About

TOM ZEHNER

Senior Director / Head of User Experience & AI-Driven Design

Executive Summary

Senior UX and AI-driven design executive with 20+ years of experience building and leading high performing, multidisciplinary teams across enterprise, SaaS, and mobile platforms. Proven ability to align AI, data, and user-centered design to deliver scalable, intelligent digital experiences with measurable business impact. Trusted executive partner known for establishing design organizations, driving innovation, and championing ethical, human-centric design at scale.

Core Expertise

UX & Experience Strategy • AI-Driven Design & Research • Design Systems & Scalable • Frameworks • Executive & Cross-Functional Leadership • User-Centered & Inclusive Design • Data-Informed Decision Making • Agile Product Development • Mobile & Enterprise Platforms

Professional Experience

Senior Director / Head of User Experience & AI-Driven Design

SITE Technologies | May 2024 – present

• Built and led the UX organization from the ground up, recruiting and mentoring high-performing designers, researchers, and design leaders 

• Defined and executed a unified UX and AI-enabled strategy aligned with business goals, platform standards, and measurable outcomes 

• Led end-to-end design across research, concepting, prototyping, testing, and delivery while maintaining high quality and timely execution 

• Championed a creative, user-centered culture grounded in ethical, compliant AI practices  

• Integrated AI and advanced analytics to accelerate research, iteration, personalization, accessibility, and ROI measurement 

• Established scalable design systems, UX roadmaps, and KPIs to drive consistency and efficiency 

• Partnered with Product, Engineering, Data, Marketing, and executives to translate complex needs into clear user-focused solutions 

• Designed complex map-driven platforms including 2D/3D mapping, location services, drone imagery workflows, data tables, and interactive tools for trade-based use cases

User Experience Director

Proliant | November  2017 - May 2024

• Established UX department and built a skilled design team

• Lead a team of UX/UI designers and researchers, nurturing a culture of collaboration and innovation

• Develop strategic UX visions to elevate user satisfaction and brand loyalty 

• Maintain a clear design vision for products/services, ensuring coherence and user-friendliness

• Design and prototype various products, balancing high-level concepts with detailed interactions

• Delivered first iOS and Android applications within first 6 months

• Conducted presentations for the CEO, CFO, Development, Design and Sales teams

• Effectively communicate the value of design initiatives to stakeholders, to gain support 

• Drive user research and usability testing to inform designs with robust insights and feedback

• Utilize metrics and user feedback iteratively to refine and optimize designs continually

• Establish scalable design systems for consistent and efficient product development

• Stay updated on the latest UX design trends and technologies, integrating tools into workflows

• Oversee the design process from ideation to execution, ensuring top quality and innovation

• Promote user-centered design principles company-wide, collaborating across teams for integrated design thinking

Lead User Experience Designer
Paylocity| September 2012 - October 2017

• Successfully launched iOS, Android, and Windows OS applications within aggressive timelines

• Proficient in responsive and fluid design for desktop, tablet, and mobile applications

• Produced wireframes, task flows, high-fidelity mockups, illustrations and animations to visualize and communicate design concepts 

• Developed UX Design Systems to facilitate collaboration between stakeholders and development

• Experienced in Agile and Kanban methodologies for effective project management

Senior User Experience Designer
Google | August 2008 - August 2012

• Creator of SMARTACTIONS™ #1 software in Motorola’s history

• Deployed globally on millions of phones such as Droid and RAZR

• Specializing in context, location services and mobile form factors 

• Developed consistent look and feel across 15 product lines

• Collaborated with 30+ team members across 11 studios, Libertyville, IL, Bangalore, India, Beijing, China, Sunnyvale, CA,Indianapolis, IN

• Products: SMARTACTIONS™, Genie, Rich Location, Widgets

• “SmartActions is an amazing tool” – Jack Wallen, The Tech Republic, Jan 17, 2012

• “SmartActions app is pure brilliance…” – David Pogue, New York Times, Feb 8, 2012

• “SmartActions is the single best feature of the RAZR” – The Verge, Nov 7, 2011 

Senior User Experience Designer
Motorola | April 2000 - July 2008

• Designer of graphically rich user interfaces for next generation applications

• Established a consistent look and feel of over 15 products across the Public Safety portfolio

• Collaborated across  five studios,  Schaumburg, IL, Shalimar, FL, Boulder, CO,  Adelaide and Perth Australia

• Products: TxMessenger™, AirMobile™, Premier Handheld, Citations, PremierOne, PMDC

Lead Game Designer
Terraglyph| September 1999 - April 2000

• Developer of original and commercial content for Nintendo 64

• Designer of open world environments

• 3D polygonal modeling, texture mapping, vertex coloring 

• Collaborated directly  with Nickelodeon Studios

• Products: Carnivale, Blues Clues

Senior 3D Designer
Sega / Visual Concepts| December 1997 - September 1999

• Creator of original content for the Sega Dreamcast

• Developed on Sega's cutting-edge  SET 2 - SET 5 Katana boards 

• Designer of AI characters interacting within complex environments 

• 3D  polygonal modeling, texture mapping, lighting, vertex coloring

• Products: Floigan Brothers

Senior 3D Designer
Viacom New Media | March 1993 - September 1997

• Creator of  “Beavis and Butthead in Virtual Stupidity,” #1 best selling game in Viacom’s  history

• Character generation, game design, video editing, rotoscoping, and color optimization

• Established new graphical processes during development cycle

• Products: MTV's SlamScape, Beavis and Butthead Cheap Clicks, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Nickelodeon’s Guts, Rocko's Modern Life

Senior Artist
Icom Simulations| November 1990 - March 1993

• Developer of multi-platform entertainment titles

• Designer of multiple  custom tools, increased production by 50%

• Products: Shapeshifter, Beyond Shadowgate, Camp California, Right paint, Intermission

Co-Founder/Designer
Storm Impact | June 1989 - January 1991

• Creator of the first Macintosh color sports game

• Designer of all media including animation, environments, cut scenes 

• Products: Technical Snapshot, TaskMaker and MacSki

• “Macintosh Hall of Fame” – MacWorld 1990

Tools & Technologies

Design & Prototyping: Conceptualization, wire-framing, prototyping, design systems, user flows, information architecture diagrams; Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch, InVision, Axure

Design Systems & Frameworks: Radix, Material Design, Bootstrap, AG Grid, Kendo UI, Angular, Xamarin, Ionic; SaaS-based platforms

Research, Testing & Analytics: Usability testing, user research, A/B testing, heuristic evaluations, UI audits; Datadog, Google Analytics

Product & Delivery: Jira, Confluence; strategic UX vision, user-centered design principles, quality assurance, innovation practices

Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Zoom, Krisp, Airtable

Platforms: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android (Experience across legacy and emerging platforms including mobile, desktop, and interactive systems)

Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of HTML, CSS

Emerging & Enabling Technologies: AI-driven experiences, location services, context-aware systems, real-time 2D/3D interaction, touchscreen and multi-input interfaces

Awards

“Leader Award 2023” Proliant Mobile - G2 2023

“Excellence in Technology” ReadyPay Today – Brandon Hill Group 2022

“Core 77 Design Award”  Smart Actions  – Core77  2012

“Digital Design Winner”  Smart Actions  -IDSA  2012

“Video Game of Year”  Beavis and Butthead – PC Gamer 1995

“Parents Choice Award”  Beavis and Butthead – Newsweek 1995

“Top 10 Best TurboGrafx Games”  ShapeShifter – TurboPlay 1992

“Best Sports Game of the Year” Macski – Macworld 1990