UX leader with 20 years of design experience, building teams, setting strategy, and connecting design to business outcomes.

My Approach

Twenty years of doing the work. The last few learning how to lead it.

ALIGN + DISCOVER

Start by getting everyone in the same room. Good design strategy begins with understanding what people actually need and what the business is trying to accomplish. I don't skip this step.

DEFINE + STRATEGIZE

Turn research into direction. Clear frameworks, design principles, and a roadmap teams can actually execute. Alignment across design, product, and engineering before AI writes a line of code.

BUILD + LEAD

Guide the team through execution while keeping craft standards high. Coaching designers, protecting the design system, removing blockers, and making sure the work ships well. Not just ships.

MEASURE + GROW

Track outcomes, not just output. Use data and user feedback to improve the product and develop the team. The work is never really done, and neither is the growth.

Selected Work

TrueCatholic AI

A personal project. I designed and built an AI that's spiritually safer for Catholic families. Theology, doctrine, 3rd grade science homework, it does it all. Free to use at truecatholicai.org.

AI Design • Doctrinal Architecture • Benchmarking
SeedIQ: AI-Powered Seed Selection

SeedIQ: AI-Powered Seed Selection

Beck's Hybrids needed a smarter way to help farmers choose the right seed. SeedIQ analyzes crop type, management practices, location, and yield expectations to surface products most likely to perform in a farmer's specific environment.

UX Leadership • AI • Cross-Departmental • Product Strategy
Coca-Cola Freestyle Interface

Coca-Cola Freestyle

In a top secret room at The Coca-Cola Company, a revolutionary machine was built. All it needed was an interface to unlock more beverage combinations than the world had ever seen.

UX Design • User Testing • Innovation
Know Him Bible Trivia

Know Him: Bible Trivia

A reverent journey through the Gospels transformed into an engaging trivia experience. Level up to unlock fascinating discoveries about Jesus's life. Now available on the iOS App Store.

Mobile UX • Game Design • User Research
Toasty Automated Tanning System

Toasty Automated Tanning System

An innovative chain of tanning salons needed a way to expand beyond business hours. The solution? A fully automated system that streamlined their after-hours operations.

Product Design • IoT • Service Design
Stanley Black + Decker XR Experience

Stanley Black + Decker XR Experience

When Stanley Black + Decker sought to improve their retail experience, I designed an augmented reality app that brings their tools to life.

XR Design • User Interface • Product Strategy
Michael Krontz

I'm a UX leader with 20 years of experience building design teams and connecting design work to business outcomes. I started my career in 2006 as a designer and have worked my way up through IC roles at agencies and startups, working with clients like Coca-Cola, Stanley Black + Decker, and others.

For the past 8 years I've been at Beck's Hybrids, the country's largest family owned seed company. For the last year I've been the Principal UX Designer there, where I manage a team of four designers, own the design system, lead cross-functional UX work across software, marketing, finance, and retail, and report into software engineering leadership.

When I'm not working, I'm busy raising six kids with my wonderful wife.

More Work

Contact

Looking to collaborate? Let's connect.

michaelkrontz@gmail.com