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▸  Cristofo - UXAI · Product Design · Charlotte, NC

Complex systems in.
Clear products out.
Numbers to prove it.

Self-taught. Support desk to enterprise UX leader across four programs in three countries. I design the workflows businesses run on — configure, quote, price, order, fulfill — and use agentic AI to turn ambiguity into validated execution.

View Case Files → View Live Products →
14yrs
Support desk → design lead
+40%
YoY deliverable hit-rate — design-system governance
+10–15%
YoY dealer conversion at lead handoff — Build & Price
16
Go / No-Go launch reviews at Ford Pro

01 — Operating Principles

How I operate

Three rules. Every sprint, every review, every ship call.

P—01

Agile

Ship the prototype, not the deck. It ends arguments, starts decisions. Days, not quarters.

P—02

Dedicated

Own it end to end. Designer drops mid-flight? I absorb the program before the gap becomes a delay.

P—03

Results-Driven

Every screen answers to a number: conversion, hit rate, cycle time. Unmeasured? Instrument it.

Selected Work

Case files and live products. The story and the proof.

Build & Price — POC to Production

Prove Ford Pro could own vehicle configuration in-house — then ship it to production.

See the live product ↗

The Problem

  • Vendor-owned configuration UX — slow iteration, no control, dependency in the roadmap.
  • Dealer lead handoff — the revenue moment — underperformed.
  • No internal proof Ford Pro could build this itself.

The Result

  • Originated the in-house POC on BPQO foundations — fast.
  • Reusable patterns: line pages, showroom, configure, cart, review, dealer quote.
  • Shipped to production: Canada Aug 2026 · North America Sep 2026 · UK targeted Q4 2026.
  • Ford Recognition+ (May 2025) — feasibility, proven fast.
+10–15%
YoY dealer conversion at lead handoff
Weeks → Days
Prototype cycle compression
3 markets
Canada + North America live · UK targeted Q4 2026

Design-System Governance Rebuild

Rebuild governance across four design systems. Every team ships faster, misses less.

The Problem

  • Four systems — FDS, FPDS, Hydro Interim, Hydro DSM — drifting apart, no shared discipline.
  • Inconsistent components: teams rebuilt basics, deliverables missed.
  • Visible on fordpro.com: inconsistent nav, CTAs, adherence.

The Result

  • Rebuilt governance, component architecture, templates, standards across all four systems.
  • Audited consistency, navigation, CTA usage, adherence.
  • Mentored designers in Figma component architecture — a team skill, not a specialty.
+40%
YoY deliverable hit-rate lift
4 systems
FDS · FPDS · Hydro Interim · Hydro DSM — one governance model
Weeks → Days
Template-driven delivery cycle

Four Programs. Three Markets. One Quarter.

Hold UX continuity as DRI across four simultaneous programs — through a capacity gap, drop none.

The Problem

  • A design-capacity gap hit mid-quarter: VSO and FOSSY lost UX ownership.
  • SOS was mid-flight to dealer roadshows; TracLease / Pro Estimator hadn't started.
  • Four programs, three countries, different stakeholders — one designer holding continuity.

The Result

  • SOS (NA) — rapid POCs clarified scope → advanced to a 2.0 build.
  • VSO (NA & UK), FOSSY (Germany) — absorbed mid-flight, delivery never stopped → MVP.
  • TracLease / Pro Estimator (NA) — kicked off mid-quarter, direction set → MVP.
  • Mentored a junior designer on FOSSY — AI literacy, systems thinking, not just tasks.
3 MVPs + 1 2.0
Shipped in one quarter — Jun–Sep 2026
4 programs
Run simultaneously as UX DRI
3 markets
North America · United Kingdom · Germany

FOSSY — Legacy Platform, Modernized

Lead the UX modernization of Germany's FOSSY platform — legacy system to MVP, team capability raised on the way.

The Problem

  • FOSSY — Germany's dealer platform — ran on legacy UX: dated patterns, no design-system discipline.
  • Modernization landed mid-flight, during a design-capacity gap — no UX owner in the seat.
  • The team needed the craft raised, not just the screens: AI literacy and design-system competency were thin.

The Result

  • Took over as modernization lead and drove FOSSY through to MVP.
  • Mentored the team in AI literacy — when to use it, how to judge its output.
  • Built design-system competency across the team, including junior UX designer Ashlé Muse.
  • Modern patterns, governed components — the platform and the team both leveled up.
MVP shipped
Germany modernization, led through delivery — 2026
Team-wide
AI literacy + design-system competency mentoring
DE market
Third market led in a single quarter

AI-Enabled Team Scale — Mentorship That Multiplies

Turn AI from a solo shortcut into a repeatable team capability — mentoring designers, codifying workflows, and cutting ramp time in half.

The Problem

  • AI use was individual and uneven — powerful for a few, invisible to the rest of the team.
  • New talent ramped slowly: unclear methods, no reusable patterns, long road to first real contribution.
  • Deliverables stuck in multi-week cycles — churn and repetitive work eating capacity.

