Are you hiring? I am currently seeking full-time employment in Product/UX Design leadership.
Hi! I’m Kate McDermott, a Senior Product Design Manager specializing in mobile applications.
As a design leader
I see the world through an “areas of opportunity” lens; a skill that I’m unable to turn off and naturally compliments my work in digital products.
My ability to solve complex problems with a positive, “can do!" attitude has proved me to be a trusted and effective leader in the design space.
I provide measurable results for the brands and companies I serve. My solutions and leadership improve digital experiences, directly contributing to brand embrace and increased business value.
I create and lead UX design teams with an extensive career myself as a designer at multiple Fortune 500 companies across industries. I specialize in mobile app UX, but have experience across digital platforms.
I have managed multiple design teams throughout my career, leading with an empathetic and “firm but fair” approach.
I have an unwavering commitment to create responsible, accessible and usable digital products.
The value I provide
The mobile products I have designed and managed have shown significant growth in the following areas (details can be seen in individual case studies found below):
Overall e-commerce revenue
App Store & Google Play Store ratings and reviews
Mobile channel-specific conversion rates
Account sign ups and loyalty member acquisitions
Recent Projects
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The North Face Mobile App
Re-designed a dated web app to function fully natively, bridging the gap between e-commerce and loyalty, and built a sophisticated, scalable, and accessible design system to support new features.
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The Vans Family Mobile App
Implemented a modern, native e-commerce feature in a previously loyalty-only experience so users could earn and use rewards on merchandise while managing deltas across NORA & EMEA regions.
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White Label Mobile System
Created a robust, brand-agnostic native mobile app design system (inclusive of e-commerce and loyalty features) that could be used and scaled across devices and brands as the company’s portfolio continued to grow.
I am actively adding additional mobile products to my portfolio. Stay tuned!
A little more about me
UX has fueled my passion to create intuitive, useful, and beautiful product interfaces that work for real users. My strengths lie in managing design teams and improving products through genuine curiosity, sophisticated systems, user empathy, and technology adoption.
I am a creative at heart, living in Denver, Colorado. For fun, I own a greeting card line and illustrate children’s books.
Companies I've worked for:
VF Corp
DaVita
Pearson
Rabble+Rouser
OLSON
Nemer Fieger
Brands I've worked on:
The North Face
Vans
Dickies
Smartwool
Altra
Icebreaker
Target
Weber Grills
Subway
New Line Cinemas
Disney
Fifth Third Bank
Chinet
Lifesaver Fire Protection
ZenPlanner
Tradehome Shoes
How others describe my work
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"One of her greatest strengths is her ability to listen intently and translate user feedback into meaningful improvements. She has a keen eye for detail and is always organized, capturing notes meticulously to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Her structured approach and ability to synthesize information make her an invaluable asset to any team."
Senior Product Designer | Feb 2025
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"If you're looking for a design leader who creates scalable, cutting-edge design systems, while simultaneously accounting for engineering priorities AND partnering on product strategy, then Kate is the unicorn you're looking for."
Senior Product Owner | Feb 2025
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"What impressed me the most was her strategic approach to designing reusable modules and components with a white-label approach, empowering rapid onboarding of new brands and regions. Her UX design principles were so well-aligned with my vision for mobile engineering architecture that, despite our different focuses, it felt like we were speaking the same language."
Director of Software Engineering | Jan 2025
Speaker: Women Who Code Conference
I had the pleasure of presenting the benefits of native mobile applications at the Women Who Code global digital conference.
