Hey, I'm Austin 👋

lead teams and design
products that people love

lead teams and design products that people love

From humble startups to software used by billions, I’ve had a blast designing things that people love. At Square, I'm leading a brilliant team of designers that are ushering in the next generation of eCommerce. Previously, I shaped the future of Chrome at Google, helped establish and lead UX at HubSpot, and spent years traveling while working remotely. Join me as I continue to explore tech and share what I learn along the way.

Design Lead at Square
Google & HubSpot
Based in Austin, TX
San Francisco, Boston & Rio de Janeiro
Advisor at Sequoia Capital
Mentor at Columbia and Stanford
Co-Host of the UX & Growth and Decrypting Crypto podcasts
Passionate about remote work, the open web and economic freedom

From humble startups to software used by billions, I’ve had a blast designing things that people love. At Square, I'm leading a brilliant team of designers that are ushering in the next generation of eCommerce. Previously, I shaped the future of Chrome at Google, helped establish and lead UX at HubSpot, and spent years traveling while working remotely.

Design Lead at Square
Based in Austin, TX
Advisor at Sequoia Capital
Mentor at Columbia and Stanford
Co-Host of the UX & Growth and Decrypting Crypto podcasts
Passionate about remote work, the open web and economic freedom

Work

What I've been up to

Globally adopted software, high converting websites, emerging technology and beyond. This is a detailed chronicle of the stories, processes and results behind a curated selection of projects that I've led and contributed to.

Globally adopted software, high converting websites, emerging technology and beyond. Here are the stories behind my work.

Coming soon

This case study is still being written

Photo of designs for the Google Chrome browser
Google logo

Evolving the browser

Chrome is one of the most visible and widely-used products ever made. This is a look at how we evolved it beyond its core browser roots.

Timeline of Work
Hello iconCharity iconFord logoPetbrosia logoHubSpot logoGoogle logoSquare logo
2003 • Lexington, KY

My first website

I built my first site (and taught myself how to design and code) by reverse-engineering sites that I admired. It was hosted on freewebs.com and had a phpBB forum.

2011 • Lexington, KY

Starting a non-profit

Motivated to combat human trafficking, I founded a 501(c)(3) and built a robust site (for awareness, crime tracking & fundraising), videos, presentations and more.

2012 • Lexington, KY

My first design job

I conducted an unsolicited audit of a local company's website, and as a result, was brought in to lead their design and marketing efforts. This is where my career began.

2014 • Cincinnati, OH

Joining an early stage startup

In a leap of faith, I joined Petbrosia as its UX & Growth Lead and dropped out of college. We raised $5M in funding and grew to 100K+ monthly site visits and 10K+ customers.

2015 • Boston, MA & Rio de Janeiro, BRazil

Rapid growth at HubSpot

Brought in as HubSpot.com's first UX Designer, I established our process, helped take us international and led the site through design changes that multiplied its conversion rate.

2018 • San francisco, CA

Big impact at Google

Fulfilling a dream, I joined Google to help design the future of Chrome for its 3.5+ billion users around the world. From new tech, to core UI, privacy, emerging markets and beyond.

2021 • Austin, TX

Innovating at Square

Today, I'm leading a small, brilliant team of designers that are ushering in the next generation of eCommerce at Square. From retail and restaurants, to digital goods and beyond.

HubSpot website design preview
HubSpot logo

Multiplying conversion rates

How our small multi-disciplinary team iteratively built one of the most-visited SaaS sites on the web, multiplying conversion and revenue in the process.

Petbrosia product
Petbrosia logo

Growing a startup

A revolutionary idea and a tight timeframe would result in this critical redesign of our fledgling startup's website and product experience.

Field research reports

Building for billions

I've had the pleasure of leading design and field research in places like India, Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil and Indonesia — where billions of new internet users are coming online for the first time.

COVID-19 notification

Designing for a crisis

In a unique partnership between Google and Apple, I helped design the COVID-19 exposure tracing app that would be used around the world.

