TIM_HOSTE
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ABOUT ME

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I’m a product-first designer who thinks like a business owner. For the past 15+ years, I’ve been building digital products that drive real business impact — from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.

My approach combines deep UX research, clean visual design, and a strong understanding of business strategy. I don’t just make things look good — I design systems that solve complex problems, improve efficiency, and deliver measurable results.

EXPERIENCE

Head of UI/UX Design

VydiaHolmdel, NJ

Oct 2016 – Present
  • Led the strategy, evolution, and maintenance of a comprehensive design system and React-based component library, enabling consistent, pixel-perfect implementation and scalable high-quality experiences across a platform serving millions of users.
  • Scaled and managed a cross-functional design team, implementing design thinking frameworks, shared libraries, and governance processes that drove widespread adoption and reduced design-to-dev handoff time.
  • Partnered closely with Product, Engineering, and brand stakeholders to define system vision/roadmap, translate brand values into actionable components/patterns, and ensure cohesive, accessible experiences aligned with business priorities.
  • Championed design quality standards through critiques, reviews, documentation, and metrics-driven iteration (analytics + user feedback), improving engagement, retention, and conversion rates.
  • Directed platform-wide redesigns with a mobile-first, accessibility-focused approach, emphasizing user trust and seamless cross-platform interactions.
  • Mentored designers, fostered a culture of craftsmanship/collaboration/continuous improvement, and advocated for user-centered practices organization-wide.
  • Built, mentored, and retained a high-performing design team, providing growth opportunities, regular feedback, and professional development to elevate craft and innovation.
  • Led recruitment and onboarding of design talent to support design system evolution and platform scalability.

Head of Design

YashiToms River, NJ

Jun 2014 – Nov 2016
  • Built and led the design team responsible for cohesive branding, platform UX, and multimodal product experiences.
  • Re-architected the product interface based on user research insights, improving workflow efficiency and teamwork between sales and engineering.
  • Produced high-fidelity prototypes and end-to-end user journeys that accelerated stakeholder approvals and improved user retention.
  • Spearheaded a major product redesign emphasizing simplicity, modern visual storytelling, and accessibility across devices.

Senior Developer

SEMGeeksBelmar, NJ

Nov 2011 – Jul 2014
  • Designed and developed responsive, dynamic web experiences for multiple major CMS platforms (Drupal, Magento, WordPress).
  • Established scalable QA and design–dev workflows improving release efficiency by 25%.
  • Combined technical fluency with design execution, ensuring brand integrity and performance across platforms.

SKILLS

Design

Product DesignUX ResearchDesign SystemsInteraction DesignInformation ArchitecturePrototypingAccessibilityAI Design

Tools

FigmaClaude CodeFramerWebflowAdobe CCStorybookZeplin

Development

HTML / CSSTailwind CSSReactNext.jsTypeScriptWordpressShopify

Strategy

Product StrategyOKR FrameworksStakeholder ManagementWorkshop FacilitationA/B Testing