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Hi, I'm John Horstman.

I’m an experienced design leader, and I'm currently available to hire.

Email Me

I’ve spent 20 years designing and shipping digital products in a wide range of environments.

Company sizes from Fortune 500 to tiny startups (including my own)

Platforms spanning web, iOS, Android, and native desktop apps

Industries including ed tech, healthcare, finance, and many more

Roles from individual contributor to team leader to co-founder

This variety has shown me how to use design to make all sorts of businesses and organizations better.

It's been a privilege to work with some very talented people who've said some awfully nice things about me.

“John is one of the most supportive and capable communicators of design I've worked with. Always very clear with the thought process and reasoning behind his work”
Ryan
Engineering Mgr @ GameChanger
“Intellectually curious and always looking to know more… John never talks down to me, even after my many small, weird questions about design.”
Emily
Software Engineer @ HomeChef
“Wyzant's successful acquisition was only possible because of John's hard work and relentless focus on the customer. His curiosity, deliberateness, and considerate nature will take him far.”
Erika
VP of Product @ Wyzant
“John's been an excellent designer to work with from the engineering perspective, and a great human being to learn from.”
Jonathan
Engineering Manager @ Flexport
“The quality of John's work is extremely high and his explanations and the reasons behind his designs always demonstrate this. His deliberate and thoughtful style are a huge asset.”
Jake
VP of Product @ TutorMe
“John approaches every user problem with a sense of thoughtfulness and rigor authentic enough to inspire everyone lucky enough to work with him.”
Ben
Product Manager @ Flash
“John has a natural drive to enable others to do their best work and has become over the years an invaluable asset across the company.”
Brent
Product Director @ Noom
“John looks at the company as a whole and keeps our design, brand, language and UX cohesive, brining an overall better experience for our users. Overall, a great team player and fun to work with.”
Jesse
Sr. Product Director @ Grailed
“John works to solve problems in the best way possible – not too rigid on design or unsympathetic to technical obstacles. He builds in such a way that individual pages/elements and bigger processes & workflows are easy to understand.”
Rhiannon
Research Manager @ Lyft
“John kicked ass, he brought our team's design thinking skill into place that we were lacking before.”
Trey
VP of Product @ Brilliant
“John is always effective in getting the most out of the team and helping us think in new and creative ways. A fantastic leader and clearly thoughtful part of the company.”
Alexis
Product Manager @ M1 Finance
“John is a guardian of ensuring the details are taken care of, but he's never forceful nor self-centered about it, he really just wants us to put our best design + product foot forward.”
Kevin
Staff Engineer @ Jellyvision
“John demonstrates an agile intellect and an empathic creativity. His keen insight and problem solving skills have come in handy time and again.”
Bart
Design Director @ Funsize
“John puts an extraordinary amount of effort and focus into everything he works on. When you’re discussing things with him, everything he says or presents has been thoroughly thought out.”
Mack
Principal Product Mgr @ Tegus
“John's passion for and knowledge of design and research are incredible assets, but his contagious enthusiasm and positive nature are the real indispensable resources.”
Mac
Design Manager @ Noom
“John is a valuable asset to any organization looking for design thought leadership, a sharp & analytical approach to a problem, and the creativity to build new and intuitive experiences.”
Brandon
Design Manager @ Meta

