← tauss.me
A design leader with experience in agencies, startups, non-profits, global companies, and higher education.
Digital experiences are not only changing human behavior, they are architecting society and impacting the human narrative globally.
I feel a strong responsibility to learn better truths, leverage understanding, and care to solve interesting problems.
I believe design delivers visual artifacts using critical & resourceful thinking to help communicate ideas that solve real problems and provide real value.
My Principles
001
Give a hoot.
Kindness, care and respect to all people and things. A banner I carry into all relationships. The world is crazy enough without us adding to it.
002
Solve for simplicity.
Creating simple solutions is a challenging process. I'm an advocate for simplicity in all things: process, research, and execution.
003
People > Products.
Kind & caring humans build delightful experiences. Value people more than the products they build.
004
Document over create.
Creating from nothing is no fun. Taking time to document provides a well of resources to create from.
005
Right over easy.
Making the right call is not always the easiest decision. It's important to do whatever it takes to make sure the right thing is done the right way at the right time.
006
Speak clearly.
It's important to let others know where they stand, what they are doing well, and highlight opportunities to improve. Feedback is a gift we can all give.
Experience
Bestow
Product Designer Manager • 2022-Currently
Bestow knows the peace of mind that can come from feeling prepared for an uncertain future. We’ve reimagined life insurance, driving innovations in technology and data to expand access and opportunity to more families. I joined the team as a design manager focused on improving our design ops and growing the team. I also contribute as a lead designer on several platforms.
Lead Design
Operations Portal
Admin Portal
Design Systems
Underwriter Portal
SaaS platforms
Enterprise partnerships
Endeavors
Design Ops
Design Manager
Tide Cleaners
Associate Director of Product Designer • 2018-2022
I joined team Solvent not knowing anything about the dry cleaning industry. I saw tons of opportunity and a fun problem to solve. We built something that no one had yet to been able to accomplish in the industry, and we built a team and process at the same time. I jumped right in and enjoyed every moment of it. As Associate Director of Product Design, I lead the thought and design of all applications.
Tide Cleaners
RaidersLead Design
Operations Tool
Point of Sale
Driver App
Guest App
Guest Care
Endeavors
Head of Design
Marketing
Branding
User Research
User Testing
Design Systems
Agile
Design Ops
Design Manager
Education
Graduated from Oklahoma State University 2011
BFA Graphic Design • Minor in Marketing
I began my studies in Architecture, but my attraction to art and design grew. I eventually switched my major to pursue a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Marketing. Combining art with how that art is applied turned out to be a great pairing.
My senior year, I was gifted the experience of interning at ULAE in Bayshore, New York. It was an incredible experience that me and my newly wedded wife got to experience together. For a semester, I worked at a print studio assisting master printers and artist as they created new prints.
Hobbies
Small Batch Coffee Roasting
Green Coffee Beans • Popcorn Air Roaster
My friend Jason Inman introduced me to roasting coffee. All you need is a cheap air popcorn maker and some green coffee beans. When the quarantine started, I had to find a way to keep good coffee in my life. So I began weekly roasting my own coffee. I've been able to have that premium cafe experience on a very affordable budget without the need to visit a cafe. It's been a fun outlet and is bit of a nerdy habit I admit.
Cycling
Giant TCR 2 • Road / MTB