives with. But I've found that when you truly serve users, business results follow—just not always in the timeline your board wants. The key is being honest about the tradeoffs. If a decision prioritizes short-term revenue over user trust, call it what it is. Make the choice consciously, not accidentally. The companies that win long-term are the ones that build genuine trust, and trust comes from consistently choosing the harder right over the easier wrong.

What's the biggest mistake you see product teams making today?

Building for metrics instead of meaning. Everyone's optimizing for engagement, retention, daily active users. But those numbers don't tell you if you're making someone's life better or just more addicted. We need to ask harder questions: Are users genuinely happier because of our product? Are we contributing something positive to the world? These questions are harder to answer, but they matter more.

Speaking of contribution, how do you think about the broader impact of technology on society?

I think about it constantly. Technology is not neutral—every design decision shapes behavior, and behavior shapes culture. When we make something easy, we make it more common. When we make something hard, we make it rare. So we're not just building products; we're shaping how people spend their time, attention, and ultimately their lives. That's an enormous responsibility. I don't think our industry takes it seriously enough yet.

What gives you hope about the future of technology?

The new generation of builders. I see young product managers and designers who ask questions we never thought to ask. They care about accessibility, sustainability, mental health impacts—things that were afterthoughts for my generation. They're building with intention from day one. That gives me tremendous hope that the next wave of technology will be more thoughtful than what came before.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in product?

Talk to users. Not once, not for a research project, but constantly. Make it a habit. The gap between what people say they want and what they actually need is where great products live. And be patient. Building something meaningful takes time. The overnight successes you read about are usually ten years in the making. Focus on learning, stay curious, and remember that you're not just building software—you're building something that will become part of someone's life. Make it worthy of that trust.