“John is one of the most supportive and capable communicators of design I've worked with. Always very clear with the thought process and reasoning behind his work”
Ryan
Engineering Mgr @ GameChanger
“Intellectually curious and always looking to know more… John never talks down to me, even after my many small, weird questions about design.”
Emily
Software Engineer @ HomeChef
“Wyzant's successful acquisition was only possible because of John's hard work and relentless focus on the customer. His curiosity, deliberateness, and considerate nature will take him far.”
Erika
VP of Product @ Wyzant
“John's been an excellent designer to work with from the engineering perspective, and a great human being to learn from.”
Jonathan
Engineering Manager @ Flexport
“The quality of John's work is extremely high and his explanations and the reasons behind his designs always demonstrate this. His deliberate and thoughtful style are a huge asset.”
Jake
VP of Product @ TutorMe
“John approaches every user problem with a sense of thoughtfulness and rigor authentic enough to inspire everyone lucky enough to work with him.”
Ben
Product Manager @ Flash
“John has a natural drive to enable others to do their best work and has become over the years an invaluable asset across the company.”
Brent
Product Director @ Noom
“John looks at the company as a whole and keeps our design, brand, language and UX cohesive, brining an overall better experience for our users. Overall, a great team player and fun to work with.”
Jesse
Sr. Product Director @ Grailed
“John works to solve problems in the best way possible – not too rigid on design or unsympathetic to technical obstacles. He builds in such a way that individual pages/elements and bigger processes & workflows are easy to understand.”
Rhiannon
Research Manager @ Lyft
“John kicked ass, he brought our team's design thinking skill into place that we were lacking before.”
Trey
VP of Product @ Brilliant
“John is always effective in getting the most out of the team and helping us think in new and creative ways. A fantastic leader and clearly thoughtful part of the company.”
Alexis
Product Manager @ M1 Finance
“John is a guardian of ensuring the details are taken care of, but he's never forceful nor self-centered about it, he really just wants us to put our best design + product foot forward.”
Kevin
Staff Engineer @ Jellyvision
“John demonstrates an agile intellect and an empathic creativity. His keen insight and problem solving skills have come in handy time and again.”
Bart
Design Director @ Funsize
“John puts an extraordinary amount of effort and focus into everything he works on. When you’re discussing things with him, everything he says or presents has been thoroughly thought out.”
Mack
Principal Product Mgr @ Tegus
“John's passion for and knowledge of design and research are incredible assets, but his contagious enthusiasm and positive nature are the real indispensable resources.”
Mac
Design Manager @ Noom
“John is a valuable asset to any organization looking for design thought leadership, a sharp & analytical approach to a problem, and the creativity to build new and intuitive experiences.”
Brandon
Design Manager @ Meta

“John is one of the most supportive and capable communicators of design I've worked with. Always very clear with the thought process and reasoning behind his work”
Ryan
Engineering Mgr @ GameChanger
“Intellectually curious and always looking to know more… John never talks down to me, even after my many small, weird questions about design.”
Emily
Software Engineer @ HomeChef
“Wyzant's successful acquisition was only possible because of John's hard work and relentless focus on the customer. His curiosity, deliberateness, and considerate nature will take him far.”
Erika
VP of Product @ Wyzant
“John's been an excellent designer to work with from the engineering perspective, and a great human being to learn from.”
Jonathan
Engineering Manager @ Flexport
“The quality of John's work is extremely high and his explanations and the reasons behind his designs always demonstrate this. His deliberate and thoughtful style are a huge asset.”
Jake
VP of Product @ TutorMe
“John approaches every user problem with a sense of thoughtfulness and rigor authentic enough to inspire everyone lucky enough to work with him.”
Ben
Product Manager @ Flash
“John has a natural drive to enable others to do their best work and has become over the years an invaluable asset across the company.”
Brent
Product Director @ Noom
“John looks at the company as a whole and keeps our design, brand, language and UX cohesive, brining an overall better experience for our users. Overall, a great team player and fun to work with.”
Jesse
Sr. Product Director @ Grailed
“John works to solve problems in the best way possible – not too rigid on design or unsympathetic to technical obstacles. He builds in such a way that individual pages/elements and bigger processes & workflows are easy to understand.”
Rhiannon
Research Manager @ Lyft
“John kicked ass, he brought our team's design thinking skill into place that we were lacking before.”
Trey
VP of Product @ Brilliant
“John is always effective in getting the most out of the team and helping us think in new and creative ways. A fantastic leader and clearly thoughtful part of the company.”
Alexis
Product Manager @ M1 Finance
“John is a guardian of ensuring the details are taken care of, but he's never forceful nor self-centered about it, he really just wants us to put our best design + product foot forward.”
Kevin
Staff Engineer @ Jellyvision
“John demonstrates an agile intellect and an empathic creativity. His keen insight and problem solving skills have come in handy time and again.”
Bart
Design Director @ Funsize
“John puts an extraordinary amount of effort and focus into everything he works on. When you’re discussing things with him, everything he says or presents has been thoroughly thought out.”
Mack
Principal Product Mgr @ Tegus
“John's passion for and knowledge of design and research are incredible assets, but his contagious enthusiasm and positive nature are the real indispensable resources.”
Mac
Design Manager @ Noom
“John is a valuable asset to any organization looking for design thought leadership, a sharp & analytical approach to a problem, and the creativity to build new and intuitive experiences.”
Brandon
Design Manager @ Meta

Take a look at my work to see some of what I've been designing for the past 10 years.

You can also get an overview of my experience on my LinkedIn profile.

If you'd like to chat about what I can do for your company, send me an email.