The Result

  • Introduced AI-assisted workflows — Figma Make, LLMs, agentic tools — for exploration, prototyping, iteration, and requirements clarity, with live demos teams could copy.
  • Structured mentorship + reusable foundations: component systems, patterns, and clearer working methods that made designers self-sufficient faster.
  • Helped three teams across Product and Marketing adopt the workflows — key deliverables moved from weeks to days.
  • Mentored junior designers in AI literacy and scalable practice — including Ashlé Muse on FOSSY modernization (2026) — raising independence and delivery confidence.
−50%
Onboarding time to active project contribution
3 teams
Product + Marketing adopted AI-enabled UX workflows
Weeks → Days
Key deliverable cycles after adoption

Selected Work · The Record

Achievements

The wins between the case files.

May 2025
Ford Recognition+★ Major WinFord Pro · Recognition+ Award

Awarded for the Pro Vehicle Configurator POC — the feasibility proof that Ford Pro could build configuration in-house. The proof behind Case File 001.

Dec 3, 2025
Storefront + SOS, DeliveredRyan Marcey · Team Lead

Recognized for outstanding Storefront and SOS delivery — cross-team agility, consistency, and adaptability, each named outright.

Dec 3, 2025
SOS at “Warp Speed”NA Order Fulfillment & Ford Pro Business Teams

SOS Figma delivered at “warp speed,” with rapid feedback iteration — and Dealer Roadshow waves that landed successfully.

Jun 22, 2026
Immediate ImpactRyan Marcey · Team Lead

Recognized again — this time for immediate impact and a rapid ramp-up on complex products, absorbed mid-flight.

2026
UX in SOS “Paid Off in Spades”Kerri · Head of SOS

On bringing UX into the program, the Head of SOS's verdict: it “paid off in spades.” An SOS 2.0 build followed.

2026
Intuitive on ContactAmy · SOS Stakeholder

Users found the UX intuitive, with little corrective feedback — the design explained itself.

Jun–Sep 2026
Four Programs, One Quarter★ Major WinDirectors · PMs · Dev Anchors · Peers

Recognized across the org for rapid deployment as UX DRI on four concurrent global programs — North America, UK, and Germany — in a single quarter. The run behind Case File 003.

2026
16 Launch ReviewsKPIFord Pro · Go / No-Go Reviews

Supported 16 Ford Pro Go/No-Go vehicle launch reviews — design diligence where launch calls get made.

2026
+10–15% Dealer ConversionKPIBuild & Price · Lead Handoff · YoY

Dealer conversion at lead handoff grew 10–15% year over year.

2026
+40% Deliverable Hit RateKPIDesign-System Governance · YoY

Deliverable hit rates improved 40% year over year under the rebuilt design-system governance. The outcome behind Case File 002.

Aug–Sep 2026
POC → Production★ Major WinBuild & Price · Originated In-House

The in-house Build & Price POC I originated reached production — Canada in Aug 2026, North America in Sep 2026.

2026
Mentorship — Ashlé MuseFOSSY Modernization · Germany

Mentored junior UX designer Ashlé Muse on the FOSSY modernization — AI literacy, Figma component systems, and scalable practice.

2026
Three Teams, AI-EnabledKPIProduct & Marketing Teams

Three Product and Marketing teams adopted AI-enabled UX workflows — new-talent onboarding to active contribution cut by ~50%. The capability behind Case File 005.

02 — Trajectory

Self-taught. Self-made.

No shortcuts. Every layer earned. Fourteen years: support desk to portfolio UX leadership, every layer learned by working in it.

2008–2012
Graphic Design — BFAUniversity of Minnesota Duluth

Design degree at UMD, capped with a graphic-design contract (Mar–Aug 2012). Craft first — the career launched from the portfolio.

2012
Post-Graduation TransitionAug–Dec 2012

Degree in hand: a short bridge window — relocating, interviewing, lining up the next move. No title, no spin.

2012–2014
Voice EngineerAston Technologies · Dec 2012–Apr 2014

Engineering contract work — the systems brain, trained in production alongside the design eye.

2014
Support EngineerAceyus · from May 2014

Front line of a B2B reporting platform. Learned the product through its users — the best UX education there is.

2014–2019
Consultant → Application & Design SpecialistAceyus

Learned design by shipping it: configured reporting apps to client workflows, then designed them outright.

2019–2021
Design Manager → Product Design ManagerAceyus · through Dec 2021

Full rebrand and UX/UI modernization: fragmented legacy UI unified, dashboards rebuilt for clarity and self-service.

2022–2023
Product Designer — ContractKforce · staffed at Ford Pro · Jan 2022–Jun 2023

Contracted into Ford Pro: commerce foundations, EV enablement, design-system operations — the audition for the full-time seat.

