Garr Ovard.

Product Design Leader · SENIOR UX DESIGNER · AI BUILDER

I make complexity
feel effortless.

For 10 years I led design for a suite of software products used by over 300 million people. My user experience philosophy connects research, product strategy, accessible systems, and agency-level visual design to add massive value to enterprise products. I speak Spanish and have lived and worked remotely in Argentina.

See selected work Testimonials
Garr Ovard wearing a white shirt
Garr Ovard Design leader · Researcher · Builder
10years leading enterprise UX
5SaaS & mobile product areas
300M+people INFLUENCED
1stplace, Innovation Days

The work

Great design creates alignment before it creates screens.

I bring teams together around the right problem, make the invisible visible, and turn research into decisions that can ship.

Selected work

Intro and selected case studies.

Leadership, research, and systems thinking—applied where they create leverage.

01

Product direction · Enterprise UX

An overview: designing software used by over 300 million people

I led hands-on design across discovery, circulation, acquisitions, commerce, and mobile for a world-leader in library software with 4,700 clients representing 20,000 libraries worldwide. This included designing beautiful, usable interfaces and modernizing dated library software installations into the cloud. I traveled the U.S. and abroad to conduct in-person usability testing, do user experience design presentations, improve client retention and gather insights to inform our product designs and priorities. I ensured our engineers built common components so they could re-use our WCAG compliant design patterns, preventing costly code refactoring. This resulted in a cohesive, accessible experience across a large and complex global portfolio of desktop, cloud and mobile SaaS products.

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02

UI & UX Design · APPLIED AI · ANALYTICS · COMMUNITY BUILDING

Building the world’s most advanced online jigsaw puzzle engine

I designed Jigsocial as a social platform for cinematic online puzzles and future marketplace for digital and physical puzzles. Creators can pair original artwork with their own music soundtracks, while friends solve puzzles together in real time—seeing one another’s cursors from anywhere in the world.

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03

UI, UX & Visual DESIGN · CLIENT RETENTION · INNOVATION WINNER

Turning overlooked software into an award-winning customer experience

A craftsman with experience can see things that aren't obvious to others. I saw how executives reacted to a background image system I created for one of our library products. I also saw the dated and impersonal appearance of our flagship cloud-based software, an otherwise functional product, and I knew from experience it was going to  have a negative effect on renewal and purchasing decisions if the visual design was not enhanced. Rather than wait for a major redesign initiative, I looked for a fast, high-impact way to improve the experience.

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04

Usability Testing · Customer Retention

Onsite usability testing across the U.K. — with results in the top 10%

When limited engineering capacity slowed delivery and strained customer confidence, I was selected to lead a research mission: listen, test, gather evidence, and strengthen client relationships.

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05

UX, UI & Visual Design · Usability testing · product strategy

Making complex  academic reading lists simple for everyone

A reading list may look like a list of books, but behind it is an interconnected system of students, instructors, library staff, purchasing teams, course catalogs, availability data, and institutional workflows. Universities around the world operate differently—yet we needed one flexible product that could work for everyone.

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06

GLOBAL UX · INCLUSIVE DESIGN · MOBILE PRODUCT DESIGN

Designing an inclusive global language switcher

I designed a language selector for an international enterprise mobile product that remained easy to find and understand—even when the interface appeared in an unfamiliar language.

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How I lead

Clarity is a team sport.

01

Start with evidence

Watch real behavior, ask better questions, and make assumptions testable before investing deeply.

02

Make direction visible

Use stories, models, prototypes, and principles to turn ambiguity into something a team can discuss.

03

Build people, not dependency

Create the trust, feedback, and systems that let designers do their strongest work without a bottleneck.

04

Stay through delivery

Partner closely with product and engineering so the intent survives constraints, tradeoffs, and change.

Experience

Leadership grounded in the work.

Enterprise product depth, agency-level creative range, and the technical fluency to collaborate from strategy through delivery.

2015—2025

SirsiDynix

UX Design Manager / Senior UX Designer

Led UX across five enterprise SaaS and mobile product areas, managed and mentored design talent, established accessible shared patterns, conducted international customer research, and won first place in the company’s Innovation Days competition.

2010—2015

Zions Bank / Affiliate Interactive Services

Interactive Designer / Design Consultant

Designed and coded responsive experiences for financial institutions, rescued a stalled National Bank of Arizona redesign, and mentored development through launch.

Earlier career

Creative leadership & entrepreneurship

Creative Director / Interactive Art Director / Founder

Led two multidisciplinary teams on a $7M engagement, built a design business serving startups, reduced cost per lead by 82% in one week, and increased classified signups by 30% for the world's largest boating network.

About

A designer’s eye.
A leader’s range.

My range spans product strategy, research, interaction design, design systems, accessibility, fintech, creative direction, and applied AI.

I’m at my best in complex environments where users have demanding jobs, the product has history, and the team needs a way forward that is both ambitious and practical. I can set direction, grow designers, facilitate the room, prototype and build with AI, or get hands-on with the work.

I value quality relationships, creativity, accountability and productivity.

Tell me what you’re building

Product design leadership

UX strategy

User research & testing

Design systems

Interaction design

Cross-functional facilitation

Team building & mentorship

Executive storytelling

Applied AI & agent prototyping

Workflow automation

Responsive HTML & CSS

Creative direction

Colleague perspective

Testimonials

Recommendations from designers, executives, clients, and collaborators across my career.

“He knows the UX process inside and out, from research to design to delivery—and creates an environment where people can do their best work.”

Jared MastersonLead UI/UX Designer · Direct report

“Garr is a gifted UX designer and creates intuitive web designs that are easy to use. He validates his wireframes and storyboards using usability testing and customer focus groups. Engineers enjoy working with Garr, and he is a talented manager who delivers results.”

Jeff GoodwinSVP of R&D · Manager

“His unrelenting attention to detail is astonishing. His devotion to not only his designs, but the users who will ultimately use those designs, is second to none. He does it all while being as friendly as ever and seeking constructive criticism.”

Tyler MaynardFormer teammate

“Garr is extremely punctual and follows through when he says he is going to do something. He has a persona that can calm any room down and still go forward in a tense situation. His flexibility has been superb.”

Mark SchaerrerChief People Officer · Client

“Garr is a reliably outstanding marketing professional, with notable proficiency in design, brand strategy, content generation, and management. He marries diverse industry experience with creative prowess to deliver measurable results to clients, every time.”

Erica MillerVP Marketing · Direct report

“When Garr joined the team, I was excited to learn all I could from him. He has a brilliant mind, is very creative, and was great to work with.”

Eric BarkleVP, Brand & Creative · Colleague

“Garr always had a passion for his work, from the largest projects to the smallest tasks. He was flexible, accepted our input, and tried to make each campaign its very best. He brought a cheerful attitude and fresh perspective to our work environment.”

Carlee HansenWriter & consultant · Teammate

“One of Garr’s strengths is his strategy-driven thinking when it comes to optimizing designs. He approaches assignments with a results-oriented perspective and thinks through what it takes to get someone to interact, sign up, or make a purchase.”

Kim BellomyProduct leader · Manager

“Garr has the ability to creatively engage people no matter the client or subject. He has an eye for creative talent and manages their specific abilities to their full capacity. It was a privilege working with him and learning from his vast industry experience.”

Ben PeckProduct design leader · Colleague

Let’s talk

Have a complex problem worth making simple?

I’m open to UX leadership and senior product design opportunities where strong thinking, human insight, and excellent craft matter.