Complex products for expert users. Users in the iteration loop.

Product design · honest user feedback · prototypes that ship · Bristow, VA / remote · LinkedIn · CV

Christopher Mullins

Hard domains, expert users, real stakes when you get it wrong.

I work on products where the domain is genuinely difficult and the interface has to disappear without losing the people who depend on it. That spans trustworthy AI, enterprise workflows for users who already know what they need, and public-scale surfaces with no margin for confusion.

The job is figuring out what should be built before build spend locks in the wrong direction: direct access to users, evidence over artifacts, and the willingness to recommend against an idea when the signal says no. Proof and depth live under Work, organized by domain, practice, and outcome.

Honest user feedback closes the loop.

What I optimize for is the compression between a design call and feedback from people who depend on the product. Functional code is how I put ideas in front of them early, before decisions harden. Prototypes that increasingly ship, whether the domain is clinical voice AI, a security investigation platform, or a solo system where uncertainty is the product condition.

Full-process product design goes deeper on discovery through delivery, divergent research, and when to say no.

Design isn’t a service layer. It’s the fastest path to better product decisions.

Career

2023–2026

Red Cell Partners

Principal Product Designer. AI-focused incubation studio. Six engagements across healthcare, security/defense, and government AI, shaping product direction before full build investment.

2019–2023

CrossLead

Principal Product Designer. Enterprise SaaS for Fortune 500 and government. Core product experiences, design systems at scale, close engineering collaboration through a four-year arc.

2017–2019

Amtrak

Senior Experience Designer. Digital platform serving 30M+ annual passengers. Booking, trip planning, seat selection, WCAG AA accessibility, mobile conversion.

2015–2017

NHTSA

Web Designer · Regulatory communications, government web

2013–2015

Palladian Partners

Interactive Designer · Health & science communications, federal agencies

2011–2013

Univ. of Southern Mississippi

Web Designer · BFA, Graphic Communication

2003–2011

Gannett / USA Today

Creative Artist · Editorial and digital media

2000–2002

Pearl River Publishing

Graphic Artist · Print and early publishing

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