2023–
UX & Product DesignerFord Pro · full-time from Jun 2023

Converted full-time in Jun 2023. Commerce platforms, complex configurators, design systems — scope compounding year over year.

2025–
UX DRI — Four Programs, Three MarketsFord Pro · DRI from 2025

DRI ownership from 2025: SOS and Storefront first — Storefront delivery recognized Dec 2025 — scaling to four simultaneous programs across NA, UK, and Germany by 2026.

03 — Method

AI in the workflow.

Not novelty: AI compresses ambiguity into testable direction — more alternatives early, before engineering commits. Judgment, validation, accessibility stay human. Non-negotiable.

The model: prototype-led alignment. Working models clarify scope, expose gaps, speed decisions. Weeks → Days.

It compounds: I mentor designers in AI literacy — when to use it, how to judge output, how to integrate it into systems UX. The team's ceiling rises.

▸ Active Toolchain
  • Figma · Figma Make Design · AI Prototyping
  • Claude · Claude Code LLM · Agentic
  • ChatGPT · Gemini Pro Exploration
  • Ford Mach1 LLM Enterprise AI
  • Agentic Workflows Automation
  • Miro · Design Systems Alignment · Scale

Bonus stage.

A playable SNES-era quest hides at the end of this portfolio — eight lands, four heroes, one Clattering King.

Play the quest →

★ BONUS STAGE — ABOUT THE PLAYER ★

Character Sheet
Cristofo, Lv. 14 Designer

16-bit pixel-art portrait of Cristofo: dark brown mustache and short boxed beard, black snapback cap with a white Ford script logo, olive drab hoodie

▶ CRISTOFO — PLAYER 1

You pressed START. Bold move. I'm Cristofo — here's how to reach the human behind the pixels.

EMAILcristofo1989@gmail.com
PHONE(612) 384-5142
LINKEDINlinkedin.com/in/cristofo-romani
16-bit pixel-art landscape: a knight and Mr. Boots, a black-and-white tuxedo cat, gaze across green hills toward a castle, floating islands, and a rocket launching into a starry sky

◆ PLAYER DATA

NAMECRISTOFO ROMANI
CLASSPRODUCT DESIGNER
TITLETHE BUILDER
LEVEL14 (14 YRS XP)
GUILDFORD PRO
BASECHARLOTTE, NC
HP — SHIPPING ENERGY920/999
MP — AI MANAMAX

◆ INTEREST STATS

▶ CLICK OR TAP ANY STAT TO EXPAND ITS FIELD NOTE

Off the clock: campaign settings, history rabbit holes, market charts, launch windows. Cats: Mr. Boots, Josephine, and Stassi.

◆ Bonus, an Adventure Awaits. ◆

The full party is assembled, and the road to the Sunken Crypt is open. Choose your hero — Cristofo the Adventurer, Mr. Boots the Rogue, Josephine the Witch, or Stassi the Heavy Knight — and cross eight lands of top-down dungeons and side-scrolling roads to face the Clattering King himself. Every foe slain earns XP, and every land cleared levels up a stat.

▶ BEGIN THE ADVENTURE

★ SIDE QUEST — THE EIGHT LANDS ★

The Sunken Crypt

◆ SIDE QUEST — THE SUNKEN CRYPT

Health: 5 of 5 heartsTHE WHISPERING WOODSXP 0SLAIN 0 / 5

Unroll the chronicle, choose your hero, and cross the eight lands to the Clattering King's throne.

THE SUNKEN CRYPT

A quest of eight lands.

✦ THE CHRONICLE OF THE SUNKEN CRYPT ✦

Long ago, beneath the green hills, the Clattering King hid away the Everlasting Treat Jar — biscuits that never stale, gravy that never cools. His court of slimes, golems and skeletons guards the long road: through whispering woods, over amber plains, across howling peaks and a desert of glass, down into the Sunken Crypt, the glittering caverns, and the sunless dungeon — to a throne of bones in Castle Morvain.

Now four heroes take the road: CRISTOFO the Adventurer, MR. BOOTS the Rogue, JOSEPHINE the Witch, and STASSI the Heavy Knight.

Eight lands. One ridiculous king. Snacks are at stake.

N 1WOODS 2PLAINS 3MOUNTAINS 4DESERT 5CRYPT 6CAVERNS 7DUNGEON 8CASTLE

WASD / ARROWS — MOVE · SPACE — ATTACK · W / ▲ — JUMP (ON THE SURFACE ROADS) · M / MENU — PAUSE & OPTIONS · ⛶ FULL SCREEN — THE GAME TAKES THE WHOLE SCREEN. Every foe slain: +1 XP.

04 — Open Channel

Let's build
what's next.

Senior product-design roles: aerospace, fintech, AI. Enterprise platforms, complex configurators, design systems. Ambitious mission, real metrics? I'm in.

EMAIL LinkedIn ↗

Case File 001

Build & Price — POC to Production

Stage 1 of 4

The Problem