About Me

Human-Centered Thinking

George Hester Headshot, sitting on a bench in winter wearing a sport coat and looking pretty stylish, if you ask me. George Hester Headshot, sitting on a bench in winter wearing a sport coat and looking pretty stylish, if you ask me.
George Hester

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.

Download Résumé (PDF)

Impact at a Glance infographic showing skills in adoption speed and clarity Impact at a Glance infographic showing skills in adoption speed and clarity

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.
A collage of UX and UI project screenshots including design system typography, component libraries, journey mapping, wireframes, and product dashboards. Featured work shown from AstraZeneca, VML, and Circadian Risk.

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.

Figma design systems screenshot Figma design systems screenshot

How I Work

  • Discover
    Understand users, context, and constraints. Align on goals and guardrails.
  • Define
    Map journeys, jobs to be done, and success measures. Choose the smallest valuable slice.
  • Design
    Create 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.
Focus Areas

Primary Skills

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Design System Foundations & Tokens

Pattern libraries teams adopt with ease

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Complex Flows and Data User Interface

Flows and dashboards for quick decisions

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Prototyping and Usability Testing

Interactive proofs and quick user feedback

Accessibility Icon

Accessibility and Product Content

Plain language and WCAG minded patterns


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

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User Research

Interviews, task analysis, usability tests

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Web Development

HTML, CSS and JS basics with clean handoff specs

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Photo & Video

Product demos, light-weight capture and edits

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Project Management

Scope, timelines, stakeholder updates

Software & Applications

Design Tools

Figma Icon

Figma

Miro Icon

Miro

Sketch App Icon

Sketch

Adobe Creative Suite Icon

Adobe CC

Kudos

"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.”

Stephen B.
Director of Experience Design
VML Detroit
Current Favorite Album

Palemote

Slow Meadow

Spotify

Palemote Album Cover
Current Favorite Book

Pocket Full Of Do

Chris Do

The Futur

Pocket Full Of Do Book Cover
Work Life

Career Snapshot

AstraZeneca Company Logo

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.


VMLY&R Company Logo

Senior Experience Designer

VML (Detroit)

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.


Circadian Risk Company Logo

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.


K5 Company Logo

Web & Product Designer // UX 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.


The JRT Agency Company Logo

UX/UI Designer // Web Design 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.


SSDM Company Logo

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.


Basso Company Logo

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.

School Life

My Education

The University of Michigan School Logo

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.


The Art Institute School Logo

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.


Washtenaw Community College School Logo

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.