Thursday, July 2, 2026

16:52

DESIGNER. LEADER. BUILDER OF THINGS THAT SCALE

JAMES

JACOBSEN

Designing enterprise platforms, AI-powered workflows, and consumer products used by millions. For 15+ years I've partnered with engineering, marketing and product leaders to simplify complex systems and deliver measurable business impact.

I'm James Jacobsen, a design leader based in the SF Bay Area. I came up through brand and editorial before moving into product, shaping how I approach systems, visual design, and user experience as one discipline.

I've led design from startup to Fortune 1000, from founding designer on a blockchain platform to Director of UX at Grocery Outlet. I believe design earns its seat at the table through measurable results, and I've spent 15+ years proving it.

Designing products at scale.

15+

Design teams built and led

6

Downloads on shipped products

700K+

SELECTED WORK

SELECTED WORK

FourKites AI/ML Solution

FourKites AI/ML Solution

FourKites AI/ML Solution

SaaS

Data Visualzation

Design Systems

AI/ML

Designed the interaction framework for an ML-powered automation product that reduced manual steps by 30% across Fortune 500 supply chains, including human-in-the-loop oversight models that built operator trust in AI-generated outputs.

GO E2E UX Redesign

GO E2E UX Redesign

GO E2E UX Redesign

Retail

Backend UI/UX

Design Systems

Data Visualization

Designed the internal enterprise platform powering operations across 500+ Grocery Outlet stores, streamlining workflows for store operators and improving speed-to-market by 25% through scalable design systems and DesignOps improvements.

Maersk - TradeLens Executive Dashboard

Maersk - TradeLens Insights
Dashboard

SaaS

Blockchain

Data Visualization

Design Systems

Reporting

Designed a real-time shipment intelligence dashboard for a Maersk and IBM blockchain platform, translating complex global trade data into actionable insights for compliance teams across 15+ international markets.

GO App Redesign + AI Rec

GO App Redesign + AI Rec

GO App
Redesign + AI Rec

Commerce

Mobile UI/UX

Design Systems

AI

Led the end-to-end redesign of Grocery Outlet's consumer mobile app, building an AI-powered recommendations engine that drove 700K+ downloads, 8% sales penetration, and a 4.5 App Store rating.

PCMag.com Publishing Platform Redesign

PCMag.com Publishing Platform Redesign

PCMag.com Publishing
Platform Redesign

Design Direction

Mobiler UI

User Research

Commerce

Redesigned PCMag's editorial publishing platform, creating a scalable slideshow and feature page system that improved reader engagement, streamlined editorial workflows, and balanced the competing needs of commerce, advertising, and SEO.

Redesigned PCMag's editorial publishing platform, creating a scalable slideshow and feature page system that improved reader engagement, streamlined workflows, and balanced the competing needs of commerce, advertising, and SEO.

Grocery Outlet

Director of User Experience

2024-2026

Led product design for a Fortune 1000 retailer's mobile app and digital ecosystem, serving 2M+ monthly active users. Designed an AI-powered recommendations engine and oversaw the product design system across all platforms.

FourKites

Senior Product Design Manager

2023-2024

Led design for AI-driven supply chain platforms tracking 3.2M+ daily shipments across Fortune 500 logistics teams. Designed human-in-the-loop ML automation products and shaped 0-to-1 vision across 3 emerging product lines.

Ziff Davis

Senior UI/UX Designer 2014-2018

Designer 2012-2014

Led design across high-traffic digital media brands including PCMag, IGN, Mashable, and Geek. Art directed and designed across multiple platforms, as well as the monthly PCMag digital magazine.

FourKites

Senior Product Design Manager

Designer 2012-2014

Led design across high-traffic digital media brands including PCMag, IGN, Mashable, and Geek. Art directed and designed across multiple platforms, as well as the monthly PCMag digital magazine.

AP Moller Maersk

Director of Product Design 2022-2023

Design Manager 2020-2022

Senior UX Designer 2018-2020

Owned end-to-end product design for a Maersk and IBM blockchain-powered global trade platform supporting documentation, shipment visibility, and regulatory compliance.

iPullRank

Senior Visual Designer

2018

Partnered with clients on SEO-driven UX enhancements, feature requests, and conversion improvements.. Conducted user testing and usability research along with design analysis in a fast-paced, SEO-focused agency.

15+

Years Experience

6

Design Teams Built and/or Managed

10+

Languages Designed For

General Assembly

General Assembly

Immersive UX Design

Immersive UX Design

New York University

New York University

Masters of Science

State University of NY at New Paltz

Bachelors of Science

ADDITIONAL

The One Love Podcast

Co-Host

2020-2025

Bi-Weekly Art Podcast where creativity meets chaos, culture meets parenthood & art/tech get filtered through real life. Life and art seen through the lens of the hosts, as well as their guests- high profile and notable names from the world of art, music, cooking and acting.

The Blotshop Collective

Curator/Founder

2014-2018

The Blotshop Collective was a New york City-based artist group. It curates pop-up art exhibitions and events across the NYC area to support emerging creators, often partnering with local organizations and non-profits. 

The Blotshop Collective was a New york City-based artist group. It curated pop-up art exhibitions and events across the NYC area to support emerging creators, often partnering with local organizations and non-profits. 

CONTACT

Want to chat more about a project or a role? Feel free to contact me.

San Francisco Bay Area, CA

ME@jamesljacobsen.com