Hi, I'm Aaron. I'm a UX design manager at Google, currently leading a team building shopping experiences on YouTube. I began my career in agencies, spent a few years at startups, and have been at Google for 7 years. The range has exposed me to a lot of different contexts and ways of working that I still draw on today.
I've been managing for 1.5 years, and was a staff IC designer before that. I can navigate both worlds: I know what day to day life is as a designer, and I have visibility into the perspective and challenges of cross-functional leadership.

While I'm open to any interesting conversation, I might be most helpful for:

• Mid-to-senior designers trying to elevate — promo, scope, visibility, turning good work into recognition.
• New managers, or people considering a transition into management.
• Anyone navigating large or complex orgs (big tech, traditional corporate, mature startups, and similar).
• People thinking carefully about how AI is reshaping design craft and output.

I'm happy to help with portfolio reviews, but I think it's best if we establish some context and goals first. That way I can give feedback that reflects your actual context.

A bit about me:
My path here wasn't straight. I'm from NYC originally, studied art, taught in Japan, attended grad school in Australia, moved back to NY, and now live in LA with my wife and two wiener dogs. I cook, read, vibe code, and am learning woodworking. I'm still figuring out a few things in my own career — which I think is part of what makes mentorship interesting in both directions.