Germain
Preston
Design Strategist
The bridge between a great idea and a perfectly executed product.
Case studies
Three projects where strategy, research and shipped outcomes were the same job.
Google Cloud Config Management
Google Cloud
Only 2% of customers who visited the Config Management section installed anything, even though the tools were free. I separated Config Sync and Policy Controller into distinct tools, then redesigned the zero state and installation flow for Config Sync. Config Sync installs rose to 11%.
- Information Architecture
- Conversion Optimization
- Enterprise UX
+9pp conversion
Read case study
PROS O&D
PROS, 2018
PROS's flagship revenue management tool was built in 1985 on Adobe Flash. With Flash hitting end-of-life in 2017, a migration was already planned. The default plan: lift and shift, no user research, same product in a new container. I pushed for something different.
- Airline Revenue Management
- Workflow Redesign
- Enterprise UX
Launched 2018
Read case study
Run it Back
Side Project, 2025
Designed a post-conference relationship management tool to help professionals maintain meaningful connections after events — from initial concept through validated prototype.
- 0-to-1 Design
- Relationship Management
- Product Concept
0-to-1 concept
Read case study
What I do
Design Strategy
Vision, strategy, and 0-to-1 product development. I help teams align on direction before a single pixel is placed.
Product Design
Websites, native apps, and enterprise design systems built for scale and clarity.
UX Research
Remote and in-person research that surfaces the real story behind user behavior.
UX Leadership
Mentorship, cross-functional influence, and building design cultures that last.
The work
behind the work.
I work at the intersection of design and strategy, where clarity meets execution. With 20+ years across enterprise, cloud, logistics, and education, I turn ambiguous problems into products people actually use.
I believe the best design decisions come from deep understanding: of users, of business constraints, and of the teams building the product. My work spans 0-to-1 concept development, large-scale design systems, and cross-functional leadership.
Currently a Senior Interaction Designer at Google, where I help shape how developers and enterprises experience Google Cloud.
- Cost savings delivered
- $1.8M+
- Config Sync installations
- 2% to 11%
- Teams supported
- 100+
- Years of experience
- 20+
Experience
Feb 2026 to Present
Senior UX Designer (Contract)
ExxonMobil
Design internal websites for Exxon’s IT transformation, including the Enterprise AI Information hub. I own each site from Figma mockup to live build. I export mockups as PNGs and hand them to GitHub Copilot, which writes the code from an HTML design system I built. Product owners and team members approved this approach, and it reduces what Exxon spends on site creation.
Nov 2021 to Jan 2026
Senior Interaction Designer
Google Cloud
Designing experiences across Google Cloud products, focusing on developer tooling and enterprise infrastructure.
Oct 2020 to Oct 2021
Senior UX Designer
Amazon
UX design for logistics and fulfillment operations at scale.
Sep 2018 to Oct 2020
Lead UX Designer
ENGIE
Led design for digital energy management products across North America.
Aug 2017 to Sep 2018
Lead UX Designer
HigherEducation.com
Redesigned student-facing academic platforms to improve engagement and completion rates.
Jan 2013 to Aug 2017
Lead UX Designer
PROS
Led product design for B2B SaaS pricing and revenue management software used by Fortune 500 airlines and manufacturers.
Jan 2010 to Jan 2013
Senior UX Designer
Waste Management
UX design for waste management operational tools and customer-facing portals.
Oct 2004 to Jun 2010
Design Manager
cPanel
Managed and grew a design team, overseeing the visual identity and UI of cPanel's hosting control panel.
2003 – 2005
Web Designer
DMars
Early career web design and front-end development.
Start a
conversation.
Hiring for a senior design role, or have a hard problem to talk through? Write to me.
Or email me directly at me@germainpreston.info