Still biological · London, UK

I help product organisations figure out what design means in an AI-first world.

  • Currently leading across: Product Design, Research, Brand, Design Systems and Accessibility with a team of up to 20.
  • 15+ years across enterprise, agency, startups and my own consulting, with teams of up to 25.
  • Industries: edtech, fintech, blockchain, social, B2C, B2B. The recurring work: building design functions from zero, brand × product, AI-native operating models, and accessibility programmes.

CV

2010 - Now
2025 - Now

Multiverse - Director of Experience

  • AI upskilling courses for working adults - applied on the job, with their manager, so the learning sticks and people don't get left behind.
  • Built Multiverse's Design function from the ground up inside the Tech org - hiring 8 very strong candidates (incl. a Research Manager from Meta and a Product Design Manager from Carta and to Staff from Meta + Wise) and growing to a team of 20 across Product Design, Research, Brand, Design Systems and Accessibility.
  • Built an AI-native design culture: Claude Code 101 sessions, Figma Make jams, hybrid designer-developer roles, AI-assisted design system prototyping workflow.
  • Deployed the first known agentic VPAT accessibility programme - 1 engineer, 13 PRs, 22 production fixes, 50% of WCAG 2.1 AA backlog cleared with zero squad capacity (vs. industry standard 4–6 people at $10k+).
  • Led a full AI first brand refresh using an AI-readable design system with semantic tokens, AGENTS.md rules and self-serve tooling. SLAs dropped from 5 days to under 2 hours. Set to launch end of year.
  • Established Multiverse's first Voice of User function and CSAT audit programme - a continuous insight loop into senior leadership for the first time.
  • Established first ever fully staffed Agentic Design System Team. Published the company's first AI led competency framework across Design & UXR.
Design Leadership AI-Native Team Building Design Systems Accessibility Brand
2023 - 2024

Cleo - Interim Head of Design

  • AI-powered financial assistant app helping Gen Z manage their money.
  • Scaled the design team from 8 to 20. Pitched and won budget for the company's first ever Design Systems squad. Led the IA redesign that cut the app's tabs from six to four, and rolled out CSAT & UX Quality standards across 17 squads.
Design Leadership Team Scaling Design Systems UX Strategy
2019 - Now

Reality Prototyping - Founder & Coach

  • My own coaching practice for designers and design leaders.
  • Coaching designers and managers from Amazon, Monzo, Figma, Google, Meta, IDEO, IKEA, Lloyds, and more. A self-coaching syllabus built on lean loops and continuous delivery - helping designers find their voice, grow influence, and prototype their careers like they would a product.
Coaching Founder Career Development Public Speaking
2021 - 2023

Mattereum - Head of Design

  • Web3 infrastructure for trading physical assets on the blockchain with legal certainty.
  • Led the design direction with a team of 5 for a breakthrough Web3 legal innovation: digital passports for physical assets. Directed pitch deck and fundraise narrative - a 4,700% increase in follow-up VC calls and a £550K bridge round. Found product-market fit with B2B high-value assets and tripled the enterprise pipeline.
Web3 Design Leadership Brand Fundraising
2020 - 2021

GfK - Interim Head of Design

  • Global consumer intelligence and market measurement company.
  • Scaled the design team from 5 to 15. Established the first ever UXR team. Trained 30+ PMs and 15 designers in hypothesis-driven design and seeded product trios across the org. Shipped gfknewron 1.1 - the first paying client in two years.
Design Leadership Team Scaling User Research Coaching
2019 - 2020

Playdeo - Product Design Manager

  • Interactive video studio creating playable stories on mobile.
  • Contract role leading product design and managing a team of four on an interactive video platform.
Product Design Team Management
2015 - 2018

Meta - Senior Product Designer

  • Social technology company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
  • Built and launched Creative Hub - a WhatsApp / Instagram / Facebook advertising mockup tool - from alpha to acquisition by Ads Manager over three years. Improved Ad ROI by 30%.
Product Design 0 → 1 Advertising
2015

Ustwo - Senior Product Designer

  • Independent digital product studio - creators of Monument Valley.
  • Contract role launching the Barclays Mobile Banking design guidelines.
Product Design Mobile Banking
2013 - 2014

Belua - Co-founder and first designer

  • Early Web3 consumer product, covered by TechCrunch.
  • Running design end-to-end across brand, product, and pitches for the first attention economics platform paying people fairly for their data and attention on chain.
Founder Web3 Brand
2012 - 2013

Barclays - Senior Visual Designer

  • British multinational bank.
  • Contract role on the Barclays Mobile Banking app.
Visual Design Banking
2010 - 2012

Pentagram NYC - Product Designer

  • The world’s largest independent design consultancy.
  • Contract role at Pentagram's New York studio across product and brand engagements.
Product Design Brand

Open to chat about

Selectively · 2026

Happily at Multiverse. Open to the occasional advisory, coaching engagement, or speaking slot.

Shapes
Advisory · Coaching · Speaking
Where
Remote, occasional London
Topics
AI-native design culture Scaling design teams Design systems & accessibility Career coaching
Industries
Financial empowerment Mental health Climate Education
© Kate Pincott 2026 Made with Claude Design