Password required
A word of thanks

This was a team effort

I'm fortunate to have worked with some truly incredible people. From distinguished PhDs, to early pioneers of the internet, to future household names. I’m humbled to call such remarkable people my friends and collaborators. None of this would’ve been possible without them.

Photo of Austin with work friendsPhoto of Austin with his team at Google in front of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.Photo of Austin with his team at Petbrosia in Cincinnati.Photo of Austin recording an episode of the UX & Growth Podcast with Matt and GeoffPhoto of Austin with his research team in KenyaPhoto of Austin with his team at Google

Entering virtual reality

One of my favorite side projects, building a fully functional WebVR experience from scratch.

Coming soon

This case study is still being written

Experiments and fun

ML models, viral products, bots and beyond. Here's what happened between the case studies.

Case Studies
A-Frame logo

Entering virtual reality

Two weeks and a blank HTML document would turn into one of my favorite side projects. A fully functioning WebVR experience.

Coming soon

This case study is still being written

Involvement

Advising

I advise startup founders at Sequoia Capital, a VC firm based in Silicon Valley, China, India and Israel with a portfolio of companies that represent an aggregate public market value of $3.3 trillion.

Mentoring

I mentor students and entrepreneurs entirely for free at educational institutions like Columbia and Stanford, trade schools like DesignLab and General Assembly, and on an individual basis.

Advising

I advise startup founders at Sequoia Capital, a VC firm based in Silicon Valley, China, India and Israel. The firm has invested early in companies like Apple, Google, Alibaba, PayPal, HubSpot, Stripe, Airbnb, Instagram, Dropbox, and YouTube. Today, its portfolio of companies represent an aggregate public market value of $3.3 trillion.

Mentoring

I mentor students and entrepreneurs entirely for free at educational institutions like Columbia and Stanford, trade schools like DesignLab and General Assembly, and on an individual basis. I've been thrilled to see the people I've worked with go on to start businesses and secure roles at some of the world's most respected companies.

Kind
Words
As a manager, you hope to hire people who are smarter than you, driven to make a big impact, and who constantly push themselves to grow–and Austin was certainly that. I learned a lot from him (his knowledge in UX design is unparalleled) and it was a joy working together.
Jessica Meher
Austin, for being relatively young, exhibits the experience and talent of someone twice his age in years. He is an incredible leader and has a way about him to get the most out of anyone. But most importantly, he's always eager to help others learn, grow and improve.
Jack Farrell
What I enjoyed most about working with Austin was his mix of to-the-point creative vision and direction, while providing it in one of the most humble ways I’ve encountered.
Dan Crask

Writing

Notes from the field

In-depth essays, on-the-ground research reports, and product teardowns. Travel with me to Africa, or take a quick pass through a product onboarding flow. This is where I share my thoughts on design, research and leadership.

In-depth essays, on-the-ground research reports, and unfiltered thoughts on design, research and leadership.

Podcasts

Thoughts worth hearing

Some conversations just need to be recorded and shared. I happily co-host two fully non-profit podcasts, where I've had the pleasure of speaking with some of the brightest minds in design and tech, all in front of a microphone.

Some conversations just need to be recorded and shared. I co-host two podcasts, where I've had the pleasure of speaking with some of the brightest minds in design and tech.

UX & Growth podcast album coverDecrypting Crypto podcast album cover
UX and Growth Podcast

Stories, debates and advice

I regularly sit down with my friends from around the world to take deep dives on design, conversion, and leadership. As part of this, I welcome a different co-host with every episode, giving you access to unique and fresh perspectives that are designed to challenge the ways you think. These aren’t interviews; they’re conversations between practitioners discussing real-world experience, and sharing actionable advice. I invite you to join in this journey of learning with me.

