Open to conversations · Vancouver, BC
The most impactful thing I’ve ever designed? The teams.
I’m Ian Muirhead, a product leader with a design-led lens. I build the organizations, systems, and clarity that let teams ship work worth being proud of.
The short version
Sixteen years. Startups to IPO. The throughline has always been the same: build the organization, and the work takes care of itself.
How I work
People first. Process second. Product always.
I’ve seen what happens when organizations get this order wrong. Product pressure overrides process. Process becomes bureaucracy. People become headcount. Getting the order right, and keeping it right as things scale, is the hardest design challenge I’ve worked on.
Read my full ethos- 01
People
Support the person, elevate the team. I work closely with everyone I lead to understand what they need, and then get out of the way.
- 02
Process
Less is often much, much more. The best processes are lightweight, adaptable, and actually followed.
- 03
Product
Align value to the work. When people understand why their work matters, they do it better.
Capabilities
What I bring.
Product Leadership
Owning the roadmap, the vision, and the delivery. Aligning product, engineering, and design around what actually moves the needle.
Team Building
Building product and design orgs from scratch. Hiring, culture, process, and the hard conversations that make any of it stick.
Design Systems
Shared foundations that let teams stop reinventing and start building. Scaled to fit, not bloated to impress.
Cross-org Alignment
Getting product, engineering, design, and finance speaking the same language, using OKRs and dashboards everyone actually reads.
Product Strategy
Translating ambition into a roadmap. Prioritizing for user value, business outcomes, and what engineering can realistically support.
Speaking & Facilitation
Running workshops, talks, and working sessions that move teams from scattered to aligned.
Kind words
From the people I’ve worked with.
“…leads by example, knows how to foster a strong design culture, and how to elevate people’s skills and strengths to the next level. Additionally, he knows how to create a psychologically safe environment that allows everyone on the team to contribute with thoughts and ideas.”
Bruno Alves
Principal Product Designer · Copperleaf
Working on something worth talking about?
Coaching, advisory, speaking, or a conversation about product and design. Reach out.