Design System Foundations & Tokens
Pattern libraries teams adopt with ease
About George Hester
Human-Centered Thinking
Overview
Product Experience Designer
I design interfaces and product workflows that make complex systems feel simple, intuitive, and scalable. My work spans design systems, interaction patterns, and multi-layered user journeys, with a focus on clarity, efficiency, and accessibility across platforms.
I’m driven by outcome-based design, meaning every decision reflects user needs, business goals, and long-term product maintainability. If you'd like to collaborate or discuss a project, feel free to reach out through my contact form.
What I Do
- Design systems that ship
Pattern libraries, tokens, components, and governance that teams adopt with ease. - Product design end to end
From discovery and framing, to flows, wireframes, prototypes, and UI build support. - Research that drives decisions
Interviews, task analysis, and usability tests that answer the right questions. - Hands-on partnership with engineering
Redlines, specs, and pairing to reduce rework and speed delivery.
Proof in Practice
AstraZeneca • Pharma-Grade design systems
I lead the design system for a multi product platform used by scientific and medical teams. I created the core foundations, scalable components, and documentation that raised quality and improved delivery speed across projects.
VML • Enterprise product flows
I redesigned high friction flows and simplified key tasks, improving clarity for users and reducing time to complete common actions.
Circadian Risk • Analytics dashboards
I restructured information, visuals, and interactions to help users scan risk data quickly and act with confidence.
For more detailed examples, check out my Portfolio.
Focus Areas
Primary Skills
Complex Flows and Data User Interface
Flows and dashboards for quick decisions
Prototyping and Usability Testing
Interactive proofs and quick user feedback
Accessibility and Product Content
Plain language and WCAG minded patterns
Software & Applications
Design Tools
Figma
Design systems and component workflows
Miro
Early ideation, mapping, and cross team alignment
Sketch
Interface design and layout exploration
Adobe CC
Visual assets, graphics, and presentation polish
How I Work
- Discover Understand users, context, and constraints. Align on goals and guardrails.
- DefineMap journeys, jobs to be done, and success measures. Choose the smallest valuable slice.
- DesignCreate flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes. Write concise interface copy.
- Test Put work in front of users. Capture where they hesitate or get stuck. Iterate.
- Deliver Prepare specs, tokens, and assets. Pair with engineers to ship with quality.
- Evolve Track results, learn, and fold improvements back into the system.
Core Standards
Principles I bring to every project
- Make it obvious what to do next
- Reduce choices to reduce errors
- Use plain language
- Design for real constraints and real data
- Test early with real tasks
- Document decisions so teams move faster together
Supporting Skills
How I Deliver
User Research
Interviews, task analysis, usability tests
Web Development
HTML, CSS and JS basics with clean handoff specs
Photo & Video
Product demos, light-weight capture and edits
Project Management
Scope, timelines, stakeholder updates
Kudos
Stephen B."George is an exceptionally talented Experience Designer with a remarkable skill set in User Interface design. He has great proficiency in crafting intuitive and visually appealing interfaces. George has exceptional project management abilities and consistently demonstrated his capability to lead projects with precision, ensuring seamless coordination and delivery.”
Director of Experience Design
VML Detroit
Listening to...
Eric Whitacre
BYU Singers
Reading...
Competing Against Luck
Clayton M. Christensen
Work Life
Career Snapshot
UI Designer
Latcha + Associates
Present
Latcha + Associates is a Michigan based marketing and communications agency headquartered in Farmington Hills, delivering branding, advertising, and digital marketing services for regional and national clients across multiple industries.
Right now I’m supporting Mercedes-Benz USA Tier 3 marketing initiatives through UI design, dealer platform improvements, and custom design system work focused on creating more consistent and user-friendly digital experiences across the platform.
Senior UX/UI Designer
AstraZeneca
2024 - 2026
AstraZeneca is a global, science led biopharma company that discovers, develops, and brings to market prescription medicines for major disease areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, and respiratory, serving patients worldwide.
Most of my work here focused on improving internal healthcare tools and making complex medical workflows easier to use and navigate through cleaner UX patterns, scalable UI systems, and more thoughtful interface design.
Senior Experience Designer
VML
2021 - 2024
VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to build connected brands that drive growth. Detroit is one of its United States offices supporting that integrated work.
This role gave me the opportunity to design customer-facing experiences for Ford, including work on Ford Bronco, Ford Parts, and rewards platforms, with a strong focus on usability, responsive design, and overall customer experience.
Lead UX/UI Designer
Circadian Risk
2020 - 2021
Circadian Risk provides enterprise software for physical security and compliance. Teams assess locations, visualize risk on dashboards, and plan remediation projects to reduce exposure and meet standards across many sites.
A large part of this role involved simplifying complicated security and compliance workflows into experiences that were easier to understand, navigate, and manage across large enterprise assessment platforms.
UX/UI Product Designer
K5 Company
2018 - 2019
K5 Company (formerly Eview 360) is a multidisciplinary studio that blends architecture, design, branding, gamification, and technology to create immersive experiences that connect physical spaces with digital interaction for training, retail, and more.
This role allowed me to work on interactive automotive and immersive digital experiences that combined UI design, product visualization, branding, and emerging technology concepts across multiple types of projects.
Web Designer Lead
The JRT Agency
2015 - 2018
The JRT Agency is a Michigan marketing and advertising firm that delivers digital first programs for business and consumer brands, combining strategy, creative, technology, and content to build measurable brand experiences.
Much of my work here centered around automotive platforms, dealer tools, and large-scale enterprise web experiences, balancing UX planning with front-end implementation and responsive web design.
Senior Web Developer
SSDM
2014 - 2015
SSDM is a Michigan growth marketing agency headquartered in Troy. The team provides digital strategy, paid media, creative, and web services, using data to build pipeline and revenue for clients across industries.
This role leaned heavily into responsive web design, front-end development, and digital marketing experiences built around usability, lead generation, performance, and scalable implementation.
Web Developer
Basso Marketing Group
2012 - 2014
Basso is a Detroit area branding and digital marketing agency based in Rochester, Michigan. Services include web design, SEO, PPC, content, and custom campaigns aimed at helping companies grow their business.
My work here included website design, front-end development, and digital marketing campaigns for a wide variety of regional and national clients across multiple industries and business types.
School Life
My Education
Music Performance - Trumpet
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
I grew up as a trumpet player and studied Music Performance at the University of Michigan, where I played in multiple ensembles and continued to develop my discipline, teamwork, and stage presence. I was also part of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a professional music fraternity that gave me lifelong friendships and a strong sense of creative community.
Web Design
The Art Institute of Michigan
Novi
I later pursued Web Design, where I discovered my interest in digital interfaces and visual problem solving. Although I didn’t complete the program, it helped build the foundation of how I think about layout, structure, and visual communication.
Web App Development
Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor
I continued sharpening those skills through Web App Development coursework with a focus on front end fundamentals. Learning PHP and application logic improved how I design for usability, scalability, and development handoff.