Jared Volpe
Digital product design lead(er) and manager*.
*I'm a problem solver focused on creating conditions in which design can flourish.
Aspiring baker, ceramicist, cook, & furniture maker**.
**Sometimes I like to make things with my hands... not with a keyboard and mouse.
You've found my spot on the internet. Hopefully this site will help you learn a bit more about me.
Steve Jobs' oft-cited "Design is how it works" axiom sums up my approach to design.
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it's this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, "Make it look good!" That's not what we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
My approach to being a leader and manager, is to help create conditions where others can make decisions you feel are better than any you would have made yourself.
You can scroll down for some work highlights and experience or read a bit more about me .
Work Highlights
Microsoft: Leadership, Management, and DesignOps
My focus was on designing the design process and creating conditions where design could flourish.
Making Niko
Niko is an employee engagement tool that I built to enable everyone at any level in a company — from interns to the CEO — to submit, vote on, and respond to questions and suggestions.
What people have to say about working with me
I've had the pleasure of working with some great people. I'm humbled by the nice things they've had to say.
Experience
Leadership & Management
Microsoft
I led two remote-friendly teams of product designers, researchers, and copywriters (five and seven team members) who hailed from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Berlin, and Barcelona. I played a handful of different roles as a manager: mentor, friend, sometimes bearer of bad news, career advisor, and proud colleague. I worked with both teams to establish our design culture and facilitate ceremonies and processes to make us more effective. Our work was primarily on strategic projects with GitHub (post-acquisition) for two organizatiogns in the Azure DevOps Services group: Azure Boards (Atlassian Jira compete) and App Center (Google Firebase compete).
Leading design & managing small teams
Oxide Computer Company →
As the sole designer on a small team of engineers at a company that is going to revolutionize rack-scale computing, I did everything from digital product design, DesignOps, product management, hiring, brand and marketing design, and art direction (for re-branding, hardware renditions, swag, and more).
Building companies
Niko →
I built an employee engagement tool called Niko so everyone at any level in a company — from interns to the CEO — can submit, vote on, and respond to questions and suggestions. It helps companies preserve organizational knowledge and expose history and decision-making. I'm an armchair organizational psychologist, so let's chat if you are interested in that!
Roost
Roost is about getting things done with your inner circle. It is a cross-platform app that helps you manage life with the people you care about and it puts security and privacy first.