About
I helped found Flite and grow it from 5 people to 100, took it through its acquisition by Snapchat, then led design at scale at Pinterest and LinkedIn. Now I’m back in the work itself. Closer to the craft, closer to the problem.
Product design is changing fast. AI tools have collapsed the distance between concept and something you can feel and interact with. I wanted to be closer to that, doing the work rather than directing it.
I work at the intersection of product thinking and hands-on craft. That means getting to an interactive, testable concept as fast as possible and figuring out what that changes about how we design.
Side projects and experiments live at penston.studio (opens in new tab)
Experience
Download (opens in new tab)May 2026 – Present
Principal Product Designer
Back in the work itself. Spanning product thinking and hands-on craft, using code-based AI tools like Claude Code to prototype interactive concepts across a range of directions at once, compressing the time from idea to something you can actually feel and react to.
Sep 2018 – May 2026
Design Director, Product Design
Led multiple product design teams across the main app, focused on everything from launching new features and generative AI to rolling out a new design language, accessibility upgrades, and dark mode. Launched LinkedIn Games, a new product category bringing daily play to a professional platform, driven by word of mouth, with nearly half of new players joining through a connection. Built and managed cross-functional teams spanning core product areas (Home, Messaging, Profile, Groups, Pages) and strategic horizontals (Premium, Trust, Infra UX, Navigation).
May 2017 – Aug 2018
Design Director, Product Design
Led product design for new ways to grow the business and improve the ads experience. Launched the Creators initiative, which has become central to Pinterest’s long-term strategy. Focused on making content more relevant and building tools advertisers actually wanted to use. Worked closely with engineers and user research to solve real problems for people using the platform. Pushed for a practical, hands-on approach centered on experiments and learning fast.
Feb 2011 – Jan 2017
Flite (acquired by Snapchat)
Head of Product
Head of Design
Helped found Flite and grow it from 5 people to 100, guiding the platform from MVP into the enterprise space. Managed the Snapchat acquisition and led the team through transition.
Education
Art Institute of Atlanta
Associates, Visual Communications
Skills
Product design
- UX and product design
- Information architecture
- Accessibility and inclusive design
Design + prototyping
- AI prototyping (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot)
- Figma Design, Make, and FigJam
Leadership and strategy
- Design leadership
- Product strategy
- Brand and identity design