Recent co-hosts
Hannah Lee
Casey Yee
Aarron Walter
show facts

100,000+ episode downloads
Non-profit and independently run
New co-hosts with every episode
Monthly release schedule

top listener countries
United StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaGermany
IndiaBrazilIsraelNetherlandsPoland
SwedenFranceJapanSpainDenmark
Listen & Subscribe
show facts

100,000+ episode downloads
Non-profit and independently run
New co-hosts with every episode
Monthly release schedule

top listener countries
JapanBrazilUnited StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaGermanyIndiaIsraelNetherlandsPolandSwedenFranceSpainDenmark
the Decrypting Crypto podcast

Blockchain tech, without the buzzwords

Every week, Matthew Howells-Barby and I sit down to "decrypt" blockchain technology and explain it in ways that everyone can understand. We're learning too, so we often enlist the help of prominent and diverse guests in the space. Whether you're completely new to tech, have a growing interest in crypto, or have been building blockchains for years, we'll always have something for you to enjoy. And we'll offer it from an objective, tech-driven perspective without paid-for interviews or hype.

Recent Guests
Amy Wan
Bram Cohen
Jerry Cuomo
show facts

150,000+ episode downloads
Non-profit and independently run
Top guests from the blockchain space
Weekly release schedule

top listener countries
United StatesUnited KingdomCanadaIndiaAustralia
GermanyIrelandMexicoBrazilNetherlands
SpainSingaporePhilippinesIsraelFrance
Listen & Subscribe
show facts

150,000+ episode downloads
Non-profit
and independently run
Top guests
from the blockchain space
Weekly
release schedule

top listener countries
BrazilUnited StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaGermanyIndiaIsraelNetherlandsMexicoSingaporeFranceSpainPhilippinesIreland

speaking

Keynotes and connections

I’ve had the honor of speaking at over 50 events in some of the most beautiful and vibrant parts of the world. I'm intent on challenging the ways we think about design, and being present in places that aren’t frequented by big conferences.

I’ve had the honor of addressing audiences at over 50 events in more than 25 beautiful countries. Here's a small sampling of those.

From the sun soaked shores of Rio,
to the arctic peaks of Tromsø

I've purposely exited the major tech hubs and traveled far to meet with local creatives, delivering talks about design, research and leadership in new places.

Previous Talks
Current Topics

JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out
A look at how Google designs for Digital Wellbeing, and the research behind it.

Design at Planet Scale
How products with billions of users are built and scaled across every dimension.

AltCity

Beirut, Lebanon

UX Belgrade

Belgrade, Serbia

Booster Conference

Bergen, Norway

UX Bucharest

Bucharest, Romania

Amuse UX Conference

Budapest, Hungary

Hacker Paradise

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Pixel Up!

Cape Town, South Africa

Mixed Reality UX

Dublin, Ireland

WebTomorrow

Ghent, Belgium

Squares

Grapevine, Texas

UXistanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

UX Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Conversion Conference

London, United Kingdom

IMS Medellín

Medellín, Colombia

HUG Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico

Design Talks

Osijek, Croatia

World Usability Day

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

O'Reilly Fluent

San Francisco, California

IAB Chile

Santiago, Chile

Product Tank

Tirana, Albania

MCE^3

Warsaw, Poland

São Paulo, Brazil
Cape Town, South Africa
Budapest, Hungary
IMS Medellín

Medellín, Colombia

Pixel Up!

Cape Town, South Africa

UX Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Product Tank

Tirana, Albania

Hacker Paradise

Buenos Aires, Argentina

UX Belgrade

Belgrade, Serbia

Conversion Conference

London, United Kingdom

Booster Conference

Bergen, Norway

O'Reilly Fluent

San Francisco, California

HUG Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico

Amuse UX Conference

Budapest, Hungary

MCE^3

Warsaw, Poland

IAB Chile

Santiago, Chile

UX Bucharest

Bucharest, Romania

UXistanbul

Istanbul, Turkey

MCE^3

Warsaw, Poland

Design Talks

Osijek, Croatia

Pixel Up!

Cape Town, South Africa

Conversion Conference

London, United Kingdom

UX Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Amuse UX Conference

Budapest, Hungary

Let's be friends
Whether you need a keynote speaker or a humble mentor, my inbox is open.
I