CHRISTOPHER RYAN MULLINS

Principal Product Designer

Red Cell Partners – Washington, DC Metro
2023 | Present

Work across an AI-focused incubation studio, partnering directly with founders, engineers, and domain experts to shape and validate new products before full investment.

What I do:

  • Redirect product direction through rapid prototyping and user validation
  • Reduce validation cycles by building highly functional prototypes to test real behavior – not concepts
  • Translate complex AI capabilities and traditional business rules into usable, testable products
  • Define product narratives that support funding, alignment, and execution

What this enables:

  • Faster decisions with less risk
  • Fewer late-stage pivots
  • Products grounded in real workflows – not assumptions

Prior Experience

Principal Product Designer

CrossLead | 2019–2023

Designed enterprise SaaS products used by Fortune 500 companies and government organizations.

  • Defined core product experiences and system architecture
  • Built and scaled design systems
  • Worked directly with executives and operational leaders to align product direction with real-world usage
Senior Experience Designer

Amtrak | 2017–2019

Led digital experience design for a platform supporting 30M+ annual users.
  • Redesigned booking and trip planning flows
  • Improved mobile usability and conversion
  • Ensured accessibility compliance (WCAG AA) across the platform
  • Seat selection design

Earlier Experience

NHTSA • Palladian Partners • University of Southern Mississippi • Gannett

Worked across government, healthcare, and media – building a foundation in large-scale systems, public-facing platforms, and high-constraint environments.

Focus Areas

AI Product Design

  • Voice interfaces, agents, decision-support systems
  • Human-in-the-loop systems and responsible AI
  • Designing for uncertainty, trust, and real-world use

Product Strategy

  • Early-stage product definition
  • Validation through prototyping and user access
  • Identifying what not to build

Execution

  • Interactive prototyping and front-end development
  • Systems thinking across UX, data, and architecture
  • Close collaboration with engineering teams

How I Work

  • Direct access to users is non-negotiable
  • Design is a strategic function, not a service layer
  • The goal is better decisions, not more artifacts
  • Speed comes from clarity, not shortcuts

Education

BFA, Graphic Communication – University of Southern Mississippi

Design Philosophy

Passionate advocate for the double diamond process model balancing divergent exploration with convergent execution. Committed to research-driven, empathy-centered design that makes complex AI technology accessible, inclusive, and genuinely useful for diverse user populations.